EXHIBITION industry giant Reed bowed out from organising the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME) as the 2018 edition of the trade show came to a close on February 21.
Talk 2 Media and Events (Talk2 ME) takes over from Reed Travel Exhibitions, which ran the Melbourne Conventin Bureau-owned show for 20 years.
“It is clear that AIME has an important heritage that is valued by so many within the incentives, meetings and events industry, however it is evident that the industry is looking for change at AIME that better reflects the industry in 2020,” Talk2 ME’s chief executive Matt Pearce (above, far left) said.
“At the core of the event are the three pillars of commerce, education and networking, and everything we do will reflect this. The changes we are planning are designed to implement the vision we have for AIME to ensure the future longevity of the event.”
Pearce, a former director of Diversified Communications, unveiled the changes alongside Reed’s Graeme Barnett (above, second from right) during a press conference at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Changes include a “specific focus” on the hosted buyer programme to ensure it delivered “quality, quantity and a good geographic split of buyers from around the Asia-Pacific region”.
Pearce said Talk2 ME had already identified the number of buyers, by industry and geography, that it planned to bring to the event next year.
“The hosted-buyer programme is central to the success of the event and we will be working immediately post AIME 2018 to ensure we encourage the right buyers to attend AIME 2019,” he said.
“The event must reflect the Asia-Pacific region, and we will be working closely with a number of intermediaries to identify and invite key players in the region to join us as part of the 2019 hosted buyer programme.”
Pearce said education would be offered to all attendees across all three days and that talks were being held with several recognised industry associations, both locally and internationally, to provide meaningful education across a broad range of subjects.
Additional networking opportunities would also be introduced in 2019, Pearce said. These include networking sessions on the show floor each day of the event as well as a new offering on the Tuesday evening of the annual event.
“We are a face-to-face industry that thrives on personal networks and we must have the opportunity to encourage people to meet, do business and importantly, have fun,” Pearce said.
“New management will always look through a different lens and we will be working closely with MCB to create the region’s best event for our industry. We are excited and up for the challenge.”
Main picture, from left: Peter King, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre chief executive; Graeme Barnett, senior exhibitions director, Reed Travel Exhibitions; Karen Bolinger, CEO, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre; and, Matt Pearce, CEO, Talk2 Media and Events.
