Buyers and sellers grow again
After numbers of both exhibitors and buyers skyrocketed between the 2023 and 2024 shows, numbers have grown again for 2025, somewhat more moderately, with around 660 sellers and 640 hosted buyers, alongside visitor buyers attending in addition.
New national pavilions on the floor will be Singapore and Thailand, with 29 countries in total represented at the event.
Get the lowdown on upcoming venues and hotels
AIME offers the opportunity to meet with the teams behind forthcoming venues before they open.
The team from the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will be on the Tourism New Zealand stand, having announced their 2026 opening month today. The NZICC are also serving up a taste of the venue, courtesy of their executive chef, to hosted buyers at lunch on day one of the exhibition.
Representatives from Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, also opening in 2026, will be sharing a stand with Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
And with a much more imminent opening, Saltwater Bussleton, the new flexible convention centre space on Australia’s west coast, will also be at the event on the Business Events Perth stand.
Major international hotel chains including Accor, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels and Hilton Hotels will all have a presence at the show, with new and upcoming openings to share. Growing independent Australian operators like Crystalbrook Collection and Salter Brothers will also be on the floor.
There will be plenty to experience
There are always plenty of on-stand activations around the show floor at AIME.
Melbourne Convention Bureau is bringing an iconic Melbourne beach box onto the show floor with Melbourne experiences to be won by those who step inside.
Meanwhile Tourism New Zealand is bringing a full-scale Hobbit Hole to the event, along with their largest ever contingent of exhibitors – 36 in all from across New Zealand’s business events offering.
The Hobbit Hole is, of course, a nod to the Hobbiton attraction on New Zealand’s North Island, which is part of the country’s role as the set for the Lord of the Rings films.
Meanwhile on the Northern Territory Business Events stand, there will be gin tastings from Darwin Distilling Company, with gins containing locally foraged native botanicals, bush balm samples from the innovative Alice Springs based Purple House and Indigenous fashion displays, thanks to a collaboration between the bureau and Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair.
And at the stand for Melbourne Park venue CENTREPIECE, there will be an artist on-hand to create unique illustrations for organisers looking to bring to life concepts for future events at the venue.
These are just a few that micenet has heard about – there are sure to be many more on the show floor.
Get sustainable inspiration before you’re through the door
For those looking for sustainable registration options, event tech business Sprintr are handling onsite badges this year, bringing in their EcoKiosk, a lightweight, reusable, recyclable and brandable registration kiosk made from paper board.
The kiosks come as both standalone units and in a tabletop version.
Get a knowledge boost
Preceding the show floor opening and the welcome event, AIME’s Knowledge Program runs over six hours from late Monday morning.
Offering a variety of insights from a lot of different faces and stakeholders – from outside industry inspiration to industry leader insights and sessions helmed by local and international business events associations – the program covers everything from artificial intelligence to intergenerational workplaces, marketing ROI, sales, measuring event impacts and more.
Experience a new venue
AIME’s welcome event venue was announced this week, with the Monday function to be held at il Mercato Centrale, a just-opened, large footprint space in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.
With an Amalfi Coast theme, attendees will be immersed into Italian cuisine for the evening.
Pick up a micenet magazine
Our annual special edition will be on the show floor at AIME, so make sure to pick up a copy.
In our ever-growing magazine, we cover current industry trends, new hotel openings and in-depth destination insights, alongside delving into critical issues across the industry including sustainability, artificial intelligence, convention centre redevelopment and how to get over the line with buyers in the venue and hotel negotiation process.
For those not attending AIME, we’ll be launching the digital edition wherever you are on Monday.
