Silke Calder, AIME event director, talks to CMW ahead of the February 2024 show in Melbourne
What exciting new features or developments can attendees and exhibitors expect from AIME 2024?
As a result of the overwhelming success of AIME 2023 we’re delighted to announce that we are expanding the showfloor footprint in 2024 by an additional two bays. This growth brings the introduction of new zones on the showfloor, including The Boutique and DMC Network, showcasing the industry’s experience makers and creators and bringing a number of first-time exhibitors to AIME. We’re excited to introduce attendees to this new area – we’re sure it’s going to be really well received. We are also excited to announce that Accor will return as the naming rights partner for the Hosted Buyer Lounge. This builds upon our successful partnership in 2023. The Accor Hosted Buyer Lounge enhances the VIP experience for event planners attending AIME as well as demonstrating Accor’s first-class offerings for meetings and events.
Can you tell us more about these new showfloor zones?
A dedicated zone for the world’s boutique experience makers, The Boutique will present first-time exhibitors such as small independently owned wineries with intimate spaces, design-led luxury venues with a distinct personality and services to match, and other bespoke and highly customisable experiences. Also, for the first time at AIME a dedicated zone for DMCs will exist – the DMC Network. This space will bring together on-the-ground teams from all over the world who are perfectly positioned to curate tailored experiences for conferences, incentives and events in their region.
How has technology changed how you have approached AIME 2024?
APAC (with the rest of the world!) has been witnessing a surge in tech advancement, particularly in areas such as AI. This is the hot topic of the industry and is attracting considerable interest from exhibitors and attendees alike. Tech will continue to be front-and-centre at AIME 2024, whether it be on our showfloor or through our Knowledge Programme, Welcome Event and beyond. At AIME we were pioneers to use AI in our bespoke meeting matching platform and we are excited to unveil new features and improvements on our platform for 2024. There’s no doubt that the event will continue to evolve and grow and as we enter into our 31st AIME – it’s clear that AIME really is the place where Asia Pacific does business – and where it has a lot of fun, too!
Sustainability has become a crucial aspect of event management. What initiatives are planned to enhance the event’s sustainability in 2024?
Sustainability has become a crucial aspect of events and, for us, the question of sustainability starts at the inception of each AIME and is much more than simply swapping plastic cups for paper. At AIME 2024, sustainability is as much about the environment as it is about the heritage of Melbourne, our rich indigenous culture and economic considerations; it is also about education and advocacy. One of our commitments to sustainability is reflected in AIME’s ongoing partnership with MCEC – the first convention centre in the world to have a 6 Star Green Star rating – and partnering with suppliers like Cardboard Mill who fashion sustainable furniture and stand builders who have developed reusable stand structures that can be rolled out for many years to come. We also encourage our exhibitors to lead by example too, using the AIME showfloor as an opportunity to build eco-friendly stands and to showcase repurposing and/or future proofing techniques. AIME 2024 will see a significant reduction in the amount of printed material that’s used in the event. Most of the signage throughout the show floor will be digital, and AIME will not be distributing physical floorplans or producing an event tote bag. We’re also excited to share that for the first time our lanyard will be manufactured from RPET material which is produced from recycled water bottles and food packaging. AIME is committed to leading the way in this area for the industry. Stay tuned as more event details emerge.
How will you be encouraging networking opportunities for participants at AIME 2024?
We know our Welcome Event is a much-loved part of AIME and attendees look forward to using that opportunity to reconnect with old friends and colleagues and of course make new ones! We also understand how important it is to maximise ROI from attending AIME and that comes in the form of meeting the right people. That’s why we continually refine and enhance our AI-powered meeting platform to ensure meetings between the right exhibitor and right buyer are scheduled and have commercial potential, with every meeting optimised to deliver measurable return on investment. The AIME team has become well versed in leveraging tech – and in particular AI – to prefill diaries for exhibitors and buyers – we really do the hard work for you so when it comes time to meet on the showfloor, all our attendees have to focus on, is closing the deal! As the show continues to grow, we’ve also included more breakout spaces on the showfloor for those all-important impromptu meetings, which in turn facilitates more networking opportunities across the three days of AIME.
With more airlift and flight routes returning, how will AIME leverage this opportunity to attract more international visitors and exhibitors in 2024?
We are delighted to see that airlines are putting on more flights, enabling more international exhibitors and visitors to come to Australia more broadly, Melbourne in general and AIME in particular! According to the Global Business Travel Association worldwide, spending on business travel will top pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and soar to more than US$1.78 trillion in 2027. Tourism Australia executive general manager of commercial & business events Australia Robin Mack said at the Site ANZ Conference this year that international capacity to our shores was steadily returning. “From a very low base we saw aviation seat capacity into Australia return to 71% of pre-Covid levels at the start of 2023; that jumped to 88% in August and is forecast to return to 98% by February 2024. This continued growth supports more competitive pricing, which is key to the ongoing recovery of the business events sector and wider Australian tourism industry,” he said. At AIME 2024 we expect to host more than 500 hosted buyers – an increase of 25% on the number of hosted buyers in 2023. We will host 150 international buyers from New Zealand, Europe, UK, South-East Asia, North Asia, India, USA and Canada. We will also have 400 exhibitors and 3,500 visitors attending AIME in Melbourne next February. Exhibitors are already confirmed from companies and suppliers from every Australian state as well as international destinations including Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and more. With more than 85% of the showfloor already sold, AIME 2024 promises to be the biggest event yet!
