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OfficialAIMEDaily 21st Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre • Tuesday • 26 February 2013
Day 1 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 7.45-10.00 Saxton Ultimate Event Experience 9.00-18.00 Registration open 10.00 AIME 2013 opens 10.00-17.00 Future Events Experience
Business Events Week launched From left: Martin Ferguson, Federal Minister for Tourism and Minister for Resources and Energy; Karen Bolinger, Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne Convention Bureau; and Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, at the launch of Business Events Week.
Australia’s inaugural Business Events Week was officially launched yesterday by the Federal Minister for Tourism and Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle. Business Events Week, organised by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB), will run until Friday, March 1, and feature more than 50 events, the centrepiece of which will be this year’s Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME). The initiative aims to showcase the value of business events to Victoria, and Australia in general. Speaking at the launch, Ferguson said it was fitting that the inaugural Business Events Week was held in Melbourne, which has had a long history of successive governments taking business events seriously in terms of the employment and economic opportunity. “When people come together to discuss the issues of the day and in doing so create events that are a vital contributor to tourism expenditure in Australia, they create prosperity, jobs and training opportunities for Australia,” Ferguson said. “There has been huge growth in the business events sector in the last year. One in seven international visitors in Australia are now here to attend a business event; an increase of 8 per cent on the previous year. Spending has also increased by visitors attending these international events to over $2.6 billion, up 10 per cent on the previous year.”
organisation was delighted to be taking the lead on Business Events Week in its first year. “There is no doubt the business events industry is a quiet achiever, which not only generates economic wealth and export opportunities, but also assists with job creation and encourages research and innovation, raising global awareness about the achievements and capabilities of our scientists, academics and practitioners,” she said. Bolinger also said it was fitting that during Business Events Week, AIME would celebrate its 21st anniversary. “In 2012, more than 3300 visitors attended AIME, with an estimated $US535 million worth of business booked as a result of the show. “This year, around 750 exhibitors will be in attendance, as well as over 500 buyers spanning 30 countries, all here to conduct business over two days.” Business Events Week also features the trade component of the Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (from February 26 to March 1), one of the Asia-Pacific’s most prestigious aviation, aerospace and defence events.
For the five year period to financial year 2014-15, business events secured by MCB alone are estimated to have a direct expenditure impact for Victoria of $874.6 million.
Another key event will see the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) open its doors to the public for its inaugural Open Space event on Thursday, which will feature a plenary session with key business events leaders, followed by a pop-up installation of hawker-style food markets in the foyer offering a complimentary taste of MCEC’s award-winning produce and a range of Victorian suppliers.
MCB chief executive officer Karen Bolinger said the
A full calendar of events is available at melbournecb.com.au.
10.30-11.30 AIME Knowledge Seminar Let’s face it – nothing beats face to face real life experience 10.30-11.30 AIME Knowledge Seminar Where savings meet success 11.45-12.45 AIME Knowledge Seminar Projecting value: a media perspective 11.45-12.45 AIME Knowledge Seminar Duty of care – can you and your organisation afford to take chances? 14.15-15.15 AIME Knowledge Seminar Effective communication: real connection = real results! 14.15-15.15 AIME Knowledge Seminar Business travel and carbon pricing 15.30-16.30 AIME Knowledge Seminar PCO business models – the real cost of events 16.30-18.00 AIME Networking Hour Show Floor (Future Events Experience and various stands, show floor) 18.00 Day one closes 21.30-Late Club Night (Club 23, Level 3, Crown Towers)