ABmunis' 2023 Convention & Trade Show a huge success!

The Edmonton Convention Centre was abuzz with conversation and caffeine last week as 1,200 municipal leaders and 125 exhibitors participated in Alberta’s largest municipal gathering, Alberta Municipalities’ annual Convention & Trade Show.

The 15 education sessions that were delivered on Wednesday and Thursday offered something for nearly everyone. Hats off to the guest speakers and ABmunis’ talented Policy & Advocacy team for delivering such an informative and entertaining bunch of presentations. Recordings of the slides and audio files from all sessions will be posted to our website soon. Please watch The Weekly for a notice.

A staggering 125 exhibiting vendors took part in this year’s trade show. Once again, the event proved extremely popular with delegates. The prize wheel at ABmunis’ trade show booth was a huge hit for the second year in a row, with 354 attendees winning an Alberta-made item produced by small businesses from across our province.

This year’s Resolutions session saw members debate and vote on no less than 26 resolutions on Thursday afternoon. Ninety-eight per cent of members voted in favour of asking the provincial government to add $1 billion a year to the Local Government Fiscal Framework’s (LGFF’s) base funding amount of $722 million when it comes into effect in 2024. Members also voted overwhelmingly in favour (95 per cent) of asking the provincial government to keep political parties out of municipal elections.

Friday, which many members affectionately call ‘Government Day’, featured speeches by Opposition Leader Rachel Notley and Premier Danielle Smith, as well as the ever-popular Ministers’ Dialogue session. Members also heard from outgoing President Cathy Heron and voted for five positions on ABmunis’ Board of Directors. Tyler Gandam was elected President with 60 per cent of the votes.

We look forward to hearing from everyone who took part in this year’s event. If you have not already completed our Convention satisfaction survey, which was distributed by e-mail shortly after things wrapped up, we encourage you to take a few minutes to do so today. Everyone who completes the survey by October 13 is eligible to win one of two $250 gift cards.

Planning for next year’s event, which will run from Sept. 25 to 27, 2024, has already begun. We look forward to seeing you again at the 2024 Convention & Trade Show in Red Deer! Hotel blocks for the event will open in April.