The Story of Resources for Generations Congress

The 2018 Resources for Generations (RFG) Congress was conceived by a team of determined individuals whose response to losing a bid was to build an entirely new event dedicated to issues they believed needed to be addressed.

In 2003, the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences and Natural Resources Canada selected Vancouver as the ideal city in which to host the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) 2020 International Geological Congress. The prestigious congress is staged at three- to five-year intervals and attended by more than 12,000 global professionals in the geoscientific community.

The Canada bid committee executed a series of strategic and impactful initiatives; for example, every time a Canadian spoke at an industry-related event, their presentation would end with a slide urging attendees to Vote for Canada. The bid went to India, but the Canadian team refused to take no for an answer – instead, they refocused their priorities to create a new conference.

The RFG Congress (June 16 to 21) is the result of the committee’s tenacity. The first IUGS event was held between international congresses, RFG narrows focus to one important and timely theme: an exploration of natural resources that have supported the development of the human race over the last 10,000 years, and which remain fundamental to our existence. Approximately 4,000 industry professionals from around the world attended – and it all came about because a group of determined individuals turned “no” into an opportunity.