The 17th annual Estevan Showcase business expo is set to return to the Energy City from Sept. 24-26.With a little over three weeks until the big weekend, preparations are well under way.According to Dennis Bode, volunteer organizer for the showcase, all 92 spaces within the Lignite Miners Centre have already been sold to exhibitors from all over Saskatchewan. With the entire LMC filled, five exhibits will be placed in the halls of the leisure centre and there will be six outdoor displays as well.The hallway and outdoor exhibits mark a fairly significant rise in participants for this year's showcase. Last year, only the 92 LMC spaces were used.Bode said the showcase will display all kinds of products ranging from "clothing, to automobiles, to RVs, to confectionery items, jewelry, government services," and the list goes on.Like in previous years, a majority of the businesses appearing in the showcase will be from outside of Estevan - in 2009, about 70 per cent of the exhibits were provided by out-of-towners.Bode said this just comes with the territory of 小蓝视频 an industrial hub in southern Saskatchewan."People feel that Estevan is sort of a hot spot in the province, so anytime you have a lot of activity, businesses want to get into that marketplace to have a look and see what's there," he said."It's a three-day show and businesses have an opportunity to capitalize on some retail sales as well. I've had retailers tell me that this is their 13th month. Not their 13th man, but their 13th month," Bode added with a laugh.Not only does the showcase provide exposure and a chance to sell some product for businesses, Bode said it also brings in money to help out the community."The showcase started as a fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club and the Rotary Club. So, it's a fundraiser for all three groups and it allows us to contribute money back to the different causes in our community. It's also an opportunity to showcase products so that people can see what is out on the market," said Bode.With the added volume of exhibitors, Bode hopes the showcase will draw a large crowd this time around. The 2009 business expo drew a little under 3,000 visitors, which was about a 700 person decrease from 2008.Bode said the size of the crowd will depend largely on whether or not harvest is over."If harvest isn't done, the crowds will be small, that's a given fact," he said. "If harvest is stalled due to rain, crowds will be big, and same if harvest is over. We kind of don't pray for good weather when harvest is on - we pray for a bit of rain, just to get the farmers off the field, to give them a bit of a break, and then they will hopefully come to town."The showcase runs Sept. 24 from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m., Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Admission is $3 for adults and seniors, $2 for teenagers between the ages 13 and 18, and $1 for kids seven to 12-years-old. Kids six-years-old and under will get in for free.Although all exhibit spaces have already been filled, Bode said there is a waiting list for those who missed the cut-off, in case one of the exhibitors pulls out of the showcase between now and Sept. 24. Those interested in getting onto the waiting list can call Carol at the Estevan and District Board of Tourism, Trade and Commerce, at 634-2828.Bode is also looking for volunteers to help with the showcase. Those interested can reach him at his office 634-2628.
