News release from Visit Fort Wayne:
Busiest Visitor/Event Weekend of the Year
(January 15, 2020) – Although it’s during the seemingly slow month of January, the first holiday weekend of the year is actually one of the busiest times for visitors in Fort Wayne.
Softball, volleyball, basketball and musical performances will bring in thousands of visitors over the long weekend.
This January 16-18, the Indiana Music Education Association (IMEA) will hold their Professional Development Conference in downtown Fort Wayne for the tenth consecutive year. This event will bring in an estimated 3,000 visitors to our city. While the conference is an exclusive event, the community is welcome to attend special performances throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, Fort Wayne sports facilities will be bustling with traveling teams. The Plex South will host more than 20 softball teams for the Avalanche tournament. Gym Rats will host their 2020 MLK Classic at the SportONE/Parkview Fieldhouse with an estimated attendance of 5,000. The MLK Volleyball Challenge will take place at the Memorial Coliseum and Empowered Sports Club for its eighth consecutive year and will bring in an estimated 10,000 attendees.
These four events are projected to bring about more than 18,000 visitors to the city for the three-day weekend. Hotels, restaurants and attractions will see a significant increase in business as more than 2.8 million dollars enters our city over these few days.