By Sharyn Macnamara.
Mining and Technical Exhibitions (MTE) operations director, Andrew Macnamara shares the highlights of the 2024 expo calendar launched with suppliers and visitors.
The company, well-known in the mining, power, construction, logistics and paper and pulp industries for its expertise in bringing buyers and suppliers together for tailored exhibitions of innovative solutions and technology, and creating worthwhile networking opportunities, has released its highly anticipated 2024 expo calendar.
“High impact, media affiliated trade shows customised to commodity and solution requirements in an industrial area, with secured operational buy-in are the order of the day for MTE,” says Macnamara. “This year has been a truly extraordinary year for MTE. Not only did we celebrate 30 years of growth, but we also broke several of our own company records when it comes to supplier support and visitor attendance. SADC industries have also been moving and shaking, and we have moved with the trends too. Efficiencies are being sought, and we are providing the forum to showcase solutions.”
What’s new in 2024?
Operations director of Mining and Technical Exhibitions, Andrew Macnamara. Image supplied by MTE
“With 27 expos behind us in 2023, we expect the expo success- trend in to continue in 2024,” notes Macnamara. Our new MTE 2024 calendar promises to take the exhibitor to the heart of the mines, and other industries too, in key areas in SADC with 25 well thought-out and co-ordinated destinations. February 2024 will start off with a new and exciting addition to the calendar. This expo will take place on mine premises at Harmony’s Moab Khotsong in the Free State. Moab Khotsong is a deep-level mine near the towns of Orkney and Klerksdorp, some 180km south- west of Johannesburg. The mine, which began producing in 2003, was acquired from AngloGold Ashanti Limited in March 2018.
Mining here is based on a scattered mining method, together with an integrated backfill support system that incorporates bracket pillars. The geology at Moab Khotsong is structurally complex, with large fault-loss areas between the three mining areas – top mine (Great Noligwa), middle mine and lower mine (growth project and Zaaiplaats project in execution phase). The mine exploits the Vaal Reef as its primary orebody. The economic reef horizons are mined between 1 791m and 3 052m below surface. Ore mined is processed at the Great Noligwa gold plant. The plant uses the reverse gold leach method, with gold and uranium recoveries achieved by gold cyanide and acid uranium leaching.
May will see two new locations in 2024 – an old favourite, Amandelbult and the new Siyanda Bakgatla expo in Limpopo – both with a focus on platinum mining solutions. Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine (Union Mine) is a PGM Producing Mine located in Swartklip. The mine was acquired from Anglo American Platinum, effective from 1 February 2018 by Siyanda Resources and the Bakgatla-Ba- Kgafela Joint Venture.
New over-border expeditions
MTE has added a new over-border show to its traditionally well-attended combo shows in Botswana and Zambia, in March and September respectively. Zimbabwe will see the MTE crew in July and August 2024 – for the first time since 2015. An MTE tradeshow in Gweru will target Unki mine, which is an underground mine located in the centre of Zimbabwe in Midlands Province. Unki represents one of the largest platinum reserves in Zimbabwe having estimated reserves of 34 million oz of platinum. The mine produces around 6 000oz of platinum annually. The PGM Mamosa Mine decision makers will also be invited to this expo, among other additional gold and chrome operations in the area.
The second show of the tour will stop off in Selous where PGM’s are the order of the day. ZimPlats and the surrounding operations will be the focus of MTE’s marketing in this area. There are a number of exciting projects on the go in this area. In FY2022, Zimplats obtained a 185MW power generation licence and by the end of the quarter, a cumulative USD1.1-million had been spent on the first phase of a solar project – a 35MW solar plant at the Selous Metallurgical Complex – and USD35.4-million had been committed, against a budget of USD37-million. The first of the project’s four implementation phases is progressing as planned, with the final phase scheduled for completion in FY2027, at a total project cost estimate of USD201-million.1
Macnamara emphasises, “I visit the mines on a regular basis throughout the year to meet with management and consult on what solutions would suit their operational requirements, and very importantly, to attain buy-in for a tradeshow at a particular time of the year. This secures the support of the right decision- makers and visitors for our shows and the correct content for our customised expos. Marketing, including special VIP invites, starts at least five weeks ahead of the expo to inform the market of the event.”
Visitor benefits
Macnamara points out that the exhibitions are hosted in close proximity to the operations in the area or – in the case of the smaller, more intimate shows actually on site – making the shows more accessible to decision makers with busy schedules. Tailored content according to the engineering requirements of surrounding operations or that particular operation, at the time are included in the content of the expo to make the visit worthwhile. These ‘high- impact’ expos are traditionally run for four hours – usually 13:00 to 17:00 – allowing the visitor enough time to see all the technology in action through demos at the exhibition, end-to-end, before he or she leaves.
MTE’s 30 years in the industry have enabled the company to fine- tune its offering to what works for both visitor and exhibitor. “There have been many changes over the years after tracking the trends in the industry and taking heed of the feedback from both exhibitors and visitors, and we have adjusted and transformed our business accordingly. This fact together with our strong relationships built on a ‘boots on the ground, face-to-face’ strategy have stood us in good stead,” says Macnamara..
“If 2023 is anything to go by, 2024 promises to be a bumper business year – the industry has exploded with new local and global innovation, technology and value-add services – particularly in the realm of digitalisation. Our expos are ready to showcase these to our end-user visitors who are eager to improve safety, maintain uptime and increase production levels,” concludes Macnamara.
| If you are a supplier of digital solutions, contact Macnamara on
+27 (0) 82 720 0083. Access the calendar here: https://mteexpos.co.za/ |
Reference:
- (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/ https://www.zimplats.com/data/2023/08/2583730.pdf)