InsideOutdoor | SPRING 2022 6 BACK TO BUSINESS IN SLC As much as the outdoor community was behind the move, Denver simply didn’t work out as a home for Outdoor Retailer and its summer and winter expos. Before show operators Emerald could fully settle into the new digs and dates in Denver, the entire tradeshow landscape abruptly shifted under its feet. Trends that largely threatened massive, traditional conventions greatly accelerated, and it became nearly impossible for OR to fit the capacity of Denver’s spacious Colorado Convention Center. A move back to Salt Lake City and the Salt Palace Convention Center became almost inevitable. And whether the return was a result of market shifts or the potential for mismanagement, it may be in the best interest of both show organizers and showgoers. For the attendees and exhibitors traveling to a large outdoor B2B gathering, downtown Salt Lake simply makes a lot of sense. As someone who has spent way too much of the past decades attending or exhibiting at B2B events in most of the major cities across the country, I’d argue that no major venue is without its major problems. Salt Lake, in the years it played host to OR, consistently was one of the easiest and most affordable areas to business travel in and out of. At the risk of sounding like a Utah visitors’ bureau, a trip to Sale Lake meant an airport that’s relatively quick to navigate and close to downtown. Costs for T&E items around the city were moderate to low compared to larger and other mid-sized cities. And unless things have changed significantly since OR left SLC the first time, the downtown area offers ample options to eat and drink that are within walking distance of the Salt Palace, while there might be more small and independently owned options to eat, drink and shop than even in Austin, Texas. Salt Lake certainly lacks the hotel choices of a place such as Denver, Orlando or Las Vegas. But we’re confident the number of hotel accommodations in downtown Salt Lake won’t be any issue post-COVID. A return to the OR attendance numbers that stressed hotel room supply in the mid- to late-2010s will require an impressive turnaround by Emerald executives, to say the least. Speaking as a person who thankfully also has traveled to ample of the natural wonders this country has to offer, the many places one can find outdoor relief or host a demo near downtown Salt Lake speak for themselves. While few areas can match the outdoor majesty of Colorado and the recreational opportunities near Denver, you can get from downtown Salt Lake to the bottom of a mountain quicker than you can get out of the rush hour traffic of most large urban areas. While the politics admittedly are sticky, from a purely logistical (and perhaps selfish) perspective, it’s hard to argue with Emerald’s move back to the Salt Palace. For an outdoor B2B gathering at the current size and momentum of Outdoor Retailer’s summer and winter expos, it’s simply a logical place to set-up camp. And for showgoers, if nothing else, the are a lot worse places to business travel to an expo. From the Editor Martin Vilaboy Editor-in-Chief martin@bekabusinessmedia.com Bruce Christian Contributing Editor bruce@bekabusinessmedia.com Brady Hicks Contributing Editor brady@bekabusinessmedia.com Percy Zamora Art Director percy@bekabusinessmedia.com Rob Schubel Digital Manager rob@bekabusinessmedia.com Jen Vilaboy Ad Production Director jen@bekabusinessmedia.com Berge Kaprelian Group Publisher berge@bekabusinessmedia.com Anthony Graffeo Publisher anthony@bekabusinessmedia.com Beka Business Media Berge Kaprelian President and CEO Jim Bankes Business Accounting Corporate Headquarters 10115 E Bell Road, Suite 107 - #517 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Voice: 480.503.0770 Email: berge@bekabusinessmedia.com © 2022 Beka Business Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in any form or medium without express written permission of Beka Business Media, is prohibited. Inside Outdoor and the Inside Outdoor logo are trademarks of Beka Business Media
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