On a recent press trip to New York City, Indianapolis and Facilities Media Group were caught reading each other’s print material. On the left is Cory Chambers, Director of Sales & Marketing, JW Marriott Indianapolis, reading ‘Facilities & Destinations SuperBook’ and on the right is Chris Gahl, Senior Manager of Media Relations, Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, perusing ‘Facilities & Destinations CONFERENCE’. In the center is Michael Caffin, Associate Publisher, ‘The Facilities Media Group’ reading “This is the PLACE,” a brochure about the extraordinary Marriott Place Indianapolis, an ambitious hotel complex connected via skyway to the Indiana Convention Center, currently undergoing an expansion project that will double the size of the venue by 2010. Marriott Place Indianapolis is a $425-million project occupying seven acres with a total of 104,000 square feet of meeting and event space and 1,626 total rooms throughout the four Marriott properties in the complex—JW Marriott Indianapolis, Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Indianapolis, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown Indianapolis and SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown Indianapolis. When the entire project is completed in 2011, the Indiana Convention Center will have the highest number of hotel rooms connected by skyway in the U.S., according to Gahl. In spite of the current economic climate, this Midwestern destinations is building on an already impressive meetings momentum. Tourism grew by 5 percent in 2008—50 percent of that revenue has been attributed to meetings, conventions and trade shows. “We offer first-tier city amenities at second-tier city prices,” explained Gahl.