The RIU Explorers Conference continues to grow in size and stature, with each year attracting more presenting companies and even more investors.
Over the past few years, the exhibitors area has spilled into the corridors, then into the buffet restaurant and now even taking over the bar (next stop, the pool…?).
‘Explorers’ has become a staple on the Australian resources conference circuit, growing from just a local audience to drawing in investors from all over the country.
So, despite a market where (Australian) nickel is on the ropes and the lithium price remains under pressure, this week saw a new record in attendees and presenters. Some sessions were so full that the side walls were standing room only, with investors, brokers and analysts all looking out for ‘the next big thing’ (it also happened to be the coolest room in the venue…).
Exhibitors spent three days being inundated by brokers and potential investors wanting to know the ins and outs of their projects and trying to understand the difference between niobium and neodymium.
On the presenting stage, there was strong interest for Meteoric and anyone with a gold or copper story, as these continued to be the commodities du jour.
The traditional Day 2 cocktail party hosted by Canaccord always seems to coincide with extreme temperatures, with plenty of cool bevvies being consumed as punters look to cool off. The layout change at Sandrino meant it was slightly less squeezed than previously, allowing space for the wisps of breeze to come through on another hot Perth night.
As the mercury nudged 43 degrees on Thursday, exhibitors in the restaurant area were on the lookout for sunscreen as the sun blazed through the skylight above.
It’s often difficult to put a value on participation at different conferences. You can spend three days talking endlessly without any movement in the share price or volumes at all. On the other hand, you can have one good meeting with a broker or investor, and it can move the dial.
For White Noise clients that participated in Explorers this year, six saw a positive share price lift over the course of the conference, six saw a dip and one stayed flat. Definitive (!) stats that demonstrate the weird, wobbly nature of the markets at present.
By nearly every metric, attendees once again rated the RIU Explorers Conference a success, providing some cheap investment opportunities to consider whilst providing hope to the presenters and exhibitors that the Australian resources sector is still very much alive.
White Noise communications is provided a fee for service working with companies which may have exposure to commodities or securities mentioned in these articles. All articles are the opinion of the author and are not endorsed by, or written in collaboration with, our clients.
