There had been talk of building an arena in Fishers for years, but the pieces never quite came together—until Mayor Scott Fadness found a way to make it happen.
Credit where it’s due: the mayor has a deep understanding of Indiana’s local government finance system. He used old municipal debt that was nearly paid off and persuaded the City Council to enact a food and beverage tax. That, along with other strategic financial moves, paved the way for the Fishers Event Center.
The brand-new, state-of-the-art facility opened in November 2024 and has been bustling with activity ever since. It’s now home to three professional sports teams: the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, the Fishers Freight of the Indoor Football League (IFL), and the Indy Ignite, a women’s professional volleyball team.
The community has responded enthusiastically. The Fuel sold out every Saturday home game this past season. The Freight drew about 5,600 fans for their home opener, and the Ignite appears to be doing well at the gate, too.
From my seat in the media area, I regularly chat with out-of-town visitors at Fuel and Freight games. Without exception, they are impressed by the facility. The Event Center consistently receives high praise.
One sign of the venue’s growing appeal is the solid turnout for Freight games. The IFL offers a fast-paced, fan-friendly brand of football that’s just plain fun to watch. I always tell football fans: go to one game—you’ll be hooked.
Even though the Freight, the league’s lone expansion team this year, hit a rough patch after a 2-0 start—dropping nine straight games—support hasn’t waned. In fact, they recently broke that losing streak with a thrilling comeback win against the top-ranked Green Bay Blizzard. More than 3,800 fans showed up for that game. Not bad, considering the record.
The Event Center has also booked a number of big-name entertainment acts. Indoor arenas typically slow down in summer, but comedian Leanne Morgan will perform two shows on Saturday, July 26. Later in the year—Sunday, November 16, to be exact—Grammy-winning artist John Legend will bring his 20th Anniversary Tour to Fishers.
Financially, the venue is exceeding expectations. The Town Hall Building Corporation—which still goes by that name despite Fishers now being a city—oversees major public infrastructure projects and receives regular updates from ASM Global, the firm managing the Event Center. At a recent meeting, ASM reported that from January through April 2025, the Event Center generated $741,207 for the city to help pay down construction bond debt—22% above projections.
The Center hosted 67 events during that four-month period, surpassing the initial estimate of 51. Attendance also beat projections, with 241,000 people attending events versus the expected 202,000.
Some skeptics had questioned whether Fishers could compete with other metro Indy venues for bookings. So far, the results speak for themselves.
As for the name “Fishers Event Center,” that might not stick around much longer. A green space outside the venue has already been named Forum Credit Union Plaza at Fishers District. According to Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren, Forum paid $109,000 for those naming rights.
At an August 2024 meeting, Hultgren shared that the Indy Fuel—tasked with securing naming rights sponsorship—commissioned a study valuing the Center’s naming rights at over $1.1 million annually. Hultgren admitted that figure was “extreme” and “extraordinary,” but said a deal in the $700,000 range annually would be “great for us.” Nearly a year later, we’re still waiting—one can assume Fuel leadership is holding out for the right offer.
For me, the highlight of the Event Center is watching it host graduation ceremonies for Fishers High School and Hamilton Southeastern High School. Giving local families a hometown venue to celebrate such an important milestone—that alone makes this place special.