Harvesting the afterglow of the Olympic Games is an integral component of any host destination’s strategy to raise engagement with visitors and group planners. Hosts of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City and Park City have been exceptional in this regard, deriving lasting benefits for themselves and all of Utah in terms of overall tourism and business branding.
Blessed with several world-class, year-round resorts for skiing and other outdoor pursuits, both destinations presumably could have comfortably rested on their post-Olympic laurels. Yet, both have invested in sustaining the “harvest” with as much energy as they put into originally hosting the Games.
Salt Lake City is establishing a brand-new identity by relaxing its liquor laws and expanding its cultural and entertainment offerings. Significant, too, is the city’s commercial evolution, with a strong presence in important group market segments such as healthcare, medical, high tech, finance, education—and of course, the outdoor industry. The airlift advantage is also irresistible: Salt Lake City International Airport is home to 13 airlines and over 860 daily scheduled flights, 337 of which arrive before noon.
Meanwhile, Park City’s focus has been on expanding its luxury hotels and meetings-capable properties, improving facilities and services at its mountain resorts, and enhancing its dining and leisure lifestyle allure.
Shining brighter than ever, the party is on in Salt Lake City and its hot spot neighbor Park City, with traditional selling points sealing the deal.
“Our accessibility, strong service ethic and great value set us apart, as we continue to receive accolades for the genuine ‘sense of welcome’ that people experience while meeting here,” says Scott Beck, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake, the city’s CVB.
As Beck and his colleagues explain, while there’s still work to do, the outlook is golden.
Salt Lake City
Utah’s capital city is stepping up promotional efforts and expanding its product line.
“We struggle with people still believing that there is nothing to do, and that you can’t get a drink in Salt Lake, so we are staying focused on a message of sustainability, with an ongoing message that Salt Lake is not what you think,” Beck says.
Salt Lake’s superb meeting and convention product is certainly well known to repeat customers such as Nielsen Business Media’s bi-annual Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, the city’s largest client, and to customers from Utah’s strong high-tech industry like Novell and Adobe, which hold annual users conferences in Salt Lake. The city also hosts nearly two dozen other national association conventions from all vertical market segments, but with many planners and potential attendees still unfamiliar with the destination, business development is a priority.
“We are focused on a highly targeted proactive sales process of identifying and then targeting potential groups with a business plan for their meetings that showcases our core strengths of accessibility, service and value, while also relying heavily on word-of-mouth testimonials from our loyal clients,” Beck says.
The bureau has also “enthusiastically” embraced social media to increase awareness, as Mark White, vice president of sales for Visit Salt Lake, explains.
“We aggregate several social media platforms to promote interest and attendance,” he says.
Customized microsites allow citywide conventioneers to plot out attractions, restaurants and nightlife prior to their arrival, and a mobile app for smart phones helps them navigate while in town.
“The idea is to encourage attendees’ involvement in their convention while enhancing their overall experience in Salt Lake,” White says.
There is plenty to experience in this cosmopolitan, easygoing Western city.
“Salt Lake is arguably one of the most stunning settings anywhere, with a mountainous backdrop that changes the convention experience,” says Tori Piersante, director of convention sales, education, religious, fraternal and social welfare for Visit Salt Lake. “We provide all the amenities convention groups look for, including our primary gathering space, the Salt Palace Convention Center.”
One of the newest centers in the West with a larger footprint than most competitive cities, the technologically advanced, labor-free facility is currently installing one of the largest solar roof arrays in North America.
“We are committed to environmentally sustainable practices and becoming a smarter, greener city,” White says.
Along with appealing spaces in the larger downtown hotels, other leading group venues include South Towne Expo Center, Abravanel Hall, EnergySolutions Arena and the nearby Snowbird Conference Center.
Numerous admission-free cultural and historical attractions are within a few blocks of the convention center, including pioneer homes, museums, the world’s largest genealogical library and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The nightlife scene is anything but yesteryear Salt Lake, there are dining choices galore, and Arches, Zion and Grand Canyon are among the 21 extraordinary national parks within a few hours’ drive of the city.
The marketing and outreach effort is paying dividends, with bookings for 2011 that include major citywide conventions.
“We find that simply bringing clients to Salt Lake and showing them just how well the city works is much more effective than simply telling them what we offer,” says Chris Peterson, director of convention sales, scientific, technical and engineering for Visit Salt Lake, adding that many younger meeting planners understand that Salt Lake has a lot more going on than it did a generation ago.
Park City
True to its billing as “the most accessible mountain meeting venue in the West,” lively Park City is just a quick 35-minute ride from Salt Lake City International Airport—and many miles from ordinary. Rich with character—this former silver mining outpost has serious pioneering personality—Park City’s four-season appeal shines as brightly as the winter sun that illuminates its world-class skiing and myriad other attractions.
“With three resorts plus Utah Olympic Park in our area, there are endless possibilities for groups of up to 700 once they arrive,” says Tonya Sweeten, meetings and conventions sales and marketing manager for the Park City COC and CVB. “Our historic district also has strong appeal for meeting planners and attendees. Nestled in the valley flanked by Park City Mountain Resort on one side and Deer Valley on the other, it is the heart and soul of our mountain town and the epicenter of all that is fun and wild.”
Having survived past cycles of boom and bust, Park City is invested with an irrepressible spirit of adventure and fun that is the town’s calling card. In addition to more than 4,000 committable rooms at 30 unique meeting and convention properties, planners have no trouble creating pre- and post-event agendas.
You can soar sky-high in a hot-air balloon, shop till you drop, luxuriate at a number of upscale spas, or go all out in Park City’s dynamic dining and nightlife scene, with many restaurants welcoming groups and providing entire facility rentals. Skiers and winter sports enthusiasts are especially at home in Park City. Olympic Park offers thrilling team-building activities, while Deer Valley, featuring over $7 million in resort improvements, has been named the No. 1 ski resort in North America by SKI Magazine readers for the past five years.
Sweeten says the CVB will offset the cost of a site visit to Park City by up to $500 for planners who submit an RFP through the CVB’s website through June 30, 2012.
Regular Meetings Focus West contributor Jeff Heilman’s love affair with Utah dates back almost 30 years.
