The South Australian Exploration and Mining Conference (SAEMC) has been held annually near the end of the year since 2004. It is preferably held on Saint Barbara’s Day – St Barbara being the patron saint of miners – on the first Friday in December.

It is designed to provide an opportunity for active mineral explorers and miners to present succinct technical updates to their peers of activities on their flagship mines and exploration projects. Participants will gain a comprehensive appreciation of the diverse activities in South Australia and gain ideas from each other which will collectively improve our chances of mineral discovery and improved mining developments.

The conference is organised by a voluntary committee representing four local branches of professional associations:

• Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG)
• Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG)
• Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM)
• Geological Society of Australia (GSA)

Representatives from the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) and University of Adelaide have also joined the committee.

Conference registration fees are kept low to encourage a broad attendance and the modest profits are intended to be invested in student-related activities by the local professional associations.