With Australia’s mining industry on the cusp of another boom – and a major contributor to the country’s economy at present – this year’s Asia-Pacific's International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) will be the largest mining exhibition ever held in Australia.
To be held at Sydney’s Olympic Park, Homebush from September 6-9, AIMEX 2011 – which has been held every four years since the 1970s – is the largest and most important trade event for the region’s mining community, said Paul Baker, exhibition director with organiser Reed Mining Events.
"This year’s exhibition will have more than 500 exhibiting companies, covering more than 40,000 sq m, it is 10% larger than the previous edition of AIMEX in 2007,"he said.
"We had more than 12,000 visits over the four days of the last AIMEX in 2007, and while we can’t forecast visitor numbers for this year’s event, every effort will be made to achieve strong growth.
"For this year’s event, we are introducing a number of innovative elements to attract more visitors," said Baker.
"These include our ‘Frontliners’ program, aimed at bringing along frontline mine workers, supervisors, maintenance crews and managers, our Women in Mining day on the Wednesday, as well as visitor programs targeting potential new entrants to the mining industry and the various engineering disciplines.
"With so much of Australia’s economy focused on the mining sector, we anticipate plenty of interest across the board in this year’s AIMEX.
"And as one of the world’s mining hotspots, Australia is a world leader in mining innovation, technology, equipment and solutions – so what happens here matters," he said.
"That’s why AIMEX is an internationally recognised platform for Australian and international suppliers of mining technology, equipment and services to conduct business face-to-face with a gathering of influential mining industry buyers and decision-makers unmatched by any other mining exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region.
Baker said the four years since AIMEX 2007 has seen fundamental changes in the mining industry and the world economy – many of which will be reflected in the products and services on show.
"Since 2007, we have of course gone through the global financial crisis, which had a major impact across the board.
"Now, thanks to demand for our resources, Australia has largely escaped the worst of the GFC and is well placed to take advantage of the forthcoming boom in the mining industry, and unprecedented demand for our minerals and energy products – particularly in the developing world," he said.
At the same time, mining industry trends are following global developments.
"For example, financial commentators identified the key issues for the industry three and four years ago as including financing, mining company consolidations and foreign investment," said Baker.
"Today the focus is on skills shortages, health and safety and sustainability – particularly climate change and the proposed carbon tax.
"This is having a strong flow-on effect at our events in terms of what suppliers of products and services are showcasing, and what buyers are interested in," he said.
Baker said AMEX’s four-year cycle also meant it was an ideal showcase for new products and services.
"Certainly any time one of our mining events is run, exhibitors display their latest product developments.
"However, because of the long cycle between AIMEX editions, visitors will always see new technology across a broad range of industry sectors, from automation and longwall mining equipment, to mine safety and underground mining machinery, to training and educational tools, to environmental management solutions, systems and products.
"There will be a huge range and quality of technology showcased at AIMEX 2011, along with demonstrations of how new technology can be utilised to improve efficiencies and productivity while reducing mine operating costs," he said.
As in previous years, AIMEX 2011 exhibitors will include both Australian and international suppliers.
"Our key catchphrase for the event is ‘taking Australian mining to the world and bringing the world to Australian mining’, so it’s very much an international event," Baker said.
"We will have dedicated pavilions from countries such as Germany, USA, Canada, Italy and South Africa, among others.
"But at the same time, AIMEX is very much about demonstrating innovative Australian mining technology – for which we are known around the globe.
"There will be many Australian companies exhibiting their products, services or expertise at AIMEX – showcasing to a strong contingent of visitors that traditionally come from key markets around the world, including China, India, South Africa, Indonesia, New Zealand, Russia, the United States and Canada."
Major suppliers who will be exhibiting at AIMEX 2011 include ABB, Atlas Copco, Blackwoods, Bradken, Bucyrus, Cummins, Diversified Mining, Ellton Group, Esco, Hitachi, Hyundai, Industrea, Joy Mining Machinery, Letourneau, Ludowici, MTU, Orica/Minova, Scania, SEW Eurodrive, Toshiba, Valley Longwall International and Weir Minerals.
Baker said that planning for this year’s event began immediately following AIMEX 2007, when RME carried out a full review of the event across all aspects of the show – operations, customer experience, and sales and marketing, including association and media partnerships.
"However, it has been in the past 12 months that actual organisational implementation of the event has really started to ramp up, to the point where we are now in the countdown period three months out from Australia’s biggest mining event," he said.
AIMEX is part of the REEDMININGEVENTS structured portfolio of premium mining industry exhibitions owned and operated by Reed Exhibitions Australia. This portfolio also includes:
- Mining & Engineering Western Australia, Perth, July 5-7, 2011
- Asia Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX), Sydney, September 6-9, 2011, a flagship event held every four years
- Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition, Mackay, July 24-26, 2012
- Goldfields Mining Expo, Kalgoorlie, October 30-November 1, 2012
- Mining & Engineering NSW, Hunter Valley, September, 2013.