Nunavut Trade Show biggest yet: organizer

Preparations are underway for what’s described as the biggest Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in 31 years.

The event runs from Sept. 17 to 19 in Iqaluit and will include more than one hundred exhibit booths and 350 delegates. Pre-registration happens Sept. 16.

The trade show is estimated to pump $600,000 into the local economy through spending on items like restaurants, taxis and hotel rooms, said Chris West, executive director of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The trade show has grown year by year but this will be the biggest so far, he said.

The three-day gathering, organized by the chamber, will feature exhibits by businesses, visual artists, government agencies and charity organizations.

It will feature about 30 speakers including Premier P.J. Akeeagok; David Akeeagok, Nunavut’s minister of economic development; and Scott Reid, the minister of Indigenous affairs and reconciliation for the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Conferences will be held daily focusing on topics ranging from youth opportunities to business development and the relationship between art and tourism.

Most events will take place at the Arctic Winter Games Arena, where booths and tables are being set up over the weekend. The Nunavut Business Achievement Awards ceremony and a closing gala and charity auction will be at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre.

On Sept. 19, the trade show will be open for the public to visit the booths and meet the artists and representatives from the organizations and businesses.

A full schedule of Nunavut Trade Show events can be found here.