The 2017 Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show did very well in a challenging year, said show chair Del Mondor, noting the attendance was roughly 4,500 people this year.
This attendance number is off the 2015 show by about 1,000 people, he said, but organizers and exhibitors were both happy with how the show went.
“Overall, we have an extremely well-run show,” said Mondor. “We’ll start work on the 2019 show in the next couple of months. The public sees two days of work, but our board has been working for two years to make sure things run smoothly.”
The board is divided up into subcommittees, who each look after different aspects of the show, such as the grounds, food, facilities and the social centre.
They were helped by the volunteer efforts of community groups, such as the Strait Jackettes roller derby team, the Color My World day care, the Young Fellows Club and the Red Wings board, to name a few, said Mondor, adding the Estevan OTS volunteered once again to cook and serve the lobsters at the Tuesday evening steak or lobster supper.
This group has been at every Oil Show since 1985, said Mondor, and as a token of thanks for their contribution, the Oil Show board provided them with a new trailer worth $25,000.
“They’ve never taken a thing from us or asked for anything. This year, we wanted to show them our thanks for 17 shows,” he said, noting that about 1,100 people attended that supper in the Curling Rink.
All of the 265 booths were bought and paid for, but one exhibitor inside and two outside didn’t show up for the event. There was a waiting list, said Mondor, so if those exhibitors had let them know, the spaces could easily have been filled.
One of the positive aspects of the show was the smooth setup, as by Tuesday morning, half of the show was already set up, said Mondor.
“Overall the feeling I got from the show is that exhibitors were happy with the people who were there, people with buying power, decision-makers. It’s nice to be able to explain to the public about how the industry works, but mainly they’re there to do business,” said Mondor. “I heard a lot of good comments about that.”
He was happy for the assistance of Energy minister and MLA Dustin Duncan, who helped to emcee the award presentations on Wednesday and was at the show for both days.
“Dustin is a friend of Weyburn and of the Oil Show, and he stepped up when Premier Wall cancelled out,” said Mondor.
The dates of the next show will June 5-7, 2019.
