18,000 Rotarians may attend Salt Lake convention

By Natalie Hale
Deseret Morning News
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 12:01 a.m. MDT
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More than 18,000 Rotarians will gather in Salt Lake City this weekend for the 98th annual International Rotary Convention — an event that is expected to bring in an estimated $15 million to $16 million in revenue to the local economy.

Members of Rotary Clubs from more than 132 countries will meet Sunday through Wednesday, being treated to local and international entertainment and discussing leadership.

Gene Banks, who serves as Rotarian district governor for Utah and chairman of the host committee for the convention, has been planning for the event that was originally set to take place in Salt Lake City in 2011. When New Orleans, the original 2007 host city, was hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Salt Lake City was asked to switch dates.

"Sites are normally selected seven years out," Banks said. "We told them we would rather wait but that we will serve and do if they asked us."

With little more than a year and a half before the convention was to occur, Banks and fellow Salt Lake City Rotarians had to make up for lost time.

He said they managed to pull everything off — approval for the Salt Lake City "Rocky Mountain Rendezvous" was granted within two months of the decision to move the convention to Salt Lake in 2007.

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Wanting to make this year's convention unique, Banks decided that they would push for the inclusion of the families of Rotarians. "The convention starts on Father's Day, and we saw it as an opportunity to have members bring their families and expose them to Rotary," Banks said. "Family and Rotary go hand in hand."

Because of the push to include family, Banks expects an additional 8,000 to 9,000 family members of Rotarians who aren't registered for the convention to come to Utah and enjoy what the state has to offer — and bring in more revenue for local businesses.

Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau spokesman Shawn Stinson said the $15 million to $16 million that the local economy may get from the convention is a conservative estimate and does not include transportation.

"This is a great group," Stinson said. "Without going overboard, this is one of the most international events Salt Lake will have held since the Olympics."

The projected number of participants in this year's convention is higher than in past years — a factor Stinson attributes to Salt Lake's position on the map as host of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the higher number of Rotary members in the United States, estimated to be 1.2 million.

Convention activities will showcase a number of Utah's attractions, including This Is the Place Heritage Park, rides on the Heber Creeper, visits to the Winter Olympic parks, Utah Opera and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

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