YELLOWKNIFE - Doug Holmes has seen the effect of the digital age.

As a consultant and author of the book, e-Business Strategies for Government, he's helped public and private organizations around the world successfully adapt to changing information and communications technology (ICT).

Brian Desjardins, project administrator for the Connect the NWT planning group, holds out a brochure for the Connecting the NWT 2007 Symposium to be held in Yellowknife on Feb. 6-7. - David Ryan/NNSL photo

The former Yellowknifer and one-time editor of the Yellowknifer is hoping to share information on the digital age through his knowledge, as a keynote speaker on Feb. 6-7 during the Connecting the NWT 2007 Symposium.

"The digital age is here it's time to step out and be participants," he said.

The symposium is expected to bring local business, government departments and community leaders together to discuss the importance of ICT.

As a keynote speaker, Holmes will give examples and learning points of new technology, which Northerners can apply to their own business or office, he said.

Technology has revolutionized the way business is done and the way governments now operate, he said.

Any type of business in the North can apply communication technology, whether the business is a car rental company or a tourist lodge promoting itself online, he said.

"Information and communications technology provides the North with the opportunity to be a factor," he said.

The conference, which will be held at the Explorer Hotel, is expected to attract 150 delegates, said Brian Desjardins, project administrator for the Connect the NWT planning group and communications manager with the NWT Association of Communities.

Besides discussion groups and keynote speakers, the conference will also have a tradeshow component open to the public, he said.

The tradeshow will feature booths from businesses and government organizations providing ICT services to communities in the North, he said.

"This is the wave of the future," he said.

The knowledge shared during the event will also help to develop an ICT strategic plan for the NWT, he said.

A strategic plan will take into account benefits and challenges of ICT and be a template for businesses and government agencies to adapt in the future, he said.

"This will be a living and breathing document for groups and communities to use," he said.

Connect NWT is hosting the conference and includes the following groups: the Smart Communities Society, the NWT Association of Communities, Rural Team NWT, local government administrators, Service Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and the territorial government.