Officials meet at The Lerner to discuss Indiana tourism during annual conference

ELKHART, Ind. - State and local leaders came together at the Lerner Theater Tuesday for the two-day Indiana Tourism Conference to discuss what can be done to increase tourism and boost the economy across Indiana.

One topic of discussion was how smaller cities in the Hoosier state can attract as many tourists as places like Indianapolis.

"Being able to showcase that to people, and say, hey being in downtown Indianapolis is a very different experience to the Made in Elkhart brand that they have, it's really explaining to people all these different opportunities that they have in the state and what it looks like that's different than what they expected," said Carrie Lambert, Executive Director of the Indiana Tourism Association.

The conference is held annually but this year's marks the first time it's come to Elkhart.