The Sports ETA Executive Q&A with Clay Partain, STS Executive Director of Sports Salt Lake

Q.Tell us about Salt Lake City and its sports culture and scene.

Salt Lake is certainly not new to sports. We are widely known for hosting the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which to this day was one of the most successful games ever hosted, in particular, from a financial perspective. We also showed the world that Utahans were remarkably industrious in preparations for the games, which included massive venue buildouts and infrastructure upgrades throughout the destination. Utah also set the bar on showing how Olympic venues can be sustainable, with all of our facilities still in use.

The years since the games have been good to us from a sports event perspective. Visit Salt Lake has been pursuing sporting events for well over three decades, and in January 2021 established Sports Salt Lake division to aggressively ramp up our sports tourism efforts. From a hosting standpoint, we are a clean and vibrant city, nestled in the Rocky Mountains. We are very much a city with a mountain town vibe. Our location in the intermountain west is ideal for hosting national level events, as we can easily draw from western states, but still within reach from the east.

Q.For those attending the CE Summit, what are three things our Sports ETA members should do or see in Salt Lake City?

The CES attendees will have opportunities to catch a Jazz game on Tuesday night as they arrive. We will also have unique Olympic offsite activities that attendees will have a chance to try. And if you are coming to Salt Lake in the winter, and love to ski, this is your chance!

Q.Salt Lake City has a growing brewery scene, what are a few brewpubs not to miss?

Salt Lake has 14 breweries just waiting to be explored. Our Salt Lake Brewery Pass is the best way to explore them, if you are looking to hit as many as possible. Check out our brewery pass here: visitsaltlake.com

Registration is now open for all 2023 Sports ETA Events

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M ARCH 1-2, 2023

SALT LAKE CITY , U T

M ARCH 29-31, 2023

D ALLAS, T X

MAY 7-8, 2023

KANSAS CITY , M O

MAY 8-11, 2023

KANSAS CITY , M O

OCT OBER 23-25, 2023

EL PASO , T X