As if Utah restaurants and hotels needed a reminder, the Outdoor Retailers announced it’s not just a new year—it’s a new era: Utah without the two outdoor shows.
Salt Lake media received the conference planner for the Outdoor Retailers Winter Show in Denver Jan. 25-28.
If you recall, the Utah Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert cunningly called OR’s bluff when it threatened to take its love and $45 million in annual revenue elsewhere if Utah didn’t adopt a more progressive attitude towards the environment and public lands.
Ha! Gary and the Lege showed them the door.
“It is clear that the governor indeed has a different perspective on the protections of public lands from that of our members and the majority of Western state voters, both Republicans and Democrats — that’s bad for our American heritage, and it’s bad for our businesses.” the Outdoor Industry Association said. “We are therefore continuing our search for a new home as soon as possible.”
Now, Denver has the shows that pulled 40,000 visitors to Salt Lake City to examine next year’s gear and services.
But, hey, the Salt Palace has the1,000-strong Linguistic Society of America this week!
