An upcoming conference could bring around 2000 people to Grande Prairie. For the second time, the Rotary District 5370 Conference is coming to the city this October. District Governor-Elect Tracey Vavrek says this conference is a chance for members to come together and learn from each other.
“Rotary is built on the opportunity to serve out communities both locally and internationally and this conference is to bring people together [so] that we can learn, develop, we can grow, we can network and we can also reflect on things that we’d like to accomplish locally or we’d like to accomplish internationally.”
Each year the conference is held where the district elect is from. It was also held here a few years ago when Kevin Hilgers held the role. The three-day event features a number of speakers including Authors Amanda Lindhout and Neil Pasricha, Restaurateur Mark Brand and Comedian James Cunningham.
District 5370 runs from Edmonton, into Saskatchewan, into eastern BC and then into the territories. Vavrek says over 2000 people from those areas have been invited which means more money coming in for local hotels and restaurants.
“When we look at it economically and all these wonderful people coming into Grande Prairie there is definitely an economic opportunity for our community… This is an opportunity for Grande Prairie to show how great we are and also for us as community members to show how welcoming we are and to welcome each of these members.”
The conference runs from October 3rd to 5th at the Tara Centre at Evergreen Park. It is open to the public and registration can be found here.