Jonathan Moore, the creator of the Metals and Minerals Conference in New York City, took the time to speak with Metals News about the changes they have made to the conference over the last year.

The conferences have changed over the last year in order to appeal to the needs of a wider group of investors.  Said Moore, “We started an evolution of these events about a year ago, which was to focus on mining companies that have really strong financials and strong management.  The reason we did this was to try to get to a point, with this event, that the quality of what is here and represented here, through our speaker slots and our companies, is very high, presenting some of the best opportunities in the sector.”  Overall, Moore is pleased with the direction that the conference, recently held in New York City, has taken.  He said, “I think we have made another step forward in that this year.  This week has been fantastic and the companies that we have are by far the best that we have ever had.”

The changes to the Metals and Minerals Conferences throughout the globe have been very deliberate and geared toward bringing new interested parties to the events.  Said Moore, “As part of that evolution, one of the things that we have tried to do is to bring in new viewpoints and speakers that we have not had, to give a broader perspective to the audiences that we’ve had in the past.  The goal of this is to try to engage participants that historically haven’t come.”  The list of companies that have joined the Metals and Minerals Conference include notable names that are well recognized in the mining sector.  Said Moore, “SB Angel, ETF Securities, Bloomberg, Behre Dolbear and Goldman Sachs are all companies that we have engaged this year.  We continue to augment that with the great names that we have each year that have supported the event for decades.”  The conference has a long history with other speakers that attended as usual.  Said Moore, “Frank Holmes, Bud Conrad from Casey Research, Rick Rule from Sprott – all of those hallmark voices that we have every year are still part of the event.”

The changes that have been made to the conference are really focused on offering the best information to investors that is possible.  Moore said, “At its core, and the value proposition of the event, is to put investors, looking to learn about the metals and minerals market and put their capital to work in the sector, face to face with the mining executives that have opportunities for them from an investment perspective.”  Moore believes that this one on one conversation is what moves the sector forward.  He said, “It is a fantastic platform, in that it gives investors the opportunity to talk first hand with those mining executives, understand what is going on within the context of their business and understand what new projects are coming online. Executives can share the things that they are working on and really get a level of detail and insight as to the level of investment opportunity that each company offers.  You just can’t get that without that face to face interaction.”

In addition to adding new speakers, the conference is now featuring more ways for investors and executives to meet.  Said Moore, “This year we added a new wrinkle to these events in that we’ve organized meeting with our investor base and executives.  That is a new program that we will continue to roll out at these events.  It has been well received.  Again, it gives you the opportunity to sit down one on one and get to the core of the questions that an investor has.”

Future events are already being planned for the Metals and Minerals Conference schedule.  Said Moore, “San Francisco is coming up in November. That is our strongest event for the US market.  The proximity to Vancouver has always made that one a bigger event.”  The schedule is already filling for exhibitors and speakers.  Said Moore, “We are off to a great start.  We have a fantastic lineup of companies already signed up for that one.”  There is already information posted for individual investors and companies that are interested in participating.  Said Moore, “You can learn more about that on the website at www.metalsandmineralsevents.com.” 

The conference schedule will take a global turn in February of 2015.  Moore said, “We have the African event, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, in the second week of February.”  As an emerging market, Moore and his team believe it is critical to offer a way for investors and executives to share the same types of conversations that are possible in San Francisco and New York City, but focused on Africa.  Said Moore, “That will have more of a focus on the mid-levels and the majors and be exclusive to the mining opportunities that exist on the continent of Africa.  We are looking forward to that as well.”

When asked about the current conditions of the market, Moore provided his own general view of the mining and metals industry.  I don’t know that I have anything I am enthusiastic about.”  Moore believes that the market will continue to be a bit rocky and then possibly see another surge later on in the year.  He said, “I think we will see commodity prices go up and down and we’ll see the juniors still have a bit of a hard time throughout the year.  The mid-level companies are having an easier time right now.  By late third quarter or fourth quarter, I think the mid-sized companies and the majors will have a run.  I think it will be positive in the future.”