The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) 2025 has kicked off in Melbourne, marking its biggest edition yet. This year’s event is hosting more exhibitors, hosted buyers and attendees than ever before.
Over three days (10-12 February) at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center (MCEC), more than 640 buyers from around the world will meet with 675 exhibitors. Total attendance will surpass 4,500.
This year, AIME has expanded to include two new international pavilions – Singapore and Thailand – and 200 first-time exhibitors, creating fresh opportunities for organisers looking for new venues, suppliers and destinations.
AIME 2025 is bringing in 170 hosted buyers from key global markets, including New Zealand, Europe, the UK, South-East Asia, India, the US and Canada. More than 470 domestic buyers are also attending, with 75% of hosted buyers new to the show.
This builds on the success of AIME 2024, where exhibitors and buyers traded an estimated $330m in business deals set to materialise over the following 12 months.
More meetings, more business
There are more than 20,000 meetings expected across the event – including 15,000 pre-scheduled appointments between highly vetted buyers and matched exhibitors.
Talk2 Media & Events CEO Matt Pearce confirmed this year’s event will be the largest AIME produced by the team, growing beyond AIME 2024, which was already the biggest in a decade. “This week, Melbourne and AIME are truly where the business events world meets in Asia Pacific,” Pearce said.
New Zealand is making its largest-ever showing at AIME, giving organisers increased access to Kiwi venues, suppliers and destination offerings.
Knowledge Program growth and key speakers
AIME’s Knowledge Program has grown five-fold in recent years, from a few hundred participants pre-COVID to more than 1,500 in 2025.
Today’s sessions, held at Plenary at MCEC, focus on the theme ‘We Matter!’, highlighting the business events industry’s role in economic growth. Keynote speakers include Gus Balbotin, former CTO of Lonely Planet, and Dr Kristy Goodwin, a neuro-performance scientist and best-selling author.
The programme will also debut the ‘Global Insights and Business Outlook for 2025’ panel, featuring Carina Bauer (IMEX Group), Senthil Gopinath (ICCA), Tim Groot (Grip) and Sven Bossu (AIPC).
Organisers can expect 20 breakout sessions covering topics such as AI in events, emerging talent and the impact of consumer experience on event success.
Extended show hours and new industry collaborations
In response to demand, AIME’s trade show hours have been extended in 2025. The expo will run from 8.30am to 6pm on Tuesday 11 February and from 8.30am to 5pm on Wednesday 12 February, giving buyers and exhibitors more time to connect.
For the first time, global exhibitions association UFI is co-locating its 2025 Asia-Pacific Conference in Melbourne, taking place at MCEC from 13-14 February.
Other major industry events include the AIME Leaders Forum, hosted by the Australian Business Events Association, and the AIPC @ AIME summit for convention and exhibition centre executives.
Melbourne Convention Bureau report highlights long-term impact
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) CEO Julia Swanson launched ‘The Positive Impact of Business Events Report’ at AIME 2025. “Business events are transformative, both for those involved and for the cities they take place in,” Swanson said. “This report highlights the many advantages these events bring to Melbourne and Victoria.”
With a bigger showfloor, more buyers and an expanded education programme, AIME 2025 is attempting to cement itself as an essential event for conference organisers looking to secure new business and insights for the year ahead.
