Canadian Institute of Mining – 2012

This year’s Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) show was held on May 6-9 in Edmonton, Alberta.  It was a great show with a large number of exhibitors for the week – the city of Edmonton and the weather were also equally enjoyable.  Of course, Maptek was there with a booth showing our range of Vulcan and I-Site products, and I had the opportunity to join the North America contingent at the show.  I’ve been to many trade shows in the past but this was my first as a vendor and, as a result, was a memorable experience.

Working as a project mining engineer in Maptek technical services, I spend the majority of my time working with Vulcan and with clients on technical issues.  When a client calls Maptek for product support, training, or to employ our consulting services, they work with an engineer or geologist like myself.  With that said, I believe the best part of CIM was the opportunity to visit with our existing clients who came by the Maptek booth to see us.  It was great to cross paths with those who I have worked with before, and to put faces to the names of the clients I have not yet met.  (Note to Vulcan users:  if you’re going to be at a show in the future, be sure to stop by and visit us!)

Speaking with our clients lets me hear firsthand how our products are being used, what we are doing well, and also areas we can improve on.  It gives us the opportunity to talk about our newest 8.1.4 64-bit Vulcan release that enables the use of more memory, and about the I-Site 8400 Laser Scanner that has the same great scanning capabilities as the 8800 at a reduced cost.

One of the reasons I choose a mining career was the truly global aspect of the business, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a large contingent of West African mining professionals at the show.  West Africa is a hotbed of mining activity but relatively unknown to me making the opportunity to speak with these professionals about their operations, the challenges of doing business, and the services they need and provide, an awesome learning experience.  Perhaps another trip for me is in short order!

I hope to meet you at a future show . . . .