1 March 2012: The show floor was buzzing at the 20th anniversary Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) 2012 with more quality Hosted Buyers undertaking Pre Scheduled Appointments (PSAs) with exhibitors than in 2011.
500 Hosted Buyers from 27 countries attended AIME, which is an increase of 16.5 per cent compared to 2011. Furthermore, 779 exhibitors were present at the show and pre-audited figures show that an impressive 3,384 visitors attended over the two days.
Of these figures, 51 per cent of Hosted Buyers and 206 exhibitors were attending AIME for the first time, with these groups conducting 12,903 PSAs, a 15.8 per cent increase from 2011.
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) Director for AIME, Sally de Swart, said feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the 20th anniversary event was a resounding success, providing lead generation through networking and formal business appointments.
“We are extremely pleased with the feedback we have received during and post show and our refreshed program provided our visitors with more opportunities to network, conduct business and be educated,” Ms de Swart said.
“It was great to see over 2000 attendees at the Official Welcome Reception on the Monday night at the Melbourne Pavilion in Flemington, hosted by the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), which certainly set the tone for the whole show.”
In addition, the IBTM Global Industry Research preliminary findings for Asia-Pacific were announced at the Business Events Forum held on the Tuesday, revealing that 83 per cent of buyers in the region are choosing to stay within Asia-Pacific to hold their events and meetings, which supports the idea that the area is holding strong in the industry.
AIME 2013 will be returning on 19 and 20 March 2013. For more information about AIME, visitwww.aime.com.au
