On today’s show I sat down with Dave Neff, the new president and CEO of the 500 Festival, a community and civic organization that produces events to enrich the lives of Hoosiers, drive community impact, and celebrate the spirit of the Indy 500.
Neff dives into the organization’s 70-year history, its origin inspired by the Kentucky Derby Festival, and his career path through Pacers Sports & Entertainment, ExactTarget, EDGE Mentoring, Prolific, and Purdue’s NIL collective Boilermaker Alliance.
Neff explains the 500 Festival’s role in community engagement around the Indy 500, including the 50th running of the Indy Mini, the third-largest parade in the U.S. that draws up to 300,000 attendees, the Princess Program, Breakfast at the Brickyard, Kids Day on Monument Circle, and the Memorial Service honoring Gold Star families.
He details year-round work such as a STEM-based fourth-grade education curriculum and Kids Fit, collaboration with IMS and the IMS Museum, and ways Hoosiers can volunteer or intern.
If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.
You are going to learn about:
The Origins and Community Impact of 500 Festival
500 Festival Events
How Hoosiers Can Volunteer or Intern with 500 Festival
Thank you to our partners:
Elements Financial
Berne Apparel
Check out these great clips from the show:
