. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mighty Main Street & Marketplace

As we enter the “stabilization phase” of the State’s re-opening of our economy, I hope you and your team are weathering the storm and this move from “high risk” to “moderate” shows that there is, indeed, a light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m excited to announce a new program we’ve been working on in partnership with the Utah Office of Tourism, “Mighty Main Street: Places and Faces of Utah.” Mighty Main Street is a weekly radio program introducing and highlighting locally-owned small businesses that make up the fabric of Salt Lake as well as Utah’s rural landscape. Airing each Sunday from noon to 1:00 p.m. on KSL Radio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM, the series begins this Sunday, May 10, and is being hosted by broadcast veteran and our Chair-elect, Chris Redgrave. Believing that small businesses are the essence of our communities, the collaborative goal is to help innovative business leaders share their stories to inspire listeners and generate interest in those businesses while generating an understanding of the value that tourism brings to our local and state economies.

In hopes of helping businesses throughout Salt Lake County, I’m also happy to announce the launch of our new Gift Card Marketplace, a commerce page that sells electronic gift certificates in increments of $10 and $25 to participating Salt Lake businesses. Until visitation to Utah’s capital city is back to pre-pandemic levels, all fees are being absorbed by VSL and Salt Lake City-based Bandwango, host of the commerce platform, with 100 percent of all revenue generated from the e-gift cards going directly to the participating businesses whose gift cards are purchased. If you and your business are interested in signing up to sell your gift cards on VSL’s Marketplace, please contact Cristina Chavez.

As I’ve been saying and will continue to do so, “We will get through this, together!”

Kaitlin Eskelson
President/CEO

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Top Things to Do From Home in Salt Lake

We’ve already watched every episode of Tiger King, scrolled through Instagram to the point of the “you’re all caught up” message, and have regrettably experimented with at-home haircuts. COVID-19 has swept the globe and we’re in this together, staying at home and saving the world one introverted dream at a time. By now you probably want to get back to civilization (no, your spouse doesn’t count) and you’re going a little stir crazy. So instead of pondering if you’re in a Margaret Atwood novel, let’s all take a much-needed distraction break from all the earthquakes and infectious diseases. To do so we’ve compiled some entertaining things to do in Salt Lake City from the comfort of your own home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Staying Happy and Healthy At Home In Salt Lake

The days of COVID-19 are upon us. With the highly contagious and infectious disease spreading, we’re encountering the toilet paper apocalypse, a routine of thoroughly soaking every fresh vegetable in hot soapy water (with a lack of soap mind you), and the need to stay home all day everyday. So it’s pretty easy to gravitate towards the Ben & Jerry’s, a family size bag of Doritos, and do absolutely nothing on the couch. We’re just waiting for the 15 pounds to hit and our endorphin levels to drop. We know those sweatpants may feel mighty cozy right about now, but we all might be quoting the lunch table moment from Mean Girls fairly soon, “Sweatpants are all that fits me right now.” To avoid the Quarantine-15 and prevent that dreaded adjustment period of getting back into shape, here’s some easy ways to stay happy and healthy while staying at home.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Salt Lake's Best Vegan Takeout Restaurants

If Salt Lake City isn’t near the top of your list for amazing vegan food on the go, think again or you'll be missing out! While often perceived as conservative, Salt Lake has fostered a robust counter-culture in Utah's capital, one that embraces movements like veganism and encourages their development. For decades, the city has been home to many restaurants that serve exclusively animal-free food. As worldwide, vegan-forward trends continue to progress, the niche customer base is large and organized enough here that you’ll find plant-based options at even more meat-focused businesses. No matter the reason you're visiting or the time of day, Salt Lake has delicious vegan takeout to fit your needs right now! Check out these five restaurants for great options for every meal of the day.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Visitors Center

Our all-new Visitors Center has been reengineered to serve visitors with robust information on the perennial questions of where to go and what to do in Salt Lake City. We are very proud of the new technology that has been added including:

State-of-the-art information kiosks where visitors can learn about attractions, arts, hotels, restaurants, events and more. From the kiosks, guests can build a daily itinerary with information for each stop including websites and contacts, and email their itinerary to follow along and explore.

Four LED wall monitors surround the space and immerse guests in all things Salt Lake. They play drone footage showcasing events, cityscapes and live social feeds.

Stunning art installations include the copper band along the ceiling embellished with compass points, the Olympic Pin Wall and the popular Paul Heath “Utah A-Z” artwork depicting retro-classic signage iconic to our landscape. In the retail area of the center an eye-catching mural states “This is Salt Lake” over a panoramic view of the Salt Lake Valley and an art piece entitled “You Are Here” features neon letters over a line drawing of the main streets and highways in Salt Lake County. Lastly, a stunning piece of neon art encircles the ceiling which showcases the skyline from the Oquirrhs to Mount Olympus to Ensign Peak.

We are excited to welcome visitors to our center once again as soon as it is responsible to do so. When that time comes, we will be welcoming you with open arms (from a safe social distance)!

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sales Update

Large citywide conventions have a significant impact on Salt Lake’s visitor economy. Unfortunately, (and not surprisingly) those conventions will be noticeably absent this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most recent large tradeshow, FenceTech, was held in the Salt Palace March 3-6. While attendance was somewhat negatively affected by early news of COVID-19, a total of 6,448 attendees still came to Salt Lake for this successful Business-to-Business event.

The University of Utah’s Policy Institute conducted intercept surveys of the FenceTech attendees which determined, on average, each attendee spent $1,093.47 at Salt Lake County businesses. Collectively, the attendees occupied nearly 25,000 hotel room nights and spent $6.76 million while in our community. Of that spending, 44% was on accommodations, 31% on retail purchases and 10% at restaurants and bars. The attendees were positively impressed with Salt Lake and the surrounding area, with 70% expressing a high likelihood of returning for a leisure trip with family and friends.

Despite the unprecedented slow down, the Visit Salt Lake sales team continues to pursue future opportunities. Last week, Sally O’Neil, working in conjunction with Chicago-based Jeff Gassaway, secured the 2025 Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Physical Medicine. After bidding for this convention 11 times since 1990, Salt Lake edged out Denver, Seattle, Austin, San Antonio, Chicago, Orlando, Boston and Washington DC. This meeting will attract 3,200 attendees who will collectively spend over $3.1 million while in our community.

So while we may all be working remotely, we are most definitely working to bring conventions to experience all that Salt Lake County has to offer!

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meet Our New Members!

• Momentum Recycling
• The Rio Grande Cafe
• Bohemian Brewery
• Porcupine Pub & Grille at the University
• Porcupine Pub & Grille at Cottonwood
• The Dodo Restaurant

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You are subscribed to Visit Salt Lake's newsletters as: mmaisto@visitsaltlake.com