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SALT LAKE CITY — Hosting next month's annual meeting of the National Governors Association will bring a big boost to the Utah economy, Gov. Gary Herbert said Wednesday.
"I'm sure it's significant," Herbert said during a conference call about the three-day meeting that will include several Chinese provincial leaders as well as the nation's governors.
The July 15-17 meeting will be the fourth time the association has held its annual gathering in Utah — and the first such meeting since 1947. The state also was the site of the association's 1919 and 1930 yearly meetings.
We're going to roll out the red carpet.
–Gov. Gary Herbert
Herbert said the price tag for the meeting is about $2 million, but no tax dollars are being used. Instead, he said, corporate donors from Utah and around the country are picking up the cost.
"The state's investment really is nil," the governor said. About three-quarters of the money needed has already been raised, but an association spokeswoman said the names of the donors won't be released until the meeting.
Herbert said the governors will be treated to a premiere of the final movie in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," a concert of patriotic songs by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a barbecue at Red Butte Garden.
He also said there will be a bobsled competition between western and eastern governors on the track used during the 2002 Winter Games at the Utah Olympic Park near Park City.
"We're going to roll out the red carpet," Herbert said, promising that while the meeting will be productive, "we want to make it enjoyable, too" and showcase the state's tourist attractions.
The association's chairwoman, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, said the meeting's topics include the role of higher education in improving state economies and international trade.
She said New York Times "Foreign Affairs" columnist Thomas Friedman, author of the bestselling book, "The World is Flat," will speak on the global challenges the states face at the meeting's Sunday session.
Email:lroche@ksl.com
