SALT LAKE CITY (March 2010) - Like winning an Olympic gold medal, the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with its hospitality partners, recently won the opportunity to host the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & The Center for Association Leadership's 2016 Annual Meeting & Exposition, yet another prestigious and influential group to select Utah's capital city as its destination of choice.

Often referred to as the "Super Bowl of Conventions," ASAE & The Center's Annual Meeting & Exposition attracts thousands of association executives who, collectively, represent billions of dollars in meetings annually, representing trade associations, professional societies and philanthropic organizations.

"Salt Lake has come to define the term 'host city' after successfully hosting such high profile events as the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Rotary International's 2007 Convention, and most recently MPI's 2009 World Education Congress." commented Scott Beck, president & CEO of the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The foundation of our winning bid to host ASAE was Salt Lake's world renowned hospitality, our ability to staff the world's best volunteers and the fact that Utah is an ideal place to do business. Clearly these prestigious organizations believe our city was, and is, the perfect venue for their worldwide events, further proof that Salt Lake continues to be recognized as a world class convention and meeting destination."

"Even though ASAE & The Center's Annual Meeting is the premier education and networking event, our members and industry partners attend this event not only to network and learn, but also to see and experience locations for their future meetings," said ASAE & The Center President and CEO John H. Graham IV, CAE. "So the event is also a major economic boost for the host city. We're excited about going to Salt Lake City."

The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. The SLCVB's mission is to improve the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors. Salt Lake is a unique fusion of metropolitan city and quaint mountain town; the towering Wasatch Mountains that embrace Salt Lake offer a dramatic backdrop to the vibrancy and activities of downtown. For more information on all that Salt Lake has to offer, go to www.VisitSaltLake.com.

- www.VisitSaltLake.com -