SALT LAKE CITY
Defining a sense of place is the newest tourism Holy Grail all destinations aspire to achieve.
Many think they know Salt Lake’s sense of place given tired stereotypes collected over the years—some positive, some not. One of the most common perceptions is Salt Lake has a conservative culture as prominent as its mountains. Visit Salt Lake has embraced this reputation but they are boldly setting the record straight with the launch of a new ad campaign, There’s Nothing To Do In Salt Lake.
An exercise in reverse psychology, Visit Salt Lake launched the campaign at the ASAE conference in Detroit last week challenging meeting planners who buy into Salt Lake’s reputation for no dining, no drinking and no fun. The day kicked off by conference goers being greeted by a street team picketing the conference center with signs and stickers with the URL, theresnothingtodoinsaltlake.com. That was enough to get the chatter started among curious attendees wondering who was behind the protest.
The staged attack was explained later that day when Visit Salt Lake president and CEO, Scott Beck, introduced a video featuring a vibrant city thriving with activity, and followed up by inviting conference goers to attend ASAE next year in Salt Lake to experience it for themselves.
It’s difficult to argue that a town is sleepy when it boasts 1,700 restaurants, 140 bars, 17,000 hotel rooms, plus more than 20 neighborhoods that are home to microbreweries, distilleries, museums, theatres, shopping centers, professional sports teams, a convention center with 679,000 square feet of space and an international airport just six miles from the downtown convention district.
“We’re constantly being told that Salt Lake is a pleasant surprise by those who visit for the first time or those who haven’t been here for a while. That’s a perception issue,” said Scott Beck. “The fastest way to change misconceptions is to face them head on like we’ve done with this campaign. We’re confident we have much to offer. It’s fun to challenge people who may think otherwise.”
