Alaska Federation of Natives convention held in Fairbanks Oct. 17-22: will Anchorage get this coveted convention back?

• Author: Friedenauer, Margaret

There has always been a friendly rivalry between the state's two largest cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks. But in one arena, that rivalry has taken on a more serious tone, with competitive emotions running high and about $6 million at stake. Fairbanks has wooed the economically and culturally rich Alaska Federation of Natives 9005 convention away from Anchorage, where the event has been held every year since 1966 except one, which was held in Fairbanks in 1988. The Golden Heart City hasn't taken the task lightly. And a wounded Anchorage is already trying to entice the conference back to its turf.

AFN is Alaska's largest annual convention. More than 3,000 Alaska Natives convene, many arriving from rural villages to meet, shop, visit relatives and provide a weeklong economic boom to the host city. Two years ago, AFN decided to mix things up and find out if Anchorage had perhaps begun to take the convention for granted, while giving other cities an opportunity to showcase its hosting capabilities.

The change began at the 2003 convention, when a resolution was passed asking the AFN board to explore other possible locations to hold the convention. Jen Jolis of the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau said her agency got a call in December 2003 from the convention committee asking Fairbanks to prepare a bid and presentation outlining if and how the town could host the convention.

ENOUGH INFRASTRUCTURE?

Jolis said the first priority for the agency was to determine if there was enough infrastructure and lodging to host 3,000 visitors for a single convention, a logistical puzzle for the city. Jolis and staff used convention agendas to estimate how much meeting space and lodging is required for the event.

"We took the 2003 agenda and just went through and found a place for everything," she said.

Jolis and staff decided that between the Carlson Center, which hosts most major concert and sporting events in Fairbanks, and Pioneer Park, which has several facilities, there was enough convention space. They also determined the city had enough lodging for convention goers. With the two primary pieces of the puzzle solved, Jolis said the city had to determine if they wanted to commit to the project.

"Basically, the mayor (borough Mayor Jim Whitaker) took the ball and ran with it," Jolis said. "He said 'yes, we are going to do this, and we are going to do it terrifically.'"

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The economic impact the convention has on a community is...