Ten years after hosting the Olympic Games, travelers and meeting planners from around the world are still finding Salt Lake to be a viable hospitality destination. The spirit that was once at the center of the Games, along with the lasting infrastructure and ongoing economic and cultural legacy, has helped transform Salt Lake into a highly sought-after meeting and convention hub and has catapulted it to "world city" status. To support the influx of travelers visiting the "Uncommon Meeting Place," Salt Lake's Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center and South Towne Exposition Center have recently retained the services of PSAV® Presentation Services as its preferred onsite event technology partner. With more than 800 partner locations worldwide, PSAV is providing both facilities with AV and advanced rigging services.
"While Salt Lake undergoes a cultural and architectural renaissance, the Salt Palace Convention Center and South Towne Exposition Center are undergoing a service renaissance to compete for meeting and convention business at a national level," said Dan Hayes, General Manager of the Salt Palace Convention Center. "With the city growing in popularity as a hospitality destination, our goal is to deliver unprecedented service in a state-of-the-art facility that puts meeting and event planners' minds' at ease, knowing that they will have an exceptional and memorable experience. PSAV's national presence, reputation and experience in providing the latest technologies to large facilities throughout the United States make them the right partner going forward. They are intimately familiar with service expectations of national associations, corporate businesses, and local/regional planners, and although PSAV has only been with us for a few weeks, they have already heightened service levels."
Hayes said it was PSAV's professionalism during the recent RFP process and the service culture they brought to the negotiations table that earned the company its role of onsite partner, replacing a company who had previously served both facilities for the past seven years.
"PSAV came to the table with a super-high level of professionalism and confidence that we hadn't seen in other companies," Hayes said. "We have confidence in PSAV, knowing they have our back, and more importantly, they won't disappoint our customers. In just a few weeks, PSAV has impressed our customers and exceeded expectations at every turn."
On the Map
For those who haven't been to Salt Lake in the past few years, they are in for an eye-opening experience. With more than $2 billion in construction projects in the final stages in the central business district alone ─ including the March 2012 completion of City Creek Center, an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment covering 23 acres in the heart of downtown and located across the street from the Salt Palace Convention Center ─ Salt Lake is joining the ranks of the major metropolitan centers of the West.
"As the destination marketing organization responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake, Visit Salt Lake is thrilled that PSAV is orchestrating event technologies for the Salt Palace Convention Center and South Towne Exposition Center -- two vital components to our community's overall success," said Scott Beck, Visit Salt Lake President and CEO. "Delivering exceptional experiences for those attending national conventions, regional business meetings and local social events is the cornerstone of success, and it's key to Salt Lake maintaining its vitality. PSAV has the unique ability to tailor its technology offering to meet the diverse needs of each group, rather than providing a cookie-cutter AV menu. This speaks volumes for PSAV and its exemplary service culture."
The Salt Palace Convention Center is Utah's largest event facility, with 679,000 square feet of exhibit space. The SPCC hosts approximately 200 private events annually, comprised of three broad market segments: national association conventions, regional corporate meetings and tradeshows. The South Towne Exposition Center is located in the heart of Salt Lake's residential community and features 48,600 square feet of exhibit space.
"Salt Lake is synonymous with accessibility," Beck said. "With 17,000 hotel rooms, of which 7,000 are in the immediate downtown core, world class ski resorts just 30 miles away, and museums, mountains, art and technology at every turn, Salt Lake is truly a viable convention destination. Add PSAV to the mix, and we have developed a community build on service and hospitality that will truly 'wow' anyone who wishes to 'Visit Salt Lake.'"
About PSAV® Presentation Services
PSAV provides the ideas and technology that inspire great meetings. This has made PSAV the leading provider of event technology for meeting planners and producers across the corporate, association, and tradeshow markets. PSAV provides an unparalleled range of event technology to support its customers’ ability to create, collaborate, and communicate. With more than 800 partner locations worldwide, PSAV provides people and resources right where you want to have your meeting. www.psav.com
