PDAC’s Glenn Mullan: Swagger is Back in the Mining Industry

This year’s Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Convention has been and gone, and according to Glenn Mullan it was a success. 

“It was absolutely exhilarating speaking from my own perspective,” said Mullan, the organization’s president. “It was great fun. It was also a blur — once it starts, it’s relentless how much activity there is.”

Better known as PDAC, the event took place from March 4 to 7 in Toronto and saw 25,606 attendees from 135 different countries descend on the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

“That’s phenomenal,” said Mullan. “We anticipated some growth based on other conventions that had happened a few months before that were all showing growth. But it’s always gratifying to see that confirmed.” In 2017, attendance came in at 24,161 and 125 countries were represented.

Those stats reflect an overall improvement in mining industry sentiment. Last year, said Mullan, “everybody was still using words like ‘cautiously optimistic’ … you can definitely remove the word ‘cautiously’ now. There was some swagger back.” He added, “we’re a long way from all-time highs … but it is so much better than it was only a few short years ago.”

Two themes that Mullan said rose to the fore at PDAC were innovation and diversity. “They were definitely featured throughout our programming content, he said. “The [topic of the keynote session] was driving innovation in the mining industry through diversity and inclusion.”

In addition, Aboriginal content was once again strongly represented at PDAC this year. “The rooms were packed … with a lot of people from across the industry, Indigenous communities, governments and academia,” Mullan commented. Notably, he said, many international delegates were present at the convention’s Aboriginal programming.

“[They] came because I think many people are interested to see what Canada is doing in terms of community engagement and engagement with Aboriginal people, something that is extremely important and necessary for our sector,” he explained.

Innovation, diversity and Aboriginal affairs are all part of PDAC’s strategic plan, with access to capital and access to land rounding out the list. According to Mullan, innovation and diversity were added during a recent update to the plan. Those overarching themes color the work of PDAC’s various committees throughout the year.

Of course, clear trends also emerged in terms of which metals received attention. Mullan pointed out that base metals like zinc and copper have done well, while gold has been able to maintain its trading range. But, he said, “if you were at the convention, you must have seen or heard of companies that are exploring or financing for cobalt or lithium … those two have done very, very well.”

At this point there’s no telling what next year could bring at PDAC. For his part, Mullan will have his hands full with his duties as president — those include extending PDAC’s mission in places it hasn’t reached yet, and maintaining contact in places where it’s familiar. “It’s a competitive landscape. It’s good for our members if we become aware of new terrains, new jurisdictions, new governments that are receptive to mining.”

PDAC will be held next year from March 3 to 6, and Mullan ended by encouraging investors to come check it out. “It won’t disappoint,” he said. In the meantime, click here to see the full list of our PDAC video interviews. You can also click here to view the playlist on YouTube.

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