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Sports, Entertainment, Culture, and Convention District FAQs

The creation of a Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention District is a generational opportunity to revitalize and reimagine a vital area of downtown that is lagging and in need of modernization. Ultimately, the district would provide a destination for Utahns and visitors alike to gather, linger, and discover the treasures that exist in that section of our capital city. It will create an even more inspiring, compelling, connected, and successful downtown core where people come to live, work, meet, and play.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Salt Lake County owns and operates the Salt Palace Convention Center, and through contracts with ASM Global and Visit Salt Lake, manages the county’s visitor economy.  Additionally, it is the owner and operator of downtown’s arts venues including Abravanel Hall and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA). Salt Lake County taxpayers, as well as tourism taxes, support Abravanel Hall, UMOCA, and the Utah Symphony and Opera operations. 

The benefit to the public is two-fold: a revitalized and vibrant downtown, and an economic boost that will increase jobs and tax revenue.  

The creation of a Sports, Entertainment, Culture, and Convention District (SECC) is a generational opportunity to revitalize and reimagine a vital area downtown that is lagging and in need of modernization. Ultimately, the district will provide a destination for Utahns and visitors alike to gather, linger, and discover the treasures that exist in that section of our capital city. 

Building the district will create an array of new jobs and opportunities for local residents, Utahns, and small and large Utah companies. Housing will also be incorporated into the district – which also means more opportunities for businesses.

People coming into the area for games, events at UMOCA or Abravanel Hall, or conventions at the Salt Palace will also eat, shop and recreate, adding to the tax base. Increased tax base provides needed resources for Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County to provide essential services, including public safety, road construction, Meals on Wheels, and other essential services.

Redesign of the Salt Palace will increase the number of conventions, all of which add to the economic vitality of Salt Lake City and County and support local businesses.

With both professional teams remaining downtown, the public will benefit through a variety of offerings through the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey: workforce training and development, career fairs, high school job shadowing, college internship opportunities, youth athletic programs, and more. In addition, thousands of basketball and hockey tickets will be donated annually to underprivileged youth.

The district will enhance the overall aesthetic and beautification of the downtown area, create better connectivity and walkability, and add parking – all current pain points of the downtown core. The district will offer a variety of public gathering spaces including three plazas, as well as more shopping, dining, concerts, recreation, and festivals.

Downtown currently lacks a master plan in the three-block area that includes the Delta Center, Japanese Churches, Salt Palace Convention Center, UMOCA, and Abravanel Hall. The isolation of each space and the lack of foot traffic does not benefit any of these assets. By renovating and creating a district that connects, reimagines, and reorients these sites, we will open and activate the area and ensure each facility's long-term viability. We will unite the space with other downtown areas and assets as well, including businesses, City Creek Center, and Temple Square.  

The SECC District provides an opportunity to renovate and modernize the Salt Palace Convention Center. These changes will allow Visit Salt Lake to attract more conventions, resulting in an estimated $85 million annually in additional economic impact and additional tax revenue. The economic impact of the visitor economy in Salt Lake County equates to nearly $1,800 in tax relief for each household within Salt Lake County and that number will only increase with the additional conventions and tourism a renovated Salt Palace and revitalized downtown will attract. With the recent addition of the Hyatt property downtown, the future district would be one of the most desirable, unique, and successful convention districts in the nation and would increase revenue to the region by the hundreds of millions.

Salt Palace Convention Center visitors have injected over $600 million out-of-state dollars into the Salt Lake economy per year. The direct visitor spend in the region is $5 billion annually and hotel sales tax provides over $10.6 million in tax revenue to Salt Lake City. We can expand on this success by a modernization and right-sizing of the venue made possible due to this generational opportunity. 

The Salt Palace is need of key updates to attract more conventions. The tourism industry has shifted dramatically since the COVID pandemic, with smaller conventions becoming the norm. The renovation and modernization of the space, decreasing over-built exhibit hall space and adding a ballroom, has been a goal of Salt Lake County, ASM Global and Visit Salt Lake since the pandemic. This would enhance the ability to host two separate conventions at the same time, leading to a significant expansion of revenue and an increase in hotel room bookings. An additional ballroom would enable Visit Salt Lake to attract 95% of certain groups they are currently limited in booking. 

Smith Entertainment Group, Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake County have been collaborating with the Japanese Church of Christ and Japanese Buddhist Temple and there are no plans to alter the churches. The two communities have expressed an interest in being part of the district and discussions are ongoing regarding ways to enhance the community and pay respect to the earlier era of Japantown.