09/26/03 - Emblem Club Brings 800 Delegates to Anc
NEWS RELEASE
Anchorage, Alaska – Sept. 26, 2003
EMBLEM CLUB BRINGS 800 DELEGATES TO ANCHORAGE
More than 800 members of the Supreme Emblem Club are in Anchorage this week for the annual fall board meeting. The group is holding meetings at the Hilton Anchorage and the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center from Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Oct. 3, 2003. The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) estimates the economic impact to Anchorage from this conference at $671,624.
Despite the positive news, ACVB also lost bids for three major conventions this month. All three groups are similar in size to the Emblem Club, but required more combined meeting and trade show space than Anchorage is able offer. The loss of the National Oil Spill Conference, the Snow Conference and the U.S. Aquatics Conference added up to $4.25 million in lost business.
“Anchorage has an immediate need for a minimum of 50,000-square-feet of trade show space,” said Bruce Bustamante, ACVB president and CEO. “The need is real, and people need to understand that we are losing business today without the infrastructure to accommodate an increasing number and larger groups who want to come to Anchorage.”
The Emblem Club is September’s largest meeting. A total of 38 conventions and trade shows are being held this month in Anchorage with an estimated economic impact of $6,392,086. ACVB has been working with Supreme Emblem Club for more than 10 years to bring their meetings to Alaska. The group held meetings here in 1996, and rebooked its group to come back in 2003. This year’s meeting was confirmed in 1998.
While September was an average month for conventions, Bustamante says October is shaping up to be an excellent revenue generator. A total of 43 local, state and national conferences and trade shows are expected to bring more than 13,705 convention visitors to Anchorage in October, with an estimated economic impact of $13,343,216. The largest of those conventions is the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Conference, which will bring more than 4,500 delegates to Anchorage the week of Oct. 19, 2003. Another large group expected in October is the North American Association for Environmental Education, which will bring 1,500 delegates to Anchorage from Oct. 7-11, with an estimated economic impact of $1,634,206.
The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage. ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by half of the bed tax collected by hotels. The other half goes the Municipality’s general fund. ACVB receives no state or federal funds. For more information, explore www.anchorage.net.
Contacts
Erika Biringer, Public Relations Manager
(907) 257-2331
ebiringer@anchorage.net
Explore www.anchorage.net
Nance Larsen, Director of Communications
(907) 257-2310
nlarsen@anchorage.net
Explore www.anchorage.net
