Adelaide to host Southern Hemisphere’s biggest mining conference
South Australia has won a bid to host Australia’s longest-running mining conference for the next 10 years.
The Asia-Pacific International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX), held biennially, is the largest conference of its type in the southern hemisphere and had previously been held in Sydney.
Following a bid from the state government, South Australia will now host the next five AIMEX events, with the first to be staged at the Adelaide Showgrounds in September 2025.
The event is forecast to have an economic impact of over $240 million, as the state government aims to grow major business events, having committed an additional $14 million to the Business Events Fund in the 2024 State Budget.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said he expected the exhibition to attract “thousands of mining delegates from around Australia and the world to Adelaide every two years”.
“We have a compelling story to tell, and AIMEX being hosted in Adelaide for the next decade provides a strong platform to do just that,” he said.
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“With our natural advantages and ingenuity, South Australia has the potential to lead the world in decarbonisation of critical minerals, including green steel and copper.”
AIMEX was acquired by Prime Creative Media in May this year, joining its pre-existing brands including the PNG Industrial and Mining Resources Exhibition and Conference, and publications such as Safe to Work and Australian Mining.
Prime Creative Media CEO John Muprhy said South Australia was a “world leader in renewables and the global transformation economy”.
“This is a critical time for the industry and South Australia is emerging as a frontrunner in responsible mining and production of the minerals, metals and fuels of the future,” he said.
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“It aligns with our purpose to deliver a forward-focused mining event for the next generation of Australian mining.
“There’s no denying that there’s a link between the mining industry and renewable energy.”
It comes as not-for-profit organisation Business Events Adelaide announced it had achieved a record $336 million of business events in last financial year.
The organisation works to secure business events for South Australia, an industry the government said is worth more than $2.5 billion.
Business Events Adelaide chair Ian Horne said 174 business events and over 60,000 delegates had come to Adelaide during the financial year.
Business Events Adelaide CEO Damien Kitto said the AIMEX news was “a significant win for Adelaide”.
“We are proud to be entrusted with this long-running business event, and it demonstrates that Adelaide is increasingly being viewed as a modern powerhouse in sustainable energy generation,” Kitto said.
“Business Events shares Prime Creative Media’s ambition of making AIMEX the world’s largest mining event, as well as providing an economic tail of enduring benefits to our important mining sector.”
