EXPERTISE and how it matters to the business events industry forms the theme for AIME 2026’s Knowledge Monday.
A line-up of speakers has been announced to tackle topics ranging from mindset and behaviour to resilience, reinvention and human connection.
Knowledge Monday is scheduled for the opening day of the Asia-Pacific Incentive Meetings Event (AIME) in Melbourne on February 9, 2026.
MEET THE SPEAKERS…
Dan Haesler, Performance and Leadership Coach, is a leading authority on mindset, mental skills and leadership. A trusted coach to elite sporting teams, Olympians and global organisations, Haesler helps high performers thrive by combining research, psychology and real-world experience.
“Expertise matters – however, time and again it’s lost in translation due to environments and delivery that dampen authentic engagement,” Haesler said. “My keynote is less about the expertise we share and more about the environment we create to share it.”
He said delegates would leave with “a more nuanced approach to designing for authentic engagement” – a critical attribute in today’s high-pressure business events landscape.
Milo Wilkinson, Behavioural Scientist and Futurist, is renowned for decoding human behaviour in high-stakes environments – from boardrooms to interrogation rooms. With seven degrees spanning neuroscience, psychology and criminal sciences, she brings a sharp lens to leadership, influence and performance.
Wilkinson said the ‘Expertise Matters’ theme aligned with the neuroscience behind intentional design, decision-making, and human connection.
“True expertise goes beyond logistics – it requires understanding subconscious drivers of attention, trust, and engagement,” Wilkinson said. “By revealing the brain’s pattern recognition and threat-response systems, we can elevate events from functional gatherings to strategically engineered experiences that create measurable impact.”
Delegates would gain “practical strategies to strengthen mental agility and a deeper understanding of their primal brain – recognising that their expertise is grounded in science, not instinct.”
Kristina Karlsson, Founder of kikki.K and Dream Life, is an entrepreneur, author and speaker whose story embodies the power of resilience, reinvention and purposeful expertise.
From building and leading a multimillion dollar global design brand, then having to start again with her company Dream Life, Karlsson urges audiences to dream big, act bravely and create impact that lasts.
“Expertise isn’t just what you know – it’s what you’ve lived. I’ll be sharing what I learned from building then losing a $650 million globally loved business – and how that can help you, no matter where you are in life.”
Hosted by BEAMexperience Founder El Kwang, Knowledge Monday is expected to attract more than 1,500 global event professionals, setting the tone for AIME’s three days of networking, learning and connection.
AIME Event Director Silke Calder says the 2026 keynote lineup epitomises the theme “Expertise Matters!” and the growing strength of the Knowledge Monday platform.
“Our keynote speakers each bring a unique lens on what true expertise means today — it’s about lived experience, self-awareness and the ability to apply knowledge with purpose,” Calder said. “Knowledge Monday continues to be the heart of AIME’s learning experience, inspiring our community to connect, collaborate and lead with confidence.”
AIME 2026 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, from February 9-11, is expected to be the event’s biggest edition yet with over 4,500 attendees including 700 exhibitors, 700 hosted buyers and more than 20,000 pre-scheduled appointments.
