Close to 10,000 delegates packed the floor of the ICC Sydney in late October as IMARC 2024 fostered mining developments, innovations and partnerships.
The International Mining and Resources Conference and Expo (IMARC) 2024 was one for the books.
This year’s conference saw more than 9000 delegates, 600 speakers and 500 exhibitors on-site, positioning IMARC 2024 as the premier platform for the global mining and resources sector.
As always, there were some big names at the event.
Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King and NSW Minister for Finance and Natural Resources Courtney Houssos addressed attendees on the opening day, unveiling policies aimed at fostering sustainable growth, reinforcing Australia’s critical mineral supply chains, and supporting the country’s path toward net-zero emissions.
“The resources sector is crucial to Australia’s prosperity and our ability to meet net-zero targets,” King said.
Houssos echoed these sentiments, emphasising the NSW Government’s focus on energy opportunities and partnerships to attract investment in green industries.
“NSW is on the cusp of realising the opportunities in energy, but we know we’re not alone in the global race,” she said.
“We will need six times the amount of critical minerals currently mined to meet net-zero commitments – and we know all of this can be found in NSW.”
People on the ground also appreciated the fact the event also looked beyond Australia’s borders, allowing companies and their people to export their mining expertise and knowledge.
“(IMARC works for us because) we’re growing globally and this is an international show,” Terrain Tamer general manager Brent Hutchinson told Australian Mining on the expo floor.
“It’s Australia’s true international mining show.”
Elsewhere on the expo floor, Colterlec national general manager Shahwar Khan emphasised the need to provide delegates with “proof of concept”.
That’s why Colterlec’s stand featured a ute loaded with a full spectrum of Moxa products attendees could see up close.
Metso also had an active presence during IMARC, with two topical presentations on green iron and critical minerals.
Metso’s solutions attracted various visitors to the stand, including several customers and dignitaries. Metso experts Timo Haimi and Duncan Wyatt were also on various panels during the three-day event.
Day two of IMARC 2024 was marked by hearty deals, debates and discussions.
A new memorandum of understanding between Hexagon and PT Petronesia Benimel was one of the day’s many highlights, while hundreds of meetings between miners and investors took place at IMARC Connect throughout the afternoon.
“We are thrilled with the momentum and engagement we’re seeing at IMARC this year,” IMARC chief operating officer Anita Richards said.
“From insightful discussions to our strong sales performance for 2025, IMARC continues to cement its place as the go-to event for shaping the future of mining.”
This kind of collaboration was one of the key themes running through of the event.
FLS Asia Pacific regional president, sales and services Jason Elks highlighted the need for partnerships when taking part in a panel discussion, ‘Have we got management buy-in yet? The value of proposition for innovation and modernisation’.
Elks discussed the notion of a disconnect between corporate and operational levels when it comes to innovation in the mining industry, outlining the dissonance between corporate understanding the need for innovation and operations being reluctant to pause for the time required to make those changes.
“Operations wants to extract the most material today using yesterday’s technology,” he said. “We have decision-makers that don’t understand the incremental change that 2–3 per cent improvements (to production) will bring.
“No one takes the time to do that maths, but it’s big maths.
“(Miners need to) allow your operation the time to consider these concepts.”
This kind of collaboration was echoed by Komatsu when discussing a project with a client, Glencore, that created much greater efficiencies.
“We are successful in this because we are fully embedded within that customer’s organisation,” Komatsu national manager – mining optimisation Barry Pamenter told Australian Mining. “We get to that customer’s site … we become part of their team.”
Pamenter was clear that, for Komatsu, it’s not about just selling a product, it’s about a partnership.
“It’s not successful without that partnership,” he said.
The networking opportunities on offer at IMARC 2024 was a key standout for MASPRO regional business development manager Roxanne Bekker.
“The networking is very valuable,” she said. “I always tend to catch up with the same clients coming to IMARC, touching base and really finding out what the new problems in the industry are.”
MASPRO national sales manager Peter Lowenhoff echoed Bekker’s enthusiasm.
“I’ve had some good conversations with a couple of different companies, getting an understanding of their whole fleet in areas and even different mines that they operate on,” Lowenhoff said.
As IMARC 2024 wrapped up on day three, Richards thanked all involved for their efforts.
“As we celebrate the remarkable success of another IMARC, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our founding partners Austmine, AusIMM and Mines and Money, and our host partner the NSW Government, for their unwavering support,” she said.
The 2025 event has already sold around 70 per cent of exhibition space, with companies keen to get involved for another year.
IMARC 2025 returns to Sydney from October 21–23.
This feature appeared in the December edition of Australian Mining.
