Despite the down economy, 2009 was a record year for meetings and events in Evansville, Ind., according to the Evansville Convention & Visitors Bureau, which released an annual meetings summary last week.According to the CVB, Evansville hosted 179 groups in 2009, up 14 percent from 2008, when the city welcomed 155 groups. Those groups, which conducted meetings, religious conferences, sporting events and other activities, invested over $34 million into the local economy."We didn't project 2009 to be a banner year because most places suffered," said Evansville CVB Marketing Communications Manager Laura Libs, according to local newspaper the Evansville Courier & Press, "but we're fortunate to have a lot of groups return year after year who have a good relationship with our sales people."Evansville's largest event this year was the 2009 Frog Follies Street Rod Show, an annual art show.The Evansville CVB expects its meetings numbers to decline in 2010, according to the Courier & Press, because the city will be without one of its largest hotels—the 470-room Executive Inn—while it builds a new downtown arena.