Smart Meetings

More than 150 years ago, trail-weary Mormon leader Brigham Young surveyed the green Salt Lake Valley from Emigration Canyon and declared, “This is the place.” Since the founding of Salt Lake City, many other people have taken a look at this dramatically situated city, backed up against the steep-faced crags of the Wasatch Front, and agreed: Yes, this is the place!

Salt Lake City presents a near-unique natural and man-made environment where all-seasons, big-as-all-outdoors recreation combines with the sophisticated comforts of urban living. And as one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation, Salt Lake’s population is increasing diverse and cosmopolitan.

For many first-timers, one of the most surprising aspects of Salt Lake City is how youthful and progressive the it is. At 27.1, Utah’s median age is the youngest in the nation (the national median is over 35). In Salt Lake, this youthful population is largely represented by hip, outdoors-oriented hikers and mountain bikers who are drawn to Utah’s largest city to be at nature’s doorstep while enjoying the refinements of a large and diverse location. (While Salt Lake has a population of 182,000, the larger metro area counts more than 1.2 million residents).

The blend of youthful energy, urban sophistication and natural splendor makes Salt Lake City a great place for meetings. “We have everything that’s needed for a very successful convention or meeting,” says Mark White, vice president of sales for the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And, in addition, the Salt Lake area offers some really cool extras as icing on the cake.”

Not only does the city provide easy accessibility, a large and sophisticated convention center, and a clean, compact and vibrant downtown area, says White, it’s also just minutes from the great outdoors. “Salt Lake City is a medium-size city surrounded by mountains and all the natural beauty of the American West, including 10 national parks within a day’s drive,” he says.

Salt Lake’s dual personality—a metropolitan city with the heart of a mountain town—made it a perfect convention destination for Sandra Sumner, director of conventions for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). In 2006, Sumner organized a highly successful convention for the group’s 5,000 attendees. “Salt Lake City was a great fit for our active attendees,” she says. “Not only did we have a fantastic convention experience and enjoy the city’s dynamic nightlife, but our members enjoyed an abundance of outdoor adventuring, whether it was skiing, golf, biking, hiking and kayaking. Salt Lake City is definitely a site for a return convention or vacation,” Sumner says.

A HISTORY OF PIONEER MIGRATION
The history of the city is as striking as its physical setting. Fleeing violence and religious persecution in the East and Midwest, Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young established Salt Lake City in 1847. The streams of the Wasatch Mountains supplied ample amounts of fresh water for farming, and the Mormons quickly established an agrarian utopia in this then-remote valley.

Salt Lake City remains the headquarters and spiritual center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (although Salt Lake City is one of the few communities in Utah in which practicing Mormons are not in the majority). The 10-acre Temple Square, with its historic Mormon structures, is easily the city’s most famous attraction. While its centerpiece, the gleaming white and turreted Salt Lake Temple, is open only to LDS members of good standing, other official Mormon structures around the Square, including a number of museums, visitor centers and the Mormon Tabernacle are open to all.

THE BURNISH OF CULTURE
For a city of its size, Salt Lake’s commitment to the fine and performing arts is significant. Abravanel Hall is an acoustic gem and home to both the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera Company. Another favorite venue is the Capitol Theater, a glittering vaudeville house from the turn of the 20th century that’s been refurbished into an elegant concert hall. The Capitol sees performances of touring Broadway plays, big-name musical talent and Ballet West, the city’s classical dance troupe. The cutting edge Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company performs out of the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, a haven for smaller and more experimental arts events.

When it comes to music, the scene isn’t all high-brow, all the time. Contrary to what you might expect, Salt Lake City also offers vibrant nightlife with lots of live music venues, including several notable jazz and blues bars. Nearly all bars with live music operate as private clubs, though this hurdle is easily dealt with by buying an inexpensive temporary membership. Even better news: Salt Lake City is home to several microbrew pubs, where excellent craft beers and ales are served along with light meals.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS
In Salt Lake City, a glimpse at the horizon tells you that outdoor recreation is very close at hand. Even if you are just meeting for a few days and staying downtown, it’s easy to escape into the mountains. A number of hiking trails begin right in the city. City Creek Canyon, for example, is within reach of almost any downtown venue: a paved trail starts just east of the state capitol and winds through the stream-fed wooded canyon for six miles. Another convenient destination for a walk or jog is the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, adjacent to the University of Utah, a 200-acre natural area with four miles of trails.

Salt Lake City claims to have the highest number of golf courses per capita in the nation, with more than a dozen in the metro area. There’s a course for every level of expertise, from city-owned nine-hole courses for beginners to championship-level courses like the 27-hole private Stonebridge Golf Club and the 36-hole public Mountain Dell Golf Course, each with challenging terrain and incredible mountain views.

If you’re in Salt Lake in winter, for many groups that means skiing—don’t forget that Salt Lake hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and the downhill ski events were held in Wasatch Front ski areas. Four major ski resorts are just minutes from the city, and Park City’s resorts are only a short drive farther. The “greatest snow on earth” is more than just a local’s boast: it’s truth in advertising. The snow here is both abundant—an average of 500 inches a year—and champagne dry. Due to the altitude, the ski season is often unusually long, from mid-November through May.

GETTING AROUND SALT LAKE CITY
SLC has the excellent Utah Transit Authority (UTA) public transport system that includes both buses and the TRAX light rail train. TRAX is especially handy as it connects downtown to the EnergySolutions Arena and the University of Utah. No charge is made for travel downtown within the “Free-Fare Zone.” There is even scheduled bus service to local ski areas, a boon for meeting attendees without a rental car.

MAJOR MEETING VENUES
Salt Lake City’s premier convention and meeting space is the Salt Palace Convention Center, just west of the city center and within easy walking distance of most downtown hotels. This vast and architecturally bold structure has recently undergone a $58-million expansion that enlarged the facility by 40 percent. The results: 515,000 sq. ft. of flexible exhibit space and 164,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including a 45,000-square-foot ballroom and 66 meeting rooms. With this expansion, the Salt Palace is now one of the largest convention centers in the West.

The recent expansion also updated the center’s technology capacity. Not only is wireless Internet service available across the entire facility, satellite uplink capability and fiber optic cabling are provided in the 66 high-tech meeting rooms, which have the capability of accommodating 30 to 1,800 people. Unlike the dark and anonymous big-box feel of many convention centers, the Salt Palace places an emphasis on natural light, with skylights and hundreds of windows to let in the sun. A 40-foot-high glass wall on one side of the exhibit hall provides delegates with a second-floor aerial view of trade show activity.

What really sets the Salt Palace apart from other large convention centers, according to the CVB’s White, is accessibility. “Not only is it easy to get to Salt Lake City, but once you’re here, you find the downtown itself is very compact and easy to get around in.”

Sumner, whose AAHPERD convention was such a success, agrees. “In many cities, the proximity of the convention center to convention hotels often requires the use of shuttle buses. In Salt Lake City this was not an issue. Salt Lake is a safe and beautiful city with easy walking access to hotels, restaurants and shops.”

If an urban setting isn’t your ideal as a meeting locale, the South Towne Exposition Center is an excellent alternative to the Salt Palace. Located in the heart of an easy to reach (and negotiate) residential neighborhood, South Towne Exposition Center is especially suitable for meetings with participants from Utah’s Wasatch Front, from Ogden to Provo. It’s also easily accessible from downtown Salt Lake City, as the center has its own TRAX light rail stop. The facility provides a total of 243,000 sq. ft. of contiguous exhibit space that can be divided into five halls of 48,600 sq. ft. each. Add in free on-site parking, large loading docks, individual hall concessions and two 6,400-square-foot meeting rooms, and it’s clear that South Towne offers the goods for a regional convention or meeting center.

NEARBY MEETINGS AND CONFERENCE OPTIONS
Just north of Salt Lake City are several other areas with meetings and convention facilities (Davis County CVB; Ogden CVB; Utah Valley CVB—see page 99).

In Layton, 19 miles north, is the Davis Conference Center, with more than 32,000 sq. ft. of premium meeting space, including a 12,562-square-foot ballroom that will seat up to 1,000 guests banquet-style. A glass-enclosed rotunda overlooks the picturesque Solstice Courtyard, an expandable outdoor venue available for receptions and other events. A 43,000-square-foot expansion is scheduled for completion in 2008, when it will total 75,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

What really sets the Davis Center apart, say Josh Benson, director of sales and marketing, is its striking, light-filled design and park-like setting. “The Davis Conference Center is a hidden jewel,” he says. “After meeting planners see the facility, they never say ‘no thank you.’ Our clients have been very pleased with the facility and an incredible amount of our new business comes from word of mouth.” As selling points, Benson mentions a three-story bank of windows that frame the Wasatch Mountains, the convenience of the attached 147-room Hilton Garden Inn and nearby attractions such as Antelope Island State Park and Snowbasin Resort, both just minutes away. “I like to describe the Davis Conference Center as a resort destination without the resort prices,” Benson says.

Just up the road in Odgen is the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. The center encompasses more than 50,000 sq. ft., including a ballroom that can accommodate 1,500 people seated theater style or 900 at dining tables. In addition, the center offers the high-tech Executive Room that seats 80 and six 1,000- square-foot meeting rooms. Its jewel is the adjoining Peery’s Egyptian Theater, a beautifully refurbished movie palace completed in 1924. This fanciful theater was built at the height of “Egyptomania” following the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, and is filled with columns, hieroglyphs and mummies galore. Now used for live theater and musical performances, the Egyptian is also available for general sessions with seating for 800.

“Having an attached theater makes the Ogden Eccles Conference Center unique,” says Ross Reeder, the center’s director of sales and marketing. “Groups often rent the theater and show silent movies accompanied by the original old-time Wurlitzer organ as part of their activities.” According to Reeder, downtown Ogden is undergoing a major reawakening, with many new facilities going into city center. “Ogden is really up-and-coming,” he says. “It’s only half an hour from the Salt Lake City airport, but it doesn’t have the big-city hustle and bustle, and many people prefer that.”

UNIQUE VENUES
A 1,200-seat concert venue and arguably Salt Lake’s premier live music club, The Depot is at the center of The Gateway, the happening new shopping and entertainment district just west of downtown and the Salt Palace. When not hosting the likes of Ice Cube or Steve Winwood, The Depot is also available for private functions, offering 20,000 sq. ft. of banquet space, private dining areas, a convention hall, meeting rooms and the 220-seat Butterfly Restaurant.

Capture a taste of Salt Lake City’s elegant past at the McCune Mansion, a showcase of Victorian splendor, complete with a formal ballroom, turret, elaborate dining rooms, outdoor patios and gardens. Built in 1900 by a wealthy entrepreneur, the McCune Mansion has been lovingly restored to its original grandeur and offers a gracious alternative to traditional conference settings, with seating capacity for 300 and reception capacity for 500.

The eye-popping views from The 23rd Floor Event Center stretch across the Salt Lake Valley to the soaring face of the Wasatch Front, providing a dramatic, one-of-a-kind backdrop for business meetings and corporate parties. From the 23rd floor of the Wells Fargo Center, the Event Center offers 23,000 sq. ft. of function space, including conference rooms, a boardroom and a soaring, two-story gallery that’s wall-to-wall glass.

There are views of a different sort from The Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Built above the University of Utah’s 45,000-seat outdoor playing field, The Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium was used as a media facility for the 2002 Winter Olympics (the stadium hosted the Olympic opening and closing events). The Tower now offers skybox seating as well as outstanding meeting, banquet and reception rooms. The reception area, with a vast west-facing wall of windows, has three levels, each with a spectacular view of the Salt Lake Valley and Wasatch Mountains. The largest of these encompasses 6,300 sq. ft. and can seat up to 375 guests with tables, or 900 without.

For those looking for a “Rocky Mountain High,” the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort has more than 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and over 500 guest rooms in a pristine alpine environment. The ski area is regularly ranked as one of the top ski resorts in the nation by ski magazines, and in summer provides a meeting planner’s wish list of outdoor activities, from fishing and mountain biking to horseback riding and riding zip lines. Whether it’s après ski or après hiking trail, the 28,000 square-foot, full-service Cliff Spa is a serene retreat for relaxation and renewal. Snowbird offers 31 meeting rooms, and a 15,000-square-foot Event Center is available in summer. In good weather, a profusion of decks, terraces and patios are perfect for outdoor receptions and events.

A TOP CHOICE FOR MEETINGS
AAHPERD’s Sumner gives the Salt Lake City area top marks as a meeting and convention destination. “I especially want to mention the friendliness and warm hospitality of everyone in the city. Everyone was always very pleasant and accommodating,” she says. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to hold a future event in Salt Lake City. If you are a meeting planner and haven’t booked here before, then do it today!”

 

NEWS 

Expanded Air Service for Salt Lake City
JetBlue Airways has doubled the number of destinations it serves nonstop from Salt Lake City with the launch of new daily service to San Diego and San Francisco. With the new service, JetBlue now offers four daily flights from Salt Lake City to California, including twice daily service to Long Beach. JetBlue also flies daily to New York's JFK, and is the only low-fare, low-cost airline to serve all four markets from Salt Lake City.

City Creek Center Remakes Downtown
Work is underway on City Creek Center, a massive $1.5-billion civic renovation at the heart of downtown. The center will sprawl across 20 acres along South Temple Street at Main and State streets, including the better part of three blocks. City Creek will offer premier retail space, plus restaurants, office and residential development and six acres of gardens. The project is slated for completion in 2011.

Rail Service Expands
Salt Lake City’s already excellent public transport system is undergoing expansion. Construction has begun on a one-mile extension of the current TRAX light rail train, with the lines running to the Gateway shopping and entertainment district, the new retail hub of the downtown SLC area. Two new TRAX stations will be built: The first, adjacent to Gateway, is scheduled to open in late 2007; the second, at 200 South and 600 West, will open the following year and will serve as an “Intermodal Hub,” a central station for Amtrak train and commuter trains plus TRAX light rail. Good news for air travelers: TRAX plans to complete a light rail line directly to Salt Lake City International Airport by 2011. In addition, FrontRunner, a commuter train, will link communities north of Salt Lake City, including Layton and Ogden, to the Intermodal Hub. Service will begin on the FrontRunner line in 2009.

Ogden Development
There’s a lot of activity in Ogden. Newly opened, and adjacent to the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, The Junction is a brand new entertainment, retail and residential complex built on the site of the former Ogden City Mall. First to open at The Junction is the Salomon Center, a sports, recreation and fitness center complete with Gold’s Gym, wave pool large enough for surfing, Utah’s largest climbing wall and a vertical wind tunnel that recreates the experience of free-fall skydiving. Also in planning for Ogden is a new ski area directly above the city at Malan's Basin, on the east face of Mount Ogden. Plans include a gondola to connect downtown Ogden and Weber State University directly to the new ski area.

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Getting There

Salt Lake International Airport is one of the largest in the West, with 900 flights daily. It’s also served by every major U.S. airline, which means that the city is easy to get to and the competition between airlines keeps fares reasonable. For the drive market, Salt Lake City is at the hub of Interstates 15 and 80. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

• Temple Square & Historic Mormon Sites. In addition to various libraries and museums that are open to the public, frequent free concerts are held at the Mormon Tabernacle (see below). You can also trace your family history for free at the Family Search Center in the opulent Joseph Smith Memorial (the former Hotel Utah).
  
  
• Liberty Park And Tracy Aviary. The jewel of Salt Lake City’s public parks, 80-acre Liberty Park, is just southeast of downtown. Amid the greenery and lakes is Tracy Aviary, a 135-species bird zoo where summer features free-flying displays of trained birds, reminiscent of falconry.
  
  
• Free Concerts And Entertainment. Salt Lake is a music-lovers delight, with frequent year-round free concerts. The Salt Lake Tabernacle, an engineering and acoustic marvel completed in 1867, is home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Visitors are welcome to attend rehearsals on Thursday evenings or the taping of broadcasts on Sunday mornings; both are free. In addition, the Concert Series at Temple Square presents hundreds of free performances annually in the Tabernacle or the Assembly Hall.
  
  
• At the center of downtown, the outdoor Gallivan Center amphitheater holds daily weekday concerts in summer and free outdoor film screenings on Monday evenings, courtesy of Sundance Institute. In winter, Gallivan Center converts to an ice-skating rink.
  
  
• Local Brewpubs. Unlike bars, brewpubs don’t require memberships for imbibing. Squatters Pub Brewery, just west of downtown in an old warehouse district, was the city’s first brewpub. Woodsy and high-ceiled, with an attractive back patio, Squatters is an excellent spot for casual drinks and chatting. Red Rock Brewing Company is even closer to the convention center, and offers excellent ales plus a unique take on the hamburger—baked in a wood-fired oven inside a bread pocket.

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