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The Search Is On!

With Scott Beck’s departure, I’ve been asked to step in as Visit Salt Lake’s interim President & CEO while a national search is conducted for our new President & CEO. As you may know, I have served as VSL’s Executive Vice President & CFO since 1998, and stood in as CEO during the search that resulted in bringing Scott on board in 2005. That went well, so I will go back to that playbook which focused on helping out as needed but mostly staying out of everyone’s way because the VSL team is running smoothly and aggressively, thanks in large part to the direction and support our Board of Directors provides.

The Search Committee has been busy. Since Scott’s announcement they have hired SearchWide Global, a full-service executive search firm specializing in our industry. With impeccable credentials earned over years of service throughout North America, SearchWide has recruited outstanding CEOs to lead organizations like ours. They’ve advised us the process will take between three and four months, and we will keep you posted as to the progress via this monthly Member newsletter.

Visit Salt Lake recently wrapped up another four-month window of time, the unofficial summer convention season, and it appears we have set another record! VSL booked—and our community hosted—73 meetings, conventions and athletic events June through September, welcoming nearly 322,000 attendees who occupied more than 334,000 hotel room nights and spent $300+ million while in Salt Lake.

More than ever, thank you for your continued support through this time of transition and a collective congratulations on another incredible summer!

Cliff Doner
Interim President/CEO

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Visit Salt Lake has developed occupancy forecasting models by using STR Analytics daily hotel data. STR Analytics produces a ‘Daily Trend Report’ (DTR). The DTR is a report of hotels’ daily percentage occupancy, average daily rate, and resulting RevPAR. Visit Salt Lake has purchased a subscription to DTR for Salt Lake in two sets. One for total Salt Lake County (approx. 19,700 rooms), and the other for the Salt Lake County Convention District (“SLCD,” approx. 6,400 rooms). By simple interpolation, we derive the data set for Salt Lake hotels that are located outside the SLCD (approx. 13,300 rooms).

VSL has DTR information from January 1, 2012, to the present. Hotels in the SLCD are located in the downtown area, and 98% of their hotel reservation systems are directly linked to STR Analytics. This enables STR to produce its DTR with a high degree of accuracy and provides reliable insight into the effects of events in Salt Lake. Approximately 80% of the hotels inside Salt Lake County but outside of the SLCD link their reservation systems to STR Analytics. The other hotels participate in surveys conducted by STR.

The graph above shows hotel occupancy forecasts for January 2020. Occupancy forecasts are estimated by the number of convention attendees, day-of-week, seasonality, and location.

There are two graphs for each forecasted month:

• Hotel occupancy inside the SLCD
• Hotel occupancy outside the SLCD

The graphs also show historic year-over-year occupancy rates, convention dates, and claimed convention attendance.

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Salt Lake to Host 2023 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game is returning to Salt Lake in 2023. Back in '93 (the year of Space Jam), Salt Lake hosted the event and we're excited to have the buzz back in town. Most folks know that the Utah Jazz and the Vivint Smart Home Arena are home to some of the loudest fans in town, and we can't wait to give the NBA All-Star Game the raucous love that it deserves.

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Salt Lake Welcomes Downtown Ambassadors

The Downtown Alliance, Salt Lake City and Visit Salt Lake partnered to launch the “Downtown Street Ambassador Program” in spring 2018. The program deploys as many as eight ambassadors in major pedestrian thoroughfares throughout the year. The goal is to create an even more welcoming and safe city center for residents and visitors, as well as providing additional outreach efforts for people experiencing homelessness.

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Tip of the Month: Upcoming Events

End of year planning can be difficult so that’s why Visit Salt Lake wants you to mark your calendars early for our upcoming annual Ski Biz Expo, Grow With Google Seminar and the Membership Meeting & Holiday Breakfast.

Ski Biz Expo is VSL’s way of kicking off the ski season and getting you and your front line staff educated on all Salt Lake County has to offer. With giveaways, food and vendors this is the event you can’t miss! Ski Biz Expo will on December 4th at Keys on Main.

Membership with VSL extends educational opportunities to your business to continue to learn and grow. We are hosting Sixcia Devine to talk about Google and how to utilize the data for business to generate more traction online. Grow With Google Seminar on December 10th.

Membership Meetings are hosted quarterly and VSL shares with membership and the Board of Directors how we are doing as a city, county and organization. We welcome your attendance at these events to learn how your investments continue to grow our visitor economy. The next Membership Meeting is a Holiday Breakfast on December 16th.

Invitations are sent by email about two weeks prior to each event. There are plenty between those listed so be sure to check visitsaltlake.com/rsvp often.

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Featured Member: Salt Lake Temple Renovation

The recently announced renovation of the Salt Lake Temple has been met with much excitement and enthusiasm. According to President Russell Nelson, “This project will enhance, refresh, and beautify the temple and its surrounding grounds.” During the renovation, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems will be upgraded, accessibility will be improved and important seismic upgrades will be made as well.

But here’s the best news – while the Temple itself may be closed, Temple Square will remain open during the renovation and will continue to offer a variety of attractions for guests to enjoy.

The biggest star during the holiday season is the dazzling light display and Christmas decorations of Temple Square from November 29th through December 31st. Stroll the grounds and enjoy not only the lights but live performances from local bands, choirs and artists and be sure to check out the Cedar of Lebanon and the life-size nativity scene.

While admiring the lights don’t forget to wander down Main Street and take in Macy’s candy windows. Shop at one of the many stores at City Creek Center and, after working up an appetite enjoying the sights and sounds of the holiday, relax at one of our many delicious downtown dining establishments. So while the Temple may be undergoing construction, Temple Square and downtown will continue to be alive with holiday cheer.

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Zero Waste Awards

Join the Salt Palace and the Utah Recycling Alliance on November 20th to celebrate businesses that are setting the standards for zero waste in Utah.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

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Meet Our New Members!

• Party Bus Utah
• Post Office Place
• Takashi
• The Kimball at Temple Square
• Utah Sports Hall of Fame

Upcoming Member Events:

• Ski Biz Expo and Visit Salt Lake Member Connection
• Grow With Google Seminar
• 4th Qtr. Board of Directors & Membership Meeting

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Upcoming Events

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