SmallSat Conference relocates to Salt Lake City in 2025

LOGAN, Utah — After nearly four decades in Logan, Utah, the Small Satellite Conference is moving to Salt Lake City in August 2025.

Conference Chair Pat Patterson announced during Monday’s opening session of the 38th annual conference that starting next year, SmallSat will be held at Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center. Patterson cited the need for larger, more modern facilities to accommodate the growing number of attendees and exhibitors as key factors behind the move. Hosted by the Space Dynamics Lab and Utah State University since 1987, SmallSat has outgrown Logan’s infrastructure.

Logan’s lodging limitations prompt relocation

Logan, a college town two hours north of Salt Lake City, has struggled in recent years to provide adequate lodging for the increasing number of attendees. Patterson noted that Logan has just 1,020 hotel rooms, meaning that most of SmallSat’s 4,000 attendees have to stay at least a 30-minute drive from Logan.

In contrast, the Salt Lake City metro area boasts 20,000 hotel rooms, 5,000 of which can be found within five blocks of the Salt Palace, Patterson explained. The Salt Palace Convention Center, a well-known venue in Salt Lake City, regularly hosts large-scale events, including concerts and a popular Comic Con. The Salt Lake City venue offers more space for technical sessions, exhibits, side meetings, and meals, all in one centralized location, Patterson said, making it an ideal choice for growing the SmallSat conference.

Maintaining the collegial vibe

SmallSat is known in the space industry for its collegial feel. In contrast to conferences with numerous ticketed lunches spread hither and yon, all SmallSat participants gather under tents set up on the quad for a daily buffet lunch. Patterson said the conference will maintain that feel in its new, larger venue. While outdoor receptions are part of the plans for SmallSat in Salt Lake, lunches will be served indoors — a relief to conference attendees who don’t love Utah’s August heat.

“We are really excited about it. What I am a little nervous about is we have had something special here. This community together has created this thing that we have here called SmallSat and we have to make sure that we take that something special with us to Salt Lake City. And that’s not just about the way we run the conference. It’s about the spirit and enthusiasm that all of our attendees will bring,” Patterson said.

SmallSat Conference Chair Pat Patterson at the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah, Aug. 5, 2024. Credit: Keith Johnson for SpaceNews

Social contract: There will be Aggie’s ice cream

Another SmallSat tradition is its afternoon ice cream socials. Patterson confirmed that the ice cream socials featuring Aggie’s ice cream, a locally made favorite, will continue at SmallSat 2025 in Salt Lake City.

“Absolutely, we’ve already been working through that. There will be Aggie ice cream,” Patterson said.

Conference venues tend to have existing vendor contracts that affect what a conference can or cannot bring to a hotel, and The Salt Palace is no exception. “There’s some contractual stuff we have to go through. There will be Aggie’s ice cream. It’s just a lot harder.”

Cost considerations for 2025

Patterson said it will cost more to exhibit at SmallSat in 2025, but exhibitors should find that the increase is offset by savings on lodging. Badged attendees and students, however, should be able to spend less to attend SmallSat in Salt Lake.

“Our exhibit prices will increase slightly. Hotel prices will go down dramatically. And we are not raising rates one dollar on attendees. And we are not raising rates one dollar on students,” Patterson told SpaceNews in an interview ahead of the formal announcement. “[W]e’ve done several [analyses] over the years, and we believe that actually the cost will be a wash for the exhibitors. It will go down for attendees.”

Looking ahead to a new era

Despite the venue change, Patterson said the mission of the Small Satellite Conference remains unchanged: to provide a premier platform for sharing advancements and fostering collaborations in the small satellite industry. He said the organizers are committed to maintaining the high standards of the conference and ensuring that it continues to be a cornerstone event for the space community. “We will do our best to make it as technical as possible and we will do our best to make it fun,” Patterson added.