Page 2 | September 2015
Sandy City Journal
Salt Lake County Moving Forward to Attract, Retain Conventions
R
ecently, I joined leaders from Visit Salt Lake and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for an exciting announcement: organizers for Outdoor Retailer are extending their contracts with the Salt Palace Convention Center through 2018. This is the largest summer and winter outdoor gear, apparel, accessories and technology tradeshow in the country. Outdoor Retailer has been here since 1996—except for 2002—when we hosted the Winter Olympics. Over time the winter and summer markets have grown to be the largest event hosted by the Salt Palace, with more than 6,000 specialty retailer attendees and exhibitors, drawing 15,000 additional visitors. They fill our hotels and restaurants, rent cars and go shopping during their stay. The total economic impact to us is approximately $45 million annually.
That boost to our budgets represents money that does not have to come from local residents and taxpayers, but rather represents a “bonus” for our bottom line. Outdoor Retailer has become so successful that it has outgrown the exhibit and meeting space available. We have been able to get creative by putting up large tents next to the Salt Palace, and to encourage hotels to move other proposed events around on the calendar to free up lodging. I was encouraged that when Outdoor Retailer surveyed its members about whether to stay in Salt Lake or look elsewhere, over two-thirds said they preferred to keep the show here. Ultimately, the solution is to have more public meeting space and more hotel rooms. That’s why I’ve been pushing hard to find a private company to build a convention
headquarters hotel adjacent to the Salt Palace, and include 100,000 square feet of additional meeting space. In mid-August, I was forced to discontinue negotiations with Omni, which had responded to our hotel bid request last year, because the company asked for too much by way of public participation. Salt Lake County needs and wants a private hotel, but not at any cost. My job is to negotiate a fair deal with a private sector partner—fair to the company and fair to taxpayers. Now that Outdoor Retailer has announced dates in 2016, 2017 and 2018 for both the
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winter and summer markets, I’ll redouble my efforts to secure a private sector partner. Soon, the county will have another request for bids out on the street. I believe we’ll have a private partner selected and a plan in the works within months. We know that having additional public meeting space as well as hundreds of rooms adjacent to the Salt Palace will be important not only to Outdoor Retailer but to other prospective conventions who have told us that’s the only thing Salt Lake is missing to get their business. For a lot of us here in Utah, getting outdoors isn’t just a pastime, it’s a way of life. It’s how we spend time with our friends and families and –increasingly—it’s how we make a living, as employees and business owners of outdoor equipment and supplies, and as a tourist destination. It’s a unique package as we promote Utah to convention planners and to visitors, as well as becoming an important sector of our economic growth and prosperity.
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