Sundance and OR crowd expected to pack downtown
Watch the video here.
With the Sundance Film Festival and the winter Outdoor Retailer show, a record number of people are expected to pack downtown.
As everyone prepares for the Outdoor Retailer with 21,000 anticipated to attend, they know next weekend will be large.
Salt Lake City is ready to roll out the red carpet for Sundance crowds as well.
"We're talking 30-40,000 people in downtown Salt Lake, so definately kind of Olympic numbers," says Scott Beck of the Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Beck says the atmosphere downtown may be similar to that of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
"Virtually there's not a hotel in between here and Davis county or up to Summit county and then restaurants, obviously, is a very, very important part of the visitor experience. But then you get into Taxi cabs, you get into transportation companies, you get into banner companies making the banners for everybody that's here -- it's just a really, really big economic impact," Beck says.
Squatters Pub is anticipating long lines next week. Business there is expected to double.
"It is about as much as we can handle. We usually have a lot of our space shut down with private parties so that adds to the madness. But we kind of ramp up our staffing and brace for it," says Evan Tendick of Squatters.
The Outdoor Retailers show along is expected to bring in at least $20 million.
The new vision for Salt Lake City encompasses ideas large and small, bold and restrained - for shaping downtown's future. 