By Norman Galimski
The Vanderhoof Trade Show scheduled for June 4 and 5 has been cancelled, organizers announced on May 20.
The Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce Trade Show Committee decided to drop the event due to a staffing shortage many participating businesses are facing, as well as a lack of volunteers.
“As the show dates are approaching, we do not have enough businesses signed up to ensure a busy show. We want to be able to guarantee the businesses that have registered to have a successful show, and to believe it was a good investment afterwards” the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce stated.
The biggest factor impeding businesses from attending the trade show is a wide-spread staffing shortage in the region, Leslie Chaisson, president of the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce, told the Express.
Businesses just don’t have enough staff right now to cover and attend the event, she said, adding that this issue is not just isolated to Vanderhoof.
“I personally believe there’s a staffing [and] employee crisis, honestly, in Canada. Everybody is trying to find just regular people to work,” Chaisson said. “The Terrace Chamber [of Commerce] cancelled their trade show for the same reason.”
Even as we emerge from the pandemic, Chaisson said the root of the staffing shortage is unclear.
Though the May trade show has been cancelled, the Vanderhoof chamber is considering the possibility of hosting an alternative event over the summer.
Barring a make-up event, businesses in the region still have events hosted by the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce such as the Annual Pumpkin Walk, in October, and Midnight Madness, in December, to look forward to in order to promote their enterprises.
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