AIME Wrap Up 2013

In case you didn’t know, annually in Australia we have the opportunity to meet colleagues and exhibitors from around the world at the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) which is held in Melbourne each February.  The conference runs for 2 days with optional pre-touring of regional cities, dappled with a host of social activities and networking opportunities.  It’s a hard week of talking, meeting, eating and drinking but the knowledge gained is immeasurable.

From an attendance point of view, I don’t know the numbers but I’ve come home with more than 50 business cards from people I had genuine conversations with over the week, so needless to say I’m parched and ready for a sleep!

PRE-TOUR – Business Events Geelong

Each year we have the opportunity to choose a pre-tour and this year I chose to experience the Great Ocean Road and surrounds of Geelong, Torquay and Lorne.  Presented by Business Events Geelong, this fabulous destination is where you would go if you want to get delegates away to really focus.  Highlights included Bells Beach, Mad Max’ house from a cliff outcrop, kayaking down an estuary with Big Stick Adventures and magnificent regional food presented by Cater & Co.

We visited a host of venues on Saturday which was a little too much to bear, albeit a great range of options for delegations under 500.  The “construction site” tour of the new RACV Resort provided an insight into a breathtaking new venue and the hospitality experienced from The Wyndham Torquay and Cumberland Lorne was beautifully Australian and very warm.  The Cumberland has the only 250 seater theatre in the region, a great option for the likes of academic and medical seminars.

The Business Events Geelong team were great hosts and clearly love their region.  They provided an additional trip later in the week to the Avalon Air Show, providing even more reasons to host events and conferences in the region.

MELBOURNE – UNIQUE VENUES TOUR & WELCOME PARTY/ies

Monday is the welcome breakfast, unique venues tour and gala lunch hosted by the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.  The welcome breakfast was held at the National Gallery of Victoria and the room is simply stunning.  The stained glass ceiling spans the entire length and the venue boasts a grand open space in both the function space and welcome area.  The customer service was exceptional and the breakfast provided by Peter Rowland Catering was scrumptious.

The announcement of King Kong Live on Stage was the highlight of the event, with a special performance by Esther Hannaford who plays Ann Darrow in King Kong when it opens at the Regent Theatre Melbourne in June 2013.  Lord Mayor Robert Doyle welcomed guests and spoke highly of Melbourne’s support of the arts and his creative city.  I tend to agree.

After breakfast we’re shuffled off on our unique venues tour where we visited the not quite finished Southern Star Observation Wheel at Docklands and the Medibank Icehouse, Australia’s only dual rink centre with unique function spaces and a wonderful feel of hospitality and excitement.  The Docklands provided a range of great spaces from a children’s amusement park to the spectacular Speigeltent.  A permanent structure from the 1900’s available for hire.  From here we went off to Antlantic Group’s venues including a converted warehouse which still houses the original timber doors, a spectacular venue for weddings and gala dinners.

Back to the convention centre where we were treated to a delectable lunch that included the most amazing baby strawberries I have ever tasted.  The convention centre wanted to profile their new menu and it is simply superb.  With Jessica Mauboy as last year’s surprise entertainer we all waited in anticipation and speculation as to who we would see this year.  While the rumour mill ran rampant, we were treated to some opera, a rock band and a soloist, who culminated their performances into a collaborative rendition of some of the best rock tunes ever heard.

A little lacklustre that we didn’t see a superstar at lunch (although still a fantastic performance), speculation began to rise on what would unfold at the welcome networking event that night…

We arrived to a red carpet welcome on the Crown Promenade and were served a wide range of beverages and canapés.  We’d made some friends by then so everyone was in great spirits just enjoying what the night had to offer.  A few spots of rain threatened to break up the crowd, and I must admit a lack of contingency cover was a concern.  Nevertheless, the rain held off and we got our rockstar moment!  Jon Stevens, performed some of his greatest hits and as expected had all the girls “reaching out” to touch somebody – namely him!

Whisked away from the networking to attend a private party at the Sofitel, we arrived to the most delightful reinterpretation of a ball room I have ever seen.  The Sofitel created a French inspired village feel with burlesque, an oyster bar, crepe suzette bar and the most amazing cheese and delicatessen spread I have ever tasted.  We had photo opps and cocktails, and I think more than 20 performances going on at any one time.  Absolutely the highlight event for me.

With the end of the festivities nigh and the true work about to begin, we all head out to our various accommodations to grab some shut eye before attending our multitude of pre-scheduled appointments on the exhibitor floor.

My accommodation is the Crown Metropol and the Crown complex is incredible.  I’ve never been to Vegas but I think this may be just a little bit of what it feels like to be in a hotel connected to other hotels all connected to the casino.  You don’t have to leave the complex at all – it’s all here on your doorstep.  I will say it was a bit masculine for my taste and the customer service had a lot to be desired.  If you’re delegates are of the Aussie bloke variety it would be ideal – all black, glass toilet and shower door, straight lines and abstract art.

THE EXHIBITION

My day starts with more than 15 x 15 min appointments.  I don’t remember booking all these and as a semi-hosted buyer I’m only obligated to attend 8.  But someone’s made them so I feel I need to attend as being known as a no-show is not an option.  The stands look amazing and everyone has gone to great expense to profile their product, region or venue.  All in all I visited more than 20 exhibitors and learnt a great deal about areas such as Dubai, Oman, New Zealand and USA as well as Australian ports like Perth, Coffs Harbour, The Gold Coast and Northern Territory.  2 standouts for me that I had never thought of for conferencing were Carnival Cruises and Disney.  It was great to learn what they had to offer and how their venues work from a conferencing perspective.

By day 2 it does start to feel like exhibitors are just concerned about reaching quotas and we’re all getting a little tired of hearing the sales pitch up front followed by an Ipad viewing of pretty pictures.  I start to wonder if there’s an opportunity to design a product that teaches exhibitors how to get the most out of their pre-scheduled appointments!

But we’re all tired and it’s been a long week.  I end my week by staying an extra night and catching up with new found friends over a casual dinner which was delightful.  If you’re ever in the Crown Complex in Melbourne, head to Emporio Della Pasta – affordable, scrumptious and great customer service.

We reminisce on the fun times but also spend some time evaluating the experience with Nat explaining  “I personally found AIME to be a little quieter this year even though attendance was up. Exhibitors noted that their most successful meetings were from walk-ups this year as opposed to buyer appointments that were often made in order to fill the quota required by hosted buyers rather than because of actual interest, and reviews were varied as to the potential leads that were generated.  First time exhibitors including Carnival Australia reported a genuinely high interest level and it will be interesting to see the results in business generated in comparison to 2012.”

It seems we all agree that maybe some of our appointments were a numbers game rather than to add value…

Check out Nat’s full wrap up here, including photos and write ups on the amazing places we visited.

It is however, an invigorating experience attending AIME and a wonderful opportunity to learn what the rest of the industry and associated businesses are delivering.  The people I meet are always amazing, keen to learn about Australia and ready to do business.  I didn’t meet as many international delegates this time around and maybe this comes down to the lack of facilitated networking opportunities.  One delegate I travelled to the airport with said that she felt it was “clicky” which concerned me and I found myself wondering if I had done everything I could to meet lots of new people and share as much as I could about our wonderful country.

I’ll be posting a few photos on my Facebook page and if you’re considering Australia for your business events, feel free to get in touch and ask any questions.  We did show what a wonderful country we are and how exceptional meetings, incentives and conference programs are when produced in Australia.

Here’s to another successful year and thanks to AIME for Great Event!