MININIG & METALS CA IN THE POST-PANDEMIC YEAR IS AN INDICATOR OF PARTICIPANTS' CONFIDENCE.

The 26th Central Asian International Exhibition of Mining Equipment, Ore and Mineral Mining and Processing will be held on September 29 - Mining and Metals Central Asia 2021.  Why this exhibition is relevant right now, during the pandemic?

Exhibitions in general, and events in the MMC sector in particular, are now beginning their renaissance after a forced break due to the pandemic.

Interest in the events is extremely high. There are still some restrictions related to obtaining visas and entry permits for foreign nationals, but in general, we can say with confidence that the business events industry is going through a boom period.

Before COVID 19 and its related restrictions came into our lives, there was a lot of talk and discussion related to the fact that it was time for digitalization, and events and meetings had to be digitalized and driven on-line, but when it had to happen to all of us, practice clearly showed that on-line format will never replace face-to-face meetings and negotiations. We, as organizers of exhibitions and conferences, have closely observed how the world's leading exhibition companies do their business. Similarly, we concluded that it is absolutely ineffective to hold exhibitions in online format. Only conference events, various training seminars, presentations, as well as small meetings were good and successful.

Nevertheless, our company has adapted quite successfully to the new realities and held online conferences with leading market players in almost all industries. However, I would like to note that after each online meeting, all the participants, saying goodbye, wished each other the next meeting face to face.

As for the MMC sector, it has a strategic importance for Kazakhstan as a whole and is one of the flagships of the national industry. According to many respected speakers, it is successfully overcoming the aftermath of the pandemic and is showing sustainable development.

We are well aware that the entire mining and metallurgical community of Kazakhstan is looking forward to the Mining and Metals CA exhibition, where major mining and processing companies of the country can meet their partners and clients and see the latest equipment, technologies and solutions for the mining and metallurgical sector.

Over the 25 years that the exhibition has been running, miners and their partners have become so used to the fact that traditionally, in September, they all meet in Almaty, that last year we received about a hundred calls and letters from partners complaining that they had a lot of unresolved business and cooperation issues without the exhibition. We hope that this year's exhibition will allow everyone to catch up and lay the foundation for future partnerships.

2) How many companies will participate in the exhibition (100 companies)? What is the share of large companies (in %), can you name 2-3 large companies in the MMC sector that will participate?

This year, 150 Companies are taking part in the exhibition, including 30% industry leaders. One can mention such names as Sandvik Mining, FLSMidth, Kamaz, Sever Minerals, and many others. In addition, delegations from ERG, KazMinerals, Polymetal Eurasia, Kazakhmys, and Kumtor Gold, the main players in the Central Asian MMC Sector, are visiting the Exhibition.

3) Which countries will exhibit at the Exhibition? Which countries will be most represented at the Exhibition?

This year, companies from 15 countries are taking part in the exhibition. Many wanted very much but could not come due to quarantine restrictions in their countries, as well as difficulties in entering the Republic of Kazakhstan. Usually, companies from 25 countries take part in the Event.

4) Why will Mining and Metals Central Asia 2021 be interesting for the players of MMC Sector Market? What topics are planned to be raised during the roundtables of the seminars, why are they relevant and interesting?

The MMC sector is represented at the exhibition as follows. Manufacturers and distributors of equipment, services, various engineering solutions from all over the world take part in the exhibition with stands. This allows them to clearly and extensively demonstrate the benefits of their product and conduct negotiations. And the consumers of these services - the country's mining and processing companies are the visitors to the event. Moving from stand to stand, from exposition to exposition, they have an opportunity to see the most complete picture of represented equipment and services, to communicate with developers and manufacturers directly, both concerning purchasing & delivery and maintenance & repair issues.

During the event, round tables will discuss the issues of Industry 4.0, taking place in the next few years. This means the era of further digitalization, introduction of intelligent equipment, smart automation and robotics. This is what the round tables and seminars at the exhibition are dedicated to, and many companies at their stands also devote a lot of time and attention and present their developments in matters of innovation.

5) Iteca has been organizing the Mining and Metals Central Asia exhibition for several years. Tell us how has the number of exhibitors and the number of exhibiting countries changed over the 3-5 years? How have the trends changed over the last 3-5 years?

Our company has been organizing the exhibition for more than 25 years, such a period is very significant. Not many businesses in our country have existed so long, stable and almost the same age as Independence.  During this time, the event has rightfully won the title of the largest, authoritative and effective platform for meetings and negotiations, both for industry leaders and newcomers. We know that for most large companies’ participation in this exhibition is included in the marketing budget “by default”. This is an indicator of participants' confidence in the event organizers. And we, as the organizers, in our turn try to appreciate this attitude and improve our services from year to year. As I said above, in recent years, consumer demand for innovative, efficient and not very costly products for business is growing, and business, in turn, is trying to best meet these demands. In addition, we have seen how major foreign corporations, finding partners in Kazakhstan through the exhibition, have created joint ventures and new jobs for the country, which is also very encouraging.

6) Tell us about the experience of the past exhibitions, were there any memoranda or agreements signed? This year, I assume, you also expect similar deals.

It should be noted that our portfolio of events includes two business events that are significant for the MMC sector: Mining&Metals CA exhibition and Astana Mining & Metallurgy International Mining & Metallurgy Congress. This year's AMM Congress will traditionally take place in Nur-Sultan on October 20-21. Over the years of its development, the AMM Congress has rightfully become the main industry platform, thanks to the arrival of executives of the London Stock Exchange to the AMM, cooperation between mining companies and the exchange was established, in 2016 the AMM saw the official acceptance of Kazakhstan's side into CRIRSCO, which means recognition of Kazakhstan's standards and raising the rating of the mineral and raw material industry of the country, meetings and negotiations with the Steel Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development were held. These agreements, undoubtedly, give impetus to further development of the industry, making it even more interesting for investment.

The Mining & Metals CA shows excellent statistics in its 25 years of operation as well:

25 YEARS.

7,000 COMPANIES

40 COUNTRIES

50,000 PROFESSIONAL VISITORS

OVER 3,000 CONTRACTS

ALL FIELDINGS AND PROJECTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN are equipped with equipment and technologies from the Exhibitors.

As you can see from all the above, exhibitions are an extremely important link in the cooperation chain between enterprises of the MMC sector of the Republic and their partners - key suppliers of equipment and services from all over the world. We sincerely hope that this will be the case in the future and that our company will continue to work for the benefit and development of the Republic of Kazakhstan.