World's Largest Mineral and Mining Event Heading to Toronto

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 23, 2016) - The world's leading mineral exploration and mining event -- the PDAC Convention -- is just around the corner!

The annual convention, now in its 84^th year, brings the mineral exploration and mining community to Toronto and has recently attracted between 23,000 and 30,000 attendees from more than 125 countries.

"The annual PDAC Convention attracts executives, government officials, prospectors, analysts, investors and brokers from all over the world, including the United States, Australia, Peru, Mexico, Chile and South Africa -- which is more countries than the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics," says PDAC President Rod Thomas. "It is an iconic event for the city of Toronto that provides huge tourism opportunities and injects upwards of $60 million each year into the local economy."

The PDAC 2016 Convention offers first-time displays, along with an exciting lineup of Programs, Short Courses, the Trade Show, Investors Exchange and social and networking events.

Highlights of the PDAC 2016 Convention:

• Meet Gianni Kovacevic as he kicks off his Realistic Environmentalist North America Tour, where he will drive his Tesla from Toronto to Tesla headquarters in Palo Alto, California.
• For the first time a selection of visually-stunning minerals from the Kirwin Collection, on loan from the Royal Ontario Museum, will be available for everyone to see up close in Trade Show North. Trade Show North is free to the public.
• Celebrate 100 years of history with the Royal Canadian Mint and examine new proprietary anti-counterfeiting technology.
• The Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange will be opening and closing the market from the floor of the PDAC Convention. Visit the TMX booth to watch delegations from around the world open and close the market.
• An assortment of rough, cut and polished De Beers Canadian diamonds will be on display.
• This year's Keynote Session will look at the future of exploration and development into 2026.

The PDAC 2016 Convention takes place March 6-9 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Visit www.pdac.ca/convention for more information and check out the video.

About the PDAC

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the national voice of Canada's mineral exploration and development industry. With a membership of over 8,000, the PDAC's mission is to promote a responsible, vibrant and sustainable Canadian mineral exploration and development sector. The PDAC encourages leading practices in technical, environmental, safety and social performance in Canada and internationally.