January 18, 2021
If you’ve ever gone to a trade show and felt like sneaking away from your company’s booth, the Reverse Trade Show hosted by the NWT Chamber of Commerce was for you.
Unlike a traditional trade show, where prospective customers stop by company tables in search of goods and services, a reverse trade show gives suppliers, consultants and contractors the opportunity to shop for projects and meet directly with the people that will be looking to contract their companies and services.
A dozen booths were established in the Explorer Hotel’s spacious KAT room Friday with representatives from the GNWT, WSCC, and Parsons. Registered NWT businesses attended to make themselves known to project proponents and procurement personnel. Attendees met two at a time at each booth (in line with COVID precautions) rotating every 10 minutes to allow the opportunity for everyone to visit each table.
Among the attendees were ITI’s Heidi Kane and Tom Parker. They work for the North Slave regional office which will be looking to complete a number of construction and maintenance projects this summer in Yellowknife-area parks and campgrounds.
Plenty of opportunities exist in the North Slave region for contractors to complete projects in the region’s park system Heidi noted, “There’s always work going on and we’re always looking for contractors to help us out with smaller maintenance projects throughout the year.”
The NWT Chamber first hosted a reverse trade show in 2009. With an easing of COVID restrictions and following the GNWT’s announcement of large capital investments this year, the Chamber saw an opportunity to host this second event.
Renée Comeau, Executive Director of the NWT Chamber of Commerce, says she was pleased to have those with the biggest procurement opportunities coming up in attendance. “This is a really great opportunity - not only for businesses looking for opportunities; it also helps government departments and mines increase their northern procurement.”
With spending of over $200 million annually on various products and services, the GNWT is a massive customer for NWT businesses.
Also in attendance at Friday’s event was ITI’s Kim Wilkins who oversees the GNWT’s Business Incentive Policy (BIP) and NWT Manufactured Products Policy. Both are designed to recognize the higher costs of doing business in the North. BIP offers preferential bid adjustments to qualifying companies—currently around 1,200—for using NWT and local content.