submitted by Karen Boe, Visit Salt Lake
“Michael has been with Visit Salt Lake for nearly 28 years, winning over the hearts of clients, members and the community along the way,” said Kaitlin Eskelson, president & CEO of Visit Salt Lake. “He has been a staple in making Visit Salt Lake an amazing place to work and his upbeat, funny, lovable nature has been something we could all look forward to. Michael will be missed dearly.”
After earning his law degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU and working in private practice and as a Deputy District Attorney, Michael realized his true passion was in the convention and tourism world. His first posting was as CEO of the Utah Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau and Central Utah Film Commission.
Never Looked Back
Michael found Visit Salt Lake and never looked back, spending more than 27 years of his career there, serving as the Vice President of Services and the Director of Travel Trade & Strategic Partnerships. He happily chaired numerous committees over the years, most recently and notably, the LGBTQ+ committee.
During that time, he provided leadership for multiple statewide tourism organizations, serving as president of Utah Travel Regions, president of Bicycle Utah, and president of the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition (now the UTIA).
On Many Boards
Civic engagement has always been a pillar of his life and a true measure of his deep respect and caring for others. He’s served on the boards for the Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake Homeless Coalition, Salt Lake Public Market Study and acted as chair of Salt Lake Arts Council.
Michael and his team have received numerous accolades throughout the years. While leading VSL’s Services department, they were awarded the Meetings & Conventions Gold Level Award for 22 consecutive years, high praise from their customers that continues.
Having the pleasure to direct and oversee operations for major top conventions was truly a passion of his. Under his dedicated watch VSL played host to Rotary International, ASAE, MPI, and he oversaw services for 21 years of the bi-annual Outdoor Retailer Summer and Winter shows, a massive undertaking accounting for 42 shows that accounted for 40% of VSL’s annual impact and made its mark in Salt Lake.
Michael is looking forward to having more focus on traveling, writing and taking on special projects for various organizations to keep his skills sharp and his love of travel and tourism fed.
Visit Salt Lake improves the area economy
Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention, meetings, sports events and travel destination. In partnership with Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake improves the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors with a strong commitment to sustainability and stewardship of the area’s natural environment. Through its sales and marketing programs, Visit Salt Lake’s impact on Salt Lake’s annual $4.5 billion visitor economy equates to $1,238 in tax relief for each household within Salt Lake County. For more information on all that Salt Lake has to offer, go to visitsaltlake.com.
