The Frontline Trade Show on Thursday, May 7  serves as an early pulse on how businesses can ensure an exceptional experience for visitors. It's also a prime opportunity to educate our destination's frontline employees about the unique and memorable aspects of your business. Attendees include employees from restaurants, hotels, attractions, tour and transportation operators, and more. All participating member business are required to bring a door prize with a $100 value.

We have some suggestions on how to prepare, but all you really need is to simply bring your charisma, expertise, and passion for tourism. If you have any questions, reach out to your membership representative and they'll happily assist.

Remind your frontline employees to attend!

Suggested items to bring:

  • Brochures or one-pagers that summarize your services
  • Attention-grabbing signage, which can be as straightforward or elaborate as you like
  • Give away items that set your business apart
    • Restaurants, we ask that if you would like to bring small non-alcoholic samples, please let us know ahead of time so we can make proper arrangements

Registration will open Wednesday, March 11.

Testimonials from last year’s trade show:

“The Frontline Trade Show was a fantastic opportunity for a new business such as ourselves,” Chelsea Smith of Hike Alaska shares.  “Beyond reaching frontline workers and pitching our services, we were able to make connections with local tour operators and to gain feedback about our business from others in the industry before we even started the season.”

Visit Anchorage has coordinated events to showcase tourism services and products to frontline staff for over 10 years. Longtime members continue to participate in the trade show for its benefits.  Mike Monetrusso of Alaska Botanical Garden explains why they look forward to attending next year, “The Alaska Botanical Garden benefits immensely from the Frontline Trade Show. It’s a great opportunity network with other members of the tourist industry and inform others of our events and details.”

The opportunities to network and to learn about new product offerings are benefits to the trade show that members cite most often. Byan Caenepeel of Big Swig Tours echoes those same sentiments, but also reminds us that the Frontline Trade Show is an opportunity to "share my business with some of our most valuable industry assets, the frontline employees of tourism businesses across Southcentral Alaska.”

Karen Kroon of the Anchorage Museum sums it up well, “The Spring Frontline Trade Show is a great opportunity to speak one-on-one with the tour directors, business owners, Visit Anchorage volunteers, and many others in the tourism industry who will be speaking with our Alaska Visitors all summer long.  These wonderful people talk about the Anchorage Museum all summer to their guests looking for ‘what to do’ in Anchorage.  It is a very important part of our outreach plan and a lot of fun!”