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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
With plane tickets to the North booked, and booth number 85 registered, Barrhead, Alta., modular and off-site home and industrial builder Northplex Ltd. is among the businesses set to converge in Yellowknife this weekend for the 2012 Spring Trade Show.

Stephanie Kenny, left, and Kyra Sacrey peruse all the homemade soaps for sale at the Naked North Soap Company booth at the 2011 Spring Trade Show. The show surpassed 10,000 visitors last year. - NNSL file photo

Like many, Northplex officials booked the show for the networking opportunities, and will be one of more than 150 businesses and organizations displaying their services and products to an anticipated 10,000-plus visitors this Saturday and Sunday, at the Multiplex.

"We're just excited to come up and we look forward to meeting everybody," said Calvin Van Laar, sales and marketing manager for Northplex, who will be travelling to Yellowknife for the first time for the trade show with the company's vice-president of business development, Pete Snaterse.

"We want to connect to the builders there, the developers, drive around town, see some of the building sites," Van Laar said, noting the company figured trade show weekend would be the best time to see the business climate in the North first hand as they consider doing work in Yellowknife.

"We wanted to find a way to be able to talk to as many people as we could, in the short time span, and obviously the trade show is just the best way to do it."

Tim Doyle, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said businesses often use the Spring Trade Show as a "stepping stone" to see if they want to locate any kind of permanent presence in the North, because it is the best time to meet the city's movers and shakers.

"This is a business-oriented population that we have here for the most part, so when people get together at a trade show, it's networking at its finest," Doyle said.

New and small business owners have used the trade show to launch their businesses, Doyle said, taking advantage of the high attendance to expose their products and services to the local community.

"Where else are you going to get a chance to directly position what you have to offer to 10,000 people in two days?" Doyle said.

"It's a really solid way to promote your business in a short period of time and become well known."

Last year, the show surpassed 10,000 visitors for the first time, and the chamber is setting an aggressive target of 11,000 visitors this year, for the 30th anniversary of the trade show.

"After 30 years we're more of a relevant force to the local business community with this trade show than ever before," Doyle said.

As Mother's Day weekend approaches, all 168 booths for the event are sold out, following early interest which included dozens of booths booked before registration even opened.

Increased interest from the south to participate in the trade show prompted the chamber to add 22 more booths this year.

Large players that will be present at the trade show this year include NorthwesTel and Kingland Ford in the Olympic arena; an elaborate display by keynote sponsor First Air; and Harley Davidson, Polar Tech, and Yk Motors in the Ed Jeske Arena sport and RV room.

"So think of all your toys for the big kids," Doyle said.

There are also several family events planned over the two days, including magicians, former Cirque du Soleil instructors, and because the 30th anniversary show is falling on an Olympic year, two top Canadian Olympic Team athletes will also be there, signing autographs.

The event takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibitor set-up is scheduled for Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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