Independence Gold Corp.
Roundup 2017 Organizing
Committee Chair
Welcome to AME Mineral Exploration Roundup 2017! This year’s conference will bring together geoscientists, prospectors, investors, suppliers and First Nation partners to share ideas that will help shape the future of mineral exploration and development. As the mineral exploration and development industry continues to work through the current downturn, we reflect on the importance of networking, professional development and relationship-building with our partners, stakeholders and competitors. Mineral deposits are becoming harder to find; we must now travel to more remote locations, search deeper beneath cover and sometimes settle for lower grades. These aspects, coupled with the challenging market conditions, remind us that we must be more creative and collaborative as we explore to discover and develop new mineral deposits.
Mineral Exploration Roundup 2017, Gearing Up for Discovery, will focus on sharing new ideas, generating new connections and creating collaborative solutions. Our prominent Technical Sessions will highlight projects that have overcome challenges to succeed by using a combination of tried-and-tested techniques and new, innovative solutions. The bestpractice Show Case Sessions will explore new ideas in areas of the industry that must be mastered to successfully navigate challenges and opportunities. Lastly, our public outreach presentation, “Discovery Day,” has been expanded to feature more interactive displays, industryfocused public interest talks, and activities for your whole family.
Join us at AME Roundup 2017 from January 23 to 26 at Canada Place in Vancouver, B.C.! Learn, share ideas and connect with others from every aspect of the industry from prospecting to reclamation and everything in between.
About AME
The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) is the lead association for the mineral exploration and development industry based in British Columbia. Established in 1912, AME represents, advocates, protects and promotes the interests of thousands of members who are engaged in mineral exploration and development in B.C. and throughout the world. AME encourages a safe, economically strong and environmentally responsible industry by providing clear initiatives, policies, events and tools to support its membership.
General Information
Venue
AME Roundup 2017 will be held under the Canada Place sails at Vancouver Convention Centre East, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, B.C.
Online registration
Visit roundup.amebc.ca to register and for conference, visitor and hotel information.
Registration inquiries
For registration questions, please contact Conexsys Event Registration at 1.855.787.2457 (toll-free) or email [email protected]
The Association for Mineral Exploration sincerely thanks the sponsors of Roundup 2017 (as confirmed at the time of printing) for their support.
Technical Sessions
Official Opening Ceremonies and Keynote Speaker
Monday, January 23 | Morning
Join us to kick off Roundup 2017 with featured keynote speaker David Garofalo, president and CEO of Goldcorp.
Regional Overviews
Monday, January 23 | Afternoon
This signature session will provide an update on mineral exploration and mining activities in British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska, Saskatchewan and Nunavut. The content will link the latest geoscience information with the latest mineral exploration and mining industry activities. This session aims to provide prospectors, exploration geologists, engineers, miners, financial analysts, investment organizations and senior industry leaders with a solid foundation and a vision to succeed. Please join in celebrating the successes of the past year in mineral exploration and mining, and gear up for the discoveries ahead.
New Geoscience: Research and Knowledge for Exploration
Monday, January 23 | Afternoon
The New Geoscience session (formerly Public Geoscience) on the Passport to Explore floor will feature technical talks by government and university geoscientists. The topic will be new geoscience initiatives and research in the Cordillera area. This year’s session will be broken into two themes: “Golden Cordillera” and “Geoscience for New Exploration.” The Passport to Explore reception will follow.
Commodities and Financial Markets
Tuesday, January 24 | Morning
This session will present and discuss all areas of economics and finance related to the commodity markets, including world economics and its impact on mining and metals.
Golden Strategies for Growth
Tuesday, January 24 | Afternoon
This session will provide insights and information on the key strategies that set companies apart from their competitors. The strategic considerations related to project evaluation, acquisition and exploration decision-making that this session provides will equip explorers with an understanding of some of the strategies used by major, mid-tier and junior mining companies in the current market to improve their success in future cyclical markets. The knowledge acquired from this session will work to assist and motivate participants to develop and implement their company’s long-term strategic plan, with a focus on criteria needed for successful gold project evaluation.
International Highlights
Wednesday, January 25 | Morning
There has been renewed interest in mineral exploration this year and a number of companies have stepped up their activity. This session will highlight exciting discoveries from around the world that demonstrate the clever and effective groundwork that has been done during the tough down-cycle in recent years.
Government and Industry Session
Wednesday, January 25 | Morning
The eighth annual B.C. Government and Industry Session will feature an opportunity for B.C. government and political leaders to provide their mineral exploration and mining policy positions during a facilitated question-and-answer period with delegates.
Canadian Highlights
Wednesday, January 25 | Afternoon
This session will highlight selected Canadian mineral exploration concepts, discoveries and advanced projects as the industry gears up for the next discovery cycle. ‘
B.C., Yukon, Alaska
Thursday, January 26 | Morning
This session will present the highlights of some of the exciting and innovative exploration programs that are operating in B.C., Yukon and Alaska across a range of commodities and deposit types.
Show Case Sessions
The Gathering Place: Where Aboriginal and Industry Leaders Meet
Tuesday, January 24 – Wednesday, January 25
The Gathering Place builds on the positive legacy of previous AME Gathering Place events. It provides a welcoming space for respectful dialogue where participants have the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences – lessons learned, best practices, challenges and successes relating to building mutually beneficial Aboriginal relationships during mineral exploration. AME’s Gathering Place is the only multi-day Show Case Session at Roundup, and is a widely anticipated and actively attended event that attracts a broad range of Roundup attendees.
AME has always encouraged mineral explorers to foster respectful relationships through early and meaningful engagement with Aboriginal Peoples in order to move forward with successful mineral exploration and development. Having a mineral project understood and supported by local Aboriginal Peoples is a foundational component of successful exploration. AME’s Gathering Place facilitates discussion of interests and issues by inviting leaders (Aboriginal, political and industry) to share their perspectives in an earnest and open manner.
Dialogues in Perspective
Thursday, January 26 | Morning
This Show Case Session has evolved to bring forward collaborative dialogue on relevant topics impacting the mineral exploration industry. This year will feature the theme “Modernizing the Free-Entry System,” bringing together diverse subjectmatter experts to share their understanding of this topic. The facilitated conversations will allow for different perspectives and lead to suggestions on how to keep the conversation moving forward.
Short Courses
Register early for Short Courses; these are often sold out well in advance of the conference.
Marketing and Communications in the Mining World
Friday, January 20
The rapid spread of information on social media platforms, the growth of viewership of digital content and the increasing public involvement in the mining industry mean that mineral exploration and development companies must understand how to properly market themselves and communicate in order to succeed. This half-day course will get you up to speed on how to market yourself to investors, the public and the business community, as well as provide tips and tools for how to respond in a crisis situation.
Mining Company Disclosure 101
Friday, January 20
Learn the fundamentals of good mining company disclosure. This full-day course is designed to help geologists and engineers prepare and approve technical disclosure, and understand the principles of timely disclosure that underlie it. Presented by geologists from the B.C. Securities Commission, the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, this course offers valuable information that you can apply immediately.
Geophysics for Geologists
Saturday, January 21 – Sunday, January 22
Presented by: BC Geophysical Society
This two-day course can be taken in full or in separate half-day components. The first three components will cover the three principal geophysical methods used in mineral exploration, each covering basic principles from geologic, survey design and quality-control perspectives, followed by case study applications. The final component will cover advanced interpretation methods – inversion and earth modelling – with additional interpretation case studies.
Day 1 (AM) – Induced Polarization and Resistivity
Day 1 (PM) – Gravity, Magnetics and Radiometrics
Day 2 (AM) – Electromagnetics and Magnetotellurics
Day 2 (PM) – Advanced Interpretation Methods: Inversion and Earth Modelling
Gold Deposit Models, Targeting & Exploration
Saturday, January 21 – Sunday, January 22
Presented by: Mineral Deposit Research Unit, UBC
This two-day course will provide you with an overview of fundamental and new concepts in gold deposit geology, models, targeting and exploration methods. The material covered will contribute to your improved exploration decision-making from ground acquisition to discovery. Participants will be exposed to new and critical criteria in model definition. Targeting criteria and techniques will range from crustal-scale to prospect-scale utilizing a range of innovative and tried-and-true techniques, including presentations from the Integra Gold Rush Challenge. Several practical exercises will emphasize hands on, map-based applications. This course is aimed at mineral exploration geologists as well as government, academic and student geologists. Additionally, this course provides an opportunity to meet and exchange data and views with leading researchers in the field. And yes, there will be rocks.
British Columbia Geological Survey MapPlace 2 Beta Workshop
Saturday, January 21
Presented by: BC Geological Survey
Designed for anyone interested in British Columbia geoscience, this workshop focuses on what MapPlace 2 – a web service created by the British Columbia Geological Survey that allows anyone with an Internet connection to efficiently mine multiple geoscience databases – can do for you. Through demonstrations and scenariobased exercises, participants will learn how to use basic MapPlace 2 functions and explore some of its more advanced features. It starts with an overview of the interface, a review of how the basic tools function, and descriptions of dataset organization and custom applications. You will then conduct simple searches, downloading data and creating custom maps, and follow up with more advanced tasks. Ultimately, you will learn how MapPlace 2 can help guide exploration and investment decisions by saving time and effort gathering and analyzing geoscience data.
Rare Earth and Critical Elements in Ore Deposits
Saturday, January 21 – Sunday, January 22
Presented by: Society of Economic Geologists
This two-day course will provide a comprehensive overview of rare earth and critical elements in ore deposits. The material will emphasize deposit types, major deposits, critical element mineralogy and geochemistry, processes controlling ore grade enrichment, and exploration guides. Rare earth elements will be a major focus of the course because of their broad interest during the past decade, but the course will also cover present knowledge of where and how enrichments take place in deposits for commodities such as antimony, cobalt, germanium, indium, lithium, niobium, tantalum and tellurium. Identifying potential sources for some of these elements that have been deemed critical is challenging because of their minor historic usage and, to date, limited exploration targeting. However, they are now evolving into important economic targets that explorers cannot ignore.
Integrated Social Responsibility and Aboriginal Relations
Sunday, January 22
Presented by: AME Aboriginal Relations and Integrated Social Responsibility Committees
This course can be taken in individual sections or as a full-day course.
The morning, titled “Uncovering Economic Opportunities – Mineral Exploration and Aboriginal Peoples,” will focus on First Nations perspectives and mineral exploration. Attendees will gain an understanding of the history, science and perspectives of both First Nations and exploration companies; obtain a fuller understanding of economic opportunities available to community groups in Aboriginal communities; and discover earth science as it relates to opportunities and resource management.
The afternoon, titled “Social Sustainability: Measuring Success and Ensuring the ‘Social Chain of Custody,’” will highlight the changing landscape of integrated social responsibility (ISR), key indicators and due diligence. The course will provide an overview of social responsibility principles and measurement tools needed to determine the effectiveness of ISR programs and engagement outcomes. Using case studies and interactive exercises, attendees will explore the practical and potentially challenging aspects of ensuring the “social chain of custody,” from claim staking to the development of a mineral deposit. Case studies will highlight practical scenarios from British Columbia as well as projects in various international jurisdictions.
Student Orientation: Exploring Exploration
Sunday, January 22
Presented by: Andy Randell, SGDS Hive
In this course, students will get the opportunity to learn more about the dynamic roles they will play in the exploration industry. The day will be split into two sessions, with the popular Industry Speed Dating in the morning, followed by Exploration Monopoly in the afternoon.
The speed dating session allows participants to talk to experts from all aspects of the modern mineral exploration business, from grassroots projects to mines, as well as geochemists and First Nations and environmental representatives. You will learn about the wide range of issues and considerations modern geologists face in their day-to-day roles.
During the Exploration Monopoly session, teams will get to develop exploration targets under expert guidance – but, like in the traditional Monopoly board game, there will be twists and turns thrown in that you will have to adapt to in order to keep your project on track.
Using Deposit Models to Choose Exploration Targets and Market Properties
Sunday, January 22
Presented by: David Lefebure, Lefebure GeoLogic Ltd.
In a course designed for geologists, prospectors, students, technical analysts and others, attendees will:
- Learn how to use deposit model information to best examine and select attractive exploration targets using field criteria, public data and company reports.
- Gain a general understanding of the more common metallic mineral deposit models found in the Cordillera.
- Find out why some of the more interesting mineral occurrences don’t match up well with a mineral deposit model.
The British Columbia Mineral Deposit Profiles will provide the framework for the course.
Ticketed Networking Events
Tickets are available for purchase when registering.
Chair’s Welcome Dinner
Sunday, January 22
Vaughn Palmer, Journalist, Vancouver Sun
AME Lunch
Monday, January 23
Don Lindsay, President and CEO, Teck Resources Limited
Finance Lunch
Tuesday, January 24
Terry MacGibbon, Executive Chairman, TMAC Resources Inc.
AME Environment, Health and Safety Awards Breakfast
Wednesday, January 25
Brian Kraus, Global Director of Safety Performance Improvement Services, ERM
Invest BC Networking Lunch
Wednesday, January 25
Gwen Preston, Founder, Resource Maven
Awards Gala: Celebration of Excellence
Wednesday, January 25
Thursday Wrap-Up Lunch
Thursday, January 26
Networking Buffet Breakfast
Monday, January 23 – Thursday, January 26
General Networking Events
Icebreaker Reception
Sunday, January 22
Student-Industry Networking Event
Sunday, January 22
Passport to Explore Reception
Monday, January 23
Yukon Night (hosted separately by the Yukon Chamber of Mines; invitation only)
Monday, January 23
Poster Session Reception
Tuesday, January 24
B.C. Night
Tuesday, January 24
Exhibit Hall Happy Hour
Monday, January 23 – Wednesday, January 25 (4 to 5 p.m. daily)
Sporting Events
Hockey Challenge
Monday, January 23 (1 to 4 p.m.)
Curling Bonspiel
Wednesday, January 25 (6:30 to 11 p.m.)
Free Family Event
Discovery Day!
Sunday, January 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Discovery Day is an outreach event designed to educate the public about the mineral exploration industry and build awareness of the importance of minerals and metals in our everyday lives. Bring the whole family down to experience the intrigue and excitement of our industry, with interactive and educational displays that will engage both adults and children.
Exhibit Hall
Dates: Monday, January 23, to Thursday, January 26 Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Monday to Wednesday); 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Thursday)
The Exhibit Hall is a staple of Roundup and presents an unparalleled opportunity to visit a wide cross-section of companies working in the mineral exploration and development sector. Along with great exploration and service and supply companies, make sure to check out the Core Shack, Prospectors’ Tent and Poster Session, all located on the Exhibit Hall floor.
Core Shack and Technical Displays
Core Shack
The Core Shack showcases new discoveries, leading prospects, advanced projects and operating mines from around the world. Core Shack 2017 will feature drill core samples from projects in diverse countries and settings, and represent a broad array of deposit types and project stages.
Prospectors’ Tent
The Prospectors’ Tent provides an opportunity for independent prospectors to present their hard-earned mineral properties and discoveries. Featuring displays of maps, rock samples, drill core, sketches, photographs and analyses, it’s a great place to see properties with potential throughout B.C. and Yukon, and perhaps to make some discoveries of your own.
Passport to Explore
The Passport to Explore floor will host provincial, territorial and national geological surveys. These rooms provide dedicated spaces for delegates to meet and discuss exploration activities and opportunities with each of the jurisdictions.
B.C. Pavilion
The B.C. Pavilion is a one-stop venue for Roundup delegates to discuss the business of mineral exploration with government representatives from the BC Geological Survey; the Mineral Titles Branch; the Health, Safety and Permitting Branch; FrontCounter BC; and DataBC.
Poster Session
The Poster Session will display over 100 posters highlighting cutting-edge geoscience research and mineral exploration innovation from the BC Geological Survey, the Yukon Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada, Geoscience BC, academics, students and industry researchers. Posters will be on display for all four days of Roundup 2017, and will include geological mapping, geophysical and geochemical surveys, and research on the genesis of a wide variety of deposit types from across the Cordillera, other parts of Canada and the rest of the world.