The return of the Forest Expo was a bigger windfall than organizers had hoped.
By transforming it into an all-industries showcase, bringing in a professional events company to operate the expo, and re-launching the mothballed event during positive times in the natural resources sectors, the organizers had hoped to attract an audience of about 7,000. Many more than that came through the gates.
"Show management reported that the expo attracted 8,321 registered industry visitors over the course of the two day event and they were not left disappointed," said Denise Miller, spokeswoman for Master Promotions Ltd., hired by the Central Interior Logging Association (CILA) to build and execute the renamed Canada North Resources Expo.
Miller said visitors were "in awe" at the array of heavy equipment, small equipment, and goods and services put on display inside CN Centre and on a four-acre footprint around the Exhibition Park grounds. She also said the exhibitors told them of "brisk sales activities and many qualified leads." Selling their goods and services was part of the goal for exhibitors, but recruiting new employees was also part of the festivities.
"Best attendance in years, I have filled my notebook with leads, tasks, to-dos and I have booked 4 more presentations," said Scott Chipman of Atlantic Industries Limited. "I will be booking for 2015 for sure."
"We had a very successful show," echoed Ron Trainor of Western Equipment Limited. "We will be rebooking for 2015."
CILA executive director MaryAnne Arcand said she and the Resources Expo Society were very pleased to see the old forestry event turn over a new all-inclusive leaf so effectively.
"The feedback we have received is all very positive, and we are hearing about millions of dollars of sales being made during the show," she said. "We are particularly pleased with our partnership with Master Promotions...We want to grow the show, and it was just too hard to do off the side of our desks with volunteers anymore."
The parent society made money on this year's comeback (the last edition was 2010). Arcand said proceeds would be contributed to the Prince George Hospice Society, the Railway and Forestry Museum, and minor soccer. On-site fundraising was done by Big Brothers-Big Sisters and the Eagles football team.
Rob Stanhope, publisher of Logging and Sawmilling Journal, has seen the rise and fall and resurrection of this event and others like it. He said the high buy-in of exhibitors and the large audience was "the big story" from this past weekend. In his view, the expo "blew everyone's expectations out of the water."
He said anyone with any doubts about the show's success somehow missed the scant parking spaces available in the CN Centre parking lot.
"So many shows have been marginal lately, and then this one comes, and everything worked out perfectly," he said. "It was well organized and managed. Promotion for the show was everywhere and blanketed the market. It worked and people came."
Master Promotions said the dates for the 2015 edition of new Canada North Resources Expo would be announced soon.
