When you look around, the town is pumping - vibrant and full of welcome new faces.

This is the week most of Mount Isa waits all year for – and the city’s businesses and community groups should see it that way.

There should be a concerted effort to focus on Rodeo Week, maximising the potential the biggest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere brings to the city.

It’s the boost to the Mount Isa economy many businesses so desperately need.

Most businesses are doing it tough – as a result of the mining downturn and the flow-on effects of the drought.

So it’s vital that they make the most of Rodeo Week, an event which injects about $6 million into the Mount Isa economy as the population doubles.

Some locals despise Rodeo Week because they feel their laidback, nonchalant lifestyle is threatened for a couple of days.

Some even decide it’s the best time of the year to escape the city for holiday to avoid the once-a-year hustle and bustle of Mount Isa in Rodeo Week.

But it shouldn’t be seen as a negative.

Rodeo Week should be seen as an opportunity to network and give the city much-needed positive exposure.

As Commerce North West manager Sue wicks outlined, Rodeo Week is what we make of it.