The Bonnyville and District Oil and Gas Show committee held an information night Oct. 7 for the public and interested parties to discuss ideas and learn more about the event.
Hosted by the Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce, “Fueling the Future” is scheduled to take place June 23-24 and will be Bonnyville's first oil and gas trades show.
The show's purpose is to help stimulate local economic growth, explained committee chair Robyn Ducharme, after the meeting.
“Our oil and gas industry is what drives the entire community. And our retail sector and our service sector are strong because we have a strong oil and gas industry. So that's why we really need to focus on making sure that were are servicing oil and gas, and then that will trickle down and make sure that our regular retail businesses on main street and such are really successful as well.”
People at the meeting raised concerns about attracting the right people to the show. One man explained how at a similar trades show in the past, he only made 20 “quality” contacts while he was expecting hundreds. Concerns were also raised about how at previous shows, exhibitors were overwhelmed by people dropping off resumes, instead of networking.
Ducharme said this was one of the main concerns organizers would work to alleviate.
She said the kinds of people they are looking to attract are procurement people who do the buying for their company, foremen and middle managers. She said organizers plan on approaching companies to encourage these kinds of people to come out.
Someone made the suggestion during the meeting to charge more at the door. Ducharme later said that charging more at the door was to ensure that only people who are actually interested in the show were there.
Another suggestion made during the meeting was about spacing. The show will be held at the Centennial Centre with 140 booths available inside and 50 outside. The field house will be set up for a banquet and there will be no booths there. Someone suggested renting an outdoor tent for the banquet and using the space inside for more booths.
At press time, 25 booths had already been sold, and Ducharme is confident they will sell out completely.
The show's committee researched two similar trade shows, the Fort McMurray Oilsands Show and the Lloydminster Heavy Oil Show, to consider what worked well and what did not.
Ducharme said she was pleased with the evening's turnout and the feedback, and thinks people will book booths as a result of the information night.
Indoor booths at the show cost $1000 for Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce members and $1500 for non-members. Outdoor booths cost $500 for members and $700 for non-members.
For more information visit www.bonnyvilleoilandgasshow.com.
