From Deseret News archives:
Plenty of room to play
Outdoor Retailer and others praising larger Salt Palace
With a newly expanded Salt Palace convention center, Outdoor Retailer is attracting more people, more exhibitors and more attention.
In fact, the show, which ranks as the 52nd biggest convention in the United States, opened on Thursday with 967 exhibiting companies, a 12 percent increase over 861 companies featured last summer.
Now with 145,000 square feet of added exhibition space, Outdoor Retailer can easily accommodate the 4,005 booths on display through Sunday. And that's the first time the 4,000 mark has been reached in the convention's 25-year history, a 15 percent increase over 3,480 booths last year, according to Lori Jenks, group operations director for VNU Expositions Inc., a Virginia-based company that owns and manages OR.
"We're very proud that Salt Lake has really pulled together and built an expansion for us in less than 22 months," Jenks said. "This is our biggest show in the sports group portfolio."
And the show may help to draw other conventions to Salt Lake City.
"We flew them in to see what 20,000 people look like in Salt Lake," Beck said. "When you see the amount of exhibitors that are here and then how the city flows and how it works, it's amazing."
Since the expansion was first announced, Rotary International, the Endocrine Society, the American Cancer Research Society and the National Association of Research Librarians have agreed to make The Salt Palace the site of future conventions.
Beck said none of those organizations could have come to Salt Lake without the $58 million expansion, which was completed in July.
For Outdoor Retailer, more space means Salt Lake City will continue to be home for years to come. On Thursday, Frank Hugelmeyer, chief executive of the Colorado-based Outdoor Industry Association, announced that the association would recommend that OR remain in Salt Lake City through 2010.
In 2004, the twice-yearly show announced it would stay in Salt Lake through 2009 contingent on the expansion of The Salt Palace and a state commitment to protecting recreational areas.
"We love this city," Hugelmeyer said. "We love this state. It has a cultural fit to our industry. It has the best convention center, closest to the best recreation."
Beck said the expanded Salt Palace has led to $262 million in future economic impact, based on an average convention delegate spending $854.
Allyson Jackson, general manager of The Salt Palace convention center, said the OR summer show feeds $32 million into Salt Lake's economy.
"Because that is such a high number, they are able to use our facility for no charge," Jackson said. "The impact to our hotels, rental cars and restaurants, that more than makes up what we would get in revenue as far as rent because it is such a huge show to the community."
E-mail: danderton@desnews.com
Comments
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime 1:11 a.m.
- UVU beats SUU; USU wins big 12:57 a.m.
- BYU spikers end season with a loss 12:55 a.m.
- Iverson may be headed to 76ers 12:34 a.m.
- Credit Coug defense for win 12:33 a.m.
- Aggies blow away T-birds 12:32 a.m.
- Mo steals show in Cavaliers' victory 12:31 a.m.
- Editorial: Facilitate Big Brother? 12:22 a.m.
- Mom befriends wife of PTSD vet 12:21 a.m.
- Political clash over U.S. debt 12:21 a.m.
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Predicting the unpredictable: BYU wins
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
- Vegas, Poinsettia bowls or bust
- BYU football: 5 keys to victory
- Glover gives Utes last-second upset
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
- Cougars turn back Wildcats'
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
- BYU is champion of the state
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
396 - Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
150 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
115 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
115 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
88 - Hall's legacy measured today
75 - Y. focused on 10-win season
73 - Letters: C02 causes warming
70
If you're shopping online for gifts, take care. While there are some...
watch out for next year for sure, the negatives are just closet (and...
And something else, I generally follow players from the state schools when...
I could care less that Max Hall said what he did. The feeling is mutual BYU...
Dear Max, probably could have done without that comment. Probably would've...
As a Utah fan, let me first say congratulations to Max Hall, the Cougars, and...
Geno's and Pat's are good.. but, they are mostly for tourists, the real...
(You even got a middle initial... how's that for 'ya Max) It's nice to see...
Even today, I still cannot get enough of this movie or Charles Gitonga Maina....
...disappointed with Max Hall's comments that he hates everything about UofU....
Over the last few days I read comments of people complaining about tasteless...



You can be the first to comment on this story.