Dear Dad 2.0 Summit: It’s time to come to Indy

It’s time, Dad 2.0 Summit.

It’s time.

Austin, TX. Houston, TX, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, San Antonio, TX, New Orleans, LA (twice), Washington, DC (twice), 

Y’all know what’s missing. Right?

Yup. Flyover Country The Great Midwest. There hasn’t even been a hint of any conventions anywhere close to this region of the country. As I’ve mentioned before, this has prevented me from participating in previous Dad 2.0 Summits. I’m not the only one.

So, Dad 2.0, I believe it’s time to fix this atrocity. I have the perfect place for your next host city:

Indianapolis

I know what you’re thinking:

“Why would we want to go to Indianoplace?”

East Coast Elitist

“Indianapolis? More like Naptown. AmIRight?”

Someone Who Hasn’t Visited Indy In Decades

Well, those nicknames probably used to hold water. But I promise, the Circle City shed those boring monikers a long time ago. Yeah, we’ve been known for our race track for quite some time. But Indy is much more than a race in May. It’s a great convention city with a great heart. Don’t believe me?

Well, start your engines, y’all.

via GIPHY

Here are a few reasons Dad 2.0 Summit should come to Indianapolis.

It’s easy to get to Indy

Indianapolis is within a day’s drive of over half the United States population. It’s within a three hour drive of Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville.

Our airport is top-notch. The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is consistently named the best airport in North America. I’m sure you’ll agree once you give it a chance.

Downtown is made for conferences like the Dad 2.0 Summit

Seriously. Everything you need is right there in downtown Indy. You’ve got hotels. You’ve got the whole gamut of dining establishments, from fast food to the finest of establishments. And it’s all within walking distance.

What makes this even cooler?

You don’t even have to go outside. There’s a skywalk that connects hotels with restaurants, Circle Center Mall, and the Convention Center.

Downtown Indy’s ready for the Dad 2.0 Summit, regardless of weather!

Places to go

OK, so maybe we don’t have a network of museums like the Smithsonian. And we don’t have beaches like San Diego. But there’s plenty of places to visit in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

It’s the home of the greatest spectacle in racing. And it’s HUGE.

In addition to the historical racing machines at the museum, they offer some pretty cool track experiences, including the opportunity to drive on the track and kiss the Yard of Bricks.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Full disclosure: I’m pretty partial to this one. I’ve worked here since 2018, but don’t let that cloud your view.

The Children’s Museum is the world’s largest children’s museum and is regularly named one of the best children’s museums in the country. Dinosaurs, space, sports, trains, science, and an exhibit dedicated to the lives of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, and Malala Yousafzai are just a few of the fabulous things that make The Children’s Museum a must-visit place!

I didn’t even mention the 7.5 acres of outdoor sports-related fun.

Trust me. You want to visit this museum, even if you’re attending Dad 2.0 without the rest of your family. I make no promises, but I think I know a guy who would love to walk you through the world’s biggest and best children’s museum.

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Just sayin’.

I know another guy who’d love to share The Children’s Museum with you, too. Right, Creed?

Indianapolis Zoo and White River Botanical Gardens

One of the nation’s largest privately-funded zoos sits on 65 acres and is full of animals from around the world. You can see sloths, dolphins, penguins, elephants, orangutans, and lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my) at the Indianapolis Zoo.

But that’s not all…

There’s also Conner Prairie, Rhythm! Discovery Center, the Indiana Medical History Museum, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, and all kinds of memorials and monuments.

And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.

Maybe other organizations will convince you

Gencon, the largest table-top convention in North America, brings more than 60,000 people to downtown Indy. We’ve hosted them every year since 2006. I think they like us.

I know you know we’ve hosted a Super Bowl in Indy. It was pretty well-received.

The NBA All Star Game was originally slated to be in Indy this year. Of course, like everything else, COVID changed everything. Now we’re hosting the All Star Game in 2024.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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And of course, the NCAA likes the setup in Indy. The road to the college football national championship runs through the Circle City soon. The men’s Final Four comes back here every five years or so. Shoot, they like it here so much, they’re hosting the whole men’s tournament in Indy this year.

I think all of these organizations know something that you know deep down in your heart, Dad 2.0 Summit. Indy is the place to be.

Hoosier hospitality is a real thing

I used to think this was just a marketing ploy. Are Hoosiers really that nice? Well, I’ve been around the world enough to be able to say “Yes. Yes, we are.”

Of course there are outliers and those who don’t fit the mold. But you’ll find that Indianapolis is the biggest small town there is. A lot of that is because of a good old heaping helping of Hoosier hospitality.

I’m taking my shot

Did you know that Wayne Gretzky, The Great One, started his professional hockey career right here in Indiana? He played for the Indianapolis Racers. He even scored his first professional goal here in the Circle City.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Wayne Gretzky

So here’s my shot. I’m not throwing it away.

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Oh. You thought I was going to mention *that* shot. Well…this IS Indiana. We kind of take basketball seriously around here.

But I get it. You’re probably expecting *this* shot that I’m not throwing away…

By the way…

Did I mention that Indy was a stop on the Hamilton Broadway tour? I mean, if Indy is good enough for one of our founding fathers, isn’t it good enough for a conference about fatherhood?

See what I did there?

Hamilton Mic Drop GIF from Hamilton GIFs

There’s a saying in the dad blogging community that we like to say to each other from time to time. “Just ask.” Well, it’s past time to ask. It’s time to announce this to the world.

The Dad 2.0 Summit needs to come to Indianapolis. Period.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Hoosier Heartland in the very near future.

Thank you.