LAC LA BICHE - The Spring Trade Show and Spring Sale were successful this year, according to organizers with the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce and the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society.
The first-ever Spring Trade Show took place alongside the annual Spring Sale at the Bold Center over the April 12 weekend, with the events in adjacent fieldhouses.
The side-by-side events organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society featured local businesses and home-based crafters, restaurant and food providers, local service providers, farm-based produce and baking.
River McDonald, executive director of the Lac La Biche and District Chamber of Commerce, said the trade show, which featured tools, vehicle sales, crafts, jewelry, and hair products, as well as booths by service providers, went very well.
“We had a lot of really good feedback…a lot we can work with…so we were pretty happy overall,” McDonald told Lakeland This Week.
McDonald continued by saying that chambers all over Alberta typically host trade shows and other events to help boost businesses and their memberships. Putting together such a trade show in Lac La Biche was suggested by the chamber’s board members.
The two-day event, she said, attracted a good turnout, and helped to raise some funds and lots of awareness for the Chamber and local business.
“We had a fair bit of traffic,” she said. “Sunday was a little bit slow, but we’ve taken a lot of notes and seen what we can learn for next year.”
Discussions about next year's plans will begin at the chamber’s next board meeting, she said.
According to Bev Tkachuk, the manager of the Lac La Biche Farmers’ Market, the Spring Sale, which has been a community staple for the last 12 years, was a success again this year.
The 2024 Spring Sale featured over 80 vendors, many of whom were crafters and small, home-based businesses from the Lakeland region selling their products. While the sale had a good turnout, after talking with many of the vendors, Tkachuk said attendance was a little bit less than other years.
The event is usually held in March, when the weather is still cold, and people are more likely to congregate indoors. However, this year, the Ag Society went along with the timeline of the Chamber of Commerce.
Tkachuk said teaming up with the Chamber’s trade show helped to increase the spotlight.
“It was good to get the community out to see what everybody has for sale and what the chamber could offer as well,” she said, adding that she’s had the idea of the double-event for a number of years.
Looking ahead to next year, Tkachuk says she and the Agricultural Society intend to put on the popular event again. As far as what that could look like, right now, it’s still a bit early to tell.
And speaking of early - one thing she may suggest for next year’s show is an earlier event date.
Tkachuk said warm temperatures over the April 12 weekend probably played a role in the slightly lower turnout than expected
“Usually when it gets that warm out, people just don’t want to do indoor stuff,” Tkachuk said, adding that is why she tries to have the sale in March.
