Smart Meetings

Located about 35 miles north of Salt Lake City International Airport along Interstate 15, Ogden (Ogden Convention & Visitors Bureau; ogdencvb.org) touts its legacy of bringing people together. Native Americans met trappers in the Utah Valley in the early19th century, and the region’s most historic union occurred in 1869, when crews working on separate sections of the transcontinental railroad met at Promontory Summit, about 35 miles northeast of Ogden. A golden spike driven into the final railroad tie commemorated the historic event. Before the completion of the national interstate highway system, about 65 passenger trains a day passed through Ogden, nicknamed Junction City.

The area is also surrounded by more than 230 miles of mountain biking, hiking and equestrian trails, and Ogden is also home to a whitewater park with concrete launching pads and class 2 and 3 rapids just a few blocks away from the city’s downtown core. A dozen golf courses are located within minutes of downtown.

With 50,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, the Ogden Eccles Conference Center (oecenter.com) in downtown Ogden is the area’s largest meeting venue, and is ideally suited for groups of 500-1,000 people.

The historic Ben Lomond Suites Hotel (benlomondsuites.com), the Ogden Marriott (marriott.com) and the Ogden Hampton Inn & Suites (hamptoninn.com) account for 400 of the 550 sleeping rooms within a half block of the facility. The Hampton Inn opened about two years ago in a restored historic building built in 1913. About a block away, the 25th Street entertainment district offers an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants in a setting that also maintains its early 20th century design charm.

    A few miles outside of downtown Ogden, the Golden Spike Events Center (ogdencvb.org) offers 41,000 square feet of exhibit space, two indoor arenas and one outdoor arena. The venue has hosted everything from rodeos to rock concerts and is available for meetings and conventions throughout the year.

Getting There

It couldn’t be easier. Salt Lake City International Airport (slcairport.com) is served by 13 airlines and has nonstop service to all of Salt Lake City’s top 50 markets. The airport is located 40 minutes away from Provo via I-15. Rental cars are available and most hotels have shuttle services to and from the airport. Sundance provides shuttles to Provo, making it easy to spend the afternoon in the city and retreat to the resort at night—or vice-versa.