Bureau awards scholarship

The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau has awarded its first Dianne Nelson Binger Scholarship in the name of Beth Belt, the 2006 Dianne Binger Sales Leadership Award recipient.

The award was named after the bureau's former president and chief executive, Dianne Binger, who died in March 2005 after a battle with cancer. The scholarship, currently $1,500, will be given annually to a female student at the University of Utah in the park/recreation/tourism area of the College of Health.

Funding for the scholarship will become a part of the bureau's yearly annual meeting, with a goal of $50,000 over the course of three years, which will allow the endowment to fund a $2,500 scholarship each year.

Belt joined the bureau in 1993 as director of convention sales for the western corporate market. She previously served as a sales executive at a prominent Salt Lake hotel and in the travel industry.

In 2005, the bureau's convention sales team booked nearly 390,000 room nights. About 88,000 of those it attributed in large part to Belt's account management and team leadership.

Belt "epitomizes our entire sales staff of well-seasoned professionals," said bureau president Scott Beck in a statement. "She's a top booker for Salt Lake, is a team player and gets the job done with style, passion and grace."