Miners, investors flock to The Big Show: Timmins mining show nears quarter-century mark.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: TIMMINS

When the Canadian Mining Expo started in Timmins in 1993, it was a biennial, combined mining and forestry tradeshow, limited to a handful of exhibitors at the McIntyre Arena.

Nearly 25 years later, the event has expanded to become the premier mining tradeshow in Northern Ontario.

The three-day event features 400 booths, an investors' forum, a gala dinner, an Indigenous forum, equipment demonstrations, networking and technical sessions, and even a jackleg drill competition. Companies and even investors travel from across Canada and the globe to meet and mingle with key players in the North American mining industry.

"We started filling one arena, with a little bit of equipment in the front, and we have just grown, right now, to a point where there's no more real estate here," said Glenn Dredhart, the owner of Canadian Trade-Ex, which organizes the event. "We're right to the end of all our parking lots."

On the first full day of this year's exhibition, held May 30 to June 1, 10,000 people had walked through the door in just the first hour of its operation.

Colloquially known as "The Big Show," the exhibition is big in size and in impact: the annual event is estimated to inject millions into the local economy, with attendees spending on accommodations, meals, transportation services, and more.

There's also a secondary, long-term impact: once companies see what the community has to offer--existing infrastructure, a mining-friendly mentality, expertise, and more than 100 years of mining experience--new business comes to town, creating jobs and growth.

"It opens the door and shows manufacturers and companies that, hey, Timmins is open for business," Dredhart said.

Mines represented at the show have hailed from Australia, Chile, Peru, Indonesia, and Africa.

They come to Timmins to learn from the Canadian miners' experience in environmentally responsible mining, Dredhart said.

For suppliers, it can take years for them to get a foot in the door at some of the larger mining companies, but the mining show provides an opportunity for them to meet in person and make a connection.

Investors like the opportunity to go see a mining play firsthand, and junior miners are often happy to take potential investors on a tour of their nearby properties.

"Can you do that in Toronto? Can you do that in Vegas? No," Dredhart said.

It takes about a year for Dredhart and his crew to plan for the event. About 70 per cent of the exhibitors are returning clients, and...