Egan + Dena'ina = Anchorage Convention District: booking events made easy.

• Author: Kamm, Denise

So you want to be a part of it all, and you think you're ready to book your event at the Dena'ina. Now what? Who do you call? Can you fill such a grand space? How do you "qualify" to get in?

All these answers are found at the Egan Center. The Egan Center is still standing strong in this transition to the Dena'ina. In fact, the two convention centers are combining to create the Anchorage Convention District. Both facilities are managed by SMG of Alaska Inc., and the Egan Center sales staff is ready to answer your questions.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR THE EGAN CENTER

After 23 years of Anchorage functions, the Egan Center is being revitalized. Fresh carpeting and vinyl wall coverings are being installed in the lower level Summit Hall, and restroom renovations will be the first of the changes beginning this month. On the street level, new carpeting in Explorers Hall and wall coverings throughout the rest of the building will be coming by the end of this year.

With the revived Egan, the new Dena'ina, and the creation of the Anchorage Convention District, Anchorage is more marketable for the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau. A mid-sized convention center and a large convention center within two blocks of each other create versatility for conventioneers considering our great city. Locals will have more options, too.

WHICH VENUE DO YOU CHOOSE?

Let's say you and 200 of your closest friends want to have an upscale dinner and a couple of glasses of fine wine, followed by some dancing and a sinful dessert. As the SMG Food & Beverage Department creates your menu, you get to choose in which center you'd like to hold this event. The Dena'ina Ballroom is simply too big for this intimate get together. So you might consider the meeting rooms at Dena'ina. There are six meeting rooms, and each has just less than 2,000 square feet, which will fit about 100 people. Open up the moveable walls to combine two rooms, and you can fit your 200 friends. Or perhaps Egan's Summit Hall might...