While the narrative has been fine tuned over the years, national office administrators in charge of the facility have a new opportunity this fall to massage the message even more.

An electrical fire in one of the Hall’s exhibits last November and the resulting water damage forced the facility to close temporarily, but it left an opening for a fresh communication strategy for the NCAA and the more than 400,000 student-athletes it represents.

When the Hall re-opens this fall, it will do so with exhibits and displays that emphasize the positive attributes of the student-athlete experience rather than just facts and figures. The displays also will be more interactive than previous exhibits, thus engaging visitors rather than simply informing them.

“Before, the Hall of Champions was designed to explain,” said Dennis Cryder, NCAA senior vice president for branding and communications. “Now we’re hoping to inspire.”

Cryder was part of the original project team that oversaw the Hall’s design when it was built adjacent to the NCAA national headquarters in 1999.

“We were so focused on explaining the NCAA through the Hall of Champions and on using facts and figures,” he recalled. “But that was before the NCAA brand evolved to what it has become today.”

In that regard, the Hall will be repositioned as a more functional facility that appeals to a wider audience. Cryder and his team will use the Hall to attract Indianapolis civic and business leaders, out-of-town and youth groups, and NCAA member schools and conferences as its visitor base. To do so, the refurbished facility features approximately 5,000 square feet dedicated to reception and meeting space, in addition to the enhanced exhibit and display areas. A food catering service also is being explored.

Administrators overseeing the Hall believe the opportunity for organizations to link their missions, purposes and goals with the NCAA will not only make the facility a unique destination but also encourage people to truly embrace the NCAA.

“If you book a room at any of the surrounding hotels, you get a ballroom,” said Jo Jo Rinebold, the NCAA’s managing director of brand strategies and events. “With the Hall of Champions, groups will get a room and messaging around it that communicates who we are as the NCAA, which could reinforce the visiting group’s own missions and values. That will differentiate us.”

In addition to all that’s new, the Hall will retain some of its original elements, including the popular Flying Wedge sculpture in the lobby that pays homage to the NCAA’s roots.

Damon Schoening, NCAA director of brand strategies and events, said retaining the heritage of the facility will make the hall stand out.

“There was a heart and soul to the Hall of Champions and we don’t want to lose that,” he said. “We want to build on it.”

Schoening said the ultimate vision of the redesigned hall is for organizations and visitors to understand and appreciate the NCAA and how it protects and advances student-athlete interests.

“The Hall of Champions is the front door of the NCAA,” he said. “We want people to come on in and be welcomed, entertained and informed about what we represent.”