Salt Lake likely to bid for 2012 GOP convention

The chance that Salt Lake City will try to land the 2012 Republican National Convention has moved from maybe to probably.

"The expectation is that we will go for it," said Scott Beck, president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We have vetted all the requirements, and we absolutely meet all of them."

Salt Lake City was invited by the Republican National Committee to an "interested parties" presentation in November in which all the infrastructure requirements and the process were laid out. Beck and a representative from the governor's office attended. So did envoys from a "dozen or so" other cities. Beck said bids also could come from cities that weren't there but know the process.

The governor's office this month formed a committee of about a dozen leaders to explore the idea, Beck said. They have made no formal decision about going forward, but they will have to decide during a meeting in early January. Cities that want to compete to host the convention must submit bids to the RNC by Jan. 15.

Once bids are submitted, the RNC has a couple of months to narrow the field to four bid cities, which will be announced and visited in April, Beck said. A final decision is expected around June.

Hosting the convention provides exposure and is lucrative for host cities because of the number of visitors it brings. A report released by the committee for 2008 host city Minneapolis-St. Paul said the convention brought with it nearly $170 million in new money for the local economy. The host committee was also able to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment, clothing, office furniture and supplies, as well as food, to local groups after the convention ended, the report said.

Beck said the fact that Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Olympics highlights its viability.

Greg Miller, chief executive officer of the Larry Miller Cos., tweeted his involvement on the exploratory committee early this week: "Just left a mtg @ SLCVB. Early planning on bid to host 2012 Republican National Convention in SLC."

State GOP Chairman Dave Hansen said earlier this month it would be "quite an honor" to host the convention, but he doesn't expect it to happen.

The online political forum utahpolicy.com opined Wednesday that it's "an interesting prospect, but there are a few things working against any potential bid," including the fact that Utah is not a "battleground" state, so the benefit for the national party is unclear. And there has been speculation that the location, which is headquarters to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, could complicate things for Mitt Romney, who is LDS, should he win the GOP presidential nomination.

e-mail: lois@desnews.com