2010 AWRTA Conference Program
NEW ENERGY FOR ALASKA TOURISM
AWRTA’s 17th Annual Ecotourism Conference
March 8-10, 2010
Palmer Community Center Depot
Palmer, AK
DAY ONE: Monday, March 8 2010
8:30 Member Reception
Settle in, grab some coffee and meet the AWRTA community!
9:00 Conference Opening by Kent John, AWRTA Board of Directors President
9:15 Conference Welcome by John Duffy, Mat-Su Borough Manager
John Duffy was appointed Borough Manager by the Mayor and Assembly of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in November, 2000. John has served the Mat-Su Borough for over 22 years. John served in the U.S. Army, has a B. A. degree from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and a M.U.P.P. with a specialization in transportation planning from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
John presently serves on two federal advisory committees, both with the Environmental Protection Agency; the Local Government Advisory Committee, which addresses local government issues, and the National and Governmental Advisory committee, which addresses environmental matters associated with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
The Borough Manager is responsible for implementing the Borough Assembly’s policy decisions and directives, managing and directing Borough operations, and developing an organization that results in effective and efficient service delivery to the residents and taxpayers of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
9:45 Introduction and brief AWRTA updates by Hanna Waterstrat, Executive Director
Hanna joined AWRTA as ED in October, after finishing her MBA in Sustainable Business at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. Hanna’s background and personal interests fit perfectly with AWRTA’s tagline of “Linking Business, Community, and Conservation.”
10:00 Orientation to NEW Visit Wild Alaska Website by Featured Presenter Annie Ellicott
Annie is the President of LeapUp Marketing Solutions, a strategy and marketing services consultancy she founded in 2003 which serves clients in the travel, retail and consumer services sectors. Annie brings more than 25 years of experience in consumer marketing and business strategy, including work for tourism businesses in Alaska and beyond. Her work experience includes tenures at both fortune 500 companies and small startups. She holds a BA in Economics from Princeton University and a Masters of Science in Heath Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health. Annie has stewarded the development and launch of www.visitwildalska.com for AWRTA. This will be an opportunity for AWRTA member businesses to become more familiar with the benefits offered by the new website and learn how to make it work for them!
11:00 BREAK
11:15 Update on Tongass Roadless Rule Exemption lawsuit by Tom Waldo of EarthJustice
Attorney Tom Waldo of EarthJustice is working with a diverse group of plaintiffs including AWRTA, the Village of Kake in Southeast Alaska, and AWRTA member The Boat Company on a lawsuit to restore roadless area protections in the Tongass National Forest. Tom will provide a background on the Roadless Rule Exemption and updates on this lawsuit.
12:15 LUNCH & Speaker Bonnie Quill, Executive Director of the Mat-Su CVB
Bonnie Quill has spent 10 years with the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is a 20 year veteran of the Alaska tourism industry and has spent time working for Bradley/Reid Communications, the Alaska Visitors Association, Princess Tours, and Mark Air. In the past, Bonnie has served on the board of directors for ATIA, and currently holds board positions with the Alaska State Fair, the Mat-Su Borough Historical Preservation Commission, the Palmer Economic Development Board, and the Glenn Highway National Scenic Byway Partnership Board. A Palmer local, Bonnie will introduce current topics relevant to tourism in Mat-Su, including Yahoo! Mat-Su marketing efforts and future visitor opportunities.
1:30 Introduction to Attracting Independent Travelers section
Donna Logan, Senior Manager of the McDowell Group
Since joining the McDowell Group in 1998, Donna has managed a wide range of projects including tourism, education, health and social services, community development, public policy, and economic analyses. Before her work with the McDowell Group, Donna worked extensively on international business development and emerging market issues for the State of Alaska. Donna holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Donna will kick off the Attracting Independent Travelers section with a statewide perspective on tourism.
2:00 Focus on Anchorage by David Kasser of ACVB
David Kasser is the Vice President of Tourism Development and Sales at the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. In addition, David has more than 25 years of experience in the Alaskan tourism industry, starting as a child working the family charter fishing business in Seward, then spending 13 years working statewide in sales and operations for Holland America Line and Gray Line of Alaska from Prudhoe Bay to Ketchikan, and 5 years as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Alyeska Resort and the Alyeska Prince Hotel. David, a lifelong Alaskan, tells AWRTA that “I Love climbing in the Chugach, sailing the Kenai fjordlands, exploring the trails and coast along Turnagain Arm.” His expertise in this arena will inform an interesting presentation on the state of tourism in Anchorage and the future for attracting travelers to Alaska’s largest city.
2:30 Focus on Fairbanks by Deb Hickok of FCVB
Deb Hickok has served as President and CEO of the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau since 1999. She has been a professional in the field of destination marketing since 1982. Deb is currently the chair-elect of the board of directors for ATIA. She also serves on the board of directors for the National Council of Destination Organizations, and locally, on the board of the Morris & Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center and the Carlson Center Community Advisory Committee and the Transportation Committee of the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. With Deb’s guidance, FCVB has won several national, regional and local awards for its marketing efforts. Deb’s favorite hobby is getting educated by her teenage daughter, but at the AWRTA conference, she will educate us about what’s up with FCVB and the current state of tourism in Fairbanks.
3:00 Focus on European Travelers by Felix Schneider of Chinook Tours
Felix was born in Zurich, Switzerland and started traveling early with bike trips in Switzerland, and going by train to Holland and Sweden. In 1980, after picking up his Swiss Army knife in the military, Felix traveled from Montreal to Lima, Peru in nine months. In 1983, Felix traveled throughout North America, especially in Minnesota, Florida, and British Columbia. He returned to Switzerland to work in the travel industry with Swiss Student Travel where he organized trips to the US, Canada, Alaska, Cuba, Mexico, and South America. From 1986-1990 Felix guided trips to the Yukon and Alaska from Switzerland. After some work as a travel wholesaler, Felix met his wife and moved to Alaska, where in 1995 he founded Chinook Tours. He regularly attends travel trade shows in Switzerland and is our local expert on attracting European travelers to experience Alaska’s beautiful natural environment.
3:30 BREAK
3:45 Social Media: What to Do? Workshop by Annie Ellicott and Aliza Sherman
For this session, marketing expert Annie Ellicott will be joined by local blogger and social media expert Aliza Sherman. Originally from Hawaii, Aliza now makes her home in Tok. One of the most prominent female forces on the web and a leading internet entrepreneur, Aliza has been involved with website development and marketing since founding Cybergrrl, Inc. in 1995. She is also a published author. We’re proud to have an Alaskan expert on hand to educate AWRTA members and supporters on how to better manage their presence on social media sites.
4:45 Social Media and Marketing Q&A
5:00 Wrap-up and disburse for dinner (suggested venue: Turkey Red)
7:30 Reception at Turkey Red—come on by for dessert, beverages, fun, networking, music and door prizes courtesy of Columbia Sportswear!
DAY TWO: Tuesday, March 9 2010
8:30 Coffee & Networking
9:00 Introduction of new Adventure Green Alaska (AGA) certified businesses
Businesses certified by AGA in 2010 will be introduced by AGA board member and longtime AWRTA partner Sarah Leonard.
9:30 Showcase of sustainable business practices featuring AGA-certified businesses
This exciting and inspiring session will feature Deborah Hansen of Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, Kirk Hoessle of Alaska Wildland Adventures, and Dean Rand of Discovery Voyages. Kirk and Dean are well-known Alaskan tourism business owners and friends of AWRTA. Deborah is an AGA board member and Director of Sales and Marketing for Pike’s Lodge in Fairbanks. She moved to Alaska in 1982 to look for adventure after earning a BA in Economics at Wellesley College and an MBA at Stanford University. Her experience at Pike’s keeps Deborah engaged with many interesting projects, not the least of which has been working on greening the business practices of this well-known Fairbanks hotel.
10:30 BREAK
10:45 AGA Q&A session and discussion
11:30 Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest by featured presenter Amy Gulick
Amy Gulick is an award-winning nature photographer and writer, and a Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. Her images and stories have been featured in Audubon, National Wildlife, Nature’s Best Photography, Sierra, Outdoor Photographer, and other publications. Her work in Alaska has received numerous honors including the prestigious Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and a Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. In recognition of her work in the Tongass National Forest, the North American Nature Photography Association Foundation awarded her a Philip Hyde Grant.
Amy’s work can be seen at www.amygulick.com.
For information on her book Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rain Forest, visit www.salmoninthetrees.org.
12:30 LUNCH
1:30 Field trip to newly AGA-certified business Agate Inn in Wasilla
Hosts Harvey & Sandy Bowers demonstrate what it takes to operate a green lodging facility in Wasilla. From amazing achievements with energy efficiency and renewable energy, to gardening and their resident reindeer, the Bowers’ invite the AWRTA conference to their business, where they strive to promote our local economy, community, culture, and quality of life and demonstrate ways in which they have been able to reduce their impact on our environment and climate.
3:30 Slideshow feature: Wonders of the Northwest Arctic with Gregory Gusse
Greg is a lifelong conservation photographer. His work is on permanent display at the Fairbanks Airport, both the Anchorage and Fairbanks Public Lands Centers, Western Arctic Cultural Center, Bering Land Bridge National Park and is featured in National Park Science publications, National Park Conservation Association publications, numerous papers and several books. His work encompasses wildlife, landscape and ethnographic work, especially Eskimo and Chukchi dance.
4:30 Native storytelling by author Patricia Wade of Chickaloon Village
4:45 BREAK
5:00 AWRTA Membership Meeting and presentation of membership survey results
AWRTA members and supporters, this is YOUR chance to chime in and tell us how AWRTA works for you and help shape the future of our organization.
6:00 (Optional) Walk/Hike on Mat River Park Trail
DAY THREE: Wednesday, March 10 2010
8:30 Coffee & Appreciations
9:00 Red Gold film feature
Imagine a pristine Alaskan watershed with the most productive Sockeye salmon rivers in the world, teeming with millions of native fish pushing up river to spawn. Now imagine the world's largest open pit gold and copper mine at their headwaters. Produced by Felt Soul Media and Trout Unlimited Alaska, Red Gold is a one-hour documentary film on the proposed Pebble Mine told through the voices of commercial, subsistence and sport fishermen of Bristol Bay, Alaska.
RED GOLD tells the stories of the people and places of Bristol Bay, Alaska (the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery) while also exploring the debate around the proposed Pebble Mine (what would be North America's largest open-pit mine built in the headwaters of Bristol Bay). Since its release last year, RED GOLD has been winning awards around the country at various film festivals, including "People's Choice" at both the Telluride and Banff Film Festivals.
11:00-12:30 Presentation and workshop on risk management by Deb Ajango
Deb Ajango will again return as a speaker at the 2010 AWRTA conference with another informative and enlightening presentation. This two-hour interactive workshop will examine risk management issues common to small and wilderness dependent tourism businesses operating in Alaska. Her insight will help business owners identify their risk, understand their exposure, and focus on elements needed to complete a thorough risk management plan.
Deb is the owner and director of SafetyEd: Safety Education for Outdoor and Remote Work Environments. She has spent more than 15 years working in outdoor education. From 1997 to 2003, she was coordinator of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s outdoor education department. She is currently a member of the Association for Experiential Education. Deb is also editor and coauthor of Lessons Learned: A Guide to Accident Prevention and Crisis Response and Lessons Learned II: Using Case Studies and History to Improve Safety Education She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, both from the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Catering for all meals is being provided by Turkey Red in Palmer.
THANK YOU to these 2010 AWRTA conference sponsors:
Aurora Level $2,500
Bureau of Land Management
Glacier Level $1,500
US Forest Service
Columbia Sportswear
Alaska Cruise Association
AT Publishing
Peak Level $1,000
Alaska Wildland Adventures
Tundra Level $500
EcoSystems
Prince William Sound RCAC
Green Star
Alaska Conservation Foundation
Forest Level $250
Agnew Beck Consulting
Sarah and Chris Leonard
National Parks Conservation Association
Alaska Alpine Adventures
Great Alaska Adventures Lodge
Kodiak Treks
