Mining conferences are crucial for our industry’s growth and innovation, offering unparalleled opportunities for networking, exchanging ideas, meeting investors and stakeholders, and showcasing new products and services. Whether you’re a seasoned attendee or gearing up for your first event, learning from industry veterans can significantly enhance your conference experience.
WIMBC consulted with seasoned professionals from various sectors within the mining industry to gather insights. In this article, Rhylin Bailie, Vice-President Investor Relations at Equinox Gold, Gabriela Brandao, Director, Orebody Knowledge, Teck Resources, Johanna Gonzalez, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, irlabs, and Anna Serin, Director of Listing Development for Western Canada and the US at The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), share their top strategies for navigating conferences and events effectively.
Rhylin Bailie, Vice-President Investor Relations at Equinox Gold
1 How do you research and prepare for networking, and what techniques do you use to break the ice in a room full of strangers?
I make a list of investors that either couldn’t meet with us because their schedules were full, or who refused a meeting, I give those names to my team, and then we look for them around the buffet table or at networking events. We wouldn’t walk right up and introduce ourselves, obviously, that’s too obvious, but we could try to stand beside them and maybe they’d strike up a conversation. In a room full of strangers, usually my name is enough to break the ice because nobody knows how to pronounce my name. To be honest I try not to break into an existing conversation because it’s always super awkward as everyone tries to figure out my name. I’m probably not the best person to ask about this…
2. What are your conference goals, and how do you measure success afterwards?
I always feel like meetings with new investors are my biggest success. Existing investors know how to reach us, but if I land a meeting with a new investor, I give myself a high five. After new investors I’d prioritize existing investors that we haven’t seen recently, or existing investors that I know need some love.
3. How do you select which conferences to attend and which ones to pass on?
The date and location are the first things I check, to make sure it’s not overlapping with corporate events or other conferences. Sometimes I’ll leapfrog conferences that occur at the same time and attend one this year and the other one next year, so I’m getting exposure to both audiences. I look to see who else is attending or has attended in the past, to make sure that it’s appropriate for our company. I get pitched conferences all the time and the pitch always mentions how incredibly useful the conference will be to my company, but when I look it’s full of penny stocks. You need to be sure you’re playing in the right sandbox or you’re just wasting your time. If it’s a conference I’ve never heard of before I’ll check with some past attendees to see if they found it useful. If we must travel a long distance to get there, I’ll see if we can book any other marketing in the area to make it a more valuable use of time. If there’s a presentation slot, I’ll prioritize conferences that have a webcast option, since that means all my investors will be able to see the presentation, not just conference attendees. If there’s no webcast, I’ll see how many companies are presenting at the same time. One or two companies means we’ll get a decent audience. Some conferences have five companies presenting at the same time and that’s not usually very useful.
4. What strategies do you employ to ensure productive meetings between issuers and investors?
I research the investors and send meeting invites to our top targets first, and I always include a message with the invite that says who we are and why they should meet with us. If they’ve met with us before I’ll include a quick update on what’s happened since the last time we saw them, and then pitch them on why they should see us again. If I don’t recognize an investor name, I’ll look for them on Google and LinkedIn and do my very best to weed out groups that are pretending to be investors but really want to pitch us their services or sell us a mine. We also keep detailed meeting notes and I’ll check those as well to see if the last meeting was productive or a waste of time. I also check to see if the conference will let us run two calendars – one for investor relations and one for corporate development. That way we can fit in twice as many meetings. They never offer that option but many of them will say yes if you ask. Many of them will also let you set up group meetings, so if you have investors that you know travel in the same circles, you could ask them to meet to free up a meeting slot.
5. What wisdom would you impart to yourself before attending your first conference?
Always wear your name tag but attend networking events with the intention of meeting new people, not pitching the company. If you’re an interesting person to talk to, they’ll remember the name of your company and maybe look it up later.
6. Memorable Conference Anecdotes: Share you most unforgettable experience from conferences?
Forgetting to book lunch and bathroom breaks. One time we had back-to-back meetings and no breaks and things got pretty uncomfortable for our team.
Gabriela Brandao, Director, Orebody Knowledge,Teck Resources
1. What are your key goals and deliverables when attending a conference?
My key deliverables after attending a conference revolve around three main areas: networking, knowledge acquisition, and innovation.
Networking: My main goal in attending conferences is to establish meaningful connections with industry professionals, peers, and providers. This includes exchanging contact information, following up on conversations, and nurturing new relationships.
Knowledge Acquisition: Conferences provide valuable insights into industry trends, technological advancements, and commodity outlook. I aim to absorb as much relevant information as possible through attending sessions, participating in workshops, and engaging in discussions.
Innovation: Conferences catalyze innovation by exposing many new ideas, approaches, and technologies in a one-stop shop. I actively seek opportunities to explore innovative solutions to challenges facing my industry or organization, whether through attending innovation-focused sessions, arranging meetings with providers, or demonstrations.
2. How do you measure your success after a conference?
To measure success after a conference, my colleagues and I compiled a conference report for senior management summarizing the findings and their significance. We create a list of follow-up actions to continually gain benefit from the impact of the conference on our professional growth and development.
3. What would you tell your younger self when you were heading to your first conference?
If I could advise my younger self before attending my first conference, it would be to embrace the experience with curiosity, an open mind, and a proactive attitude. Here is my two-cent advice:
Be Prepared: Research the conference agenda, speakers, exhibitors, and attendees beforehand to identify sessions and networking opportunities that align with your interests and goals. Book meetings during the event with providers. Come equipped with plenty of questions and a brief elevator pitch to introduce yourself confidently.
Network: Don’t be afraid to initiate conversations with strangers and make genuine connections. Approach networking with curiosity and a willingness to learn from others. Remember that networking is not just about collecting business cards but about building meaningful relationships that can potentially benefit your career in the long term.
Be Present and Engaged: Clear your calendar of regular work-related appointments and meetings to make space to immerse yourself fully in the conference experience. Take notes, exchange ideas, and don’t hesitate to share your insights and experiences.
Follow-Up: After the conference, take the time to follow up with the people you’ve met. Send personalized emails or LinkedIn messages to express gratitude for connecting and continue the conversation. Continuously monitor the companies/providers that impressed you the most. Nurture the new relationships by staying in touch and exploring potential collaborations or opportunities for further engagement.
Remember that learning is a lifelong journey, and conferences are just one of many avenues for growth and development.
Johanna Gonzalez, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, irlabs
1. What are your key deliverables and how do you measure your success after a conference?
It’s always exciting attending a conference on behalf of, or with a client – it is the ideal way to catch up with colleagues, make new connections and hear from other issuers.
In between the numerous meetings and presentations, it is important to step back after the event is finished, to see if it was valuable or not, and in what ways. Here are a few ways I evaluate if a conference was successful or not for myself or a client:
a) New introductions and warm leads – evaluating how many new people you met and of those, who were interested in the company. Requests for a follow up meeting with management and to learn more is also a good measure. Sometimes the best connections are made over a drink versus a traditional 1-1 meeting. Nurturing these new connections is just as valuable as making them – considering how do you communicate news to them going forward and keep them abreast of updates from the company is vital.
b) ROI – calculating the return on investment based on costs incurred to attend or sponsoring a conference can be difficult and based on variables such as new business opportunities gained, partnerships made, insights gained, meetings and introductions made or funds raised directly as a result from meeting someone at that particular conference.
c) Media coverage and publicity – monitoring media coverage and social media mentions related to an issuer’s participation in the conference to gauge the impact on visibility and reputation of the issuer.
d) Feedback – all feedback, whether positive or not, is good feedback. Understanding general sentiment, what aspects might not have been understood or miscommunicated are all valuable learnings to take forward.
Anna Serin, Director, Listings Development Western Canada/US & Vancouver Branch Lead, Canadian Securities Exchange
1. With so many event types and providers, how do you choose which conferences to attend and which ones to sit out?
Over the years I have learned that there are two types of conferences / events. The big ones and the little ones. When we choose to spend resources of time from our staff and capital for sponsorships, we carefully examine a few things, will this be an opportunity to build our business, meet new strategic partners and promote our brand, or will this event be a support exercise to our existing clients and provide a higher level of client services by developing further our relationship with them. Typically, the larger events are valuable for us to make an appearance at as we are in a room with our competitors, our issuers, and our strategic partners. It is typically more a service of making sure you are in the room as opposed to out of it and forgotten. My personal preference over the years of participating in conferences has become small more intimate events. Typically, these are set also in scenes where everyone is away from home at one location where over the period of a few days we can develop deeper relationships and opportunities. When in doubt, or until you know which events are right for you, hit whatever ones you can. It’s easy to whittle down over time your favorite and most beneficial rooms to be in. This is a marathon, not a race. Finally, over the years of working various rooms and events, I have found that some of the best outcomes have come from one or two deeper connections at a conference as opposed to walking a room and grabbing everyone’s card. Take your time, build the relationship of value. In the long run, it can be more fruitful.
2. When organizing investment conferences, how do you pair issuers and investors to ensure productive meetings?
When organizing events, as the exchange we focus a lot on thought leadership. We believe even our issuers can benefit more from sharing their expertise and experience over technical data on their project. If investors can learn from you, they are typically more inclined to learn more from you. In an era where we are overwhelmed with information, I truly believe this is the best way to stand out. We typically will provide a platform for this thought leadership and invite the community of investors to come. We ensure there is a networking component where people can find each other to chat further, and we always include a hybrid element to our in-person events. We have found that if you are putting the effort into getting everyone in a room, either beforehand, during or after creating some digital content to share with your online network. Reach the people that couldn’t make it in the room.
This article gives you a peek into what experts from the mining world say about making the most of mining conferences. Whether it’s your first conference or you’re a regular, these insights can help you get the best out of your next conference trip. Keep it simple, focus on what matters, and you might just find your next big opportunity!
