Yellowknife (Nov 27/06) - Technical talks may have been a crucial part of the Geoscience Forum, but delegates may rank hand shakes pretty high as well.

With more than 840 delegates attending this year's 34th Geoscience Forum in Yellowknife, held Nov. 21-23, the opportunity to network was readily available said Mike Vaydik, general manager of the NWT/Nunavut Chamber of Mines.

Mike Vaydik, left, general manager of the NWT/Nunavut Chamber of Mines stands beside newly elected chamber board members Denise Lockett, a consultant from Vancouver, B.C., and Hamish Tatty, with M&T Enterprises from Rankin Inlet. - David Ryan/NNSL photo

"This is a good time. There are a lot of social aspects going on," he said.

The forum featured three days of technical sessions, which were held at the Capitol Theatre.

Along with the sessions, more than 100 booths were set up at the St. Pat's/Weledeh gymnasium, which featured mining, exploration and service companies.

This week was a nice combination of technical talks and networking opportunities, said Harvey Klatt, Sabina Silver Hackett River project manager.

Technical sessions are especially important for exploratory companies and attending these sessions are often quite crucial, he said.

"If you don't look you don't find," he said.

While the crowd has changed and there is more emphasis on diamonds, the opportunity to meet people within the industry up front is excellent, said Bob Potter, Talisman Energy NWT Team Leader, who has not attended the forum for a number of years.

This year also marked the return of the Geoscience Forum Gala, which featured a fundraiser for the NWT Mine Heritage Society. Close to $20,000 was donated.