Partner Content: The AIME trade show is sold-out as international destinations return to take up pavilion spaces. The BEAM team speaks with Event Director Silke Calder to get a glimpse of the milestone business event.
The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) will celebrate its 30th anniversary when it returns to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 13 – 15 February 2023. The flagship MICE event of the Asia Pacific region will celebrate its long history of bringing cultures together and building a strong community within the industry. AIME expects to connect more than 350 local and international exhibitors with 400 Hosted Buyers and 2,000 Visitor Buyers.
AIME’s Event Director, Silke Calder, shares with us what visitors can expect at AIME 2023.
The countdown to AIME 2023 is well and truly on. How are preparations going with just weeks to go?
I’m delighted to confirm that AIME 2023 is sold out. The response from exhibitors all around the world has been fantastic and a wonderful testament to the resilience of the business events industry. Seeing everyone coming together on the show floor is going to be a real buzz.
Pre-registration for visitors is now open, and for those attending as a Visitor Buyer, I highly recommend upgrading your ticket to attend the Welcome Event and Knowledge Program – both are a great way to amplify your AIME experience.
The 2023 Knowledge Program Theme is Your Industry. Your Opportunity. What is the opportunity for the events industry now? Can you share more about what you have in store?
As part of our ongoing commitment to deliver the best programme for the industry, we established a Knowledge Program Advisory Committee. This group of eight leaders from the MICE industry in the Asia Pacific have helped guide the curation of the 2023 programme.
The events industry has had a big year. We know from all our conversations and planning sessions with the Committee that everyone is starting to feel the ‘burn’. Event planners, more than ever, have to balance the practical skills of event planning with the more humanistic qualities which build connections within our workplaces and our events.
We have kept this front of mind when curating the 2023 Knowledge Program, selecting a diverse range of speakers and sessions to create space for us as individuals and together as an industry to inspire leadership, creativity and map a better path forward.
Can you share a preview of what Hosted Buyers can expect at AIME next year?
In a partnership first, we have taken on a naming rights partner for the Hosted Buyer Lounge. The Accor Hosted Buyer Lounge has been carefully designed to enhance the tradeshow experience by demonstrating Accor’s exceptional offerings for meetings and events.
Our event planners already receive the full VIP treatment with inclusive travel, invitations to exclusive events and access to pre and post-show famils. Now with this new partnership, they will also receive first-class hospitality at AIME, for which Accor is renowned.
In celebration of AIME’s 30th, we’ve developed a commemorative ‘legacy lanyard’ in partnership with First Nations creative agency Little Rocket and sponsors Business Events Geelong. The lanyard will be revealed at AIME and features bespoke indigenous artwork that honours AIME’s 30 years with a vibrant and bold design that tells the story of celebration.
Within the design, you will see a diverse community of people sitting gathered together – sharing space and connecting. There are large, bold lines between these groups of people, which represent the connection. As stories are shared and experiences are passed along, they journey down these lines. This knowledge-sharing impacts, transforms and strengthens those who embrace and value it.
Community, connection and creativity are cornerstones of AIME and just a few ways that AIME’s legacy impacts the global business events industry.
AIME 2023 Exhibitors have been finalised. Can you share a few highlights with us?
Yes, absolutely – as an Australian-based show, we are pleased to share that every Australian state and territory will be represented on the show floor in 2023. We’re also introducing more Australian flavours to the show floor – celebrating and acknowledging the culture, country and place which hosts AIME.
It is also wonderful to be welcoming – or in some cases, welcoming back – international destinations and partners from Japan, Abu Dhabi, New Zealand, Malaysia, Qatar, Philippines, Hawaii and more.
Lastly, the Activate/Activate Live space that showcases some of our smaller exhibitors has more than tripled in size since last year. We are excited to have this space for our more boutique suppliers who really help planners finesse their events.
Any final words for anyone visiting AIME 2023?
We cannot wait to welcome you all to Melbourne for our 30th-anniversary event! It’s a show you don’t want to miss. We’ve redesigned the AIMEbassador Program, highlighting the cross-section of AIMEbassadors and the collaboration with the industry to amplify the value of business events.
Hear what the AIMEbassadors have to say here.