It appears the shift in location for the Estevan Showcase Business Expo will be a permanent one.
This year’s edition of Showcase was held from Friday to Sunday at the Power Dodge Ice Centre (PDIC). It marked the first time since 2010 that Showcase was in the PDIC, as the previous six editions of the event were in Affinity Place.
Concerns from exhibitors and the public about the temporary arena floor that covers Affinity Place for special events like Showcase during the ice sports season forced a return to the PDIC. Affinity Place would be very cold at ice level during Showcase, and condensation from the ice made the floor slippery and soaked the exhibitors’ products.
Jackie Wall, the executive director with the Estevan Chamber of Commerce, said the Showcase organizers – the chamber, the Rotary Club of Estevan and the Estevan Lions Club – have received positive feedback about the location change.
“The change of venue was a great choice,” said Wall. “We’ve had a lot of great feedback from the vendors, saying they like the new location.”
Official feedback forms have been distributed to the vendors, and Wall said the Showcase committee will wait for that feedback before making any final decisions. But she expects Showcase will now be held at the PDIC moving forward.
“Just going around on Thursday night and Friday, when the exhibitors were setting up, they were happy,” said Wall.
She hasn’t had a chance to talk to the exhibitors about their sales, but most seemed to be happy.
“I noticed, though, that a lot of the vendors who have retail stuff have a lot less than when they were setting up,” said Wall.
Wall believes the vendors who are part of the trade show circuit and come back to Estevan each year are a reflection of the event offered in Estevan.
A total of 61 booths were booked for Showcase this year. Sixty of them were inside the PDIC. The other was outdoors in the Estevan Leisure Centre’s parking lot.
The number of booths was actually down from last year.
“I have a feeling that Showcase will expand next year, because of the feedback I got from the vendors,” said Wall. “When you have vendors saying ‘This is so much better than last year,’ just because it’s not so cold, and they don’t have to worry about their product getting that condensation and that humidity, that word travels fast to other vendors.”
A total of 1,744 people attended the event. There were 605 on Friday, 902 on Saturday and 244 on Sunday.
The cool and often wet weather was conducive to people attending Showcase, she said.
Showcase also had a number of local exhibitors. One of them was Whistle Stop Toys, who participated in Showcase for the first time in many years. The store was sold last year, and the new owners wanted to be at Showcase this year.
Barry Harris, who was part of the ownership group for Whistle Stop, said the company wanted to be part of Showcase to promote their business.
“We’ve met a lot of people,” said Harris. “It’s been good for publicity.”
The sales have done well, he said. He expects a lot of people who dropped by to browse their selection will drop by the store at some point in the future.
There wasn’t a single product that did exceptionally well this weekend, but they sold lots of products.
He believes the return to the PDIC was the right move, and he hopes Showcase can attract bigger crowds moving forward.
“Saturday was good,” he said. “Friday was a little quieter, and today (Sunday) was quieter again.”
Ewan MacDonald with Copper Kettle Fudge has been coming to Showcase for many years. It’s one of the most popular exhibits at Showcase each year.
He praised the decision to move back to the PDIC. MacDonald said it is easier to access than Affinity Place, particularly those with mobility issues.
“It’s difficult for families to get up and down the stairs with strollers, babies, backpacks and that sort of thing,” said MacDonald. “I think Showcase works really well in this building.”
Most exhibitors would prefer not to stand on the flooring covering the ice, either, he said.
MacDonald believes the attendance was on par with last year. Sales were similar with the past couple of years.
“Estevan’s a great town,” said MacDonald. “I like coming down to Estevan. The timing is good at this time of year to have this show. In the spring, there are too many dates overlapping.
And he’s always happy when he sees that families are happy with his products.
