The buyers and sellers of the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) have concluded two jam-packed days of networking and business meetings which included 25 new exhibitors to the show floor.
On the evening of day one, the popular Networking Hour saw the Northern Territory Convention Bureau host delegates on their stand with uniquely themed Territorian-styled beverages and canapes, such as lemon myrtle-infused feta with green ants and crocodile kabana.
Long-time exhibitor Shahnaz Bakhshay, Director of Sales, TFE Hotels, said that AIME had delivered a lot of great quality buyers this year – helping them secure sound leads.
Ms Bakhshay said that AIME 2018 has delivered on quality buyers for them and they have had some great appointments with buyers who have significant budgets. She also added that they have been able to showcase all the latest developments with their properties and if only half of these leads come off, they will be having a terrific year.
Whilst AIME has enjoyed 26 years, it still attracts a number of new buyers and sellers every time, with 2018 seeing an increase in the number of ‘first-timer exhibitors’ on the show floor.
For the first time, QuizzaMe Australia, showcased their interactive trivia product – that has no pens or paper in sight (just wireless buzzes) on their stand.
Quiz Master Paul expressed that as a first-time exhibitor they are very happy with the level of interest and have made lots of new connections. It’s been a chance to talk about their product in the events space. It’s been really easy, running demo games and bringing some fun to AIME. They have met some great people, who are their perfect target market and they are very excited about all the potential new business and they are also looking forward to the next year.
Highlights from day two included:
Tourism New Zealand, held their annual VIP breakfast on the 100% Pure New Zealand stand with approximately 120 attendees. They revealed insights from their in-depth report: Art of Excellence at Association Events.
Rentertainment wowed delegates with their VR Pit Stop Challenge, a custom-built virtual reality experience specifically built for the Formula 1. The game puts two people head-to-head testing speed and accuracy.
Cvent’s Express Challenge invited delegates to create an event, launch a website and print a badge in record time. The quickest time recorded at AIME was 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The current global record is 6 minutes and 9 seconds.
During last night’s Networking Hour, the AIME community acknowledged Jo-Anne Kelleway, Founder of Info Salons, as this year’s 2018 Industry Person of the Year, for her significant contributions and innovations to the events industry.
This is the last AIME managed by Reed Travel Exhibitions for show owners Melbourne Convention Bureau.
