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By Timothy Herrick 

A slightly longer version of this article appeared in the 2009 Facilities & Destinations CONFERENCE SuperBook. 

Ogden, Utah may not seem to be the southwestern destination of choice for meeting planners. But this small city, only 35 minutes from Salt Lake International Airport and boasting its own Municipal airport (the largest in the state), offers accessibility, reasonable price points, and a wide range of  things to see and do. In addition, there’s remarkable Ogden Eccles Conference Center, a 50,000-square-foot setting for small-to-mid-size meetings that includes cutting-edge meeting rooms, space for exhibitions, banquets and receptions, and its own art-deco auditorium.

The Ogden Eccles Conference Center is located in the heart of Downtown Ogden, Editorial Director adjacent to a 137-room Hampton hotel and nearby the 292-room Ogden Marriott Hotel, Lagoon Amusement Park, and the Historic 25th Street restaurants, entertainment and shopping district. A frequent misconception about Ogden and the conference center is that Utah is an ultraconservative, no-fun zone. The reality is that Ogden has world-class dining—complete with a full range of alcoholic beverages—at price points either lower or competitive with other tertiary market destinations. “You can easily get a drink in Utah,” said Ross Reeder, General Manager, Ogden Eccles Conference Center. “That is one thing I constantly have to tell planners. In fact, food and beverage prices are very affordable, yet we offer great variety and quality.”

After easing concerns about meeting dining and night-life, Planners soon become enticed by the range of off-site team building and other activities attendees can enjoy year-round. “Planners are constantly amazed about how easy it is to get here and how many outdoor activities, such as hiking, skiing, mountain biking and kayaking are available and as close as 10-15 minutes away,” said Reeder.

Meeting Space available at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center includes: the 13,860-square-foot Grand Ballroom, with a 19-foot ceiling; the 5,780-square-foot Ballroom; the Executive Room 101, with seating for 80 and on-line access for 45 computers where networked software can be projected onto the built-in screen; and the venue’s six other meeting rooms, each approximately 1,000 square feet— four of the rooms feature ceiling-mounted motorized projection screens.

But the most unique attribute of the Conference Center is probably the adjacent 800-seat Peery’s Egyptian Theater. Maybe an auditorium that can seat such a sizable crowd is not unheard of in the Conference Center market, but how many of those facilities are listed on the National Register of Historic Sites? The Peery’s Egyptian Theater is an authentic, Art-Deco Movie Palace, originally constructed in the 1920s. These grand, opulent movie theaters—whose stages were also used for vaudeville shows—were planned with site-lines and acoustics that remain the standard to this day. The design and architecture of  Peery’s Egyptian Theater copied the Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre of Hollywood, including the colorful, fun and kitschy Egyptian images that were a pop culture trend during the Jazz Age. The theater was fully restored in 1997, and is used as a performing arts center in addition to as acting as function space for the adjoining conference center.

As a facility for presentations and other aspects of a meeting, the Peery’s Egyptian Theater inspires the imagination of meeting planners booking the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. “Several of our groups utilize the theater as an extension of their meeting space,” said Reeder. “For example: by using the theater for their opening and closing general sessions it opens up additional space for meals and or breakouts.”

Reeder is a 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry and meeting venue management, a career that began as a room service waiter at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake, and includes a wide-variety of meetings-oriented experience, including meeting/group sales executive positions at various hotels, convention centers and Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

 In today’s economic climate, besides the accessibility, affordability and uniqueness of the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, its staff is prepared to meet planner expectations of venue partnership over the total course of an event. “You have to work with planners throughout the entire process, which now means follow up on their registration numbers and marketing of the event,” said Reeder.

Belt-tightening may have dampened the short-term meeting market to an uncomfortable degree, but the Ogden Eccles also offers flexibility for meetings to grow with an event accommodating all aspects, from large presentation facilities to the option of an Exhibition Floor.  “With State and local budgets being cut, groups are booking less,” said Reeder. “However, the numbers of Military groups seem to be increasing. Our largest tradeshow is a Military group that utilizes 180 10’X10’ booths. The show grows each year.”