Indianapolis - For the first time ever, Indianapolis will host an AFC championship game. Since it s a home game, the city will make money.
Workers put the final touches on the field at the RCA Dome, but football isn t the only game in town this weekend.
An annual cheerleading competition called Jamfest will bring 27,000 participants and spectators to the convention center.
"This is a meeting planners dream:Tto be able to have an event of this significance, the Jamfest in town Friday and Saturday taking up the hotel rooms. They move out on Sunday as all the fans come in for the NFL game," said Bob Schultz, Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association.
Fans seeking hotel rooms downtown on Friday and Saturday will be out of luck, since most have been booked for months. But the game start time at 6:30 on Sunday is good news for the hospitality business.
"That means a lot of guests will want to come down, go to the game and actually stay over on Sunday night, which is typically one of the slower nights so it s going to be great business, great incremental business for the downtown area," said Phil Ray, Omni Severin Hotel General Manager.
Instead of the usual 25 cases, Gordon Coke will order 300 cases of beer and have five times the number of staff on hand at his Georgia Street pub. He s anticipating a huge crowd before, during and after the game.
"I m thrilled for the business but I m thrilled for the Colts fans because I think this is our year that we re going to go all the way.
I m very excited for all of downtown," said Coke.
Besides the obvious economic boost the city will also be in the national spotlight, providing exposure that s nearly priceless.
The network broadcast of the game will not only provide a glimpse of the Colts, but also the city they represent.
"Those beauty shots, coming in and out of commercials and the broadcast banter about, oh, look at this great city, and panning over to Lucas Oil Stadium, look what they re doing over there, " said Schultz.
During a 3.5-hour-long game, up to seven minutes of those beauty shots will be seen.
If the city had to pay for that time, it would cost between $6 and $7 million. Instead, it s free advertising, and about as positive as it gets.
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