The 25th annual Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME), 21 – 22 February 2017, will celebrate a quarter of a century of bringing the meetings and events industry together, building connections and sharing knowledge, in the world’s most livable city of Melbourne, Australia.
AIME 2017 is set to reflect on the industry’s past; the people, the places and the events that have shone, whilst also looking at the future of the industry; the up and coming leaders, the technologies impacting the industry, the new event styles and forms of global collaboration.
A revitalised awards program, new competitions, increased international participation, tightly qualified Hosted Buyers, a diverse range of exhibitors, an enhanced AIME Knowledge Program and a range of networking functions is setting AIME 2017 up to be the biggest and best year on record.
Leading the show for the second year, Ian Wainwright, Event Director of AIME, Reed Travel Exhibitions has been designing a range of commemorative and future focused initiatives to engage the community and drive AIME to new heights in its 25th year.
AIME has maintained its position as industry leader for the past 25 years, consistently proving its value as a crucial marketing and sales platform for the sector. The 2016 edition welcomed 4,600 attendees and 450 exhibitors, with over 9,000 buyer appointments secured, 47% of whom were new to AIME.
In 2017, we’re excited to recognise and celebrate 25 successful years of AIME as a platform for buyers and exhibitors to conduct meaningful business transactions. Hosted Buyers remain an integral part of AIME and a series of immersive, engaging and educational experiences have been designed for domestic and international buyers.
For exhibitors, a range of new promotional and sponsorship opportunities have been developed to increase their return on investment. The fruitful appointment system from 2016 will be back with additional features added to drive the 71% of mutual matches between exhibitors and buyers even higher. The business partnerships created between exhibitors and hosted buyers are core to the success of AIME.
We have numerous high profile exhibitors on board already including Japan National Tourism Organisation, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cvent, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, TFE Hotels, Silversea Cruises, P&O Cruises, Perth Convention Bureau, ICC Sydney, The Star Entertainment Group, Doltone House, Harry the Hirer, Luna Park and Decorative Events & Exhibitions, just to name a few.
The highly anticipated AIME Knowledge Program will also return as a key feature of the show with exciting speakers set to entertain and educate the community.
“AIME 2017 will engage with the industry, inspire new connections, motivate new directions and deliver a creative atmosphere that reflects, connects and supports the global events community,” said Mr Wainwright.
With Melbourne named the most livable city for the sixth year in a row, Karen Bolinger, CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, owner of AIME, is excited to showcase what Melbourne has to offer the global events community whilst celebrating a significant industry milestone.
Ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index as the most livable city for the sixth year achieveing a near perfect score across the five criteria of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure; Melbourne has so much to offer meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
“Following on from a highly successful 2015/16 financial year delivering some of the strongest ever results for Victoria, we’re looking forward to showing off our beautiful city; our hotels, restaurants, event spaces and attractions to delegates of AIME 2017 for the 25th anniversary,” said Ms Bollinger.
AIME 2017 is where meeting planners and buyers join exhibitors for an exclusive opportunity to hold one-to-one meetings and access quality education and networking events, it will be held from 21 – 22 February at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
