The announcement was made at the ICVA's Annual Meeting Jan. 29 in Conseco Fieldhouse. The grant, to be dispersed over the next three years, is to be used for marketing Indianapolis as a convention and leisure travel destination.

Dean White is the founder of Merrillville, Ind.-based White Lodging, the developer of the $425 million Marriott Place in Indianapolis. Three properties in the 1,625-room development will open next month: Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn and Suites and Spring Hill Suites.

The 1,005-room JW Marriott is scheduled to open in February 2011. Marriott Place also includes the existing Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

The grant is in addition to the $1.5 million recently pledged to the ICVA by Mayor Greg Ballard in his State of the City address.

“We are deeply and profoundly grateful for yet another extraordinary investment in Indianapolis from the White family," said Welsh. "As we expand the Indiana Convention Center and our hospitality product and become a Tier One destination, these funds are absolutely critical. We pledge to do our utmost to deliver significant return on this investment by aggressively marketing not only our convention and hotel package, but our arts and cultural attractions, sports, events and other amenities."

Bruce White, chairman and CEO of White Lodging, stated, "Since our original decision to bring White Lodging to downtown Indianapolis more than 20 years ago, we have watched with great pride the evolution of Indiana's capital into a world-class destination."

He added, "Our company is delighted to have played a role in that development. This grant underscores our faith in the positive direction Indianapolis is on, and we believe these funds will enable the city and the ICVA to sustain and build up the momentum that's been created."

The mission of the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association is to advance Indianapolis tourism and economic growth. According to a Global Insight report, 22 million visitors annually provide $3.56 billion in total annual economic impact of tourism on the Indianapolis economy, resulting in 66,600 full-time equivalent employment positions in the hospitality industry.