Part of the building closes
The county’s sale of 6.5 acres to Smith Entertainment Group is set to close. Parts west of 200 West can then be demolished, so only part of the center stays open.
Brand ambassadors, booth reps, demo hosts and hostesses for the Salt Palace, the Mountain America Expo Center, RootsTech and Park City resort events. Local staff across the valley, $85 an hour for every role.
Salt Lake City is about to change where its shows happen. Purple Exhibits staffs the Salt Palace Convention Center downtown, the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, and hotel and mountain-resort events across the Wasatch Front with local brand ambassadors, booth reps, demo hosts and hostesses at a flat $85 an hour per person. Salt Lake County plans to close the Salt Palace from fall 2027 for a rebuild of about three years, and some shows are moving to Sandy. Our crew lives across the valley, so whichever building your show lands in, there are no travel costs. Book three to four weeks ahead, six for RootsTech and the fan conventions, and 72 hours for a rush.
| Rate | $85 per hour, per person, every role |
|---|---|
| Travel fees | None anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley |
| Main venues | Salt Palace Convention Center; Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy; downtown hotels; Park City resorts |
| Big change | Salt Palace closes from fall 2027 for about three years |
| Book ahead | 3–4 wks · 6 wks for RootsTech and fan conventions · rush 72 hrs |
| Getting there | TRAX Green Line from the airport in about 20 minutes |
| Labor | Utah is right-to-work; the building has no union agreements of its own |
Salt Lake County is rebuilding the Salt Palace as part of a new downtown district around the Delta Center. Dates from our Salt Palace exhibitor guide.
The county’s sale of 6.5 acres to Smith Entertainment Group is set to close. Parts west of 200 West can then be demolished, so only part of the center stays open.
Demolition and reconstruction are estimated at about three years.
The Mountain America Expo Center offers 243,000 sq ft, about a third of the Salt Palace’s exhibit space. FanX and the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo have announced moves there.
The design team aims for 2031; earlier reports said fall 2030. Treat any date in that window as provisional.
Pick the month of your show and how many staff you need. See which building you are likely in and what your crew costs.
Brands that have booked Purple
The numbers that shape how we staff it today.
Labor: Utah is right-to-work and the Salt Palace holds no union agreements of its own. Your show contractor sets the labor rules; our staff greet, demo, scan and host, and use the lobbies only for hand-carried items.
Patient with first-time visitors, sharp on a demo and ready for snow. Here are the five roles we send.
Hosts who guide RootsTech visitors and answer the same question kindly for the hundredth time.
Hosts who run geospatial and tech demos after a practice run with your team.
Ambassadors for fan conventions and consumer shows downtown and in Sandy.
Reps for outdoor, hunting and conservation brands who qualify buyers.
Hosts for retreats and après receptions in Park City and the canyons.
Tell us the buildingSalt Palace, Sandy or a resort.
We brief on your demoScript, practice run and FAQs.
They arrive readyLayers on, water in hand, on time.
Salt Lake events follow the snow. Here is what each season brings, and how we staff it.
Dates from organisers and our venue guide. 2027 events run with part of the building closed, so confirm halls with each organiser.
A busy family-history stand needs four people: two information hosts, a booth rep and a lead qualifier. Here is that team from our Salt Lake roster, next to the same team flown in.
| RootsTech stand, three days | Cost |
|---|---|
| Purple local staff | |
| Travel, hotel, per-diem | $0 |
| Your Salt Lake total |
| Typical fly-in agency, same team | Cost |
|---|---|
| Staff hours at $85 | |
| Round-trip flights ~$340 each | |
| Hotel downtown, conference week · ~$219/night | |
| Per-diem ~$79/day | |
| Fly-in total |
How the choices stack up for Salt Lake City exhibitors, row by row.
| Purple local crew | Fly-in staffing agency | General temp agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $85 per person, every role | Agency rate plus travel markup | Low hourly, untrained for booths |
| Getting staff here | They commute in | Flights (~$340) and hotel nights (~$219) | Local, but unscreened |
| Salt Lake venue know-how | Works these halls all year | Learns the venue on show day | Hit or miss |
| The Salt Lake edge | Script, practice run and FAQs. | Not local | Not specialised |
| Product briefing | Included before day one | Varies by agency | Rarely |
| Scanner and follow-up | Notes in the scanner for sales | Depends on the team | Untrained |
| No-show plan | Briefed local within two hours | Usually none mid-show | Next available temp |
| Exhibit and staff together | Design, build and staff | People only | People only |
Fly-in costs use the same typical Salt Lake rates as the budget above. Other agencies’ pricing varies.
About three minutes. No deposit.
We’ll email your quote within 24 hours, usually much sooner. Need it now? Call (800) 994-8030.
From February 2027 only part of the building is expected to be open, and full closure starts that fall. Confirm your hall before you book a crew.
The Mountain America Expo Center is about 20 miles south. We book staff who live close to whichever building you are in.
Family-history visitors ask a lot of questions. Send patient information hosts and enough of them.
Geospatial and tech buyers expect a real demo. We schedule a practice run before the show.
Salt Lake sits at about 4,200 ft. We plan water, layers and earlier call times on snow days.
Call (800) 994-8030 and ask for the Salt Lake desk.
$85 an hour per person with a four-hour minimum. Ambassadors, booth reps, demo hosts and hostesses all cost the same, and there are no travel charges anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley.
Yes. Salt Lake County plans to close the whole building from fall 2027 for a rebuild of about three years, with only part of it open earlier in 2027. Reopening is targeted around 2030–2031.
Some have announced moves to the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, including FanX and the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo. Others may move or pause, so confirm with your organiser. We staff both buildings.
Yes. We book staff who live in the south valley, so a Sandy show costs the same $85 an hour with no travel.
Yes. We send information hosts and booth reps who are patient with first-time visitors and briefed on your product or service.
Yes. Our demo hosts learn a short script and practise it with your team before the show. Deep technical questions go to your engineers.
Yes, and the Salt Palace holds no union agreements of its own. Your show contractor sets the labor rules; our staff greet, demo, scan and host.
Most ride TRAX. Downtown rides are free, and stations are half a block from the center.
Yes. We staff retreats, incentive trips and après receptions at Park City and Cottonwood canyon resorts, with earlier call times when snow is forecast.
Three to four weeks for most shows and six weeks for RootsTech and the fan conventions. Rush bookings need at least 72 hours.
A briefed standby from the valley takes the shift. Two hours is our limit: miss it and that shift costs you nothing.
Yes. We design modular booths that work in the Salt Palace now and in a smaller Sandy hall during the rebuild, and staff them under one plan.
Salt Lake events reach from the Salt Palace to the south valley and the ski resorts.
Consumer shows and the events moving out during the rebuild.
We send: Booth reps, ambassadorsRetreats, incentive trips and après receptions.
We send: Hostesses, greetersSponsor activations and game-day sampling.
We send: Brand ambassadorsReceptions, breakouts and VIP dinners.
We send: Hostesses, registration hostsProduct launches and customer conferences.
We send: Demo hosts, booth repsFrom the Avenues to Sandy and Draper, so downtown and the south valley both have a crew nearby.
After the floor closes
Steakhouses and brewpubs a short walk from the center.
Relaxed dinners and bars for the crew after a long day.
Mountain dinners when your event moves up the canyon.
Send the show and your dates. A Salt Lake price within 24 hours.
Let’s get right on that answer for you: