Outdoor Retailer, which kicks off its winter expo Wednesday, draws more than 25,000 people to each bi-annual show and pours an estimated $40 million into Utah's economy every year.
Nielsen Expositions, which runs the lucrative shows, announced the decision Tuesday at a ski resort east of Salt Lake City. The shows have been in Utah since 1996 and previously were contracted to stay through 2014.
Organizers had considered moving the convention to other cities such as Denver or Las Vegas. With record numbers of attendees and exhibitors, organizers said they need more convention space and hotel rooms.
Two weeks ago, the state approved a $2.66 million grant to build a 150,000-square-foot exhibition tent near the city's convention center to add space for the show, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The 4,000-member-strong Outdoor Industry Association, which sponsors the expo, also threatened to take its business elsewhere if the state didn't change course on environmental issues. At issue is a bill signed by Gov. Gary Herbert in March that demands the federal government relinquish control of public lands in Utah by 2014. The association also opposes Utah's effort to open thousands of dirt paths across public lands to motor vehicles.
In August, the group asked Herbert, an advocate for energy extraction, to signal his commitment to the outdoor industry by January.
Herbert is set to unveil his vision for outdoor recreation today.
Utah's governor called the announcement great news for the state's economy and evidence that Utah is an outdoors destination.
"It's part of our community and we are earnest in our desire to keep the show in Utah beyond 2016, even permanently," Herbert said in a statement. AJC
