Wisconsin Represented at Canada's GO Expo

Nancy Ward

GO Expo, the gas and oil industry exhibition held in Calgary, Alberta, June 12-14, proved to be a dynamic event showcasing great opportunities for Wisconsin exporters. The state's Canadian Trade Office worked with three Wisconsin companies (Matenaer Corporation, Trachte Inc., and Up-N-Atom) to arrange a series of meetings with potential Canadian customers, pre-qualified agents/distributors, and engineering procurement companies (EPCs). The Wisconsin participants did not exhibit, but walked the show and held meetings on-site as well as off-site. As a result of the show, one company has reported a sale of $140,000 and all three companies are in continuing discussions with prospective partners they met at the show.

GO Expo is a biennial show held in odd-numbered years. The even larger Global Petroleum Show takes place in Calgary in even-numbered years. This year's edition of GO Expo broke pre-event registration records with nearly 20,000 visitors and exhibitors. Over 600 exhibiting companies, many small- or mid-sized, showcased the latest technologies, products and services for the conventional oil and gas and oil sands sectors. The show has become much more international in scope with pavilions from China, Korea, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States this year. Products featured at the show included everything from heavy equipment, drilling rigs, cranes, and diesel engines to engineering services, software, hardware, telecommunications and human resources and education services.

The Province of Alberta is currently undergoing an economic boom because of its oil sands and natural gas reserves, second in volume to Saudi Arabia. While the market is booming, signs of strain are also evident. Infrastructure and human resources are two key areas where this is seen. The shortage of workers from engineers to restaurant servers is hindering the growth, to the point where some large projects have had to slow development due to lack of human and equipment resources.

Price, while still an important factor, is often trumped by prompt delivery, customer service, and technical support. It seems that in Alberta the face-to-face meeting is more important for establishing business relationships than in other parts of Canada. One of the Wisconsin participants mentioned that he had been told multiple times how pleased people were that he had come to the market for meetings rather than relying on phone/email communication.

Plans are already in the works for Wisconsin participation in the Global Petroleum Show 2008 next June. It is an exciting show drawing 50,000–60,000 visitors from around the globe. The show will provide Wisconsin exporters with the opportunity to make contacts and sales within the international oil and gas community. To stay informed about plans for the Global Petroleum Show 2008 or to get other information on Canadian market opportunities, contact Stanley Pfrang, stanley.pfrang@wisconsin.gov, ph: (608) 267-0639.

-- Nancy Ward, Director of Wisconsin's Canadian Trade Office