The first-ever TransACTIONS conference brought more than 200 business, municipal, and First Nations leaders from around the province to Yorkton last week for an incisive discussion of economic issues.
"Everything came together. We were quite pleased with the turnout," said Dale Domres, director of economic development with the Yorkton Tribal Council.
The YTC joined with the Saskatchewan East Enterprise Region in organizing the event, which was designed with "creating partnerships and prosperity" in mind. The summit was advertised around the province, drawing in representatives of all the corners of Saskatchewan.
"I haven't had an opportunity to check our evaluation sheets yet, but the verbal response and the emails we've received have all been very positive," Domres said. "The presenters seemed to be right on the mark in terms of their message and their topics, and people were very pleased with them."
Some of the most popular speakers of the two-day conference were Chief Clarence Louie of the Osooyos Band in BC, Chief Ovide Mercredi of the Misipawistik Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, Dragon's Den industry advisor Sean Wise, and Alberta MLA Doug Griffiths.
In terms of the conference's goal of fostering cooperation around the region, Domres said he believes TransACTIONS is on the right track.
"People seemed to be mingling well, and striking up conversations. I guess time will tell whether we see some effective partnerships grow out of this work."
Given the conference's success, an annual event is likely in the future.
"We set the bar pretty high. But I always believe that if you're going to put on a conference, if you can bring in good presenters, people will stay interested and they'll come."
