Bonnyville and District Oil & Gas Show returns with sense of prosperity out of oil slowdown

A growing sense of optimism surrounds the upcoming Bonnyville and District Oil & Gas Show as the industry is thriving in the Lakeland region, with the potential of billions of dollars worth of work slated for the next several years. 

The 6th Oil & Gas Show is back for the first time in four years. Interrupted by COVID, Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce executive director Serina Parsons highlights this sense of prosperity that is flowing again through the area. 

“There’s a lot more to celebrate right now,” said Parsons.  

“Bringing industry back together, bringing them back with professionals, producers, contractors, and service providers all together in one room for what we call the premier networking event in the province and the region, is incredible.

“At the start, we thought maybe we might have to scale back and reduce by a few booths, we had to add those booths back in.”

Over the course of Wednesday, June 21 to Thursday, June 22 at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre, industry professionals and a variety of oilfield related businesses will set up shop.  

However, the action begins Tuesday night with the opening ceremonies. Amidst a performance from the Bearhead Sisters and a free fun casino provided by Casino Dene, will be a key player in the area’s energy future. 

Kendall Dilling, the president of Pathways Alliance, which is the carbon capture project proposed for the Cold Lake region, will speak on what this entails.   

If they move ahead, Pathways Alliance could be injecting and storing carbon dioxide emissions underground by 2030, and be one of the largest such projects in the world. 

Another key feature of the event is what’s called the Oilmen’s Room. Call it like speed dating with the big five producers (Imperial, Cenovus, Strathcona Resources, Inter Pipeline and Canadian Natural). 

Only available for the exhibitors at the show, it’s a unique opportunity to get in the ear of crucial players. 

“We’ve got representation from their procurement department, people that award the contracts, pick who’s coming, they will be sitting in the oilmen’s room,” said Parsons. 

“This is specifically an exclusive benefit to our exhibitors for this Oil and Gas show. And that gives you five minutes face-to-face with each of the producer companies to say, ‘Hi, this is my business. This is what we’re all about.’ Give them your elevator pitch and ask how do I get my foot in the door? How do I bid on projects? What do you have upcoming?” 

While not really a job fair, the Oil & Gas show is free to the public if you register for a ticket beforehand. 

That said, with a labour shortage on hand, it is a way to connect and find who’s hiring in what areas. 

“Normally, we don’t allow any sort of employment services into the gas show. But this year, we’ve opened it up to allow that, because we know that the companies in attendance need it, and we know that our community needs it. And so just by allowing a little bit of that, we’re hoping to help alleviate some of the pressure around the labor shortage and challenges that all companies are experiencing right now. 

A prize of a big screen TV is also available for those that walk through on Thursday. If you don’t register beforehand, you can buy tickets at the door for $20, which is donated to STARS Air Ambulance. 

For more information on the event visit the https://www.bonnyvilleoilandgasshow.com/.