On October 9, 2025, 4th Annual Sports Tourism Summit, powered by Sports Salt Lake, brought together leaders from across the sports, tourism, and civic sectors for a day of insight, innovation, and collaboration at The Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The event opened with welcome remarks from Visit Salt Lake President & CEO Kaitlin Eskelson and Sports Salt Lake Chief Sports Officer Clay Partain, who highlighted the growing economic impact of sports tourism and Salt Lake’s emergence as one of the nation’s premier destinations for sporting events.
The summit featured three engaging sessions that explored the evolving landscape of sports and tourism. The fireside chat “Transforming Collegiate Sports: Championships, NIL and the Future of Utah Athletics” featured University of Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan and Big 12 Chief Football & Competition Officer Scott Draper, moderated by Bill Riley, Director of Broadcasting for Utah Athletics. The discussion explored the evolving collegiate landscape. From NIL advancements and athlete compensation to the growing opportunities for hosting major collegiate events in Salt Lake.
Joey Graziano, EVP of Strategy and New Business Ventures for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, led the keynote session “Data is Salt Lake’s Secret Sauce,” examining how data and technology innovation are transforming how destinations attract and activate major events. Along with the growing need for data and information, earlier in the program Playeasy.com displayed their new AI-Powered concierge, an AI visitors guide. Sports Salt Lake has been test-driving this tool to help build destination awareness to event participants.
The final panel, “Building Venues to Drive Tourism Spend,” moderated by Walter Franco of Victus Advisors, featured South Jordan Mayor Dawn R. Ramsey, Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski, and West Valley City Economic Development Director Jonathan Springmeyer, discussing how facility investment can fuel long-term tourism and economic growth in Salt Lake County.
The summit concluded with the presentation of the Community Impact Award, honoring the late Kevin Bruder for his outstanding contributions to Utah’s sports and event landscape.
