Sounds like a good holiday for 33 people on our tax dollars. Must be nice. Anyone ever heard of teleconferencing?

Yup, nice holiday. Why are they going? What am I missing? Obviously something. Even better than teleconferencing is video conferencing. We have technology now that could save millions of dollars in travel.

Well, if you don't want to support business in PG, you could not send a much clearer message... pretty much speaks to the confused attitude that each of your City departments has about where to encourage tax revenue and then where to spend that glut of tax revenues.

And let us not forget that wonderful silliness about "market forces".... and that great, spagetti-strainer, buying logic of "getting the BEST price for tax money spent"... "best" for whom ??

Goodtimes... :-)

"..With 33 delegates paying $5 thousand dollars each.."

I wanted to go, but it doesn't look like the taxoayers will be paying for this one.

So, if there is not much money in booking $165,000 worth of travel, why are the travel agencies still in business?

I know whenever I travel I book my own directly online for air, car rentals and direct call to hotels. So, no travel agency gets my business and has been like that for decades.

I assume that they make most of their money on the holiday traffic of selling tour packages.

Anyway, whether there is money in it or not, it is the thought that really counts as RRabbitt said.

Doing business with smaller companies in PG can be more costly at times. Always has been like that, most likely always will be like that, especially if those who are here to bolster business in PG do not put a bit of money into the effort of sending a message of support to PG businesses, no matter how little that might be.

I would like to hear from someone in the travel agency business about this situation.

With todays technology there is no longer a need for long distance travel for meetings.

True, lostfaith.... and with today's technology there is no longer a need:

- to have sex to produce a child.
- to grow or eat real food.
- to learn the multiplication tables.
- to use paper to write letters.
- to listen to Mother Earth.

:-)

Just more of the usual crapp-ola. How very magnaminous of them to "allow" local travel agents to bid for the P.G.-Van. portion of the trip. The fix is in, Silkway is on the list of vendors, how much you want to bet that Silkway is chinese owned? How very typical of Prince George powers to source from out of town, supposedly to save money.
metalman.

You got it metalman check it out.
http://www.silkway.com/home.htm

Out of town booking should NEVER have even been an option!
Do it local or don't do it!

First off...if someone wants to pay $5000 to go to China with a delegation of his/her peers...SO BEIT!!!

Secondly…how many of you people on here still use a travel agent to book your flights to say Vancouver or Vegas?!?! Every single one of you would book online to save a buck or two.

Thirdly…support local?!?! This has become more of a joke…there is no loyalties anymore. Look at all the cars and trucks with out of town dealer decals and with the advent of EBay and the Walmarts of the world...look in the mirror everyone!

And finally…if you had more of a positive outlook on our community maybe you would have got an invitation!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silkway a subsidiary of a Japanes "lifestyle" company - JTB Group of 150 companies with 27,000 employees.

They do not grow trees, cut trees, transport trees, process trees, make furniture, etc. etc.

They feed off those people that are the fastest growing demographic of the industrial and knowledge industries - those who are middle age and above, saved, and invested their earnings.

Their raw material is people who can travel.

Can we learn something from this ..... I am sure many of us will look at this and come back with different conclusions.

For those of you who come back with the opinion that we are the original creators of that wealth and thus are owed a living by others who appear to have taken advantage of our good fortune of geography and hard labout, you are on the wrong track.

If you look closely at how their group of buinsesses is structured, you can see how it is much like many other Japanerse companies, they have simbiotic relationships to each other.

Betcha when they need services they do not go too far outside of their business "community" to award jobs to. They know you have to tend to your own house first.

If cities want to run like a well oiled business, there is a lesson to be learned.

An invitation?????

An invitation to spend $5,000 of my money to do what? Tag along in a trade mission that has no description to it? How many contact am I guranteed in my area of work? Who are those contacts? What business are they in? How can my business and their business benefit from a business deal? What is that company's track record of doing business with other companies? ... etc. etc.

Do you really think that IPG has done that sort of leg work? If not IPG, who has?

If you say I am supposed to do that work on my own, that there should not be a trade agency of the feds, province or municipality, then what is the advantage of going in a group? I can make my own travel arrangements at a time when rooms and flights will be a bit cheaper than during the Olympic crunch.

well OWL when you get elected as mayor you can go next year!!!

OWL FOR MAYOR 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey owl what is your slogan?

"From each according to their ability, to each according to their need"???

Okay.... so we only need.... what ??

Maybe ... 23 more signatures on the nomination papers.... ??

:-)

Actually Owl for Mayor would be something I could get behind. Do you need a campaign manager ?

How many signatures to we need for a nomination? I think Owl just might be what this city needs. He gives a hoot!

what is this city coming to

It's already there PGdealer, wake up.

How would City Council like it if I started paying my taxes to Vancouver? What has happened to loyalty? City council seems to be raising my taxes and utility rates at every turn yet have the gall to spend my hard earned money out of town.

Another thing - exactly where is the business that was supposed to be drummed up from the last delegation? It's a complete waste of money and I agree with the acrider54 and robichal - there's this great new technology called video conferencing.

And for you wavoes - I have always used a travel agent and will continue to do so. I value the personal touch and have always received great service from the travel agents in Prince George. And I know that the travel agents in town will match any price you can find. Try calling the internet when you have trouble with your flights or the hotel you booked on the internet is a complete dump. I wouldn't try to fix my own plumbing so I don't book my own tickets - I leave to the experts.

My husband is a local business owner and we believe in community and try to frequent as many local businesses as possible. Obviously something this city council doesn't believe in.

I know we are Beyond Hope but as far as I'm concerned that's all the more reason to stick together

wavoes, your third point: That sort of attitude perpetuates itself and does not at all promote loyalty and unity. I agree with you, in a way. There are plenty of "Can't Do" attitudes around, I consider those kinds of people as a waste of my precious time. I want to align myself and my city with "Can Do" people. It is true that we of like minds are swimming upstream against the global mentality eg. Walmart, or any other big box store. I for one buy very little of my goods and services from the big boxsters. I would rather pay a little more and (hopefully) get some service, and then I know my money is staying in town. The issue over local car dealers is a good example for you to mention; I know for a fact that out of town dealers are selling to PG owners because those owners have not,
in (dare I say) most cases received an adequate level of service combined with price to make them want to buy local. I have purchased enough new and used cars in this city over more than thirty years to become an authority. By the way, I have never bought a vehicle from out of town, instead, I have demanded better service, and competitive pricing and received it, in most cases. I have talked to salesmen from popular new car dealerships in Vancouver, Kelowna, Williams Lake, Quesnel, without fail, they were more courteous, offered less upfront b.s. and were more willing to make a deal, than a great many of the sales people I have dealt with at P.G. dealerships, but by going direct to the owner or manager of the dealership at the first sign of b.s. I have always been able to make a deal that satisfied me. Be persistent!
metalman.