The International Congress and Conference Association (ICCA) and the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) have announced a new industry partnership. The agreement will lead to a joint focus on continued commitment to bringing extended business opportunities to ICCA members in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and other global regions.
AIME will serve as a partner in advocacy, amplifying the voice of the international business events industry for destination enhancement. AIME is owned by the Melbourne Convention Bureau and is managed by Talk2 Media & Events.
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath signed the agreement with AIME representative Matt Pearce, director of Talk2 Media & Events, and Julia Swanson, CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, during AIME 2025 which was held recently in Melbourne, Australia.
ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath welcomed the new partnership. “ICCA’s partnership with AIME signifies our commitment to supporting the growth of the Asia Pacific meetings industry, which has experienced incredible growth over the past few years and continues to figure prominently on the world stage,” he said. “We’re looking forward to working with APAC members to support development of meetings and events professionals in the region, including ICCASkills, business exchange workshops, advocacy and more.”
Pearce added: “The AIME team has worked closely with Senthil, Waikin Wong (ICCA Asia Pacific regional director) and the whole ICCA team for several years and we are pleased to formalise this with an industry partnership.” “We look forward to driving business events growth and prosperity in APAC with ongoing personal and professional development opportunities through AIME and ICCA in the coming years as AIME cements its position as the leading business events exhibition and learning platform.”
This year, the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) and ICCA collaborated for a second time on the Emerging Leaders Challenge, a programme inviting emerging leaders to share their thought-provoking ideas on the future of the business events industry. The winner of the Challenge joined the interactive ABEA and ICCA session, held at the AIME Knowledge Programme.
ICCA also presented at the AIME Leaders Forum hosted by ABEA, which was held following AIME 2025 on 13 February. The session provided participants, comprising mainly of C-Suite executives, association leaders and government officials, a platform to discuss areas of advocacy primarily focused on legacy, growth and the value of business events as well as the importance of investment and destination profiling.
AIME 2026 will be held 9–11 February 2026 at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre in Australia. Planned programmes include the ICCA Business Exchange, The Bidding BootCamp, and an AIME scholarship aimed at cultivating talent for the next generation of business events professionals. AIME will also have a presence at the ICCA Congress to be held in Porto, Portugal, 9-12 November, 2025.
