Mountain America Expo Center

The Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, formerly the South Towne Exposition Center, is the largest event venue in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley. It hosts consumer shows, conventions and sporting events, and it is one of the best rooms in Utah for a large company general session that needs a wide stage, a big screen and seats for thousands.

Fat Fish Media has produced Western Governors University's All Hands meeting here, and the building's simple, high-ceilinged halls are a big reason why.

The spaces

• Exhibit space: about 243,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, divisible into five halls of roughly 48,600 square feet each.
• Ceiling height: around 30 feet in the halls, enough for flown lighting, speakers and a large LED screen.
• Meeting rooms: about 15,000 square feet of meeting space, divisible into nine rooms, for breakouts, green rooms and production offices.
• Location: on State Street in Sandy, near I-15 and a TRAX stop, with large surface parking lots, which makes it easy for attendees driving in from Utah County and the south valley.

Why it works for general sessions

An exhibit hall is a blank box, and that is an advantage. With no columns and no chandeliers to work around, we can build the stage, set and screens to fit the audience instead of the room. For a session of a few thousand people, that usually means:

• A wide LED canvas behind the stage, with IMAG screens or LED columns on each side so the back of the room sees the speaker's face.
• Flown line-array audio with delay speakers further back, so the sound is even from the front row to the last.
• Lighting that shapes the stage and dims the room for video, with audience lighting for moments when the crowd is part of the show.
• Drape and carpet to turn the hall into a finished room and to separate the session from registration, catering or an expo floor.

What we produced: WGU All Hands

For Western Governors University's All Hands meeting we built a general session stage under a wide, curved LED screen with lighting, multi-camera IMAG and show calling for a program of leadership talks and award presentations. Alongside the main stage we built an interview set with cameras and lighting, so the team could record conversations and content during the event. WGU is a long-running client: we also produce its commencement weekends in cities across the country.

Load-in and planning notes

• Drive-in access: the halls have large roll-up doors, so trucks can unload close to the stage. That keeps labor hours down compared with a downtown hotel.
• Plan the rigging early: flown screens and speakers need a rigging plot approved by the venue before load-in.
• Order power and internet: confirm what is included and order dedicated power for production and a wired line for any livestream.
• Climate: large halls take time to heat or cool. Ask the venue to bring the room to temperature before doors.
• Build the room for the audience size: one hall may be plenty. Using pipe and drape to shrink the room keeps a smaller crowd from feeling lost.

How we can help

We provide everything a general session needs: stage and set, LED walls, line-array audio, lighting, cameras, IMAG, show calling and a livestream for remote employees. See our corporate events work for more examples.

Related guides: Salt Palace Convention Center and Utah Olympic Oval.

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Mountain America Expo Center?

It has about 243,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space in five halls of roughly 48,600 square feet each, plus about 15,000 square feet of meeting rooms.

Is it a good venue for a corporate general session?

Yes. The column-free halls and high ceilings allow a wide stage, a large LED screen and flown audio, which suits sessions of several thousand people.

Where is it?

The center is on State Street in Sandy, near I-15 and TRAX, about 20 minutes south of downtown Salt Lake City.

Planning an event at the Mountain America Expo Center? Tell us the date, headcount and program and we will come back within one business day with a production plan and a line-item quote. We can also walk the space with you before you sign the venue contract.