The Jackson Lewis Emerging Leader of the Year Award is announced at the Emerging Leaders Forum on 7 October 2026. The announcement sits at the awards luncheon, which starts at 12:00 p.m. Vanessa Green Sinders, Indiana Chamber president and chief executive, gives the luncheon remarks.
The forum is the Chamber's second annual edition. The venue publisher titles the day the Emerging Leaders' Summit. It gives Meeting Rooms 231-239 at the Indiana Convention Center and a 220 forecast.
Nominations closed on 3 August. The award goes to a young professional who has contributed to the Hoosier business landscape this year.
The shape of the day
The agenda opens at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. Five sessions start at 10:10 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m. The awards luncheon occupies 12:00 p.m. The networking reception starts at 4:00 p.m. and the forum adjourns at 4:45 p.m.
Three sessions and the reception follow the luncheon. A programme of this shape produces one room night for the delegates who travel.
How the organiser routes the rooms
The Chamber's hotel line names one property, the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, and a corporate account ID, 55737. The line carries the words "Subject to availability". It publishes no rate and no cut-off date.
The same page states the cancellation policy. A cancellation made no later than two weeks before the programme draws a full refund. After that date the Chamber offers no cash refund. Substitutions are welcome.
Registration runs on a ladder. A full-day ticket is $199 for Chamber members and $249 at list. A table of six is $579 for members and $699 at list. A lunch-only ticket is $99, and a lunch-only table of six is $479.
The demand around the date
The venue calendar places this group between the Gas Machinery Conference and the American Dental Association Scientific Sessions. The dental sessions carry a 4,000 forecast and open on 8 October, the morning after this forum adjourns.
The Chamber's 2026 prospectus carries a post-event report from the first edition. It states 231 attendees, which sits above the 220 forecast for this edition.
The pipeline the Chamber reports on
Indiana Prosperity 2035 is the Chamber's economic vision plan. Its first pillar is titled Building a Talent Pipeline That Meets Workforce Needs.
Sinders ties the forum to that plan. "Building Indiana's talent pipeline is a critical pillar of our Indiana Prosperity 2035 economic vision plan," she says in the Chamber's 3 September 2026 release.
The same release states that the Chamber partners with 25,000 members and investors representing over four million Hoosiers. Jackson Lewis P.C. presents the forum.