Early-bird registration is now open for the WA Mining Conference and Exhibition, with this year’s show set to be better than ever. 

There’s no better place for a premier mining mainstay event than the heart of Australia’s resources industry: Western Australia.

The 2024 WA Mining Conference and Exhibition (WAME) will kick off at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 9 for two days of mining excellence.

As WAME’s first year under the new ownership of Prime Creative Media, attendees will be treated to a night of celebration with the Australian Mining Prospect Awards set to light up the stage on the first night.

As for the rest of the event, this year’s WAME will showcase the mining industry’s digital evolution, exploring innovation and research while addressing the social and environmental standards helping to drive a more sustainable industry.

With digitalisation and automation pushing the industry into new frontiers, new technologies will be front and centre at WAME, with cybersecurity managers, technology heads and chief technology officers in attendance looking to discover the high-tech step-change.

Show director Siobhan Rocks said the 2024 event is designed to connect mining industry businesses on a whole other level.

“Western Australia is an absolutely vital market for the mining industry and we’re focusing on connecting buyers in that market,” Rocks said.

“We’re making it so that they don’t have to come all the way over to the eastern seaboard to talk to people within mining communities.”

Building on the success of last year’s show, the 2024 event will feature an expanded range of exhibitors, with big names including Epiroc, ifm, Motion, RaptorTech and Blackwoods having already secured their spot on the floor.

“This really is a great event for key industry decision-makers to see what innovative solutions are available on the market,” Rocks said.

Last year’s WAME was one of the most successful to date, with almost 5000 visitors across the event. Engineers were a major presence in 2023, with Rocks noting they represented more than 20 per cent of visitors. Another 16 per cent of visitors identified as senior management.

Attendees can expect to be presented with the cutting-edge of mining innovation.
Image: Prime Creative Media

“Engineers have also expressed a strong interest in the 2024 event, not only as visitors but also as exhibitors,” Rocks said.

Following popular demand, WAME has this year launched a new product category – advanced solutions from engineering companies – and the uptake has been impressive.

Other new industry categories at this year’s event include Mining 4.0, renewables and the circular economy.

The significantly expanded exhibition will showcase technical and digital innovations across the entire mining value chain.

WAME’s paid conference runs parallel to the free-to-attend exhibition and features more than 40 speakers sharing case studies and thought leadership from academia, industry and more.

The highly targeted conference will cover major industry themes including critical minerals and digital and autonomous systems. Speakers will illustrate the economic importance of WA and its contribution to the industry.

The likes of Rio Tinto and material tracking technology specialist Track’em are key stand-outs on the speaker line-up, with attendees able to expect the cutting-edge in resources industry thought leadership across the two days of keynotes and panel discussions.

Major miners have always been well represented at WAME, with key personnel from the likes of BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, South32 and Newcrest all on hand at the 2023 event.

“This year’s event will welcome leaders from mining companies, government and all the key bodies in Western Australia as part of our speaker line-up,” Rocks said.

“WAME will provide mining professionals with the technological insights set to shape the future of the mining industry in WA.”

WA has long been considered the mining capital of Australia, a veritable cornucopia for the resources industry, where juniors and giants alike come to play. WAME brings all of this exciting potential together in a single unmissable event.

The WA Mining Conference and Exhibition will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from October 9–10. For more information, visit waminingexpo.com.au/attend

This feature appeared in the September 2024 issue of Australian Mining.