News Release
World Beard and Moustache Championship Comes to Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska – Nov. 10, 2008 – The 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships (WBMC) will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, on May 23, 2009, at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. With 500 delegates from 11 countries expected to attend, the WBMC is estimated to contribute $487,080 to the Anchorage economy. The host for this event is the Southcentral Alaska Beard and Moustache Club, which is committed to making the 2009 competition the biggest and best ever.
Begun in 1990, the first World Beard and Moustache Championship took place in Höfen-Enz, Germany. By 1995, the Championship had grown into a biennial gathering, held in various European countries. Carson City, Nevada, was the first non-European city to host the group in 2003. Anchorage, Alaska, is only the second U.S. destination ever to host the event. Brighton, England, hosted the last WBMC event in September 2007, during which Beard Team USA unexpectedly mounted a serious challenge to the always dominant Germans, taking first in five of the categories.
There are 17 officially sanctioned categories: eight styles of mustache, four varieties of partial beard/goatee, and five kinds of full-beard. The World Beard and Moustache Association’s goal is to promote the appreciation of beards and moustaches through events and competitions that encourage friendships among those with beards and moustaches. For more information, visit www.worldbeardchampionships.com.
The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (ACVB) mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by one-third of the bed tax collected by lodging associations. One-third goes to the Municipality’s general fund, a contribution established in 1978, and one-third to service the bond debt and operations of the Anchorage Convention Centers. ACVB receives no state or federal funds. Explore www.Anchorage.net for more information..
Media Contacts:
Jeanette Anderson Moores
Public Relations
Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau
jmoores@anchorage.net
(907) 276-4118
Explore www.Anchorage.net
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