Outdoor Retailer (OR) is urging Salt Lake City and Denver to substantially increase the size of their convention centers to accommodate the trade show under one roof rather than split it across two or more venues to accommodate their limited space, the Denver Post reported.
The newspaper reports that OR Show Director Kenji Haroutunian is pushing both communities to expand their convention centers to 900,000 square feet. The Salt Palace Convention Center, which was expanded in the 2000s to accommodate the show, currently contains 510,600 square feet of exhibition space, while the Colorado Convention Center has 584,000 square feet.
Salt Lake City officials could soon decide whether to invest in a study to determine the feasibility of city participation in a convention center hotel designed in part to help the city retain the OR show.
Other potential host cities for the trade show are Las Vegas, Anaheim, CA and Orlando, FL.. An informal survey in early June of remarks on an online forum established by OR to discuss the future of the show indicates the majority of exhibitors and retail attendees favor keeping the show in Salt Lake City if possible.
