SALT LAKE CITY (June 2019) – Visit Salt Lake (VSL) is honored to announce the retirement of Pat Holmes, vice president of partner development, after 32 years of service to Salt Lake’s hospitality community. After working in hotel sales at various properties in Kansas City, MO, and Tulsa, OK, Pat set her sights on Utah, and her legacy to the Salt Lake hospitality community has been substantial. 

Over her years of service at Visit Salt Lake (formerly the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau), Holmes held five different positions: convention services manager, director of conventions, director of marketing, vice president of marketing and vice president of partner development, having developed the latter two departments from the ground up. She proudly remembers managing the client hospitality program during the 2002 Olympics, hosting 150 decision-making clients over the course of five waves, and taking in more than 48 Olympic events. 

In her most recent role as vice president of partner development, Homes developed and managed strategic partnerships within Salt Lake’s business and cultural community, Utah’s hospitality community, and the convention and leisure travel industry. While also directing the membership department and the VSL advertising program, she served as 10-year director of the Utah Arts & Cultural Coalition, a 501(c)6 nonprofit focused on promoting arts and culture, and which operates NowPlayingUtah.com. She recently was awarded the Dianne Nelson Binger Sales Leadership Award, presented to Visit Salt Lake’s top salesperson in honor of Dianne Binger, a tireless advocate for Salt Lake and the state. 

“In 1987, I drove into town from Tulsa on a Saturday and started at the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau on a Monday,” said Holmes. “Retiring is bittersweet. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, working with and fostering friendships with some amazing people. There are so many great milestones to remember, but one in particular that stands out in my mind was the grand opening of the new Salt Palace Convention Center in 1996.”

Pat will stay active in her community. She’s on the board of the Salvation Army, Now Playing Utah and Dark Sky Utah, and plans to work with Volunteers of America programs. With her newfound opportunity to “pick up and leave whenever we want,” she plans to travel with her family.

"Pat was instrumental in making Visit Salt Lake what it is today," said Scott Beck, VSL president & CEO. "I join the entire hospitality community in thanking her for her many years of service and wishing Pat and her family an adventurous and fun-filled retirement.”

Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a vibrant, modern destination brimming with unexpected dining, lodging, nightlife and entertainment options, a destination well suited for convention and leisure travel alike. In partnership with Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake’s mission is to improve the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors while being a leader in environmental responsibility.