Noosa Mining Conference promises something for everyone

“We’ll have a $1 million company…and also a $1 billion company.”

With those 12 words, organiser Phil Dickinson sums up just a small amount of the charm of the Noosa Mining and Exploration Investor Conference, which will attract some 1100 delegates to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast from Wednesday.

The conference is famous for its investor-focused format and a schedule that starts out with sub-$35 million market cap companies on day one (tagline: “small caps’ big day out”) and graduates to bigger operators over the following two days.

This year’s program includes the likes of up-and-coming White Rock Minerals, mid-tier copper producer Aeris Resources, gold-focused explorer Cardinal Resources and Australia’s latest $1 billion market cap miner, Gold Road Resources.

Mr Dickinson expects the strong gold price, optimism stemming from May’s Federal Election result and the ongoing challenge of attracting younger investors to mining stocks to be key topics of discussion.

“If you look at the people investing in mining stocks, it’s generally not the under 35s,” Dickinson explained.

“As a whole, it’s been harder to get those younger investors excited and I’m sure something that will be discussed at the conference is how the industry can better market itself to them.”

Companies of all shapes and sizes will get the opportunity to showcase their offerings for a similarly diverse group of investors, with attendance significantly up on last year’s figure of 900 delegates.

There will be more than 60 individual company presentations, two full sessions on both gold and energy, three panel discussions and keynote addresses from Hedley Widdup (Lion Selection), Brent Cook (ExplorationInsights.com), Kim Wainwright (Queensland Exploration Council) and Teck Lim (KPMG).

The blue-chip financial flavour of the conference is reflected by the presence of Morgans as a major sponsor and this year Purple has also come on board as an official partner.

Our partnership includes supplying coffee for attendees: “Have a coffee on us, then have a coffee with us.”

“The Noosa Mining Conference is an event I look forward to each year – it really is the Diggers and Dealers of the east coast,” Purple Queensland State Director Peta Baldwin said.

“The unique format allows the cream of Australia’s mining industry to enjoy one of Queensland’s most beautiful areas. With few formal evening functions, many fruitful relationships have been forged over the years as a result of the casual dining and personal networking opportunities available once the sun sets.

“Noosa is the perfect place for mining companies of all sizes to pitch to investors. I’d encourage anyone looking to raise their profile to stop by the Purple coffee booth and have a chat to me about the range of avenues available for them to do that.”

The Noosa Mining and Exploration Investor Conference kicks off at 11.30am Wednesday (registration desk opens) and runs through until 5pm Friday. For more details, visit the conference website.

Peta Baldwin is Purple’s State Director in Queensland and an expert in investor relations and the resources industry. She has worked in in-house roles at Mount Isa Mines, Alcoa and most recently AngloGold Ashanti. Contact Peta

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