Government of Saskatchewan, STEP announce first virtual SaskTrade Showcase (submitted photo/STEP)

By Elliott Knopp

SaskTrade Showcase

Government of Saskatchewan, STEP announce first virtual SaskTrade Showcase

Jan 20, 2021 | 12:38 PM

The Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) announced it will be hosting its first live event as part of the new SaskTrade Showcase.

The event provides Saskatchewan-based exporters with a virtual forum to promote their products and services to international buyers. STEP members and event registrants will also have the opportunity to create business relationships and network with other retailers in attendance.

Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said the showcase has been a project in the works for a few years, but became a more imperative priority once travel restrictions were installed to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

“This is the culmination of a lot of work, although we have been doing this all the way along. To have a very comprehensive forum in which we can highlight different parts of different sectors of the economy internationally is a new initiative that I think is something that we‘re going to continue as we go forward.”

While the virtual showcase makes up for the inability to travel internationally, Harrison stated it will not replace international business trips once restrictions are lifted as the event will supplement additional showcases in the future.

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This year’s showcase will include nearly 250 Saskatchewan exporters spread among five exhibit halls. Each hall will feature exporters that fall into one of the five following categories: food and agriculture, agricultural technology and equipment, energy and mining, information technology solutions and manufacturing and professional services. A press release from STEP claimed more than 650 domestic and international buyers have registered for the showcase.

In the release, STEP President and CEO Chris Dekker said the virtual format will lead to more success with exports.

“Within days of the international lock-down, STEP allocated resources to focus on web-based opportunities. To date, Saskatchewan exporters have participated in 59 virtual trade missions, seven virtual trade shows and four virtual trade conferences. The SaskTrade Showcase will be another valuable resource for Saskatchewan companies to achieve export success,” Dekker said.

In an interview with meadowlakeNOW, Minister Harrison added to this statement saying the showcase would be another tool for exporters to continue conducting business throughout the pandemic. This comes shortly after the Government of Saskatchewan announced wholesale trade numbers increased by 21.5 per cent over the last year.

“Despite all of the incredible challenges that we’ve faced as a province, we’ve seen very real and significant growth in exports from the province to markets around the world,” Harrison said. “It really is a testament to our job creators, to our wealth creators in the province and our companies. The government can play a role in facilitating these things, and that’s what we’re doing with the trade showcase.”

The SaskTrade Virtual Showcase is slated to run through January 25 to 28. Registration and more information is available at https://sasktradeshowcase.com/

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Elliott.Knopp@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp