Utah is the perfect place to let your hair down. While it is certainly a destination with tight-knit communities and strong religious roots that make groups feel safe and welcome, it also encourages a good time.
“We have it all here,” says Kathi Dysert, the Davis Area CVB’s director of sales and marketing, who at once quells a long-standing misperception and understands the necessities of a well-executed meeting by adding: “It’s important to let people know you can drink in Utah.”
Other components for a successful event are also at planners’ fingertips in the Beehive State. From outdoor activities such as skiing—according to Dysert, Utah is known for the “greatest snow on Earth”—and taking in the glory of its national parks, to exploring its meetings-friendly cities and towns, delegates will delight in Utah during any month of the year.
Salt Lake City
“We hear over and over that groups enjoyed themselves here,” says Mark White, vice president of sales at the Salt Lake CVB. “Our hotel occupancy indicates there’s no high peak or low season—there are things to do here year-round.”
White says major new developments continue to make the state capital more attractive to groups.
“[The city] is great for meetings now but will be amazing when we’re done,” he says, referring to the $1.5 billion development of downtown’s City Creek Center, which will be completed in phases through 2012. Among the multiuse project’s features are Macys, Nordstrom, boutique shops, restaurants, green spaces, covered walkways, and 5,000 underground parking spots.
White says the bulk of meeting and convention business occurs downtown at the Salt Palace Convention Center, while some also takes place at South Towne Exposition Center in nearby Sandy.
There are 17,000 guest accommodations in the Salt Lake area and more than 7,200 in downtown Salt Lake City’s convention district. Among the most popular meetings-ready properties are Grand America Hotel, Little America Hotel, Marriott–Downtown, Marriott City Center, Hilton City Center, and Radisson Downtown, as well as Marriott Salt Lake City University Park, located a few miles from downtown.
“We have a compact convention package with a campus feel for large groups,” White says, citing the 10,000-person National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that visited in April.
White says the region’s mountains and national parks are what set Salt Lake City apart as a group destination.
“We sell that to meeting planners and encourage delegates to come early or stay late to visit Yellowstone or Bryce,” he says.
Group-friendly ski resorts near Salt Lake City provide additional outdoor options, including Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Alta Ski Area and Solitude Ski Area.
Park City
Twenty minutes away from Salt Lake City is the home of Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival, which descends on Park City every January. According to Ashley Andersen, meetings and conventions marketing manager at the Park City CVB, groups that visit will find themselves in “a really cool town.”
“There is so much to do here,” she says, from joining in its outdoorsy pursuits to browsing its artsy contributions, including the town’s main art gallery, Kimball Art Center, which has function space for events.
Andersen says another top selling point is having three ski resorts, including Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and The Canyons Resort, all year-round facilities with indoor and outdoor event space and on-site catering.
The Egyptian Theatre also hosts off-sites, as does Park Meadows Country Club and Utah Olympic Park, where groups can also take part in high-energy team-building activities.
“A lot of people think of Park City for snow, but summer is amazing,” Andersen says, recommending alfresco dining along Main Street for fabulous people-watching.
Among Park City’s top meetings-friendly facilities are Stein Eriksen Lodge, The Canyons Grand Summit Hotel, Hotel Park City, Park City Marriott, Yarrow Resort Hotel and Conference Center, Westgate Park City Resort, and Treasure Mountain Inn and Conference Center.
In Midway, located south of Park City, the Swiss-style Zermatt Resort and Spa is another ideal retreat for groups.
Utah Valley
Utah Valley, according to Joel Racker, president and CEO of the Utah Valley CVB, is an “undiscovered” gem south of Salt Lake City where visitors can partake in a range of activities, from skiing and other seasonal pursuits to cultural experiences, including Utah Valley Symphony performances at the Covey Center for the Arts.
“Utah Valley is wonderful for all different types of meetings and events,” Racker says.
Popular places to host groups gathering in the area include Provo’s Utah Valley Conference Center and attached Marriott; Redford’s Sundance Resort, featuring a spa and skiing and horseback riding opportunities; Orem’s McKay Events Center at Utah Valley State College; and nearby Lehi’s Thanksgiving Point, complete with a conference center, a Johnny Miller-designed golf course, beautiful gardens, and the Museum of Ancient Life. Brigham Young University in Provo also has function facilities.
Additionally, according to Racker, John Q. Hammons (JQH) is building a 90,000-square-foot convention center in Pleasant Grove, located 11 miles north of Provo, that is scheduled for completion in fall 2009.
“Pleasant Grove will soon be a major player for meetings in the area,” Racker says, adding that the JQH project will include a 300-room all-suite hotel, plus another unannounced brand-name hotel.
Another noteworthy item: The Utah Valley CVB announced a new lineup of festivals and events that delegates could enjoy throughout 2008, including the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in August.
Northern Utah
Ogden, according to Sara Toliver, president and CEO of the Ogden/Weber CVB, is “a mountain metro area at the base of some of the most beautiful mountains in the state,” a walkable destination with an eclectic mix of indie shops and dining, and three ski resorts nearby: Wolf Mountain, Powder Mountain and Snowbasin.
Its anchor meeting facilities are the Marriott Ogden, the Ogden Eccles Conference Center and connected Peery’s Egyptian Theater, and the Golden Spike Event Center. Toliver adds that Wolf Creek Resort near Wolf Mountain recently opened the new Pineview Lodge banquet facility.
South of Ogden is Davis County, the smallest but fastest-growing county in Utah, according to the Davis Area CVB’s Dysert.
“The area has boomed over the last 10 years,” she says, citing 90 restaurants within walking distance of the Davis Conference Center (DCC) and its attached Hilton Garden Inn.
“It’s been in existence for only three years, and already it’s expanded to 59,000 total square feet from 27,000,” Dysert says of the DCC.
The Davis County Events Center and the new South Davis Recreation Center, which opened last year, are also popular event venues.
Antelope Island State Park is a one-of-a-kind attraction in the area, with island cruises, wildlife safaris and the circa-1843 Garr Ranch, a great facility for off-site pitchfork fondue dinners, Dysert says.
Farther north in the Cache Valley region, the arts community is “unparalleled,” says Julie Hollist, director of the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau, citing the Utah Festival Opera, Caine Lyric Theatre, Ellen Eccles Theatre performances, and Utah State University’s Performing Arts Series.
The bureau oversees 19 towns, but Logan is the main meetings player, with facilities including the Hampton Inn Logan and the Crystal Inn Hotel.
Starting last year, delegates have been enjoying the Cache Valley Food Tour. Groups can go behind-the-scenes for an up close look at the area’s popular offerings, from cheese and ice cream to honey and coffee, at facilities including Cox Family Honeyland and Crumb Brothers Bakery, which specializes in artisan bread.
Southern Utah
St. George touts itself as the best place from which to visit nearby national parks. According to Brittany McMichael, marketing specialist for the St. George Area CVB, visitors could easily day-trip to Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon’s north rim, and Lake Powell. Snow Canyon State Park, she adds, is a hidden jewel about 10 minutes from St. George, where groups can enjoy lunch, a guided hike and horseback riding.
“We’re different than the rest of the state because there is no skiing here, but we golf all year,” McMichael says. There are, in fact, 10 group-friendly courses in the area.
Among St. George’s meetings-equipped venues are the Dixie Center convention facility and properties such as the Red Mountain Spa, the Courtyard by Marriott, the Hilton Garden Inn, the Best Western Abbey Inn, and in nearby Springdale, the Best Western Zion Park Inn.
Tuacahn, an amphitheatre in Ivins about 10 minutes from town, puts on musical theater productions all summer long, McMichael adds.
Meanwhile, planners like the Cedar City area for its built-in activities, including its position between Zion and Bryce for easy access to both, according to Maria Twitchell, executive director of the Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau.
Also, the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, held from the end of June through October in Cedar City, is comparable to the Shakespeare festivals in Stratford, Ontario; and Ashland, Ore., according to Twitchell.
“Planners plan around this time and it provides meeting-goers a sophisticated outing at night,” she says.
Brian Head, a ski town, is home to one of the area’s main conference facilities, the Cedar Breaks Lodge, and Cedar City features the Sharwan Smith Center and Haze Hunter Conference Center at Southern Utah University. The campus also features a challenge course team-building center that groups utilize.
Farther east, Moab is the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands national parks, according to Marian DeLay, executive director of the Moab Area Travel Council.
DeLay adds that the area is a place for fun Jeep tours, cross-country skiing, golfing, and, since it’s the only city in Utah on the Colorado River, premier white-water rafting. Hiking and mountain biking are also popular.
The area is home to several terrific spots for small to midsize meetings, according to DeLay, including the Cedar Bend Bed and Breakfast (whose main lodge is used for meetings); Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge (the home of Arches Winery, with a tasting room that seats up to 250 people); and Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa (with function space including an outdoor veranda for barbecues.)
For More Info
Cache Valley Visitors Bureau 435.755.1890
www.tourcachevalley.com
Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau 435.586.5124
www.scenicsouthernutah.com
Davis Area CVB 801.774.8200
www.davisareacvb.com
Moab Area Travel Council 435.259.1370
www.discovermoab.com
Ogden/Weber CVB 801.778.6250
www.ogden.travel
Park City COC and CVB 435.649.6100
www.parkcitymeetings.com
Salt Lake CVB 801.534.4900
www.visitsaltlake.com
St. George Area CVB 435.634.5747
www.utahstgeorge.com
Utah Office of Tourism 801.538.1030
www.utah.com
Utah Valley CVB 801.851.2100
www.utahvalley.org
