By Sharyn Macnamara
MTE launches its new 2026 expo calendar with a spectacular new twist to the Botswana expedition and a contemporary copper quest in the Northern Cape – opening up new opportunities for both visitor and exhibitor.
Mining and Technical Exhibitions (MTE), well known for creating worthwhile networking opportunities in the mining, power, construction, logistics and paper and pulp industries – bringing buyer and supplier together with tailored high-impact exhibitions of solutions-driven technology and industrial services – has released its highly anticipated 2026 expo calendar.
Operations director Andrew Macnamara says, “High-impact, media- affiliated trade shows – customised to commodity and operation requirements in an industrial area with secured operational buy-in – are the order of the day for MTE!”
He notes that in 2025 the company once again broke several of its own performance records when it comes to supplier support and visitor attendance – the Northern Cape trilogy tour and the Steelpoort Industrial expo being cases in point. In July, MTE was joined by its sister exhibition company, Plumbing’s Travelling Exhibition (PTE) at Kathu for the first time ever. The exhibition saw
135 exhibitors showcasing innovation to 562 visitors on the day. In the same month, MTE held one of its “best” high-impact shows to date at Steelpoort where 117 exhibiting companies networked with around 580 decision makers in one day. Macnamara adds that the SADC expos were a great success too, with prominent growth in the Zimbabwe combo tour.
“Our new MTE 2026 calendar promises to take the exhibitor to the heart of the mines, and other industries too in key areas in SADC with another 27 well thought-out and co-ordinated destinations.
Introducing Maun, Botswana
MTE has set its sights on Maun in Botswana in March 2026 – one of the most prospective mining regions in Africa and a new destination for MTE. The Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana is home to Minerals and Metals Group’s (MMG’s) long-life copper and silver mine, Khoemacau and Sandfire’s Motheo Copper Operations. Khoemacau’s annual production is expected to be around 43 000 and 53 000 tonnes of copper in copper concentrate, while Motheo operations are focused on the development and mining of the T3 and A4 Open Pit mines.
Quest for copper
In October 2026, MTE plans to stretch its muscle in the Northern Cape with a focus on mining and general industry in Springbok and Aggenys.
Springbok was established as the administrative centre of a rich copper mining district with the first commercial mine in the country, the Blue Mine, located in the area in 1852. Apart from being centred around copper mining, industry is diversifying into renewable energy (like the Kangnas Wind Farm) and services.
Orion’s Okiep Copper Project (OCP) is located in the area, approximately 570km north of Cape Town and 450km west of the company’s flagship Prieska Copper Zinc Project. The project comprises the core of a premier historical copper district that produced more than 2Mt of copper over a 150-year period ending in 2003. The mineral rights include numerous existing drilled copper orebodies as well as some with decline mine access and services in place.
Another first mover on the copper front in the area is Copper 360 –“currently in the ramp-up stage of its business cycle, and well- positioned to increase production to 5 000 tonnes per year in the near term. Housing a mining right to over 70% of the Okiep Copper District in the Namaqua Copper Belt, the company owns the right to over 12 mines and a further 60 prospects on 19 000 hectares. This is underpinned by an extensive geological database built up over more than seven decades of mining and exploration activities. Over the medium- to long-term, Copper 360’s plan is to adopt a redesigned and modernised version of the OKiep Copper Company’s historic multi-mine model. It will be deployed on the extensive copper resource base, transitioning Copper 360 to a notable producer of low-emission copper.1
MTE’s addition of Aggeneys will bring a new commodity focus on zinc into the mix in 2026. This is a mining town established in 1976 on a farm of the same name, situated between Pofadder and Springbok. The Black Mountain Complex – including Vedanta Zinc International operations and Deeps, Swartberg and Gamsberg mines – is found here.
“Standby for more on each expo as we progress into 2026. We plan to share the results of each expo, the highlights on the day and what we expect into the future with those readers who follow our journey annually,” concludes Macnamara.
Contact Andrew Macnamara on +27 (0) 82 720 0083 for more information.
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Take a walk through a typical high-impact MTE expo.
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