2024 Annual Meeting and Luncheon

Indy is used to hosting big sports and entertainment events, but arguably has had both its most successful — and riskiest — year ever in 2024. Its usual home runs like the NFL Combine, Indy 500 and college and sports hoops & football were supplemented by the April solar eclipse, the USA Swimming Olympic Trials, the National Confectioners Association “Sweets and Snacks” convention, NBA ALL-STAR game, the National Catholic Eucharistic Congress AND a visit from Taylor Swift herself. Not to mention the Pacers/Fever and Caitlin Clark in Indianapolis! Big swings with a lot on the line … and they had to connect – And did! In this session, you’ll hear from the local experts about how they handled communications for those events — And how many of those centered on smart public relations.

About the moderator: 

Accomplished communicator Brandi Davis-Handy recently made the leap to president of utility giant AES Indiana (formerly known as Indianapolis Power & Light, where she started as external communications manager in 2013). Before the jump to the C-suite she was also an A+ public relations professional at OneAmerica Financial and Project Lead The Way. Her community involvement is deep and includes serving as chair of the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana and GangGang, as well as serving on the boards of the Indiana Energy Association, Indy Chamber, Indiana Sports Corporation, 500 Festival and the Urban League of Indianapolis. She was on the media committee of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game and co-chair of the Public Relations and Media Committee for the 2024 US Olympic Trials – Swimming. The native of Indianapolis is a graduate of Lawrence Central High School and of Hampton University in Virginia. Davis-Handy returned to Indianapolis in 2005 after working as a journalist in North Carolina.

About the panelists:

Clare Clark is the senior communications manager at Visit Indy, where she leads media relations and promotional efforts to position Indianapolis as a top travel destination. Prior to joining Visit Indy last year, Clare worked at Hirons, overseeing media relations for a diverse range of B2B and B2C clients, and securing media coverage across local, regional, and national outlets. Clare has been an active member of PRSA since 2018 and was a presenter at PRSA ICON last year. Clare is deeply involved in community initiatives, volunteering at Traders Point Christian Church and serving on the marketing committee for Dove Recovery House for Women. She has also contributed to major sporting events, including the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship and NBA All-Star events. Clare holds a degree in public relations from Ball State University and lives in downtown Indy with her husband and rescue dog, Tito.

Dan Gliot also recently marked a one-year anniversary in a new gig. The senior director of marketing and communications at Indiana Sports Corp. arrived in September 2023 after six years at the Horizon League in time to lead communications for the 2024 USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials, among numerous high-level integrations that included hosting big time college football and basketball postseason tournaments. Previously, Gliot worked at the Horizon League, a NCAA Division I athletic conference as Assistant Commissioner of Messaging and Branding. Gliot began his career in working in college athletics at his alma mater, Michigan’s Oakland University, in the athletics communications office after being a four-year varsity letterwinner on the baseball team. He also spent two years at UCLA in its athletic communications department overseeing sport communication for men’s soccer and baseball and assisting communication efforts for the men’s basketball team.

Taylor Schaffer is president & CEO at Downtown Indy, Inc., a nonprofit civic organization focused on improving Downtown Indianapolis. She took over the organization in October 2022 following a six-year tenure in Indianapolis city government — including Chief of Staff and Chief Deputy Mayor for Mayor Joe Hogsett. Before joining the Hogsett administration, Schaffer developed communications, branding and marketing strategies (using PRSA teachings) on behalf of clients while at Young & Laramore and BCH Agency, respectively. Schaffer serves on the board of directors for the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, The Athenaeum Foundation, Visit Indy, the 2024 NBA All-Star Game Local Organizing Committee and IndyGo. She is a former board member of the Indy Hub Foundation and an advocate for attracting, retaining and engaging young talent in Indianapolis. Schaffer is a graduate of Indiana State University.