Yellowknife (Apr 27/05) - A group of influential business people is looking for $300,000 in annual funding to run a convention-marketing bureau.

Northwest Territories Tourism, the Northern Frontier Visitors Association, the Hotel Association, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce and the Conseil de developpement economiques des TNO, the five organizations heading up the project, met last Tuesday to discuss the bureau.

These organizations are signatories to the endeavour and will act as the initial board for the bureau.

Chamber president Steven Meister said the process is still open-ended and still open to additional participation.

The North's two major airlines, Canadian North and First Air, are also interested in seeing the process move ahead, said Meister.

During the meeting, the group examined a business plan put together by Western Management Consultants on the development of the bureau.

Advocates are expecting the majority of the initial funding will come from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

Jennifer Marchant, committee co-chair, said the group has secured $90,000 in annual funding over the next three years.

Marchant said the idea of setting up a convention-marketing bureau is not a Yellowknife-based marketing scheme.

"The marketing could be based out of Yellowknife but delivered in Fort Smith. The economic direction has to be Northwest Territories focused," said Marchant.

So far, $50,000 has been spent on the development of a business plan, paid for by INAC and the five signatories.

Meister said the group is looking to find a market niche in conventions, which would attract between 500-700 people.

The idea is to use facilities presently available throughout the North, then, if business warrants, consider the possibility of building a convention centre.

The earliest Meister expects to see a convention-marketing bureau up and running would be during the spring of 2006.