It has been referred to as the Oscars or the Super Bowl of the mineral exploration and mining and exploration sector – the annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) Convention, the mineral industry’s most popular networking and educational event.

Now in its eighty-second year, the convention attracts investors, analysts, mining executives, geologists, prospectors and international government delegations from all over the globe.

In 2013, 25% of convention delegates were international – reflecting the evolution of the convention from a national event into an international one. Outside of Canada, the largest number of attendees in 2013 came from the US, Australia, Peru, Mexico and England.

“The PDAC Convention has really hit its stride in terms of its place in the global mineral industry,” says PDAC president Glenn Nolan. “In the early 1990s, the PDAC began to build up an international reputation. Since then, the PDAC Convention has come to be known as the global networking opportunity for the mineral exploration and development industry.”

The PDAC Convention is actually a convention, trade show and investors exchange in one. It includes a technical programme, a variety of short courses and workshops, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) event series, an Aboriginal programme, student programme, along with numerous networking events.

The technical programme features talks by industry experts that reflect the PDAC’s year-round advocacy work as the leading voice of Canada’s mineral exploration and development sector. The programme opens on Sunday, March 2, with the 'Commodities and Market Outlook' session, and includes other sessions such as 'Maximising Company Profits and Growth by Acquisition', the keynote session on 'Sharing Mineral Wealth', 'Geometallurgy', 'Working with BRIC Countries', 'Geophysics', and 'Alternative Financing Sources for Junior Resource Companies'.

The CSR event series, which is open to the public and free to attend, provides a forum for learning and discussion and covers a range of issues related to corporate social responsibility in the mineral exploration and mining industry.

The Aboriginal programme offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Aboriginal communities and companies, as well as representatives from the mineral industry, to come together and network, foster relationships and share knowledge. It enhances industry awareness of Aboriginal affairs, and showcases success stories of partnerships and economic development. The steady increase in the direct involvement of Aboriginal communities in the mineral exploration and development industry in Canada means the programme will continue to gain importance.

As part of the PDAC’s work to address the mining industry’s looming human resources crunch, the PDAC has developed a comprehensive student programme at the convention. The programme offers students a unique opportunity to network with industry professionals from all over the world. In 2013, the convention attracted over 1 600 students from across Canada, the US and internationally.

The trade show features over 400 companies, organisations and governments promoting technology, products, services and mining jurisdictions worldwide. The opportunity for convention attendees to learn about the global mineral sector while walking the aisles of the trade show floor is a phenomenal chance to learn about the technologies and trends that are shaping the industry.

The Investors Exchange, which is open to the public and is free to attend, is the leading investment show dedicated solely to the mineral industry. The Investors Exchange gives an insider’s look at opportunities for business development, joint ventures, property acquisitions and financing within the mineral sector, and attracts banking executives, brokers and analysts, fund managers, government representatives, retail and institutional investors, senior mining executives and students. It includes over 530 exhibitors, the Prospectors Tent, samples and claim results of independent prospectors, and the Core Shack, featuring the latest mineral discoveries from around the world.

The PDAC 2014 Convention takes place in Toronto, from March 2 to 5, 2014, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building. For more information, visit www.pdac.ca.