2025 Q1 Newsletter

Quarterly Newsletter

Salt Palace Convention Center | Mountain America Expo Center Quarter 1 | 2025

Table of Contents

Tourism Award Visit Salt Lake Luncheon ASM Insights Art and Soup Charity Event Chefs Corner Flip the Strip Sustainability Staff Highlights Event Highlights Upcoming Events Socials

A Tourism Award Rick Medina, Director of Facilities at Mountain America Expo Center, has been honored with the 2024 Tourism Award from the South Valley Chamber. While Rick is honored to receive this award, he would like to acknowledge that this wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and support of his team.

Through their commitment to excellence and consistently delivering exceptional event experiences, Mountain America Expo Center has built a strong, lasting connection with the community, supporting tourism growth in the valley.

Visit Salt Lake - 2024 Year in Review Luncheon Team members from the Salt Palace Convention Center and Mountain America Expo Center had the pleasure of attending the VSL Luncheon at This Is The Place Heritage Park, where we joined 200 industry peers for an afternoon of inspiring and insightful discussions.

Our incredible host welcomed leadership to the stage to celebrate accomplishments and share key takeaways from this year’s combined annual review. They reflected on the progress we've made, highlighting economic impact, strengthened partnerships, and advancements in sustainability. With clear goals for 2025, we’re excited to continue driving growth and innovation in the tourism industry and Salt Lake City through our incredible partnership with Visit Salt Lake.

ASM Insights The 2025 Q1 ASM Global’s Customer Satisfaction Survey results are in and we are proud to share that Mountain America Expo Center and the Salt Palace Convention Center ranked top 2 in the “large venue” category!

This survey collects feedback from event organizers and clients on their overall experience, providing insight into our performance.

Mountain America Expo Center earned a perfect 100% Overall Experience rating with the Salt Palace Convention Center right behind them with a 93% Overall Experience rating.

These results are a reflection of our teams dedication, hard work, and the hospitality we bring to every event. Thank you to everyone who continues their committment to venue excellence.

Art and Soup Charity Event We're delighted to announce that our in-house catering partner, Sodexo Live, received their 5th consecutive win in the Art and Soup Charity Event. This year, Yaneira Cardenas’s delicious Pina Colada Cake took the stage and won “Best Dessert.”

From incredible soups to delightful desserts, the Sodexo Live team continues to impress with their creativity, passion, and culinary excellence. Congratulations to the Sodexo Live team on this well-deserved recognition.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Chef Diego Cardenas

SERVINGS: 6-8

PREPPING TIME: 30 MIN

COOKING TIME: 45 MIN

INGREDIENTS - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 1 large onion, diced - 3 cloves garlic, minced - 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded - 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded - 1 teaspoon ground cumin - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper - 4 cups chicken broth - 2 cups water - 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced - 6-8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips - Optional Toppings: Shredded cheese, sour cream, and diced avocado

Toast & Rehydrate Chiles: Toast ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Soak in boiling water for 20–30 minutes, then chop.

Sear Chicken: Brown chicken in olive oil over medium-high heat (5–7 mins). Remove and set aside.

Sauté Aromatics: Cook diced onion over medium heat until soft (5 mins). Add minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Add Spices & Chiles: Stir in cumin, smoked paprika (optional), salt, pepper, and chopped chiles. Cook 1–2 minutes.

Simmer: Add chicken, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 20–25 minutes.

Add Chipotle: Stir in minced chipotle peppers. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Fry Tortilla Strips: Fry tortilla strips in ½" vegetable oil until golden (2–3 mins/batch). Drain on paper towels.

Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with tortilla strips, micro cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Flip the Strip Mountain America Expo Center completed the Flip Your Strip program with Salt Lake County, taking a significant step toward water conservation. The Flip Your Strip program promotes sustainable landscaping by replacing traditional grass strips with drought-tolerant plants, reducing water waste, and cutting long-term maintenance costs. With the help of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), $2 million was funded to 5 facilities, including Mountain America Expo Center, in Salt Lake County to replace old landscaping with localscapes.

104,750 square feet was converted to waterwise landscaping Estimated 2.39 million gallons of water saved annually 87,400 square feet of sprinkler systems converted to drip irrigation 134 existing trees preserved and 59 new trees planted Over 5,000 drought-tolerant shrubs added We are thrilled to be a part of an incredible program and to be a part of a more Sustainable Salt Lake.

Landfill Diversion Data

Food Donation

Material Donation

SPCC

MAEC

14,853 lbs

8,430lbs

Approximately 12,377 meals.

Approximately 7,025 meals.

15,675 lbs

1,491lbs

Recycling

SPCC - 141,768 lbs 44%

Cardboard: 62,353 lbs

26.4% Wood: 37,466 lbs 20.6% Food Waste: 29,243 lbs

32.46% Landfill Diversion Rate (Weight)

5.9%

Mixed Recycling: 8,300 lbs

2%

Glass: 2,829 lbs

0.6%

Metal: 858 lbs

0.3%

Plastic: 420 lbs

0.2%

Carpet: 300 lbs

MAEC - 25,562 lbs 80.8% Cardboard: 20,664 lbs 10.1% Mixed Recycling: 2,590 lbs

21.86% Landfill Diversion Rate (Weight)

5.7%

Wood: 1,445 lbs

1.6%

Food Waste: 400 lbs

1.3%

Plastic: 330 lbs

0.4%

Glass: 106 lbs

0.1%

Metal: 27 lbs

Staff highlights Service Awards 1 year of Service

5 years of Service

Bryan Howser Operations Assistant Supervisor

Chris Campbell Zero Waste Coordinator

Chandelle Lee Operations Staff Katie McAdams Event Technology Specialist

30 years of Service Manny Rosado Guest Services Supervisor

Seth Tetteh Operations Staff Casey Anderson Sales Manager Morrighan Berry Event Technology Coordinator

3 years of Service

First Quarter Promotions

David Simmons Operations Staff

Dirk Parker Operations Manager

Kelli Pacheco Sales Manager

Jason Vargas Full Time Guest Services Agent

Cody Dubois Engineer

Jordan Rausch Operations Assistant Manager Dillon Anderson IT Manager Sebastian Castaneda Lead Telecommunications Technician

Event Highlights

80 Total Number of Events

7 Total Number of Sporting Events

$102 Million Total Economic Impact

9,616,957 Total Square Footage Booked

QUARTER 2 EVENTS

MOUNTAIN AMERICA EXPO CENTER Triple Crown Volleyball Western Invitational Square Footage Utilization: 258,0000 sq. ft.

Big Mountain Jam - Rocky Mountain Jam & Great Salt Lake Classic Square Footage Utilization: 258,000 sq. ft.

Development Program National Championships Square Footage Utilization: 251,080 sq. ft.

SALT PALACE CONVENTION CENTER Melaleuca National Convention Square Footage Utilization: 539,880 sq. ft.

2025 Pattern Conference Square Footage Utilization: 203,660 sq. ft.

The College Board AP Reading Square Footage Utilization: 665,100 sq. ft.

Let’s get social

Salt Palace Convention Center

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Salt Palace Convention Center

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Mountain America Expo Center