After a 10-year hiatus, the Winter Cities Conference is coming back to Anchorage this month, bringing hundreds of delegates and a substantial cash infusion to the city's economy.
"We're expecting 200 to 300 delegates from across the northern world, including about 20 to 30 mayors," said David Ramseur, chief of staff for Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
The conference will be held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel and the Egan Civic and Convention Center Feb. 18-22. Activities will focus on sustainable economic development strategies, quality of life issues and delivery of public services in northern regions, Ramseur said.
A major component of the event will be the bi-annual board meeting of the International Association of Mayors of Northern Cities. The conference will also feature presentations of academic papers, numerous seminars and forums on topics such as health and medicine, cold region engineering, energy and environmental concerns, and security and safety issues.
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Sharing ideas and solutions will be a big part of the get-together, Ramseur said.
"Some folks from Finland are planning to talk about how they melt snow off the sidewalks and how they keep sidewalks clean," he said.
Featured speakers will include past Iditarod champion Martin Buser, long-time Alaska Native leader Bighorn Mallet, General Communications Inc. President Ron Duncan and University of Alaska president Mark Hamilton.
Winter Cities 2004 is partnering with another event, the Pac Com Expo, an annual international event in Anchorage focusing on construction, oil and mining industries in Alaska and the Pacific Rim.
A trade exhibition called the Winter Cities International Marketplace will coincide with the conference and will be held at the Egan Center Feb. 20-22, Ramseur said.
"There will be displays of local products and some of the international delegates are bringing their own exhibits," he said.
The conference will be a good place to schmooze and make commercial contacts, Ramseur hinted.
"There should be some business opportunities. We expect a number of local business people to attend," he said. "We've gotten a lot of sponsorships from Alaska companies; oil companies and financial institutions are some of the big sponsors. I think there will opportunities for business deals.
"It's kind of a slow time of year, so it's good to have all these international visitors here," Ramseur said. "There are also a number of international media representatives coming and it should help put Anchorage on the map."
The five-day conference will pump nearly $500,000 into the local economy with delegates renting hotel rooms, dining out, taking cabs and visiting merchants, said Melissa Anderson, executive director of the Winter Cities 2004 Committee.
She said regular sessions of the conference are open to the public for a $50 per day admission fee, and other events open to the public will offer "perspective and insight."
Those include a "Youth and Citizen Forum" Feb. 19 from 2-4 p.m. until at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Atwood Hall, and an "International Culture Night" at the center Feb. 21.
The latter event features two hours of entertainment from around the world, including Alaska musical group Pamyua, Japanese taiko drummers, Thai dancers and an internationally renowned opera baritone, Ganbat Purevjav.
"And we've got a a throat singer from Mongolia, Byambakhishig Lkhagv, who will be performing, too," she added.
For ticket prices and other information about conference activities, Anderson said you can send e-mail to info@wintercities2004.org or visit the conference's main Web site at www.wintercities2004.org.
