Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 15/02) - The annual Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce spring trade show was a hit once again this year and the final numbers are expected to meet or exceed last year's attendance.

"It's been a phenomenal attendance so far, very well received by the booth participants," said Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce executive director Dale Thomson.

There were some problems with parking at peak times during the show but nothing dampened the overall success.

"It was a gorgeous day out there, a gorgeous weekend and everybody seems to be happy with the turnout," said Thomson. Total attendance for both Saturday and Sunday is expected to be around 10,000, but the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce will not have a final tally until sometime this week.

Pioneer Supply House owner Shahram Yazdanmehr said he was very pleased with the turnout and customer interest in his products.

"We've been selling a lot of safety glasses and things like that because we have them on special," he said.

Yazdanmehr was also showcasing Enviro Chem household and industrial cleaning products which create a cleaner, safer and healthier indoor environment.

Tyler Thorpe, technical sales representative for Millennium Technology Solutions, said this year's trade show was a great success for his company as well. Millennium Technology markets everything from two-way radios to satellite Internet.

"Especially in this field of communications people have been really interested and the response to our booth here is fantastic," said Thorpe.

This year the chamber sold all 115 booths in eight days. Many long-term participants returned to the Yellowknife Community Arena this year, but many new companies participated as well. "That reflects the changes that are happening within the chamber, there's new businesses here, new chamber members and a blend of the old and the new," said Thomson.