Meeting planners who choose Anchorage vary as much as the Alaska landscape. Sure, the city’s meeting facilities can host dinners for thousands, breakout sessions for a half dozen or few thousand delegates and plenary sessions packed with every member of an organization. Anchorage provides the perfect site for events of all sizes and varying interests.
Big Alaska, Big Meetings
Because Anchorage has more meeting space than any other Alaska city, it is often selected by large groups. Big groups representing many industries and a wide range of interests have all discovered Anchorage is the perfect meeting place. The Knowledge, Discovery and Data Mining conference drew 3,200 attendees in 2019 for a tech-focused meeting in both the Dena’ina Center and the Egan Center in what was likely Anchorage’s largest international meeting to date. The 2015 GLACIER Conference saw the sitting U.S. President, Secretary of State, ministers from a dozen Arctic nations and hundreds of others convene in Anchorage. The IEEE Transducers brought 1,100 delegates in 2015. The International Economic Development Council hosted their annual convention in the city in 2015 as well. The Council of State Governments convened in Anchorage with 1,800 people for their 2014 conference. EDI - Scoliosis Research Society's 2014 meeting in Anchorage brought 1,300 people to the Great Land.
Repeat Bookings
Groups often like Anchorage so much they repeat their visit. The National Association of Development Organizations liked the 2008 conference in Anchorage enough to book again for 2017. Ducks Unlimited has flocked to Anchorage three times recently for annual meetings: 1995, 2007, and 2016. The Aerospace Medical Association held its first Anchorage conference in 2004 with 1,600 delegates, and returned in 2011. The Alaska Federation of Natives regularly holds their annual convention in Anchorage, drawing nearly 4,000 people from across Alaska. The AFN Convention is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any indigenous peoples.
Top Flight Sporting Venues
With so many top-notch sports complexes and unrivaled outdoor adventures, it’s no surprise Anchorage has hosted large sporting events. Anchorage's two largest arenas accommodate more than 5,000 spectators each, and that is merely the beginning of sporting venues.
International and national-level competitions make regular calls on Anchorage. The 2019 National Veterans Golden Age Games and 2006 Veteran Wheelchair Games spread out over much of Anchorage. Alyeska Resort has hosted downhill ski competitions including the U.S. Alpine Championships and U.S. Adaptive Alpine Championships. Kincaid Park is one of only a handful of U.S. venues capable of hosting international-level cross-country ski competitions, making it a regular stop for Olympic hopefuls. Kincaid's trails Have been the site of multiple U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships as well as Junior Cross-Country Nationals and the U.S. World Youth/Junior Biathlon Championships.
Anchorage also hosts homegrown sporting events. Students from across Alaska gather annually in Anchorage for the NYO Games, another showcase of athletic skill and Alaska Native traditions. Runs from friendly 5Ks to marathons to the mountain running Cirque Series make all of Anchorage a race course.
With flexible space, competitive pricing, lots of direct flights and a drop-dead gorgeous landscape, Anchorage is the perfect place for your next meeting.
