5th Annual 2026 Sports Tourism Symposium

October 9, 2025
The Tower at Rice Eccles Stadium

3 amazing sessions covering the state of tourism in Salt Lake where participants could enjoy networking, lunch, and awards. 

Session One: Transforming Collegiate Sports: Championships, NIL, and the Future of Utah Athletics was an engaging fireside chat with U of U Athletic Director Mark Harlan and Big 12 Conference Chief Football & Competition Officer Scott Draper, covering the future of college sports. 

Session Two featured Joseph Graziano, EVP, Strategy & New Business Ventures. And Session Three: Building Venues to Drive Tourism Spend: Insights from Mayors and Industry Experts explored the vital role that municipality-led venue development plays in boosting local tourism revenue, with insights from the mayors of Sandy City, South Jordan, and West Valley City.

October 29, 2024
Mountain America Expo Center

Keynote speech on Community Obsessed: How the Utah Jazz and Utah Hockey Club embrace their role as stewards for Utah.

Salt Lake's largest gathering of event organizers, venues and community partners from along the Wasatch Front who want to capitalize on one of the fastest growing kinds of tourism globally, sports tourism.
Participants enjoyed networking, lunch, panel sessions, and awards. 

Our engaging panel discussion explored the current and upcoming sports facilities in Salt Lake County. Panelists shared insights on the community impact of these facilities, their roles in promoting sports participation and wellness, their contributions to local economic development, and the future of sports in Salt Lake.

The Second Annual Summit, held at the Maverik Center.

Over 200 attendees gathered for a unique networking event that included our local team mascots. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect and shoot hoops or hit the virtual links with Leo, Bumble and Grizzbee.

The event featured a Keynote by Steve Starks, President at Miller Sports & Entertainment. Sessions included Feasibility Studies and a Women in Sports panel.

The inaugural event, held at the Ken Garff Red Zone.

With 150 attendees, the event was a hub to connected over a passion for sports tourism and explore exciting opportunities in the industry.

Attendees learned details about the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake and updates on the Olympic bid.