15 December 2011: Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) have released the 2012 Education Program schedule and speakers, which for the first time, has been developed in collaboration with major industry association partners, in an effort to make content even more relevant and useful to attendees.
AIME has worked with its new association partners; the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), the Professional Conference Organisers Association Inc (PCO) and the International Special Events Society (ISES) and its existing partners; Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) and International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), who will provide one seminar each.
Sally de Swart, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) Director for AIME, said the new partnerships with these key associations inject new knowledge and insights into the program.
“Having these associations on board helps ensure that AIME stays fresh and in line with the current market, which is so important to us especially after 20 years,” Ms de Swart said.
“Attendees will really benefit from the refreshed Education Program as the issues addressed are ones they would likely face during their careers.”
The Education Program will begin with the annual Business Events Forum on the Tuesday morning of the show from 8am to 9:45am. The Forum examines the outlook for the business events sector focusing on the Asia-Pacific region.
With commentary from a business futurist and economist, and with observations from the field, this session will provide an insight into the meetings industry’s suppliers and clients’ responses to today’s business climate, highlighting pockets of strength and growth, along with signs of market weakness in destinations and sectors.
One of the most popular components of the Education Program is the Saxton Ultimate Event Experience, which showcases entertainment for business events including illusion, motivational speaking, dance and music. Attendees can be inspired by creative, entertainment ideas at the two hour presentation free of charge on the Wednesday morning from 8:00am to 10:05am.
The confirmed Education Program seminars and speakers are as follows:
- Business Events Forum: What in the world’s going on? – Phil Ruthven, IBISWorld; Sally Greenhill, The Right Solution; Facilitator Elizabeth Rich
- “Open your mind: How to come up with ideas that drive innovation and business growth” – Nigel Collin, CEO, Thinkativity (In association with MEA). MEA will give two Professional Development Points for those attending this seminar
- “Planning an effective social media strategy for your next event” Sarah Mitchell, Content Marketing Consultant, Global Copywriting (In association with PCO Association)
- “Global trends in special events” (Skype session) – Kathy Miller, President, Chief Creative Officer, Business Development, Total Event Resources, Chicago, USA; Richard Foulkes, Director of Special Events & Productions, Imagination London, UK; Robert Rogers, CSEP, Event Management & Productions Ltd., Hong Kong (In association with ISES)
- “Integrating the multigenerational voices of business travellers into managed travel & meetings programs” – Carl Jones, Director, Advisory Services Japan, Asia- Pacific, Australia, American Express Business Travel; Wendy Reynolds, Manager, Global Travel Procurement, Hewlett Packard Global Travel and Meetings Services; Vanessa Young, Manager, Corporate & Government Sales AU & NZ, Virgin Australia (In association with ACTE)
- “Strategic developments in the medical and pharmaceutical industry” – Deborah Monk, Director, Innovation and Industry Policy, Medicine Australia; Kate Smith, Managing Director, WaldronSmith Management (In association with ICCA)
- “Face-to-face networking for events – there is so much more to it!” – Julia Palmer, Networking Strategist and CEO, Business Networking Academy
- “Saxton Ultimate Event Experience” – Entertainers/speakers include but are not limited to drummer David Jones, illusionist Cosentino, media guru Ita Buttrose and noted business speaker John Lees. Biographies of all speakers can be found here http://www.infosalons.com.au/aime12m/startsaxton.asp
Education Program tickets:
Visitor Seminar Access Pass – access to every seminar including the Business Events Forum $145
Exhibitor All Access Pass – A transferable pass that can be shared amongst staff from the same company that are working on a stand, allowing access to any of the seminars on the Education Program $175
Each seminar is $45
Business Events Forum is $70
Saxton Ultimate Event Experience Free
For more information or to pre-register as a visitor for free, visit www.aime.com.au
