Visit Salt Lake (VSL) will present the “Tourism Achievement Award” to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) during its second quarter board of trustees meeting on June 18, 2015 at the David Eccles School of Business. The annual award honors members and community organizations for “outstanding efforts in supporting the mission of Visit Salt Lake and the larger tourism community of Salt Lake County.”

VSL has contracted with BEBR to conduct surveys with the goal of accurately measuring delegate spending for meetings and conventions held in Salt Lake. According to research conducted by experts at BEBR, the average convention delegate spends $930 while in Salt Lake. In 2014, visitors to Salt Lake spent $1.17 billion, generating more than $122 million in state and local taxes.

“Over the past 20 years, BEBR has enjoyed a great relationship with Visit Salt Lake,” said James Wood, executive director of BEBR. “We have surveyed attendees at more than 100 conventions and have provided VSL with detailed information on convention attendee spending and the economic impact of conventions on the local economy.”

In 2015, 269,877 delegates came to Salt Lake for conventions, hotel/resort meetings, and sporting/special events. The tax revenue from these visitors is estimated to reduce the local tax burden by more than $1,000 annually per Utah household.

“It’s crucial we have the ability to accurately measure the impact of our efforts, and that of visitors to our community, particularly those attending meetings and conventions,” said Scott Beck, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake. “We are fortunate to have an incredible relationship with the team at BEBR. Their expertise places them at the top of their field.”

The board of trustees meeting and award presentation will take place on June 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building on the University of Utah campus. Past recipients of VSL’s Tourism Achievement Award include Jack Gallivan, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Larry H. Miller, and the Utah Jazz.