From Deseret News archives:
Convention center in Provo?
Utah Valley task force supports site adjacent to Provo Marriott
The proposal calls for a $32 million, 80,000-square-foot facility to be built facing 100 North on the corner of Freedom Boulevard, complete with underground parking facilities and a skywalk connecting the center to the Marriott.
It's estimated the new convention center will attract nearly 250 events per year, generating an annual countywide economic impact of between $10 million and $14 million.
The plan also projects break-even operation costs — and it may even make money.
The recommendation comes from the Utah Valley Convention Center task force, an ad hoc committee made up of representatives from the county, Provo city, Brigham Young University and the business community.
The task force based its plan on analysis and conclusions from the November 2005 study by advisory and planning firm Conventions, Sports & Leisure International.
"Utah County needs a convention center," said Kelly Ward, a Zions Bank executive and chairman of the task force, "and the best place to have it is in the county seat."
Ward made the presentation Tuesday and requested that Utah County commissioners adopt a resolution in support of the plan.
But commissioners aren't ready to endorse the idea just yet.
"It's supportive of a location in Provo, but there are other entities that are looking at other locations," said Larry Ellertson, commission chairman.
The task force's presentation comes less than a month after Pleasant Grove announced plans to team with Embassy Suites and Hotels on a 100,000-square-foot hotel and conference center in the Utah County city.
Thanksgiving Point has had an ongoing interest in a convention center in Lehi, and there have been similar conversations in Orem.
But Ward says that doesn't eliminate the need for a convention center in Provo nor alter the task force's recommendations.
"We think we'll be successful regardless of what other projects are out there," he said.
The CS&L study, jointly funded by Utah County and Provo city, showed that existing facilities can't accommodate local demand, let alone state and regional conferences, conventions or meetings, Ward said.
In addition, some of the groups that have been using the Provo Marriott for their events are outgrowing the facility, he said.
By building in close proximity to the Provo Marriott, the convention center would be able to utilize Utah County's only full-service hotel and benefit from the Marriott's solid reputation, Ward said.
"The goal would be to attract non-local events to the area that presently cannot be accommodated by existing local facilities," he said.
