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The Definitive Copper Conference

For 24 years, CRU's World Copper Conference has been the world's premier gathering for the copper industry. As the flagship event of CESCO Week in Santiago, it is the annual meeting point for the entire copper value chain.

Each April, over 500 senior decision-makers - from the world's largest miners and smelters to leading financiers, traders, and end-users - convene for three days of unparalleled networking, deal-making, and market-defining intelligence.


Why We Meet: A Pivotal Moment for Copper

The copper industry is at the heart of overlapping energy, industrial, and digital transitions. Demand is set for structural growth, driven by grid reinforcement, EVs, and the explosive rise of data centres and AI. Yet this demand is running into profound challenges: maturing orebodies, geopolitical fragmentation, and a project pipeline that is struggling to keep pace.

Navigating these changes requires more than just market data; it demands strategic conversations, new partnerships, and a clear-eyed view of the risks and opportunities ahead. The World Copper Conference provides the forum to debate the solutions, de-risk investments, and build the resilient supply chains needed for the future.


Who You Will Meet

This is where the industry's leaders connect. The conference attracts a powerful and diverse audience of over 500 delegates from more than 40 countries, including:

- C-Suite Executives from major and mid-tier mining houses, smelters, and fabricators
- Government Officials and Policymakers shaping mining and industrial strategy
- Investment Bankers, Financiers, and Fund Managers funding the next wave of projects
- Traders and Analysts at the forefront of market dynamics OEMs and End-Users reliant on a secure copper supply chain
- Technology and Service Providers delivering innovative solutions
With curated networking opportunities, from structured meetings to evening receptions, you will have more high-quality conversations in three days than you could in months of travel.

What to Expect in 2026

The 24th edition will tackle the industry's most critical questions head-on. The agenda is built around the key challenges and opportunities defining the market today:


Geopolitics & Shifting Supply Chains

Unpacking how tariffs, sanctions, and industrial policy are reshaping the global map of copper production, processing, and consumption.


Technology as a Supply Lever

A deep dive on the advances in leaching, ore sorting, and digital optimisation that are unlocking value from low-grade and complex orebodies.

Stress in the Smelting Sector


A candid debate on the future of the benchmark system amid ultra-low TC/RCs, tight concentrate supply, and rising costs.

Financing the Future


Addressing the critical disconnect between long-term demand and the current investment pipeline, exploring the financing structures needed to de-risk supply.



Join us in Santiago to be part of the conversations that will shape the future of copper.

Register Now