Commerce North West members ponder how to improve Mount Isa's MineX

Commerce North West announced its decision in 2014 and in 2015 to hold the event every two years.

In a meeting on Tuesday night members discussed how the chamber could boost its biggest event, considering in recent years it has struggled for numbers and enthusiasm from exhibitors visiting from across the country. 

Commerce North West president Travis Crowther – who headed the MineX part of the meeting – questioned whether the number of days of the event needed to be increased from two days. 

“How many days? Is it five days, is it three days, is it four days?” 

Some members questioned why the event had changed so that it was held every two years but all but one exhibitor last year voted in support of that. 

However, Mount Isa Mining Supplies owner Brett Peterson, who is also the city’s deputy mayor, did not vote. He was supportive of making the expo annual again. 

But the expo needed to be enjoyable for exhibitors who travelled across the country. A bar tab as part of the cost of the booth could be the solution, but he also questioned whether the event was being changed enough every year. 

Mr Crowther agreed that each expo had become repetitive recently. 

“The mystery location was to the lake,” he said. “Everyone knew it was going to be at the lake.” 

Councillor Peterson said the change of shift patterns at George Fisher Mine in October to seven days on and off would impact attendance at future events unless organisers made sure the event was held during the changeover. 

MIGATE chief executive Ron Pertovt said the expo had become a place only suited for the mines’ purchasing officers. 

“There’s nothing there for the average punter,” he said, suggesting the possibility of widening the scope of theme beyond mining. 

Mr Crowther said he had noticed the emergence in recent years of other themed expos that had begun in Mount Isa, including the baby expo.