Jennifer Obleman
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 3, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Hundreds of exhibitors and delegates from around the North and beyond will descend on the Yellowknife Multiplex Sept. 18-20 for Prospects North 2007.

Hay River's Tracy Therrien, an event co-ordinator with Outcrop Communications, tacks up a poster advertising Prospects North 2007. The conference, scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at the Yellowknife Multiplex, is expected to bring together hundreds of business people. - Jennifer Obleman/NNSL photo

Delegate Mike Maher, deputy mayor of Hay River, sees the business conference as an investment that could benefit his hometown.

"I've always found these conferences very valuable to businesses and to communities. A lot of ideas get shared," said Maher, who has attended Prospects North in the past as well as its sister conference, Meet the North, in Edmonton.

"It's a great networking event. We meet a lot of players from the north and the south. A lot of business can get done."

The theme of this year's conference is the Next Big Thing. Topics such as mining, oil and gas, green business ventures, franchising opportunities and venture capital will be explored.

Maher is particularly interested in learning about green energy. The Town of Hay River will have to replace some of its municipal infrastructure over the next few years, such as the town hall and the fire hall, and Maher is interested in pursuing alternative energy.

"As a town you have to kind of lead by example," he said. "If we can go with geothermal, we can reduce the emission of fossil fuels in our community."

Charlie Lyall, president of the Kitikmeot Corporation in Cambridge Bay, will also be attending Prospects North 2007 as a delegate and as a speaker. Lyall will be giving an update on the Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project, an effort to construct a deepwater port at Bathurst Inlet and build a road to serve the mines in the area. "We do a lot of business out of Yellowknife," he said. "This is a good way to connect."

Prospects North organizers are expecting 400 delegates and 100 exhibitors to attend. So far only 275 delegates and 84 exhibitors have registered, but Tracy Therrien, event co-ordinator with Outcrop Communications, is expecting to have a full house.

"The numbers are not as high as we like, but the North is known for booking things last minute, so we expect to reach our goals," Therrien said.

Registrations will be accepted until the conference opens Sept. 18.