ext month in Anchorage, Arctic Encounter is hosting its annual flagship and North America’s largest annual Arctic policy and business event: the Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES). Scheduled for April 2–4 at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center and Anchorage Museum, AES 2025 will delve into pressing Arctic issues, such as climate change, sustainable development, innovation, and geopolitics. 

The conference is poised to convene stakeholders from more than twenty-five countries, including government officials, diplomats, politicians, business executives, investors, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and military and security officials. “We are taking great strides to bring together leaders who can solve problems,” says Arctic Encounter Founder and CEO Rachel Kallander, an Alaskan entrepreneur.

AES features VIP luncheon debates, plenary and break-out session panels, local exhibitors, receptions, artistic performances, and the Far North Fashion Show each year. To make AES more accessible, the event offers discounted access to nonprofits, students, government officials, and tribal entities. AES runs an attendance scholarship program for elders and rural Alaskans and in 2024 launched the Northern Vision Fellows program for ten accepted young leaders. “It’s important for people to be able to come together with diverse opinions—not just to tell their story but to feel truly seen and heard,” says Kallander, who grew up in Cordova. 

While Arctic Encounter held its first symposium in 2014 in Seattle, Washington, Anchorage has successfully hosted the event since 2022. AES 2024 assembled more than 200 speakers and more than 1,000 attendees from thirty-plus countries. AES 2023 garnered a Visit Anchorage award for its estimated $804,000 local economic impact.

Arctic Encounter is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, non-governmental organization based in Anchorage. It’s driven by a unique mission: to ignite a global movement of leaders dedicated to advancing collaboration and thoughtful progress in the Arctic. “We strive to build platforms that challenge the status quo dialogue, elevate diverse voices, and promote innovative solutions to support a sustainable and secure future in the Far North,” Kallander says.

Arctic Encounter has hosted events globally in Iceland, Norway, Paris, and London. It also lends its voice and policy expertise to smaller settings, from private discussions with policymakers in Washington, D.C. to roundtables with security experts under Chatham House rules. In 2024, Arctic Encounter worked with community partners to bring nearly 100 leaders to Utqiaġvik and intends to take groups to the Alaskan Arctic annually. Arctic Encounter plans to expand its work in the District of Columbia and is exploring partnerships to produce AES programs in Asia and Europe.

Kallander encourages Alaskans to participate in AES 2025—even if their work doesn’t directly relate to the Arctic. “The Arctic is fast-changing, and this is an event that covers many topics and includes leaders who travel to Anchorage to participate from thirty-plus nations,” she says. “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic, and Alaskans should be the first to speak up, engage, and consult on both challenges and solutions when it comes to the US Arctic.”