Mines and Money London 2010 was a huge success for Women in Mining!
Our stand on the Exhibition Floor allowed us to really showcase our organisation and its objectives, achievements and projects the many visitors who stopped by. We took this opportunity to unveil our new logo as well as our website: both got a lot of attention and positive feedback!
The stand itself looked great, and our banners and posters provided a wealth of information about the structure, activities and goals of Women in Mining. A laptop allowed visitors to check out the recently-launched website, and our documentation was available for all to pick up: we distributed hundreds of brochures and a Special Edition of the WIM newsletter (click here to read it).
A number of WIM members spent some time on our stand over the two-day event, answering questions and collecting contact details of new members and supporters, and we would like to thank each of them once again for their tireless efforts to promote WIM.
The ambiance was very positive all around the Exhibition Floor. The organisers have reported that in spite of adverse weather conditions in London, Mines and Money 2010’s attendance was the best ever! The chatter flowed and focused on the positive outlook for 2011: 2010 has been a year of recovery, and even strong growth in some parts of the sector, and it is widely expected that this progress will continue into the New Year.
To view the presentations given at Mines and Money, Australia Day and Canada Day in pdf format, please click here and enter ‘mmlpres2010’ as both username and password.
For more information about some of the key topics of discussion during Mines and Money London 2010, click here to view three interviews from Reuters Insider TV: Judith Mosely discussed Societe Generale’s 2011 mining outlook; Ian Henderson analysed the role of emerging market demand in the commodity rally; and Ben Davies forecast that gold would exceed the $2,000 mark in 2011.
For Women in Mining, the highlight of Mines and Money was the Champagne Reception we hosted on 30 November 2010, in the Business Design Centre where the Conference and Exhibition were located. It was a fantastic event, with more than 200 people in attendance. The guest included WIM members and supporters, but also a number of decision-makers, senior executives and recognised figures across the mining and minerals industry. The goal of the event was to dramatically increase awareness of Women in Mining: considering the number of people who attended, and the even greater number of people who could not make it but expressed interest in the organisation, it was a great success!
Judith Mosely and Melissa Sturgess shared some insight on how to make the most of the many opportunities offered to women in the mining and minerals sector. They highlighted the importance of networking and building relationships with role models and mentors. Progress is about competence and confidence: we need to be clear in our goals and determined to achieve them! Finally, they reminded us that the reality of women in the mining industry is not just about professional achievement, but also the struggles of women in communities impacted by mining operations.
As a result of our presence at Mines and Money and the new contacts made in the organisation of the Champagne Reception, we are now an astounding 600 members, which is no mean feat considering we started the year at 400! Creating exceptional opportunities to network and participate in discussions about industry challenges is an important part of our role, and we look forward to more next year.
We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Aspermont for offering us the opportunity to have a stand on the Exhibition Floor, SRK for supporting us in the organisation of the Champagne Reception, European Goldfields for loaning us their stand and, last but not least, our two exceptional speakers for their enthusiasm and being such outstanding role models for all Women in Mining!
We’re already looking forward to Mines and Money London 2011 – so save the date: December 6-7, in the Business Design Centre.