Online registration is now open for the 9th Annual Utah Tourism Conference that will be held at the new Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo from May 15-17, 2012. The conference is co-sponsored by the Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition (UTIC). Utah’s annual tourism conference will coincide with National Travel and Tourism Week.

“We are thrilled to meet in Utah Valley’s new convention center to share best practices and network with our tourism industry partners,” said Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, an agency of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

“The Tourism Conference is a great opportunity for tourism industry colleagues to learn new trends, technologies, and ideas from the best in our industry,” said Sara Toliver, President and CEO of the Ogden/Weber Convention & Visitors Bureau and chairman of UTIC’s Tourism Conference Committee. “We’ve made some changes to this year’s format to allow for additional time to share best practices since the chance to network with our peers is such an invaluable component of this conference.”

The agenda includes sessions on domestic and international marketing, research trends, public relations, social media, a legislative update, and other topics.

Entries and nominations are being accepted for the Utah Tourism Hall of Fame Awards and the 7th Annual Utah Tourism Marketing and Advertising Contest. The deadline for the Hall of Fame nominations is April 6. Details for the Hall of Fame can be found online at http://travel.utah.gov. The awards will be presented during the conference.

The Marketing and Advertising Contest is accepting entries for the best of industry marketing, promotion, and advertising efforts. The deadline for the contest is Thursday, April 19, 2012. The entry fee is $25 for up to four entries in the categories of print, broadcast, web, and special promotions. For more information on the contest, visit http://travel.utah.gov/tourism_conference/2012UtahTourismConference.html, or contact Rebecca Katz at the Utah Office of Tourism at [email protected].

Tourism is one of Utah’s largest industries, generating $6.5 billion in traveler spending every year and $842 million in state and local taxes. Utah’s Travel and Recreation-related employment is estimated at 122,839 tourism-related jobs in the state. In 2010, 20.2 million international and domestic travelers visited Utah.

Individual conference registration is $175. Two or more representatives from the same company can register for $150 per person. A student registration is also available for $50. For conference information and registration, visit www.utahtourism.org