Plug pulled on petroleum show
Alternative energy event planned for 2016
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 27, 2014
INUVIK
The Inuvik Petroleum Show has been cancelled for 2015.
The announcement was made on Oct. 23, following a previous recommendation presented to Inuvik town councillors at a committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 20 by Jackie Challis, the manager of economic development for the town.
In its place, an Arctic Energy and Emerging Technologies Conference and Tradeshow has been announced for June 13 to 16, 2016.
The idea is to use the hiatus to reinvent the show in a different format that's not so heavily focused on the conventional oil and gas industry, said Mayor Floyd Roland. Instead, the current plan is to focus more heavily on alternative energy sources to attract a different demographic and sponsors.
It will be the first time it has been postponed or
cancelled since its inception in 2000.
Several sponsors have pulled out of funding the show, including the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, a primary sponsor, saying it's not viable in its current format, Challis told the council.
"It's getting harder for people to justify travelling to it," she said.
The decision by the IDC could also have a ripple effect on other parts of the petroleum show, including travel costs, since Canadian North is an associated business, Challis said, although there's been no official word from the airline yet.
The Inuvialuit Development Corporation provides a $20,000 grant to the show yearly, along with many in-kind donations.
At one time, the show was considered a priority destination for people in the energy business, but it has been on
the decline for the past few years, particularly the trade show component.
Still, the conference attracted around 400 delegates last June, said Challis. This shows Inuvik is still a popular destination for industry representatives and retains an excellent reputation as a well-organized and informative conference, she said.
The report sent a few shock waves through the council chamber on Oct. 20 and generated a lively discussion.
"I thought we were just going to scale the conference back in 2015 and cancel the trade show," said Coun. Terry Halifax, who argued against the plan to postpone.
Putting the show on hiatus would risk regular attendees finding other options and losing interest in Inuvik, he said.
"I don't want us to lose our place in line," said Halifax.
Others, such as Coun. Derek Lindsay, were emphatic that
the cost of the show not come from tax revenue.
"The taxpayers can't afford to pay for this themselves," he said. "It should not be a burden."
The risks are high, as the petroleum show is an important source of revenue for the town, said Coun. Kurt Wainman.
"Letting this die is not a good thing," he said, adding that "many people in this room" would stand to lose a lot of money and jobs would be lost if the show doesn't return.
Roland indicated that it was unlikely the decision would mean any job losses for town staff, since the existing employees would be assigned to be working on the revamped 2016 show.
Several councillors asked whether the territorial Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment might be willing to foot the bill for the show.
The department is already a primary sponsor of the petroleum show.
- with files from Walter Strong
