Canadian Armed Forces members, the private sector, and Canadian government officials gathered at CFB Esquimalt for an opportunity to advertise their products and connect with each other at the Ship-to-Shore Industrial Tradeshow on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Businesses and organizations from across the country participated in the event with the goal of engaging with members of the defence community.
"It allows for [military] members to really learn more about businesses that provide support for their work," said Jazmin Holdway, Manager of Marketing, Communications and Sponsorship at Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS). "Some of [the businesses] are supporting the base, others are looking to get the word out about what they offer."
The tradeshow offers a plethora of new technologies, tools, contributions and machines with the goal of making military members' lives easier. For example, Jastram Technologies, based in Vancouver, works with marine equipment manufacturers to distribute high-quality marine equipment, from steering systems to search lights, to customers such as BC Ferries, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Royal Canadian Navy.
"Our goal here at the show is to re-acquaint ourselves with our customers, but also let them know that we have other things to offer in addition to what they already buy," said Robert Adle, a representative from Jastram. "We have chairs that will make their operators a little more awake and provide them with better ergonomics and new ways of keeping mussels and barnacles off the hulls of the ships which ultimately saves fuel and is good for lots of reasons."
Hosted by the Lookout Newspaper, the event is expected to see over 1,000 attendees, and is the largest show of its kind hosted by CFMWS throughout Canadian Forces bases.
