Event Space
Many small and mid-sized municipalities are recognizing the strategic value of expanding their amenity mix to include purpose-built event space. Communities increasingly see that residents prefer to host gatherings close to home rather than travel to larger metropolitan centers that are more congested and considerably more expensive. When those events are held elsewhere, the associated economic impact and tax revenues follow—benefiting tier-one cities instead of the communities where residents actually live.
​
A well-planned, mid-sized event venue allows cities and counties to retain that economic activity, strengthen local businesses, broaden the tax base, and enhance the overall tourism offering. Better yet, these facilities can be structured so that capital and operating costs are largely carried by visitors, not by local taxpayers. When constituents understand that they can gain a high-quality local venue without absorbing the financial burden, public support for the project rises quickly.
Forward-looking municipalities are evaluating flexible options such as:
• Event and Community Centers
• Conference and Convention Facilities
• Multi-Purpose Meeting Venues
​
Leave the high-priced, parking-challenged convention halls to the major metros. Let them focus on national conventions and large-scale trade shows. Your community can instead position itself as the preferred location for regional conferences, meetings, trainings, concerts, fundraisers, and civic gatherings—becoming a true hub for local economic activity and community engagement.
The Davis Conference Center - Layton, Utah
The Davis Conference Center has set the standard for a successful private/public venue with over 70,000 square feet of event space and connected to the Hilton Garden Inn. The center allows for multi-day conferences bringing visitors from outside of the county to Layton, Utah. The venue was so successful within it's first three years of operations that we doubled the space with an addition to bring tradeshows and larger events. It is estimated that the Davis Conference Center provides over $38M in economic impact to the area. As part of the team that designed and managed the space, I was key in the layout, function, operations, budgeting and much more.
The Unitah Conference Center - Vernal, Utah
The Uintah Conference Center was the result of the success of the Davis Conference Center and county commissioners that had a vision of a hi-tech, hi-class venue that would invite the world to Uintah County. I worked directly with the commissioners and county leaders as a consultant on what would fit best and accomplish their vision. The result was stunning. From concept to operations - I provided details as to design, layout, purpose, function, and operations of this 66,000 square foot elegant event space. In fact, it's state-of-the-art features outshine any other facility in the region.
The Brigham Academy Center - Brigham City, Utah
The Brigham Academy Center was a very unique project. The original building built in 1903 was the birthplace of Ballet West Dance - the first floor was an open space where guests would park their carriages, walk up the grand staircase to dance the night away in the upstairs dance hall. After many years, it was boarded up and rotting while the city tried to figure out what to do with this gem. They decided to restore it with all the modern touches and build an annex that doubled it's space creating a small and beautiful event space. I was able to consult on the design, use, finishes, and operations of the space - including a restaurant on the first floor. Later, I was asked to design the interior of the restaurant.
