Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, Amanda Covington from the Larry H. Miller Company and Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski discussed sports in the city during the Sports Tourism Symposium on June 17, moderated by George Lantz from Victus Advisors. Photo courtesy of Visit Salt Lake/Rocko Menzyk
Sandy has a distinction that very few cities in the U.S. can boast about. It's the home base for four professional sports teams. That was front and center when Mayor Monica Zoltanski met with other leaders at the fifth annual Sports Tourism Symposium held at America First Field on June 17.
Sponsored by Visit Salt Lake, the event brought together business and government leaders, along with Olympians and local athletes, to discuss both the present and future of major sporting events in the Salt Lake Valley.
"We've got the teams, we've got the land, and it's exciting to see it coming together," Zoltanski said. "A lot of the elements have positioned Sandy as the go-to city for sports investment."
The Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth have created training facilities adjacent to the South Towne Mall, and both Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals play their home matches at America First Field. As the mayor said, "We have long-range plans for roads, which will be equally important when the Salt Palace is shuttered for redevelopment for three years, and many events will be hosted at the Mountain America Conference Center. With a FrontRunner station, TRAX and UTA bus services, transportation to our city has never been better and never more important, and we're meeting the need."
Amanda Covington, chief corporate affairs officer for the Larry H. Miller Co., said her firm has studied strategic places in Sandy and the Cairns District for long-range plans.
"We've been working really closely with the mayor to understand her vision for the convention center and what's happening here around sports tourism," she said. "When you bring all of that together, this isn't just about a 25-year vision; it's a multi-generation vision for this community and the state. We're ready to get started doing it together."
"Investment in a community, sports or not sports, can really be a catalyst for additional development of a walkable community. They attract residents when there's something going on and it's managed in the right way.”
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson"Investment in a community, sports or not sports, can really be a catalyst for additional development of a walkable community," said Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson. "They attract residents when there's something going on and it's managed in the right way. You look at this stadium, or developments around the IMAX Theatre or things that Larry H. Miller built himself, and they serve as a catalyst for more growth, more development. So now we ask how this can be leveraged further, how we can double down on this international opportunity that's before us now with the Olympics just a few years off. It's not just about what's coming to Utah or a sports competition — it's about benefiting our residents and supporting the services we need."
The convention center is almost always booked to capacity, and Wilson said she was surprised to learn that the economic impact locally for events exceeds $27 million annually. There are thoughts that the center might need to expand, even adding a large ballroom or something like that in the future, though nothing is in the planning stages for that right now.
"It hosts all sorts of interesting events, and while we don't want to bump a sales group that's been coming there forever, I'd like to see more youth sport development events in the center. We need to become more intentional as we look at what we can do in that facility, and rather than more hot tub sales or gun shows, do more and more related to sports development. I think that's really the direction we should be going."
Zoltanski told the crowd she was surprised when a show from the horseshoe pitchers association met at the MACU Center last year.
"It brought in thousands of competitors from all over North America, many coming to Utah for the first time," she recalled. "They loved the area, and the hotel rooms they booked and meals they purchased, it was secondary to the power of this community. It really transformed Sandy for the week that they were here, and I would love to have them back."
She continued, "Sports competitions bring entire families. Those are so consistent with the values that we promote, and really have a positive impact overall on the community."
The symposium had sessions on the evolution of RSL and the future of Utah soccer, why Salt Lake is becoming a destination for more women's sports, and the road ahead to the 2034 Olympic Winter Games. Speakers included Olympians Kaysha Love, Casey Dawson and Jaelin Kauf; Real Salt Lake legend and U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame member Nick Rimando; and Utah Talons and Athletes Unlimited Softball League official Sarah Padove.
