SBC Annual Meeting in 2027 will be relocated
This story by UI Connections staff as of 05/29/2025, 11:00 AM (Updated 06/22/2926, 8:29 PM Mountain Time)
File photo of SBC Executive Committee February 2025
Draper, UT – The planned location for the SBC Annual Meeting in 2027 was the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The event would have included outreach and evangelism activities along the Wasatch Front. Organizers were looking forward to returning to Salt Lake City after they hosted the meeting in 1998. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the SBC’s control, the location will be moved and will not take place in the West in 2027. Salt Lake City and County administrators had to cancel the contract due to a change in ownership of the venue.
After nearly ten days of deliberation and negotiations, it was decided the best alternative is to pursue the move and present a relocation motion to Indianapolis, IN for June 13-16, 2027 to the SBC Executive Committee Trustees and potential vote by the messengers to the SBC annual meeting in Dallas in June. These dates differ from ones posted in an earlier version of this story.
“The news did not catch me by surprise.” Rob Lee, Utah Idaho SBC Executive Director, responded to UI Connections. “I heard of the sale of part of the Salt Palace to Smith Entertainment Group, and that remodeling downtown around the Delta Center was announced by local TV media. The remodeling is scheduled to start spring of 2027”
Ryan and Ashley Smith of Smith Entertainment Group, owners of Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz, recently purchased the Salt Palace in a larger downtown revitalization effort. As a result, the Salt Palace will be under renovation and construction beginning in February of 2027. The renovations would leave the main meeting hall as the only available space the Salt Palace could provide. The SBC would have lost all exhibit hall space, as well as room to host alternative gatherings in adjacent venues. Since the Annual Meeting is host to several gatherings and meals, requiring more space than Salt Palace could provide at that time, it was decided to relocate the location of the Annual Meeting.
It is still the hope of SBC leadership and local Baptist leaders to return to Salt Lake City in the future. Every effort was made by the Southern Baptist Convention organizers to procure a venue in another western state convention location.
Rob Lee and Jeff Iorg, SBC Executive Committee President spoke to each other about this news while in Memphis a week and a half ago before the Cooperative Program’s 100-year celebration anniversary. It was agreed not to share this news until the SBC Executive Committee had secured a new contract for 2027 and were able to announce the change.
“We are all deeply saddened by having to share this news.” Lee concluded. “SBC Executive Committee leadership has been informed that we would be ready to help if the SBC Annual meeting could come to the Salt Palace in the future.”
More information can be found at Baptist Press where they published this article.
