An Olympic postscript: did we really lose?

• Author: Hillis, Kathy
• Position: Utah business people assess the unsuccessful bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics site

AN OLYMPIC POSTSCRIPT

Did We Really Lose?

Members of the Salt Lake City delegation to Birmingham haven't admitted defeat and hope to keep the Olympic flame burning for 2002.

On an individual and corporate basis, many businesspeople in Utah and Salt Lake City invested a great deal of time and money in the Olympic Bid effort. Was it a risk worth taking, given the International Olympic Committee's (IOC's) choice of Nagano, Japan, as the 1998 host city? Many government and business leaders say yes. With a few weeks to reflect and evaluate the effort, they still think the advantages seem to far outweigh the disadvantages.

All Eyes Were upon Us

Utah has received more positive publicity and exposure over the last two years than ever before. Utah is well known as the land of Mormons and national parks, but the world knew little else about us. The Utah ski industry has grown and matured and, according to Scott Nelson, president and CEO of First Security Bank of Utah, "The hotel and ski resort industry benefitted from the bid process and the designation as America's Choice, with an outstanding season. Anything that benefits one segment of business spreads out to benefit others."

The world learned about us. We were written about in The London Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, not once but many times. Virtually every large international newspaper carried the Olympic story, and Salt Lake City fared well. "The Salt Lake committee and delegation conducted itself at the highest level of statesmanship and decorum. We competed well internationally and learned an international language," said Ray Kingston of FFKR Architects. Though Utahns would probably not describe themselves as "the sumptuous Mormon arena" as David Miller did in The London Times, they did convey a more sophisticated, urban, competent image than many would have attributed to Utah just a few short years ago. "If you were trying to promote Utah as a place to live and work you couldn't spend $5 million any better," said Mark Miller, chairman of the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Considering that it was private money spent, the taxpayer and the state gained even more by not having to foot the bill. Indeed, another bid, from this perspective, would be beneficial. Fred Rollins, district marketing director for Delta Air Lines agrees. "Salt Lake City is definitely a worldclass city. You cannot buy the publicity that this bid has brought."

A United Effort

It was difficult for most...