That’s a wrap! RIU Explorers Conference, Fremantle

The Market Online and HotCopper were pleased to attend the 2024 RIU Explorers Conference – here’s a short wrap of the three-day event.

In this video, you’ll see highlights from the event at the Esplanade Hotel in Fremantle, including the chance to hold a $1.4 million, 14-kilogram gold bar, which was poured by ABC Refinery.

The New South Wales-based refinery had a booth at the conference, with a security guard closely guarding the gold bar as it was handed around.

Organiser Jaxon Crabb from Vertical Events said labour shortages were being discussed as one of the big challenges that small-cap exploration and mining companies were facing, as larger companies were absorbing the available workforce as they cashed in on iron ore. Other key discussions were around the outlooks for uranium and gold, as well as two commodities that have taken a strong blow in recent times, lithium and nickel.

With late registrations, the conference ended up attracting about 2300 delegates, there were 152 exhibition booths and 101 companies presented in the auditorium. For the first time, there were a dozen $1 billion-plus market cap companies on the floor.