Conventions in Alaska.

• Author: KELSEY, MARK

In-state conventions still make up the bulk of meetings scheduled statewide, but there is growing interest from other groups as well.

Convention sales managers are scrambling to bring a bit of the state's natural lure to their marketing strategies. And the results speak for themselves.

As Alaska becomes more popular as a tourist destination, its attraction as a convention site also has gained momentum in recent years. And while in-state sales make up the vast majority of Alaska's convention market, marketers are increasingly turning to out-of-state sources in an effort to increase already burgeoning sales.

In Anchorage alone, Convention and Visitors Bureau statistics show a 40 percent increase in sales in just the last four years, with total economic impact rising from $50.3 million in 1995 to $70.2 million in 1999.

"We're just kicking rear end," said joy Maples, director of communications at the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. "There has been major growth."

And why not? Unlike the smaller locations around the state, which rely largely on word-of-mouth and repeat business, the ACVB has a full-time, year-round staff of 10, including five regional sales managers, dedicated solely to attracting conventions from around the state and the country.

Breaking Myths

At first glance, selling Alaska as a convention site to a Lower 48 group might seem like a gargantuan task. After all, there are no shortages of perceptual myths to overcome.

"They think its cold, dark and far away," Maples said. "And they think it's going to be expensive."

While there is little in the way of quantitative data to disprove the weather, at least for shoulder and winter seasons, there are plenty of facts to sway those convention planners who are worried about the cost of organizing an event in Anchorage.

According to the Runzheimer Guide to Daily Travel Prices, in 1999 the cost of a single hotel room and three meals, for example, averaged just $154 in Alaska's largest city, compared with $380 in New York City or $269 in San Francisco. Convention delegates may face higher travel costs in getting to Alaska, but many airlines now work closely with convention bureaus in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in putting together discounts for groups traveling from out of state.

Further tipping the scales in favor of Alaska in general and Anchorage in particular is the lack of a sales tax and the comparatively, inexpensive cost of "incidental" items, such as coffee service...