Rankin Inlet (Mar 23/05) - There's a lot of excitement around Rankin Inlet these days with the 2005 Nunavut Mining Symposium less than a month away.

The festivities will run between April 1-4, including a trade show on the Saturday and Sunday.

The bulk of the workshops and discussions are to take place at the Siniktarvik Hotel and Conference Centre with the expo slated to occur at Alaittuq high school.

"We expect upwards of 20 companies will take part in the trade show," said event co-ordinator Patrick Tagoona. "We'll have at least 200 delegates attending the symposium."

Part of the reason for the anticipated success is surely due to the number of groups involved in pulling everything together, said Robert Connelly, a member of the organizing committee.

"We have an extended committee that involves geologists, the Inuit organizations, hamlet council and government," he said.

Connelly, who has lived in Rankin for nine years, said given the boom in exploration that has occurred, all industry participants, elders, students and other Rankin residents taking in the events will find something of interest.

"We've got all the hotel and bed and breakfast rooms blocked," said Tagoona. "We're trying also to work something out with the Arctic College to get some rooms in Kivalliq Hall."

Once that comes together, he said there will be 150-160 beds available for delegates.

The committee is also working to maximize the benefits for other traditional industries, too. Tagoona has been in contact with a representative of the artists and crafters in the area trying to get them to arrange an art fair during the same weekend.

The Nunavut Economic Developers Association estimates the symposium injects about $250,000 into the community's collective coffers. coffers.