Brilliant Mining fka BLT

[Tackler]

The conference circuit can be costly. Apart from time away from the coal face there's the required investment in the display booths, airfares, accommodation and, er, the drinks bill.

But when it comes to Diggers & Dealers, the clever chaps at broker Tolhurst Noall reckon attendance is worth every zack.

According to their number crunching, the share prices of the Australian listed companies that presented at 2005 Diggers went up an average of 6 per cent during the conference.

That meant a tidy $8.4 billion added to their combined market values during the gabfest, dominated by a hefty $6.4 billion rise for BHP Billiton.