Alaska is celebrating 50 years of statehood in 2009, and in the year of its golden anniversary visitors will find commemorative events that augment the state’s unique array of scenic and recreational amenities. Business groups also have some major new facilities in which to gather.
It was 1867 when America purchased Alaska from Russia, and lots of Americans thought they had bought nothing but a massive frozen landmass. But when they discovered the land’s abundant natural resources and unparalleled scenic beauty, Alaska’s real worth emerged, and she became the 49th state on Jan. 3, 1959, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a declaration.
There’s even a new commemorative U.S. stamp and quarter to mark the occasion. In addition, Alaska Railroad is giving free rides to anyone who turns 50 in 2009, and Talkeetna Air Taxi is offering discounts on scenic air tours through September to those who mention the word “statehood.” The Alaska Statehood Quilt made by local quilters and textile artists is touring the state throughout the year. Meanwhile, individual destinations are staging celebratory events that groups can fold into their business agenda.
Anchorage
Alaska’s largest city and commercial center is welcoming groups this anniversary year with its brand-new $111 million, 200,000-square-foot Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. The center is a showcase for the latest in technological amenities and energy efficiency, and it increases the city’s group capacity by more than 300 percent. Because it connects to the 45,000-square-foot William A. Egan Center and the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts via an enclosed and heated skybridge, attendees may travel between venues in comfort throughout the year.
Julie Saupe, president and CEO of the Anchorage CVB, says the new center has excellence in functional design as well as aesthetics.
“The Dena’ina Center design and building team didn’t just create a beautiful building, they also incorporated dozens of great features into the building that save energy, limit waste, conserve, reuse and recycle,” she says. “The new center gives Anchorage the ability to accommodate larger groups, and several national and international conventions have already booked years into 2014.”
Last year, Anchorage also gained more hotel room inventory via the 169-room Embassy Suites Anchorage. Opening later this year is the 165-room Crown Plaza Midtown Anchorage. Both properties have dedicated meeting space. Other group-friendly properties in the Anchorage area include Alyeska Resort, Hilton Anchorage, Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage Marriott Downtown and Sheraton Anchorage.
Excitement is building for the first-phase opening May 30 of a 90,000-square-foot expansion to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. In honor of Alaska’s golden anniversary, the name of the inaugural exhibit in the four-story, glass-walled space is “Gold,” which will include a gold-plated room, the 56-pound Normandy Nugget (one of the world’s largest), doubloons from sunken Spanish galleons, Beyonce’s Grammy Award and a scale that reveals visitor weight in gold. In early 2010, new areas in the expansion space will hold 600 Alaska Native artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution, a 530-square-foot planetarium and science exhibit galleries. The new expanded museum is going for recognition of its energy efficiencies and may become Anchorage’s first LEED-certified building.
Fairbanks
Transportation in and around Fairbanks has improved following the completion of Fairbanks International Airport’s terminal expansion and renovation. Additionally, a new citywide trolley service by Fountainhead Hotels will begin this summer. Connecting stops will include the University of Alaska Museum of the North, a popular tour and events site; Pioneer Park and the Alaska Salmon Bake; and Sophie Station, Wedgewood Resort and the Bridgewater, all Fountainhead properties.
The city also has the new 35,000-square-foot Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center on the banks of the Chena River downtown. It houses the Fairbanks CVB, an Alaska Native Elders gathering area, the Alaska Geographic Store and cultural programs for the Tanana Chiefs Conference. Interpretive exhibits and a theater are also among the center’s features, along with live performances and narrative talks about local heritage. The building is available for private receptions and other events.
“Our facilities range from Alaska rustic to upscale lodges and full-service hotels,” says Karen Lundquist, the CVB’s vice president of marketing. “Fairbanks is Alaska’s second-largest city, and it offers groups the combination of many cultures, a vivid arts community, sporting and outdoor options, and America’s ‘Arctic University.’”
Fairbanks also recently welcomed its new 106-room Holiday Inn Express Fairbanks, and new Hampton Inn and Best Western hotels are scheduled to open in late spring.
Fairbanks is the gateway to the expansive Brooks Range and the Arctic Coastal Plain. Northern Lights viewing is popular in and around Fairbanks, and groups can also access the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge via small planes.
Juneau
Alaska’s capital city has environmental appeal, modern group facilities and plenty of invigorating entertainment.
Most Juneau visitors access Mendenhall Glacier, located just outside the city, via flight-seeing, dogsledding or trekking. Two rainforest zip lines near the historic Treadwell and Eagle Crest Ski Area are available from Alaska Canopy Adventures and Alaska Zipline Adventures.
Groups also enjoy customized winter itineraries by Alaska Powder Descents, a new locally owned heli-ski and snowboard company operated by fully certified guides, who have permission to access over 1 million acres of pristine terrain surrounded by glaciers and waterways.
Centennial Hall Convention Center is located in Juneau’s Downtown Historical District and can host banquets of up to 700 people in its 20,000 square feet of space.
Many of Juneau’s meeting locations are in majestic settings. Meetings and events atop Mount Roberts enable guests to enjoy grand panoramic views on the Gastineau Channel and the surrounding peaks after they reach the summit via tramway transport. That’s also the place to enjoy Tlingit cultural shows that may include live dance performances, film presentations in a theater or full-service meals.
Matanuska-Susitna
With a location convenient to both Anchorage and Denali National Park, the Mat-Su Valley has wide-open spaces in its 23,000-square-mile territory and attractions to engage groups with a variety of interests—especially those keen on wilderness components. Towering mountains, huge glacier valleys, fish-filled rivers and lakes, abundant Alaska wildlife and mind-bending scenery define the region.
Valley towns are famous for their annual sports events, Alaska gold rush history, farming and dog mushing history. Wasilla, the valley’s largest town and home to politcial sensation Gov. Sarah Palin, hosts the world-famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Tesoro Iron-Dog 2000, the world’s longest snowmobile race.
Talkeetna has a frontier village feel and grand views of Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) on clear days. Talkeetna Alaska Lodge and McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge are options for group accommodations.
The Mat-Su Valley is also Alaska’s agricultural heartland, with perfect conditions for growing giant vegetables that are on display at the annual state fair in Palmer. Palmer is also the place to learn about the 1935 colonization by Lower 48 farmers as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal initiatives. Gold also brought some settlers to the state, and groups may tour the abandoned Independence Gold Mine.
Locals welcomed the Matanuska Lodge in 2008, with its rugged elegance and high-tech features, and Alaska Adventure Unlimited added three new creekside chalets to its property. Along the famed Iditarod Trail, Alaska Backcountry Adventures added a new cabin facility on the Yentna River.
Valdez
Audacious travelers wanting to tackle the backcountry in winter can look to Alaska Snow for guidance on wilderness skiing, snowshoeing or snowboarding adventures. Half-day, full-day and overnight outings are designed around the skills and pace of participants. Weekend seminars about avalanche terrain and hazards, rescue techniques and backcountry travel are included.
Valdez is known in any season for its pristine surroundings amid glaciers and for waters that are home to sea otters, whales and porpoises. Excursions on Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier are popular.
The Valdez Convention and Civic Center provides 18,000 square feet of space, with a ballroom that accommodates up to 500 people. Additional meeting facilities can be found at Valdez Harbor Inn and Mountain Sky Hotel.
Ketchikan
Ketchikan’s catchy slogan for the state’s anniversary year is “50 for 50,” and through Dec. 31, there will be events across the community, which is rich in Native Alaskan heritage. There will be a contest to guess which day the 50th inch of precipitation falls—Ketchikan is known for its abundant rainfall—and on June 30 there will be a car parade to commemorate one that occurred on the same day, 50 years ago.
The city will also be prominently showcasing the downtown improvements completed in 2008. Alaska artists installed works to beautify the waterfront promenade, and a satellite visitor information center with new public restrooms and a large shelter area opened adjacent to cruise ship berths three and four. The city is now refurbishing cruise ship berths one and two, which will include additional art installations and improvements to visitor information facilities. That work is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Ketchikan has 400 guest rooms in its inventory and convention space in Ketchikan’s Ted Ferry Civic Center, which accommodates up to 500 people. Full-service dining, meeting facilities, lively pubs and relaxing lounges are available at Salmon Falls Lodge, Cape Fox Lodge and other properties.
Sitka
The Tlingit Indians have lived in and around Sitka for centuries, long before Russians or Americans ever set foot on Baranof Island’s rocky shores. Situated between forested mountains and the Pacific Ocean on Alaska’s Inside Passage, Sitka combines native culture, Russian history and scenic wilderness for a diverse and absorbing experience.
The Sitka Performing Arts Center, the new home of the city’s Jazzfest and winter concert series, opened last year. The center seats 650 people and also features a reception area. Other off-site options include the Alaska Raptor Center and the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center.
Harrigan Centennial Hall has a setting that inspires meeting participants. The hall’s windows overlook Sitka Sound, and a speaker’s comments are often punctuated by a passing fishing boat or an eagle’s soaring flight.
In the heart of downtown, the 100-room Westmark Sitka offers a convenient and scenic base for meetings, with its vantage point on Sitka Sound and Crescent Harbor.
For More Info
Anchorage CVB 907.276.4118 www.anchorage.net
Fairbanks CVB 907.457.3282 www.explorefairbanks.com
Juneau CVB 907.586.1737 www.traveljuneau.com
Mat-Su CVB 907.746.5000 www.alaskavisit.com
Sitka CVB 907.747.5940 www.sitka.org
Valdez CVB 907.835.2984 www.valdezalaska.org
