And now the real work begins. The ribbon has been cut on the brand new Kimberley Conference and Athletic Training Centre. It is the largest conference facility in the Kootenays and can accommodate up to 600 people. The job now is to fill it.

And that task will fall mainly to the centre's manager and only employee Tim Greiner.

Greiner says he will do everything he can to market the centre, but to truly make it a success, the community has to sell it as well.

"I am the sole employee and I will do my utmost to market the centre but it will take the community to network, to sell it to your connections," he said.

"We have to be proud of this in Kimberley. It's an incredible venue and everyone will benefit from it."

The centre is being marketed at trade shows for meeting planners. There was one in Toronto in October and Greiner plans to attend one in Ottawa in January. There are marketing dollars available through Tourism Kimberley for specialty publications targeting the meeting convention, incentive travel industry. The centre will also be marketed to the wedding show industry.

There are eight actual weddings booked for next summer already.

The website, www.meetKimberley.ca is up and running, although still being worked on, so conferences can be booked online.

One of the things Kimberley has to attract potential conference attendees is the proximity to ski and golf and other activities.

"There are no shortage of activities in Kimberley," Greiner said. "The sky is the limit in terms of what we can offer for spousal benefits."

The conference side of the building is the revenue generator. The athletic training centre will hopefully cover its own costs.

"Teams looking to use a facility like this don't have money," he said.

The athletic training centre, indeed the entire conference centre, is completely accessible, with a ski out entrance from the wax room, a training room with wheelchair accessible equipment, a ramp and elevator and braille signs.