Ketchikan: Steeped in Native Heritage
The community of Ketchikan supports a thriving native culture steeped in the arts with numerous galleries and shops featuring resident artists. The city contains the world’s largest collection of totem poles. The Totem Heritage Center’s internationally renowned 19th-century collection was retrieved from remote native village sites. Saxman Native Village, a totem park, schedules Alaska cultural presentations and craft demonstrations. Sportfishing reigns as some of the best in “The Salmon Capital of the World.” Charter fishing passengers catch salmon, halibut and rockfish, and freshwater fishing is also popular.
“The Tlingit tribe originally settled the area, and two other tribes reside here, which gives year-round opportunities to experience our native culture,” said Patti Mackey, president and CEO of Ketchikan Visitors Bureau. “Attendees can enjoy a lecture, watch native dancing or take a class with instruction in traditional arts.”
Ketchikan will increase its hotel capacity to nearly 500 rooms in early 2017. Close to the airport and ferry, the Best Western Plus Landing Hotel provides 107 guest rooms and suites, a fitness center, courtesy shuttle service and in-house catering. Nearby and slated to open in early 2017, the My Place Hotel, an economy extended-stay option, will have 64 rooms with compact kitchens.
Located 16 miles north of downtown, the 52-room Salmon Falls Fishing Resort’s meeting room can host a theater-style gathering for 80, a classroom for 48 or a banquet for 90 with in-house catering. Overlooking downtown Ketchikan, the 72-room Cape Fox Lodge affords panoramic views and a funicular tram from its lobby to downtown. Meeting space can accommodate a 150-person reception or a banquet for 120; the executive boardroom seats 16, plus there are two additional breakout rooms and in-house catering.
The Ted Ferry Civic Center is the city’s largest meeting facility, with a professional kitchen, an executive boardroom and the latest audiovisual technology. The contemporary ballroom offers 4,500 square feet, which can be divided into three rooms, or can seat 550 theater style or 500 banquet style; classrooms can accommodate 96 each. The adjoining 1,500-square-foot stage offers the latest sound and lighting technology.
Conveniently located in the Best Western Plus Landing Hotel near the airport, the Sunny Point Conference Center offers a reception room with a granite bar and a fireplace that can host a banquet for 60, a classroom for 36 or theater-style seating for 80. The Sunny Point ballroom can accommodate a cocktail reception or a theater-style event for 200, a banquet for 185 or classroom seating for 66; there’s also a large outside deck that overlooks the picturesque Tongass Narrows.
The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau’s on-staff meeting planner provides individualized service that includes bid solicitation, site selection, and event and itinerary planning. The bureau can arrange transportation to and from the airport, which is on a nearby island and accessible by the five-minute Ketchikan Airport Ferry, as well as to/from venues and activities. Delegate packets and promotional materials can be provided. The bureau can source entertainment and plan pre-event and postevent excursions, and spouse and family activities.
“We’re 90 minutes by air from Seattle, which makes our community very attainable from the lower 48,” said Mackey. “Attendees can leave home in the morning and attend a cocktail reception in Ketchikan that evening.”
Ketchikan, Alaska
Access: Ketchikan International Airport, Alaska Marine Highway System ferry routes
Major Meeting Spaces: Ted Ferry Civic Center, Sunny Point Conference Center, Cape Fox Lodge, Salmon Falls Resort
Hotel Rooms: 487 by early 2017
Offsite Venues: Lumberjack Show arena, harbor cruises, art galleries, Saxman Community Hall adjacent to the Saxman Totem Park
Contact Info:
Ketchikan Visitors Bureau
800-770-3300
www.meetinalaska.com
