PDAC 2018: Here’s What You Need to Know

Held every March in Toronto, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention, better known as PDAC, is the event of the year for mineral exploration and mining professionals, companies and investors worldwide. 

Since its inception in 1932, the show has grown in size, stature and influence, and in 2018 it will be a major networking opportunity, with 1,000 exhibitors and 3,800 investors. The event attracted more than 24,000 attendees from 130 countries in 2017.

This year’s four-day event will take place from March 4 to 7 at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, and will feature a wide variety of talks and events, including short courses, technical programming, letter writer presentations, a corporate social responsibility event series and a capital markets program.

The sheer number of companies and events at PDAC can be overwhelming for first-time attendees, and even veterans. If you’re planning to go, you’ll want to take the opportunity to plan out your time beforehand. We encourage you to do your own research, but if you’re looking for somewhere to start, check out our brief overview of some of the highlights below.

What to do at PDAC

Making new connections is a big component of any convention, and PDAC is no different. It is a great opportunity for investors to meet with exhibiting companies — major and junior miners will be setting up shop in the Investors Exchange, and the Core Shack is a convention highlight where companies can display core from new, ongoing or historic exploration projects. The Prospectors Tent and Mining Marketplace are also well worth a look.

Investors who want to hear market watchers’ thoughts on the overall resource space will likely be most interested in Sunday’s letter writer presentations. Talks will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:05 p.m., with speakers including many familiar figures, like Rick Rule (4:35 p.m.), David Morgan (1:15 p.m.), John Kaiser (10:45 a.m.) and Brien Lundin (3:20 p.m.), to name just a few.

Those keen on learning about the markets for specific commodities would do well to check out PDAC’s technical programming, which runs throughout the conference. Notably, Sunday afternoon will feature presentations centered on the uranium market, while Tuesday morning will be focused on BC’s Golden Triangle, currently an exploration hotspot.

It’s also worth noting that this year PDAC will feature a number of exciting attractions. Those include a virtual reality experience that will allow participants to experience open-pit underground mine development and a processing plant in 3D, and an exhibit on how to process gold from a bulk sample. Click here to find out more about the attractions that attendees will be able to visit.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention the networking events that take place at PDAC. While many companies will be hosting invite-only parties and events, there are also plenty promoted by PDAC itself. Take a look here for a taste of what’s going on.

Register for PDAC now

Lisa McDonald, interim executive director at PDAC says it best: “PDAC is a big deal. There is no other event in the sector where you can meet with individuals from all over the globe in one place in one day. This is truly the most iconic mineral and mining gathering in the world, and you have to be there.”

If you’d like attend PDAC, click here for detailed information on how to register. You can also click here to sign up to receive the latest news and announcements from PDAC, or follow PDAC on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. We look forward to seeing you there!

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.