TIMES ARE
CHANGING
T
his is the final year for Reed Travel
Exhibitions as the organiser of AIME,
marking the final chapter for a successful
partnership with MCB over the best part
of two decades.
“It does feel strange to know that
under so many years of Reed’s
stewardship when the doors
close on Wednesday
evening we hand over
the baton,” says
Graeme Barnett,
senior exhibition
director, Reed Travel
Exhibitions, Meetings
and Events Portfolio.
“AIME has been part of the
Reed family for almost 20 years
as part of the ibtm events portfolio.
It is an extremely exciting time to
be involved in this business sector, as
governments around the world are beginning
to truly understand the value of business events
and meetings, which are key to developing global
trade and intellectual engagement.”
Reed Exhibitions delivers over 500 shows annually
bringing over seven million participants all over the world
together to do business, to learn and be inspired, which
Graeme says demonstrates the passion Reed has for industry.
“I have seen many changes in my 12 years in the ibtm events
portfolio but one thing that has remained steadfast is the power of face
to face meetings, conversation and knowledge exchange,” he says. “The
digital age has perhaps made the need for human interaction even greater
as we see here in Melbourne this week. This is why our industry will continue
to adapt, evolve and flourish. As most brands evolve so do events and exhibitions,
and this is the time for the next evolution of AIME.”
That next evolution is being shaped by Talk2 Media & Events, who take the baton next
year to deliver AIME 2019. Talk2 Media & Events CEO Matt Pearce announced a series of
changes the new team are planning for the 2019 event to reflect the industry research the
company has undertaken.
“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,” he says.
“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.”
The changes include a specific focus on the Hosted Buyer program to ensure it can
deliver quality, quantity and a good geographic split of buyers from around the Asia-
Pacific region. Change will also be implemented within the education offering at the event
and additional networking opportunities including networking sessions on the show floor
each day of the event as well as a new offering on the Tuesday evening.
“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!”
said Pearce. “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.”
AIMEDaily Day 2, 2018 3