Salt Lake City: “Incredible Meeting Space & Recreational Activities”
 It was only a few years ago that Salt Lake City gained international prominence as the host of the 2002 Winter Olympic games. Salt Lake City received rave reviews as an excellent, world-class, host city, with facilities, accommodations, dining and entertainment venues—in both quantity and quality—to handle large groups. And now, meeting planners are taking note. "With the ever increasing competition among destinations, it's very difficult to capture the interest of meeting planners,” said Mark White, Vice President of Sales for the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Fortunately, Salt Lake's distinguishing attributes and amenities—value, accessibility, safety, ease of doing business, and the destination's ability to draw attendees—match well with the industry's current demands.”
 For conventions, trade shows, exhibitions and generally larger meetings, Salt Lake City’s major draw is its state-of-the-art convention center, Salt Palace Convention Center. Salt Palace recently completed an ambitious $52-million expansion, growing the facility by 40 percent. The expansion includes an additional 145,000 square feet of exhibit space, and 64,000 square feet of new meeting room space. Part architectural showpiece and part modern art sculpture, the facility features delicate snowflake chandeliers, and custom designed cotton-wood patterned carpet in its five-story, main concourse.
Salt Lake City has now been placed in a select category of destinations that can offer meeting and event planners more than a half million square feet of contiguous exhibit space! Salt Palace Convention Center features 515,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space and 164,000 square feet of meeting space, including 66 meeting rooms. Salt Palace was recently the host venue for the International Association of Assembly Managers 82nd Annual Conference & Tradeshow.
Salt Palace has also earned its promotional tagline, “In the Middle of it all.” Located in the heart of downtown Salt  Lake City—and only 10 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport—there are 7,125 downtown hotel rooms within walking distance of Salt Palace (20,000 guestrooms city-wide) and more than 100 restaurants and entertainment venues.
Salt Lake City is also famous for Salt Lake, a natural wonder only 15 miles from downtown, as well as one of large number of golf courses. Other famous places of interest include: Fort Douglas Military Museum, Lagoon Amusement Park, Pioneer Memorial Museum, and the Utah Museum of Natural History.
 In addition to incredible meeting facilities and Utah's service-minded hospitality industry, Salt Lake City offers recreational activities second to none just minutes from the Salt Palace Convention Center and downtown,” added White. “Few destinations offer accessibility on par with Salt Lake; no other destination offers accessibility to its city center and its outdoor recreation like Salt Lake does."
When not attending your event at the Salt Palace, or enjoying the natural wonders and golf courses or other areas of interest, here is ‘quick take’ on some places for eating, fun, shopping or off-site events in Salt Lake City.
Bambara
202 South Main Street
(801) 363-5454
www.bambara-slc.com
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 One of downtown Salt Lake City's liveliest dining spots, located right off the lobby of the swanky Hotel Monaco. Central exhibition kitchen, brass and marble lined dining room and award winning chef, Robert Barker, who creates American Bistro cuisine that combines fresh, seasonal foods, American regional influences and Italian, French and Asian cooking techniques. Extensive wine list. Seats 180 guests, 35 seats in bar/club. Private dining available for up to 140 guests in the adjacent Hotel Monaco.
The Gateway
18 North Rio Grande Street
www.shopthegateway.com
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 The ultimate in Salt Lake City shopping, dining and entertainment. More than 105 stores and restaurants. Fully restored Union Pacific Depot features the Gateway's Grand Hall, a splendid space for special events, receptions and corporate gathering as well as The Depot, a nightclub featuring live music (and 22,000 square feet of meeting/banquet space. Other Gateway highlights include the Clark Planetarium, the Olympic Legacy Plaza, Olympic Wall of Honor and the dancing waters of the Olympic Snowflake Fountain.
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