Organizers of the inaugural Explore Sundre Adventure and Home Expo were thrilled to exceed the number of vendor booths they'd hoped to sell for the event, said the Sundre and District Chamber of Commerce's president.
The event's planners had originally hoped to book at least 50 tables, but more than 60 were sold in the end, representing more than 35 actual vendors, said Mike Beukeboom, adding there were some large displays in the Sundre Arena's and curling rink's parking lots as well as inside the facilities, where the expo was held from Friday, May 13 to Sunday, May 15.
“It was excellent that way,” he told the Round Up.
The feedback offered by the vendors so far has also been very encouraging, and by the sounds of it, most — if not all — of them are planning to return next year, he said, adding one vendor even told him the expo in Sundre had a better turnout than a couple of other expos in the region combined.
“The vendors themselves were very pleased. That's exactly what we want to hear. We're just thrilled,” he said, adding organizers are already planning for next year.
As for visitors, Beukeboom said he estimates shy of 1,000 people came through over the weekend. Although he was glad for the turnout, he hopes to increase those numbers in the years to come.
“The public that came were really happy with it,” he said, adding he heard plenty of positive comments praising the event, including someone who told him the expo is “exactly what Sundre needs.”
Moving forward, spreading the word about the new event to reach as many people as possible will be among the biggest hurdles. People are constantly being bombarded by advertising, and reaching them can be a challenge. But the inaugural expo has laid a strong foundation and provided a solid blueprint for future events, he said.
“On so many levels, everything went really well.”
The expo also offered an opportunity for some local organizations to raise funds. A dunk tank was set up to raise money for Nutrition for Learning — about $1,100 was donated by the end — and admission for the event was either a cash or non-perishable food donation to the Mountain View Food Bank. There was also a raffle put on by Rob Unger, who was collecting money for Fort McMurray, Beukeboom said.
“Overall, we're very happy with how it went,” he said about the expo.
