MTE EXHIBITIONS •
2023 – A YEAR TO REMEMBER FOR MTE
By Sharyn Macnamara
Not only did Mining and Technical Exhibitions turn 30 this year , but the company also broke several of its own records for the number of exhibitors and visitors at some of the stand-out events that it has organised this year .
When you read this article , Mining and Technical Exhibitions ( MTE ) will have just returned from a trip over-border to Zambia – always an extremely popular trilogy tradeshow tour . This year the tour has auspiciously coincided with the company ’ s 30th birthday anniversary , which has added to the excitement . Throughout the year , however , 2023 has turned out to be one of the best years of the company ’ s existence , according to Andrew Macnamara , operations director of MTE .
First quarter 2023 The first two months of the 2023 MTE calendar indicated what was to lie ahead with both a ‘ local is lekker ’ flavour and schedule for the successful over-border tech tradeshows in February and March .
The Cullinan Expo – an intimate show focused on diamonds and held on site at the Cullinan Mine – exceeded exhibitor expectations when it saw a fantastic turnout by both exhibitors and visitors , with a 30 % increase in visitors .
The Cullinan local experience was followed in February by the very popular MTE trilogy tour in Botswana : the first stop was Letlhakane , followed by Palapye visit and ending in Jwaneng where diamond , copper , coal and power solutions were the order of the day for the business-friendly African country . These expos saw high levels of attendance from between 260 to 300 + visitors per expo , catered to by 53 exhibitors selected for the needs of the area .
Q1 ended on a particular high when the first record of the year was smashed at the Rustenburg show , which was the second of the local April combo shows catering to the needs of the burgeoning Bushveld Complex , which hosts more than half the world ’ s PGMs – platinum , palladium , rhodium , ruthenium , iridium and osmium formed some two billion years ago to create the world ’ s largest layered intrusion . Here in the western limb of South Africa – the chrome and platinum belt saw another high impact combo showcase where on 18 and 20 April 2023 , in Mooinooi and Rustenburg respectively – MTE , through its valued suppliers , offered ‘ platinum ’ opportunities to the operations in the areas to access some of the latest tech and innovation . MTE hosted more suppliers and visitors over a three-day period than it has ever done in the history of its thirty years in business . A total of over 700 mining professionals were engaged by over 58 and 134 suppliers at the two shows respectively .
Second quarter 2023 In Q2 the company ’ s single expos at Royal Bafokeng and Zondereinde ( the deepest PGMs mine in the world , currently sinking No3 shaft ) ran in the same vein with similar results . A total of over 68 suppliers networked with over 372 mining decision makers .
Commenting on MTE ’ s recent milestone , Andrew Macnamara , MTE operations director said , “ The number of professionals reached , and the number of experts showcasing their
Andrew Macnamara , operations director at MTE .
products and services to the PGMs operations in South Africa , have almost doubled in a year . This bares testament to the growth and development in this commodity sector in South Africa currently , with the importance of PGMs in the energy transition driving global demand and the country ’ s critical role in supplying this demand .”
The MTE success in May was extended to Mpumalanga with the company ’ s well-known Emalahleni expo , which was delivered on 24 May to the coal and power sector , engaging 355 visitors through 88 suppliers .
June then saw MTE dock in Richards Bay where its ability to create expos tailored to the specific needs of operations in the area is showcased annually . The target market of this particular tradeshow includes the mining industry and smelters , the agricultural sector and sugar milling in Empangeni in particular , the Richards Bay harbour and coal terminal ( the largest coal export facility in Africa ) and the paper and pulp sector .
MTE then moved on to Phalaborwa on 22 June in Limpopo , which is home to numerous open pit and underground mines . Again , MTE customised its travelling exhibition to cater to the iron , copper and phosphate ore needs of the area , and here the team saw 284 visitors come to see the innovations of 31 exhibitors . Although this was a small and intimate expo targeting the specific needs of the Palabora Mine Company ( PMC ), Macnamara said , “ The
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