The 2024 Joint Meeting was held in Washington D.C between the 12th and 14th of May. This annual event brought together the copper value chain, from mining companies to semis fabricators, as well as industry stakeholders, to discuss the major trends and issues impacting the sector. The event took place over three days, and included valuable and insightful presentations which gave delegates a comprehensive update on topics such as: the latest developments in the mining industry, commodity exchanges, critical minerals, Japanese overseas investments, the role of financial investors and the social impact of the industry.
The events keynote speaker, Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham, (pictured below) gave an insightful talk on the political climate in the US, and the outlook for the forthcoming election year.
The IWCC joint statistical committee discussion was led by committee chair, Randy Nickle, Freeport McMoRan. Participants held a lively discussion about the latest statistics and market situation across major economies.
The IWCC Copper Committee, chaired by Dirk Harten, Schwermetall, heard a presentation by Georgina Hallett from the LME, covering primarily the recent sanctions on Russian-origin metals and responsible sourcing requirements. The committee then discussed their thoughts on scrap metal availability, and the importance of educating the market on the importance of scrap copper usage to reduce emissions within the industry.
The event also hosted multiple panels, covering topics such as social governance, end uses, critical minerals and finances. These panels gave delegates the perfect opportunity to ask questions and hear discussion from industry experts on a wide variety of topics relevant to the copper industry.
The social governance panel discussing topics such as women’s empowerment in the metals industry, how the copper industry supports children in need and how the Canadian mining industry helps local communities.
The financial panel, who outlined the role of financial institutions in the copper industry and how AI is being incorporated into their risk management and investment strategies.
The Chairman’s dinner was held at Sequoia in the Georgetown Waterfront area of the city. The events also held an Industry Dinner at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
Attendees had the opportunity to network and catch up with friends across the industry during a drinks reception and dinner.
Networking is always an important part of IWCC events. This year saw the inauguration of our Joint Meeting Fun Run, where delegates met by the Lincoln Memorial for a morning run along the Washington Monument (see below). This presented the perfect opportunity for participants to meet or catch up with fellow IWCC members.
Furthermore, the sightseeing tour, including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the White House and the US Capitol Building further enhanced members’ ability to build and strengthen relationships with fellow IWCC members.
We would like to thank everybody who attended and supported this event. We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Joint Meeting will be held between the 12th and 14th of May, in Singapore, at the Shangri-La Hotel. Watch this space for further announcements and we are looking forward to seeing many of you there!
