Smart Meetings

A shaft of light pierces the peaceful darkness through a single hole at the top of this 55-foot-high beehive crater. The sounds of water lapping up against the limestone walls and droplets kerplunking into the pool soothe your anxious soul before you plunge into these 90-degree waters for your first scuba diving lesson.

You could very well be inside a bat-filled cave in Bali. No one would guess you are in the charming Swiss-like town of Midway, Utah, entering the clear pool within the Homestead Crater, the only geothermal scuba spot in the continental United States.

Next time your boss challenges you to plan a knock-their-socks-off retreat or corporate meeting, think Utah. Every group has its share of golfers, spa-goers and thrill seekers. Why not round up a gang for scuba diving at the Homestead Resort? Or herding bison on Antelope Island? Or jewelry-making at the Sundance Resort? 

Excitement is building in this conservative region known for every type of Jello recipe known to man and for “fry sauce,” a strange concoction of ketchup and Miracle Whip made to top French fries.

Aside from comedian Bill Cosby’s plan to get the legislature to make Jello Utah’s official snack food, the state is making a name for itself in other ways. Residential and economic growth is booming thanks to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Utah is rapidly becoming a world-renowned luxury destination for year-round recreation and relaxation; certain changes have gone along with this evolution. To begin with, contrary to popular belief, you can get an alcoholic drink in Utah when you pay $5 to join one of many private clubs. Incidentally, there’s even a wine industry in its infancy with two wineries in the Moab region. Next, you can find a cup of coffee in Utah, and finally, stores are open on Sundays in the major cities and tourist haunts. 

Is everyone in Utah Mormon? No. Utah’s population is 62 percent Latter-day Saints with the rest comprised of other belief systems, notes Tracie Cayford, deputy director at the Utah Office of Tourism.

As a meeting haven, Utah is abloom with conference facilities, team-building activities (Olympic bobsledding, anyone?) and opulent lodges. With five national parks and 42 state parks within its borders, outdoor recreation is a given. Ballooning, rock climbing, mountain biking, wildflower viewing and red-rock sightseeing are a few of the warm-weather highlights. In winter, swoosh down double-black diamond runs, learn to snow kite or take a leisurely tram ride to a mountaintop for fine gourmet dining. 

Your conferees can earn water-cooler bragging rights by meeting in Utah in the winter months when they can ski and golf on the same day, says Cayford. Of the 13 ski resorts in the state, 11 of them are less than one hour away from Salt Lake City International Airport. A dizzying array of world-class golf courses and resorts are peppered throughout Utah.

THEN AND NOW
These days, Utahns should be proud that their state boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, according to Cayford. Much of its economy depends on government, healthcare and technology industries. Utah is developing its tourism sector by investing more than $21 million over the next two years.

While the state is moving forward with prosperity, building commercial and residential properties everywhere, there are still glimpses of the old Utah. In Salt Lake City, Temple Square is the headquarters for the Church of Latter-day Saints, a lasting reminder to visitors of how Utah was settled under the leadership of Brigham Young in 1847 when he arrived with his Mormon followers.

The original silver mining community in Park City created its own set of millionaires who got lucky and established businesses throughout the state. Places such as the Alf Engen Ski Museuminside Utah Olympic Park explain Park City’s early development from mining town to the posh ski mecca it is today.

And visitors must never forget the contribution of the Native American Indians such as the Fremont, Navajo, Ute and Paiute tribes. Petroglyphs, rock art and vestiges of early Native American life are on display at Fremont Indian State Park and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

We’ve highlighted eight of the most popular areas in Utah where attendees will experience some of the excitement that this hard-working state with the well-deserved motto of “industry” has to offer. With the exception of St. George and Moab, travelers appreciate that Salt Lake City, Davis County, Ogden, Park City and the Heber and Utah valleys are no more than 1.5 hours away from Salt Lake City International Airport, a major Delta Air Lines hub.

SALT LAKE CITY
If the state of Utah were reduced to a kindergarten class photo, Salt Lake City would be the big, nice kid standing in the back. When your meeting calls for a cast of thousands, Salt Lake City has meeting rooms that qualify as big, bigger and enormous. Anyone who has ever planned a meeting in Salt Lake City has heard of the Salt Palace, a three-story, L-shaped convention center, completely dominating three long city blocks. This single, continuous building at 679,000 sq. ft. is undoubtedly the largest party pad in the state. Last fall, the downtown Salt Palace finished its $58-million expansion, giving it a whopping 515,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space and another 164,000 sq. ft. of meeting area.

Downtown bustles with more than 90 restaurants touting cuisine from the far flung corners of the world. Not far is The Gateway District, an open-air shopping mall. Visitors can also take in a basketball game at the Energy Solutions Arena to see the Utah Jazz, the city’s own NBA team.

Nature addicts can get out of town in less than an hour to ski or hike at Snowbird, 29 miles due south of Salt Lake City’s airport, or Solitude, 34 miles southeast of the airport; both are great options for meetings. Snowbird is the more established venue with 29,000 sq. ft. of meeting and ballroom area and a choice of 882 hotel rooms.

Solitude Resort is best suited for groups of 20 or fewer, and resembles a Swiss skiing village. If they go in the summer, meeting attendees can check out the region’s annual Watsatch Wildflower Festival, held the last weekend of July. The colors of the lupine and Indian paintbrush are so vivid, it’s hard not to take a great picture, says Adam Barker of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Cool thing to do: Snowshoe or ski under moonlight to The Yurt restaurant at the top of Solitude, and sit down to a fabulous five-course Mongolian meal. The Yurt seats only 20 and reservations must be made weeks or months in advance.

DAVIS COUNTY
Immediately north of Salt Lake City, literally 10 minutes from Temple Square, is Utah’s smallest county, which takes in a chunk of the eastern section of the Great Salt Lake. Promoted as an affordable yet accessible option, Davis tops its meetings menu with the handsome Davis Conference Center in Layton, only 19 miles north of Salt Lake City (and its airport). With more than 32,000 sq. ft. of convention and exhibit space—including a 12,562-square-foot ballroom—this airy and modern structure will get an additional 40,000 sq. ft. expansion, to be opened early next year. Starting with a Hilton Garden Inn directly attached to the center, the county counts a total of 1,500 guest rooms. The Davis Area Convention and Visitors Bureau will help you find the best property for your group.

Despite its urban setting, Davis proudly touts its extensive wildlife viewing. Not only is the Great Salt Lake one of the nation’s top birding areas, but it is home to 28,000-acre Antelope Island. Antelope Island State Park is set like a jewel in the lake and is easily reached across a seven-mile-long causeway. Once there, visitors get to chose from hiking, horseback riding and biking on 36 miles of trails.

There’s also boating and swimming (with changing facilities) in the buoyant waters, plus dining. Start at Antelope Island’s visitor’s center that explains the lake’s ecology. In Davis County, you won’t go hungry either; they’re counting more than 250 restaurants.

Cool thing to do: See the herd of 600 bison, plus antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes and bobcats while sitting tall in the saddle on The Great Salt Lake’s Antelope Island, a onetime private ranch.

OGDEN
Famous gangster Al Capone once said that Ogden was too wild for his taste. Indeed, in the early 1920s and 30s, Ogden (named after fur trader Peter Ogden) was a rowdy railroad stop filled with saloons, brothels and unsavory gambling establishments populated by unsavory characters to match. Once airplane travel became the preferred mode of transportation and the freeway was built in the 1950s, the city went through a steady economic decline. The freeway sliced this town, just north of Davis County, in half. People only drove through Ogden and never stayed.

Today, things in this community to the north of Salt Lake City are decidedly different. The place that Al Capone feared, Sony Corp. embraced as the ideal location to showcase a new video game at the Hill Aerospace Museum. Ogden is undergoing a renaissance. Corporations and associations are booking the Ogden Eccles Conference Center, with 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space.

Ogden is synonymous with historical charm and natural splendor. The city discourages both chain stores and restaurants and encourages local, independent businesses, so visitors can savor local dishes and enjoy browsing through one-of-a-kind shops. Of interest is an upcoming development called The Junction, a mixed-use facility with retail and commercial interests. A high-adventure sport and fun complex will open in The Junction this summer. Called Salomon Center, the site will feature a freefalling wind tunnel, rock climbing wall, indoor surfing, arcade, miniature golf and dining. “There is nothing like it in the world,” says Shelleice Stokes, president and CEO of Ogden/Weber Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Salomon Center will be based in the historical downtown, anchored by the original Union Station. History buffs can take advantage of the gun museum, antique car museum and others, all inside the railroad station complex. It also provides six meeting rooms for banquets and meetings.

For outdoor recreation, Snowbasin: A Sun Valley Resort is only a 30-minute shuttle ride from Ogden (or 40 minutes from Salt Lake City). It was the site of the 2002 men and women’s downhill competition and it can host banquets for up to 400 people.

Northwest of Ogden is Golden Spike National Historic Site. It was here in May 1869 that the United States leapt into a new era of coast-to-coast access with the joining of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways. Says Stokes, “We are a quaint town in an alpine setting with metropolitan conveniences.”

Cool thing to do: In the winter, go to Hardware Ranch and take a horse-drawn sleigh ride into a herd of some 400 to 500 giant antlered elk. In the fall, visit Antelope Island and participate in a bison roundup.

PARK CITY
Headquarters for the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, Park City is uniquely positioned to become the next Aspen. Like the clubby Colorado ski town, Park City has its share of celebs who saunter in for a holiday or day trip. “Will Smith and his family were here last winter,” boasts one hotel manager. A ski instructor at another resort name drops like this: “Oh yeah, Uma Thurman and her kids skied with me. Real nice people.”

A freeway-easy, 40 minutes’ drive from Salt Lake City’s airport, Park City is a mountain jewel. Only two miles in length, it has more than 23 lodges and prime meeting facilities for groups up to 350. Ringed by the Wasatch Mountains with hiking trails throughout, Park City also meets the needs of well-heeled shoppers with its historic downtown strewn with art galleries, shops and restaurants.

Meeting planners can capitalize on the energy of Park City, home of the Utah Olympic Park and the famous Deer Valley Ski Resort, The Canyons Ski Resort and Park City Ski Resort, all within five miles of the other. During ski season, fly attendees into Salt Lake City and then, under the Quickstart program, each person with a boarding pass can use that to redeem a free lift ticket at one of the three resorts. Summer, activities include fishing, hiking, camping and mountain biking.

For a novel venue for a day activity, consider the National Ability Center, a nonprofit organization specializing in helping people with disabilities. However, it offers classes, camps and lodging to all. And, with horseback riding, a climbing wall, ropes courses and other facilities, the site provides excellent instructors for team-building adventures at all intensity levels.

And when it’s time to try something exciting, herd your group to the Utah Olympic Park to try zip lining, bobsledding and other outdoor escapades. Enjoy the on-site Alf Engen Ski Museum that tells the story of skiing in Utah. In the summer, a must-see is the hour-long Aerial Freestyle show at the Olympic Park, where expert skiers demonstrate flips, jumps and twists before landing in a specially designed pool to break their falls.

Cool thing to do: Muster up the guts to embark on an adrenalin-pumping bobsled ride at the Olympic Park. The ride, which runs on the actual iced Olympic track, revs up to 4 Gs, twice as fast as a rollercoaster, and travels up to 95 percent of Olympic speeds. As one rider put it, “This is the most intense 55 seconds of your life.”

HEBER VALLEY
Park City’s once-quiet neighbor, Heber Valley, situated on the back side of the Wasatch Mountains, isn’t so quiet anymore. The lush area, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City and consisting of Heber City and Midway, is well into “extreme growth mode,” says Jason Giles, executive director of the Heber Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau. As a venue for the Nordic ski and biathlon competitions in the 2002 Olympic Games, Soldier Hollow in Heber Valley is now a developer’s gold mine. Visitors who’ve discovered Heber Valley are purchasing second and third vacation homes in this easily-accessible area only 45 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Apparently, corporations are discovering it too. New meeting places include the 40,000-square-foot Wasatch County Event Center, with 1,800 stadium-style seats, and the much-talked-about Zermatt Resort & Spa, a European themed-resort in the Swiss-style town of Midway. The Zermatt Matterhorn Conference Center offers 41,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including 23 meeting rooms. A separate 13,000-square-foot pavilion is also available. Right across the road is the remarkable Homestead Crater, part of the 121-year-old Homestead Resort.

What makes Heber Valley distinctive, says Giles, is its picturesque setting and mountain recreation. Guided trout fishing, five golf courses, hot-air ballooning and access to five ski resorts within 15 minutes make this area extremely desirable, he adds.            

Since Zermatt’s opening last fall, the resort has booked more than 225 groups from such entities as Wells Fargo, American Express and Honda Motor Company. It has group reservations even slated for 2011.

Cool thing to do: Learn to scuba dive or swim in the Homestead Crater. Lit by underwater floodlights, the 60-foot-deep pool’s geothermal waters keep the temperatures warm at 90−96 degrees, all year long.

UTAH VALLEY
Due south of Salt Lake City is Utah Valley, surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains. Come to create pottery, to photograph like a pro and top your last corporate event by taking your group to Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort. At this artsy enclave where slowing down is more than encouraged, you can learn a new skill by signing up for classes that will tap your inner Van Gogh or Ansel Adams.

The resort can accommodate groups up to 300 and offers a 4,200-square-foot meeting hall that can serve as a major gathering spot for before-dinner drinks. There’s a quaint log cabin can be used for corporate strategy meetings.

Before the Sundance Resort, the area’s claim to fame was and still is Brigham Young University (BYU) based in Provo, Utah Valley’s largest city. “We are a young and growing population, and very family friendly,” says Charlene Christiansen, director of services at the Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Outdoor hiking and biking is easy to do. Under the Provo Blue Bike Program, visitors can register for a bike and use one for free from the Parks and Recreation office in downtown Provo. According to Christiansen, an excellent path for riding is the Provo River Parkway Trail that follows the Provo River. This trail is also great for walking, and accessible from most of the city’s hotel properties.

And the granddaddy of conference sites here is the Provo Marriott & Conference Center, which supports 28,000 sq. ft. of meeting space with 330 guest rooms. Also, the Utah Valley State College in Orem features the McKay Event Center with 8,500 seats, stadium banquet services and 24,000 sq. ft. of multi-use space.

For a historical bent, try hosting an event at the Provo City Library, an 1892 structure with 4,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. It was recently refurbished.

And when you want to add a touch of real class to your next retreat or incentive meeting, consider Thanksgiving Point, a beautifully designed, nonprofit educational complex comprised of 55 acres of pristine gardens, a golf course, casual restaurants, a dinosaur museum, movie cineplex and a boutique. According to Christiansen, this is a unique institution where companies would be able to host large or small banquets, luncheons and award ceremonies in its inside and outside venues. After or between meetings, attendees can wander the premises and enjoy the gardens. “Our tag line is ‘adventure awaits,’” stresses Christiansen. “Whether that means biking or going to a museum, that personal adventure is up to you.”

Cool thing to do: Learn to how to make your own jewelry from an expert silversmith at the Sundance Resort. Take a piece of your Utah experience home with you.  

ST. GEORGE
If Salt Lake City is the big nice kid in the kindergarten photo, St. George would be “the kid that is the most fun and has the suntan,” says Russell Behrmann, president of the St. George Chamber of Commerce. Just a few miles north of the Arizona border, St. George gets plenty of rays. “We are the sunbelt of Utah, and we have the most days of fun under the sun,” says Behrmann. In other words, if temps in Salt Lake City are 65 or 70 degrees, they’ll be hitting the mid-80s in St. George.

And, while other regions are filled with snow in the winter, St. George sees very little of the white stuff, if any. “We are more like Phoenix and Las Vegas in geography and climate,” explains Behrman. Residents of St. George (many retirees) embrace the red rocks, desert, Joshua trees and stubby cactus which characterize this region. They also embrace golf: there are 11 courses locally.

Similar to Palm Springs in population and terrain, the area is sequestered in the very southeastern end of Utah. For immense gatherings, you can rent the Dixie Center, the largest convention center between Salt Lake and Las Vegas with 47,500 sq. ft. of meeting space. Located on the edge of a river, the site features a paved walking trail right outside.

A novel setting for a breathtaking out-door meeting is the 2,000-seat Tuacahn Amphitheatre, traditionally used for concerts and performances. Surrounded by red rocks and mountains, the panoramic setting is unforgettable.

St. George additionally serves as a gateway to Utah’s five national parks. A day trip to Zion National Park or Bryce Canyon National Park is very feasible.

Cool thing to do: Sign up for a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over St. George for a bird’s eye view of the spectacular red rocks and Zion National Park.

MOAB
Legendary Hollywood director John Ford—who knew a spectacular setting when he scouted one—was the first to put the Moab area’s scenery to use in a film. He shot two westerns here in the southeast corner of the state; one included the John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara-starrer Rio Grande. Ford returned in 1963 for Cheyenne Autumn. Fast forward a couple of decades and another cinematic legend, Steven Spielberg, used nearby Arches National Park, with the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches, for the opening sequences of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, honoring the Moab setting as “Indy’s” birthplace. It’s the brilliant red rocks, you see, smoothed over the eons by water, ice and wind into sculptural shapes, that gets them every time. In fact so many films have been shot here that Moab publishes their Movie Locations Auto Tours listing for fans.

The colorful canyons, mesas and buttes preserved in Canyonlands National Park, about 33 miles from Moab, were eroded by the Colorado River and its tributaries.

Active adventure opportunities include whitewater rafting and paddling on the Colorado, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking (on famed Slickrock and Kokopelli) and 4 x 4 off-roading. Two luxurious resort properties in the area, complete with tennis courts, swimming pools and yoga sessions, offer cosseting comfort (and spa treatments) at the end of a day in the rugged outdoors.

Cool thing to do: Just go out into the parks and experience the awe-inspiring scenery.

Kathy Chin Leong has written for local and national publications since 1990, including Working Woman Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Bay Area Parent Magazine and Silicon Valley Bay Area Parent. The former West Coast bureau chief for Computerworld and a senior editor at PC Computing, Leong currently covers travel, parenting, technology, personality profiles and business. Back to Top

Getting There

For Salt Lake City, Davis County, Ogden, Park City and Utah Valley, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is the nearest airport, serviced by  approximately 15 airlines. Drive times to downtown Salt Lake City and Davis County–15 minutes; Ogden–48 minutes; Park City–45 minutes; Heber Valley–57 minutes and Utah Valley–54 minutes. Delta Air Lines is the major hub for the airport. Other primary carriers include: Skywest, American, Shuttle America, Southwest, United Airlines and United Express.

St. George is closest to the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, a 1.5- hour drive away. Another option is to fly into Salt Lake City International and pick up a connecting Skywest flight to the St. GeorgeMunicipal Airport. Visitors from Los Angeles can fly directly into St. George via Skywest. In 2010 or 2012, St. George will open a second regional airport.

Moab Airport is served by daily connections to Salt Lake City via US Airways. Thrifty Car Rental is there and three companies offer van shuttle service to downtown. Grand Junction, Colo., 82 miles away, is another option.

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Not To Be Missed

• Check out travel.utah.gov for details on all these outings:
• In winter, go skiing at any of Utah’s 13 resorts to take advantage of the state’s exceptional powder.
• In spring, go on a wildflower hike in southern Utah.
• Go on a hot-air balloon ride to see the red rock panoramas in northern or southern Utah.
• Visit any of Utah’s five national parks.
• Learn how to fly-fish.

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Pleasant Grove Progress | Developer John Q. Hammons announced that two new hotel properties are expected to be added to the...

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