Anchorage, currently near completion of a state-of-the-art Denaina Civic Convention Center,  has been honored for having a fun, innovative and interactive website. The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) recently received several awards for its website, www.anchorage.net.

The Web Marketing Association (WMA) presented the ACVB with a 2006 Web Award for Outstanding achievement in Web Site Development. Founded in 1997, the goal of WMA is to help set high standards for Internet marketing and web development. Each site is judged on seven different criteria including: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use. One judge commented, "the photography and design are the strengths of the site… use of rich media would make me book a trip to Anchorage today."

In October, ACVB’s own online web celebrity—Flat Seymour—was honored with a Best Idea Program outstanding achievement award by the Western Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (WACVB). The annual Best Idea Program showcases innovative projects and creative marketing strategies submitted by WACVB members.

Perhaps the most famous moose since Bullwinkle, Flat Seymour is a paper cutout of Seymour of Anchorage, ACVBs moose mascot and tourism ambassador of goodwill, inviting people around the world to get Wild About Anchorage! Launched in February 2006 on Anchorage.net, Flat Seymour moose mission is to grow attendance at community events and encourage visitors and residents to share their unique experiences in Anchorage and Alaska. Participants are invited to take photos with Flat Seymour at events around town and then load them onto the ACVB online photo gallery. ACVB has sponsored several photo competitions in conjunction with events including Fur Rendezvous, Wild Salmon on Parade, and AlaskaFest, generating more than 94,364 page views of the photo gallery. The ACVB website also received two Awards of Excellence from the Alaska Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, one for www.anchorage.net and another for its resident moose, Flat Seymour. The goal of the award competition is to encourage professional public relations performance

and technique and to acknowledge exemplary work in the field.