This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Even though it doesn't officially open until Saturday, the Utah Valley Convention Center has been a busy place.
Even as construction workers slap on the final coats of paint, the center has hosted a high-school prom, a business-college graduation and a Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting.
County officials are optimistic that activity will only grow, and boost Provo and Utah County's economy in the process.
"We anticipate the visitor numbers to increase exponentially into the downtown area," said Jared Morgan, executive director of Downtown Provo Inc.
Morgan predicts the city's downtown will thrive among the center, Nu Skin Enterprises' new headquarters complex, a new LDS Temple and the planned arrival of FrontRunner in 2013.
The convention center is a joint project between Provo and Utah County. The city provided land, while the county is paying the $41.8 million price tag. The county is using proceeds from hotel room taxes and the county's share of the Tourism, Restaurant, Cultural and Convention Center tax, also known as the restaurant tax, to cover the cost.
Before the convention center was built, the largest space in downtown Provo for business meetings, trade shows and receptions was the Provo Marriott's 28,000 square feet of total meeting space.
The convention center boasts 83,578 square feet of space, including an almost 20,000-square-foot exhibition hall for trade shows and a 17,000-square-foot grand ballroom.
Joel Racker, the Utah Valley Convention and Visitor's Bureau's chief executive, believes the center will not only capture some of the meetings and shows that head north to the South Towne Center in Sandy and the Salt Palace, but will spur growth in Utah County.
He sees the hotel business spilling over from Provo into neighboring communities.
Some have criticized the center as another example of using public dollars to compete with private industry. About five years ago, when Provo and Utah County confirmed the center would be built, Missouri hotelier John Q. Hammons and former Utah Starzz owner Brandt Andersen were proposing convention centers in Pleasant Grove and Lehi, respectively.
But Racker said the county's move is paying off.
"When [Andersen] talked about his 'lifestyle center' and [Hammons] proposed his project, [the Provo center] may not have seemed like a good idea," Racker said. "But in 2008, when the economy took those down, the county decided it was the right thing to do. It took a lot of political will to do that in Utah County."
Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson said the project's cost was slightly higher than expected, but still within budget. He also is optimistic the center will buoy the county's fortunes.
Tennile Wanner, the center's sales and marketing director, said interest in booking the center started even while it was mostly a shell.
"We started having hard-hat site tours in August, and we had to take them through in groups of 12 and show them our vision," Wanner said.
So far, she said, the center has 60 events already reserved for the remainder of 2012, and about 120 others are interested or waiting to sign paperwork.
And with the LDS Church about to start work on the Provo City Center Temple two blocks away, Wanner is anticipating a surge in wedding receptions as well.
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Utah Valley Convention Center
The LEED silver-certified Utah Valley Convention Center includes a nearly 17,000-square-foot grand ballroom, and a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall. The $40 million building also houses the Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The public is invited to Saturday's 10 a.m. grand opening.