Rounding out our time in

Anchorage, we visited the Anchor- age Museum, which features the 15,000-square-foot Alaska Gallery, home to more than 1,000 artifacts and dioramas that provide a glimpse into the early lives of Alaska’s native people. The museum is also perfect for special events and receptions that can take place either throughout the facil- ity or in specific galleries. Upon leaving Anchorage, we took a

chartered trip on the Alaska Railroad, where we delighted in dinner, wine, and cocktails, beluga whale sightings, and karaoke as we traveled along the scenic Turnagain Arm to Girdwood. We transferred to the beautiful Alyeska Resort, a 304-room property nestled in the Chugach Mountains, where on clear days guests can view the several hang- ing glaciers in the area. Seven Glaciers restaurant, Alaska’s only mountaintop Four-Diamond restaurant, sits 2,300 feet above the valley floor and is only accessible via aerial tram. Although the weather prevented us from visiting, we were able to partake of its cuisine from a less-windy spot inside the resort. The Portage Lake Glacier Cruise

took us just several hundred feet from a

massive Alaskan glacier, which glowed a striking blue on the overcast day, and which is shrinking from the lake it cre- ated at a rate of nearly 300 feet per year. We watched in awe, standing in the wind and rain on the topside deck of the 172-passenger mv Ptarmigan, as large chunks broke off from the glacier and plummeted into the self-contained lake in Chugach National Forest. From there, a ride through the

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center gave us views of giant brown bears who seemed to be hamming it up for our benefit, and a visit with Snickers, the facility’s resident porcupine. A refuge for injured or orphaned Alaskan wild- life, the center rehabilitates or provides a home to animals such as moose, elk, red fox, and sitka black-tailed deer. With all that it has to offer, you still

might worry that it is difficult to get to Alaska from the contiguous United States and elsewhere. But consider that Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport serves more than five million passengers a year on 50 carriers — some of which offer direct flights from cities such as Seattle, Dallas, and Chicago, as well as international destinations. With relatively easy access and so many

‘All-America City’ That accolade has been bestowed on Anchorage — a direct flight from major U.S. cities — four times by the National Civic League.

options for meetings and beyond, it’s little wonder that planners are gravitat- ing to this spectacular destination.

. — Katie Kervin For more information: anchorage.net

RESEARCH

Exhibitions Ascending

2.3%

Rate that both the exhibitions industry and real GDP grew during the first half of 2012

SOURCE: Center for Exhibition Industry Research (ceir.org)

8

Number of consecutive quarters the exhibitions industry has experienced growth

PCMA.ORG

NOVEMBER 2012 PCMA CONVENE

23