Alberta NDP convention in Calgary will be party's first in the spotlight

Hundreds of Alberta NDP delegates willdescend on downtown Calgary this weekend for aconvention unlike any the party has held before.

There was a time these annual events would come and go with little fanfare and maybe a mention in local media. But things sure change when you sweep from a minor presence in the Alberta Legislature to a majority government.

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The NDP seized the spotlight when it smashed the status quo in the May 2015election andended a Progressive Conservative dynasty that ruled the province for nearly half a century.

As its first post-victory convention begins Friday, the party will have to adjust to the unfamiliar glare of TV cameras and the pesky presence of reporters as it goes through the throes of electing its directors and sorting out its internal policy positions.

That can be a messy and unpredictable process, as we saw when the federal NDP held its convention in Edmonton in April. It'swhere delegates called for leader Thomas Mulcairto be replacedandthenvoted to adopt the principles of the highly controversial Leap Manifesto, which nearly led someAlberta members to split from the national party.

One key difference, however, is that thefederal NDP just came off a devastating electoral loss, leaving the base angry and disappointed.

Party members in a party mood

Members of the provincial party, by contrast, will be in a more positive mood this weekendevenif thehigh of theelection win may have already faded to a buzz under the weight of a year's worth of governing.

Indeed, after registrationand orientation on Friday morning,the first order of the daywill be a panel discussion on "Winning the 2015 Election" a retrospective the party could only have dreamed of at previous conventions.

After that, the real business begins.

The theme of the convention is "Moving Alberta Forward" and the first topic of discussion on Friday afternoon will be jobs and economic diversification no small subject.

After that, it's straight into resolution panels, where party policies will be hashed out, followed by gatherings of the Alberta NDP'syouth caucus, labour caucusand LGBTQ and rural caucuses.

Heavy lifting starts Saturday

The heavy lifting begins Saturdaywhen members will debate amendments to the party constitution in the morning before movinginto resolution debates in the afternoon.

Premier Rachel Notley will address the convention over the lunch hour and conclude the day by hosting a $200-a-plate banquet dinner Saturday evening.

On Sunday, the party will elect its officers and continue debate over resolutions, including emergency resolutions in the afternoon, before the convention wraps.

Follow CBC News all weekend for coverage and analysis from the convention floor.