International Mining Congress digs into Brisbane for the first time

The International World Mining Congress has come to Australia for the first time. It is taking place in Brisbane, 26-29 June. The association was formed in Europe in 1958 and its congress chair, Dr Hua Guo acknowledged at the opening Australia’s strong position in mining. “It’s about time you got here,” he said. More than 3,500 participants from 70 countries have gathered in Brisbane, bringing together a senior line-up of government, corporates, researchers, educators and suppliers to discuss vital issues which will see the mining industry work towards Net Zero. The mining industry provides minerals critically required to make this transition. PCO ICMS Australasia has been embedded into the organising committee since Brisbane won the bid in 2016, helping to deliver the event, achieving record global participation, sponsorship and government buy-in. The event is highly complex – security, stakeholder management, 13 concurrent sessions, satellite meetings, a large exhibition component, and accredited media. The challenges have been many and varied, says ICMSA, which said that, at one point, its Secretariat was receiving 500 emails per hour on the congress. But, as ICMSA managing director Emma Bowyer says, “This is what we live for: guiding clients to produce congresses that lead to impactful changes in society. Working collaboratively at such a high level with this client has been a major factor enabling us to deliver this event.” BHP CEO Mike Henry said in the opening plenary it was “a pivotal time for the mining industry”. He said the meeting was an opportunity to move the dial on responsibly sourced materials and Net Zero. Photo:  Mike Henry, CEO, BHP delivers the plenary address