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A prime theme of AIME 2025, “We Matter!” emphasises the vital role of the business events industry as a global driver of economic growth.

As well as urging event professionals to recognise and celebrate their impact on their industries and the world, “We matter!” also hints at the industry’s challenges and the need to avoid burnout.

“We’ve got to recognise that we have this hard life because we’re a feast or famine industry, aren’t we,” comments Talk2 Media & Events chief executive Matt Pearce, whose team once again organised a highly successful and popular AIME.

“It’s either really busy or it’s really quiet, and it’s a matter of managing that for everybody and recognising it. So that was one of our key themes.”

At the moment, momentum in the industry is building fast.

“AIME 2025 was the biggest show our team has ever produced,” Pearce confirmed.

“In an environment with new entrants and regional events, this is testament to AIME’s track record of delivering meaningful business outcomes. Last year more than $330 million of business was generated at AIME and we are confident that figure will be higher again this year.”

AIME Event Director Silke Calder with colourful participant

Pearce concedes that AIME is about more than just impressive numbers.

“It’s about creating an experience that exceeds expectations, fosters meaningful connections, and drives the business events industry forward. And this week Melbourne and AIME truly is where the business events world meets in Asia Pacific.”

Over three days, AIME hosted more than 640 buyers worldwide and welcomed more than 4500 attendees and 675 exhibitors from various business events sectors around Asia Pacific and beyond to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

More than 200 new exhibitors attended, along with two new international pavilions, Singapore and Thailand, joining 30 countries and territories represented at AIME 2025.

Added to the mix were 170 hosted international buyers from New Zealand, Europe, the UK, Southeast Asia, North Asia, India, South America, the USA, and Canada and more than 470 domestic buyers – with three out of four hosted buyers attending AIME for the first time. The New Zealand contingent was the biggest ever.

The New Zealand contingent at AIME 2025 was the biggest ever.

Pearce noted that this year’s success built on the exceptional growth of 2024 – when more than A$330 million of business is considered to have been traded between exhibitors and buyers in the 12 months following the show. It confirms AIME as the leading event for the international business events community in the Asia Pacific region.

There are no real challengers to AIME’s pre-eminence, though Pierce warns against any complacency in such a dynamic industry.

AIME is owned by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and managed by Talk2 Media & Events. This is the fourth show delivered by AIME Event Director Silke Calder and her team.

More than 20,000 meetings were held across this year’s show – including more than 15,000 meetings pre-scheduled between highly vetted buyers and matched exhibitors.

AIME’s Knowledge Program has grown five-fold over the past few years – from a program with just a few hundred participants pre-Covid to more than 1500 people in 2025.

Pearce said the DMC (Destination Marketing Companies) area had grown, as had the boutique area. Boutiques are smaller, interesting operations that probably 10 years ago would never have considered an event space but are now doing, too.

“Those sorts of things have not just driven our growth, but actually become a focus, because we talk to the buyers and we talk to the exhibitors all the way through the year, so we gain a good sense of what they’re looking for,” Pearce said.