Meetings, retreats important for tourism

When one thinks of the tourism industry, what immediately comes to mind is an image of people snapping pictures of Denali, hiking on a glacier, or walking through downtown Talkeetna visiting the many shops and restaurants that line Main Street. While that’s an accurate vision of much of the tourism industry, there’s another market that is important, which the Mat-Su Valley is perfectly situated to capitalize on — the meetings and retreats market.

Recent infrastructure projects such as the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College, the chalet at Government Peak Recreation Area and even additions by properties such as Alaska Garden Gate B&B have only increased the Valley’s capabilities to host meetings, retreats and even small conventions. Those developments bolster existing infrastructure such as the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla and the Palmer Depot, as well as facilities at the Alaska State Fair.

The Valley’s location is perfect for attracting retreats and corporate events from Anchorage. Retreats are great for team building for boards or management teams. These events help fill local bed and breakfasts and hotels during the off-season, bringing added revenue to Mat-Su properties at a time when traditional tourists aren’t here in record numbers.

From board retreats to large weddings, the meetings market is diverse, and so are the planners who organize them. For meetings such as a board retreat, planners may be looking for a single, small room as well as 10 sleeping rooms. Others may be looking for 4,000-square-foot halls to host large events such as a corporate Christmas party. And while the Valley doesn’t have a large convention center such as the Denai’ina Civic and Convention Center or the Egan Center in Anchorage, we do have the facilities to host a wide range of events.

Next week, the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting a meeting planner luncheon in Anchorage, to reach the people responsible for planning retreats, conventions and other events, including destination weddings. Partners of the Mat-Su CVB will highlight their properties, and how they can meet the planners’ needs in event planning. The Mat-Su CVB held a similar event last year, and the response from the planners was that there was so much more available to them in the Mat-Su Valley than they realized. It’s a chance for influential meeting planners in the Anchorage market to learn about why they should bring their events to the Valley, and to hear how business owners here can work with them to make their next retreat, meeting or event a successful one.