Leonard Hoops is president & CEO of Visit Indy and Tourism Tomorrow Indy. He leads a team of 58 industry professionals who are charged with growing Central Indiana’s nearly $6 billion convention, tourism, and event business.Under Hoops’ leadership, Visit Indy has set all-time records for convention and tourism sales, delivering up to $1 billion annually in incremental economic impact and 90-to-1 ROI from public funding. During his tenure, Indianapolis has been named the #1 convention city in America by USA Today, and a top visitor destination by The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure, and Time. Visit Indy is also an 9x “Best Place to Work” in Indiana.Prior to joining Visit Indy, Hoops was EVP & chief customer officer of San Francisco Travel for 5 years, where his teams produced all-time convention sales records and managed international tourism development offices in 13 countries.In Hoops’ 35+ years of destination and corporate marketing experience, he has also served as SVP & CMO of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, SVP of Marketing for the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, and managed corporate communications for a $1 billion division of FMC Corp. (then a Fortune 120 company).Hoops received the Destination Organization Leadership Award from Destinations International, and has been named an “Indiana Living Legend” by the Indiana Historical Society, one of the 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana by the Indianapolis Business Journal, one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings, and one of the “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality & Travel Sales & Marketing” by HSMAI. He has also received Delta Upsilon Fraternity’s Sloan-Kettering Award for Business and the Vonnegut Humor Award from the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library.Hoops earned a BA in Journalism from San Jose State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University, both with honors.He is currently chair of PCMA, and serves on the boards of the US Travel Association, the Marion County Capital Improvement Board, the Indy Chamber, Downtown Indy, the Indiana Sports Corp, the Immigrant Welcome Center, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, and Conner Prairie Museum. Hoops is also a Governor’s appointee to the Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services Commission. He has previously served on the boards of Destinations International, Super Bowl XLVI (2012), the College Football Playoff National Championship (2022), the NBA All-Star Game (2024), and several NCAA Men's & Women's Final Fours.