Flock 2015 Salt Lake City proposal

Flock 2015 - Salt Lake City

Proposed Event Dates

• July 30-August 3, 2015
• August 13-17, 2015
• August 20-24, 2015

Staff

• Clint Savage
• Mike Adams

About Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake, or SLC is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Utah. The city boasts a very active community, along with a large tech industry. Approximately 1.2 million people live in the Salt Lake metro area. Beautiful mountains surround Salt Lake on both sides and local train transit is very convenient from the city center to many popular destinations, such as the University of Utah, The Gallivan Center, and The Leonardo. Just 30 minutes east of Salt Lake is Park City, Utah, home of the famous Sundance Film Festival.

Salt Lake City International Airport

The Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has eight airlines: Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways and is the western hub for Delta Airlines. There are around 656 scheduled daily flights from the facility serving around 86 cities with non-stop flights.

Distance from airport(s) to proposed lodging

Approximately 8 miles (around 12 minutes by car, 30 minutes by light rail) to the center of the city. There are hundreds of rooms available within a 1 mile walk of the proposed venue.

Transport options

The options are:

• UTA Trax light rail (best option). The cost is $2.50US one way, or a day pass can be purchased. Travel time is approximately 45 minutes to downtown.
• Cab/Taxi. The cost is approximately $20US. Travel time is approximately 15 minutes.
  • [Uber] and [Lyft] are also available and probably less expensive than a Cab/Taxi.
• Rental cars are also available 24 hours a day. Cost varies depending on time of year and company.

Estimated flight costs

All flights are estimated using Delta Airlines. The dates used were August 6-10, 2015.

NOTE: Delta is one of the more expensive carriers but flies the most routes in/out of SLC

• From BOS - $502.20 (nonstop)
• From RDU - $625 (1 stop)
• From BOM - $1390 (2 stops)
• From PRG - ~$1460.96*
• From CDG - ~$2063** (nonstop)
• From CDG - ~$1977*** (multiple stops)

* pricing was shown as Kč31,266 / ** pricing was shown as €1604.94 / *** pricing was shown as €1,544.94

Proposed Venue

The proposed venue for Flock SLC 2015 is the Salt Lake City Main Library.

Salt Lake City's Main Library, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, embodies the idea that a library is more than a repository of books and computers; it reflects and engages the city's imagination and aspirations. The building, which opened in February 2003, is double the previous space with 240,000 square feet for more than 500,000 books and other materials, and room for the collection to grow. The six-story curving, walkable wall embraces the public plaza, with shops and services at ground level, reading galleries above, and a 300-seat auditorium. A multi-level reading area along the glass lens at the southern facade of the building looks out onto the plaza with stunning views of the city and Wasatch Mountains beyond. A roof-top garden, accessible by walking the crescent wall or the elevators, offers a 360 degree view of the Salt Lake Valley. Spiraling fireplaces on four floors resemble a column of flame from the vantage of 200 East and 400 South. The Urban Room between the library and the crescent wall is a space for all seasons, generously endowed with daylight and open to magnificent views.

• Cost: $0 (could cost more, for the number of days, but since it's a community project, they are unlikely to charge a fee)

Presentation Rooms

All room detail is available at http://www.slcpl.lib.ut.us/rooms/

• Keynote : Nancy Tessman Auditorium - Capacity: 300
• Session Rooms:
  • Conference Room A - Capacity: 15-40
  • Conference Room B - Capacity: 25-60
  • Conference Room C - Capacity: 15-40
  • Conference Room L1 - Capacity: 20-40
  • Conference Room Level 4 - Capacity: 50-100

Other rooms are available for speakers, BoFs, lightning talks, etc.

• Conference Room Level 2 - Capacity: max 15
• Conference Room Level 3 - Capacity: max 15
• Conference Room D - Capacity: max 15 (speaker room, or war room)

Room availability for keynotes and capacity (assume 250 attendees)

Internet availability

Internet access is provided to the library free of charge from XMission, Utah's largest independent ISP for over 20 years. Their service is fast and reliable. The service may need to be boosted during the conference, but should be very stable.

Proposed evening event locations

Salt Lake City Library Rooftop Terrace

The Main Library's Rooftop Terrace is one of the gems of Salt Lake City. With 360-degree views of the Wasatch Mountains, Salt Lake City skyline, and Salt Lake Valley, the Rooftop Terrace provides a dazzling location for special occasions.

Park City

Park City Mountain Resort - A ski resort by winter, but some great activities by day. The Alpine Slide and the Alpine Coaster are great fun. Additonally, Zip Lines, Mini Golf and Rock Climbing wall. Park City Mountain Resort Events include catering.

The Leonardo

[The Leonardo http://www.theleonardo.org/] is a premier museum downtown and is adjacent to the Salt Lake City Library. Recently, the Leonardo hosted Body Worlds, a renowned exhibit. Thursday nights are Leo Libations, a popular food and wine pairing event.

Clark Planetarium

The Clark Planetarium is the local place to enjoy star and laser shows.

Lodging

These are proposed hotels.

Hotel	Address	Distance from venue	Room cost	Capacity	Internets	Comments
Plaza Hotel	122 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101	1.1 miles (22 minute walk, 14 minute train ride + walk)	$87-$92/night (conference rate)	150 guest rooms	Available for free in all rooms	Free shuttle from airport Pictures Hotel Bid
Hilton Garden Inn	250 West 600 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101, USA	1.0 miles (20 minute walk)	$101-$125/night (non-conference rate)	132 guest rooms	Available for free in all rooms	Complimentary parking
Red Lion Hotel	161 W. 600 South Salt Lake City UT 84101 USA	0.75 miles (15 minute walk)	$93-$111/night (non-conference rate)	393 guest rooms	Available for free in all rooms	Complimentary parking

Pros

• Plenty of restaurants, bars, etc. within walking distance of the venue and hotels.
• Lots of hotels near the venue.
• Venue is very close to the airport and accessible by light rail for $2.50US.
• University of Utah Computer Science students are beginning school around this time and may be interested in attending.
• Salt Lake City is well known for its mountains in both the summer and winter.
• Large tech community in the area,
• Wifi enabled through most of downtown for free.
• Large amount of local breweries, coffee shops, and museums within walking distance.
• Direct flights into SLC from CDG on Delta Airlines.

Cons

• 3.2% Beer
  • This is really a myth, our beer is 4.0%. The state measures beer by weight instead of by volume like everyone else.
  • Beer on tap is only 3.2% by weight, bottled beer can be much higher percentage.
• Weather: It tends to hit around 100°F (~38°C) during much of July and August.
  • The humidity is very low.
  • Mornings and evenings tend to be pretty cool as Salt Lake is a desert.
• You may not want to leave, but you can, anytime you want.