AME understands the value of positive public perception to our industry and we have heard our members in their call for more public action. Over the past few years, the Association for Mineral Exploration has worked to build out programming that engages with a broader public audience that includes partnerships, events, and social media messaging. The work continues, with more formal surveying to get clear on what the urban public perception is to come, and an expanded reach through growing partnerships and unlikely community events.
Here are some of the things we’ve been able to achieve to date:
Discovery Day
Started at Roundup 2014, Discovery Day is AME’s only owned public outreach event. It has grown exponentially year over year, achieving local TV, news, and blog coverage. The event occurs the Sunday leading into Mineral Exploration Roundup to bring awareness to the Conference while taking advantage of the great Conference space. At Roundup 2018 we saw over 150 attendees, mostly young families, along with booths from the Geological Survey of Canada, Below BC, Britannia Mine, Moon Patrol Virtual Reality, and more, including a visit from Spike the Whitecaps Mascot and our new Minister of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum, Michelle Mungall.
Vancouver Gem and Mineral Show
The Vancouver Gem and Mineral Show is a popular rock and gem hound event that occurs three times per year and sees over 3000 attendees at each event. It provides AME with an opportunity to informally engage with people who have a keen interest in the outcome of our industry as well as the foundational elements that drive so many people to careers in mineral exploration. It also proved to be a great opportunity for other event promotion, such as Discovery Day; AME saw about a third of the attendees at Discovery Day as a direct cause of promotion at the Vancouver Gem and Mineral Show in December. Messaging is geared towards career opportunities, the Mineral Exploration Life Cycle, upcoming workshops and Speaker Seminars, and increasing awareness of the positive impacts of our industry.
Upcoming shows:
- March 23 – 25, PNE Forum
- August 10 – 12, Kitsilano Arena
SFU Geofair
Organized by the SFU Earth Science Student Union, the SFU Geofair allows for students from different universities and colleges in their respective Earth Science disciplines, to engage with industry, educators, and non-profits as they search for work and volunteer opportunities. The event was intimate and the students were thoroughly engaged; the entire event was a surprise and a delight for AME to participate in. Messaging aimed to promote upcoming workshops, resources, Roundup networking events, and to solicit feedback as well as participation from students to increase our student voice at AME.
Dig Day
Attended in conjunction with Below BC, DIG Day at Britannia Mine Museum was an opportunity to highlight careers in the mineral exploration industry, discuss the mineral exploration life cycle with families, and show off some neat copper specimens from our internal collection. Britannia Mine Museum is a recipient of the AME Outreach Education Fund and we feel strongly about supporting their community outreach efforts.
We would like to thank Below BC for partnering with us on many of these events. It is with their volunteer efforts and enthusiasm that we are largely able to make these events a success for AME.
