26 JULY 2023
Asia Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) is back at Sydney Showgrounds from 5-7 September, and the largest free-to-attend conference program in Australia has officially been released, to accompany the AIMEX exhibition.
Over 25 leaders from resources, minerals processing, METS and policy will gather to move industry agendas forward with presentations, panel discussions and keynote speeches at Australia’s longest-running mining event.
Each day of the 3-day conference will address a specific theme. Day 1 covers decarbonisation in mining, one of the biggest topics for the industry currently. The opening day will have panel discussions featuring leaders from METS Ignited, Australian Hydrogen Council, ISN and the International Copper Association Australia.
John Fennell, CEO of the International Copper Association Australia, says the conference comes at a critical time for the resources sector.
“The world’s move to electrification has compounded supply and demand issues across industry. There are key technologies that will help us to move forward with higher operational efficiency and lower emissions, but in order to implement these technologies industry-wide we need to talk about them as an industry first.”
Day 2 will cover technical innovation, with a keynote from Nathan Kirchner of Robotics Australia Group, plus panel discussions with academic experts from the University of Newcastle and UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute, and contributions from Accenture, CR Powered by Epiroc and Fleet Space Technologies.
The final day of the conference will focus on the hot-button topic of ESG, with speakers discussing renewable integration, the circular economy, and leveraging technology.
Associate Professor Liza Forbes from UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute is speaking as part of two panels at the conference, and notes the importance of industry collaboration and conversation.
“One of the biggest barriers to industry collaboration is that systemic incentives for academic work are often not in step with industry needs, resulting in siloed operations. It is vital for academic research to build and maintain industry relevance by staying abreast of the common problems that industry encounters and the solutions that are sought for such problems,” Dr Forbes said.
“By coming together at events like AIMEX, we open important channels for discussion and collaboration that work towards removing those knowledge silos.”
The conference runs alongside the AIMEX exhibition, with over 250 national and international exhibitors making the 3-day event a superior platform for sourcing mining industry expertise. New features of the exhibition this year include the Transformative Technology Pavilion and the Decarbonisation Zone, further emphasising the importance of technology innovation and decarbonisation to the industry’s future.
AIMEX Exhibition Director Samantha Martin says this is no coincidence, and the focus reflects industry trends and attendee feedback across multiple events.
“We aim to make our events both a gathering place for the industry at all points of the supply and value chain, and a launching pad to move industry discussions forward into a sustainable future. I’m excited about the conference program at this year’s AIMEX, with plenty of content for attendees from engineers to management, consultants, decision-makers and suppliers.”
Workshops and networking events are also held adjacent to AIMEX, with a Wednesday morning workshop run by TUNRA Bulk Solids, a Wednesday evening networking function co-hosted by NSW Mining and a Tuesday evening Austmine member networking event.
It’s free to register to attend AIMEX 2023, including both the conference and exhibition. Register today at aimex.com.au.