Jon M. Huntsman Center — Attraction in Salt Lake City

While attending a gymnastics meet, the staff was nearly all horrible. Someone I knew showed up with a small purse. There is apparently a "clear bag only" policy. To facilitate, they have small bags. She emptied her small purse contents into one of these bags, and the purse itself even fit comfortably within the bag. They would still not let her in with the bag. They insisted that she leave her purse outside (btw the event was more than half over). She left the empty purse outside, even telling the staff where it was hidden so they would let her in. She saw the staff whispering among themselves. After the event, the purse was gone. When she asked all the staff where "lost and found" was, NO ONE KNEW. She had to walk the circumference of the event center 3 times till she found the tiny window (Guest Services between doors U and T I believe). It hadn't been turned in. As she left she pled with the staff manning the entry door and everyone had a smirk of a smile. She checked again and again outside, alas, it was gone. Finally one staff had the guts to say that the purse had been thrown away. The staff member pointed to the garbage can and let her dig for the purse.

While the guest should have known of this "clear bag policy", the experience could have been improved in any of the following ways: There were other guests admitted who had stashed their purses insude clear bags. The entry staff should not have demanded to know where the purse was stashed simply to trash it. The entry staff should have told her that they planned to trash her purse. All the staff should know something as simple as where the lost and found is located. She had to ask at least 10 people, and none of them knew. When directly questioned, the door staff should have more.readily acknowledged that they had retrieved the purse to throw it away instead of prolonging her agony. They all sat there with smirks instead of helping.

I set this as a 2 star review because the physical facilities are great and once inside inside is a fantastic atmosphere (hey, site of the 1979 NCAA Final Four, Magic vs. Bird), and the fact that one door person finally spoke up to make it not a 1-star review. What a needlessly miserable experience.

Oh the other thing, the University of Utah seems on a.mission to eliminate ALL parking, so if you plan to atte d anything there, it is near mandatory to take Mass Transit (e.g....

4/5 - Great athletic venue for the University of Utah's athletic teams. There are some really cool features that make game days really interesting, like great video boards and a court video projection system. Food is predictably expensive (it is a stadium after all). One of the real treats of the center is seeing it completely full for Utah's women's gymnastics team. Men's basketball games are loud and really fun for fans to watch, and the team thrives off that energy. The Huntsman center is also used for graduation ceremonies for the university and nearby high schools. The venue's cons are in relation to entry and seating. For popular events, it can be difficult to get in the doors on time, and upper seating can be a little cramped. Otherwise, the whole place is really...

This is a great venue! It's large and has lots of seating. There is a very large jumbotron in the center with a great video display. The upper concourse has lots of food courts and display cases for the athletic awards. I only have a few complaints. 1). The seats are crammed in there (typical of stadium seating) and there is not a lot of leg room. 2). The restrooms are in need of an upgrade. 3). Parking is non-existent. You basically have to park a few blocks away and walk. It's only free for certain events, otherwise you have to pay to park (typical for most stadiums). That being said, I have enjoyed several basketball games and volleyball...