Driven by some healthy inter-jurisdictional competition, Minister Michelle Mungall, BC Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and Edie Thome, AME President and CEO, agree that British Columbia can be the number one exploration and mining jurisdiction in Canada, if not the world. To make this target a reality, AME has worked hard to shape Roundup into an annual event that engages with existing and new audiences in a dialogue about sustainable exploration and mining.
“We want to modernize the image of mineral exploration and mining,” said Thome, “The Innovation Hub and the Reconciliation Breakfast are new events for us. We’re showing the mineral exploration and mining community as leaders in the areas of innovation and reconciliation.”
The 2018 theme “A New Generation of Discovery” was designed to portray British Columbia as a global industry leader, demonstrate our forward thinking through new geoscience ideas, and show the audience beyond our industry that we are the people with our boots on the ground using innovation, passion, and grit to find the materials necessary for a clean energy future.
“I’m curious to hear from the audience outside of the conference, if they learned something or are willing to start a dialogue that’s getting to the facts,” said Thome, “AME has a role to facilitate and enable those conversations based on facts. And I think we made some progress this year at the conference.”
Held at Vancouver Convention Centre West for the first time in 2018, several new Roundup programs – Project Generators Hub and Innovation Hub – shared the trade show floor with the traditional programs, including the Core Shack, Prospector’s Tent, and 298 exhibitor booths. AME’s sixth annual Gathering Place also moved to the trade show floor this year and enjoyed record attendance from delegates interested in discussing the importance of early engagement with Indigenous peoples and sharing success stories.
Reconciliation – or ReconciliACTION as it has been termed – was a notable theme throughout the conference. The new Spotlight on Reconciliation Breakfast, with speakers Chief Dr. Robert Joseph and Karen Joseph of Reconciliation Canada, was well attended and Chief Ian Campbell, during his opening welcome on the shared traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples for the 16th year in a row, commended our association and the BC mineral exploration community for our efforts with Aboriginal engagement. And, in his keynote address, Kelvin Dushnisky, President, Barrick Gold Corporation said, “the minerals in the ground are as important as the relationships with communities above the ground.”
Innovation took center stage in the technical geoscience sessions, as well as literally on the Innovation stage, where exhibitors showed off technologies such as 3D, virtual reality, and augmented reality within mineral exploration and mining, along with some out-of-the-box solutions, such as monitoring health in workers by sampling hair and nails. Strong attendance at the technical sessions, short courses and networking events reflected the values of Roundup – staying informed and connected.
Overall, 6,570 participants representing 39 countries passed through during the four-day conference, an 11 percent increase from 2017.
Join us again for Roundup 2019, under the sails of Canada Place, January 28 – 31.