Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Jun 22/01) - Inuvik opened its doors this week to hundreds of delegates to the first Inuvik Petroleum Show.
Hotel lobbies began filling up Sunday as guests toted in and reception staff shuffled through reservations and handed out room keys.
Many attendants have decided to stay over the weekend, even though the show runs June 21 and 22, in order to ensure they have seats on full flights darting in and out of Inuvik, said Mayor Peter Clarkson.
"The economic impact will last longer than two days," he said.
Accommodations have been booked for months.
When interest grew to almost double the 250 visitors originally expected, the Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group brought in a floating seismic from more than 100 kilometres away.
The chief financial officer for the hotel company said rooms are being offered in the three-storey complex for $100 to $125 per night.
"We knew we would bring down the barge a few months ago," Vince Brown said.
Three tugs brought the hotel to Inuvik in a 36-hour voyage that ended Sunday.
The Arctic Star was used last season to house seismic workers at a camp near Reindeer Channel. It is the biggest mobile, fully self-sufficient camp owned by Gruben's Transport, a shareholder in the Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group.
After the show it will be towed a few kilometres to Gruben's camp in Inuvik where it will be prepared for use again as a seismic camp in the fall.
"It is not going to be a public hotel," said Bert Bullock, a Gruben supervisor. "Lots of people have been coming to see it. It's good lots of people are interested."
The hotel works well in attracting attention to the company and offers visitors an opportunity to get a taste of the field, Bullock said.
"It's a chance for people -- administration from big oil companies -- to see what we offer for hospitality on these vessels."
The temporary hotel has more 40 rooms that were booked up quickly. It has a games room, laundry facilities, kitchen and dining room.
At least one restaurant manager said the influx of people will not affect his business too much since this is a busy time of year anyway.
Greg Sim said he would have been ready regardless.
"That doesn't change the fact that (the Peppermill) has 55 chairs and the Caribou has 70," he said. "The restaurants will be full for longer stretches of the day."
Clarkson said the town will be able to handle the number of visitors and welcomes the economic spin-offs from having nearly 500 people registered for the show and conference.
"I think the town can definitely handle the number of people," he said. "(The economic impact) is an additional spin-off benefit but the real reason ... to have the show is to maximize opportunity for people in the region."
