There are trade shows, and then there’s AIME.
The 2026 edition of the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event has quietly done what the best business events tend to do: get the right people in the right room and let the deals take care of themselves. This year, those deals are expected to land at around $425 million over the next 12 months.
No fanfare required. Just results.
Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in February, AIME brought together more than 1,500 hosted buyers, 765 exhibitors from 36 countries, and upwards of 5,000 attendees. Across two days, more than 25,000 meetings were scheduled. Not “networking” meetings. There’s a difference, and AIME leans firmly into it.
Less noise, more business
The strength of AIME has always been its discipline. While plenty of events chase scale, AIME continues to focus on relevance, who meets whom, and why it matters.
Talk2 Media & Events CEO Matt Pearce didn’t overcomplicate it.
“AIME is uniquely built around the quality of the connections we create,” he said.
“Our event is carefully curated to ensure the right people are meeting each other, which leads to stronger conversations, better partnerships and real commercial outcomes.”
It’s a familiar line, but this year it carries weight. A projected $425 million in business isn’t theoretical; it reflects deals already in motion, partnerships underway, and pipelines being filled.
Satisfaction that actually means something
Industry surveys can be a bit like airline meals, best taken with a pinch of salt. But AIME’s numbers are difficult to ignore.
Exhibitors returned a Net Promoter Score of 32.6, well above the industry benchmark of 9.6. Visitors scored it even higher at 59.4, compared to a benchmark of 30.6.
In simple terms, people found it worthwhile. More importantly, they’d come back.
For Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO Julia Swanson, that consistency matters.
“AIME continues to shine as the premier business events trade show in our region and MCB is incredibly proud to own such an impactful event,” she said.
“The ongoing success of AIME reflects the strength of our local business events industry as well as the capacity for Melbourne to host large-scale trade shows that draw exhibitors and buyers from around the world and generate record-breaking amounts of business.”
Melbourne, it seems, still knows how to put on a show and, more importantly, how to turn it into business.
Scale with purpose
Under Event Director Silke Calder, AIME 2026 was the largest iteration yet. But size alone isn’t the story.
“AIME continues to grow in both scale and impact, with more of the global industry coming together each year to meet, connect, learn and do business,” Calder said.
“The strong satisfaction scores from exhibitors and visitors show the quality of the meetings taking place and the importance of AIME as a platform for building new partnerships and future events.”
There’s a steady confidence in that assessment. No grand claims, just a clear indication that the model is working.
The return of face-to-face properly
For all the talk of hybrid models and digital efficiencies, AIME’s results point to something more fundamental: business events still hinge on human interaction.
Deals of this scale rarely happen over email threads or video calls alone. They require time, context, and a degree of trust that tends to form across a table rather than a screen.
AIME understands that and builds around it.
Looking ahead
As the first major tradeshow on the global business events calendar, AIME sets the tone for the year. On current form, that tone is steady and quietly optimistic.
The next editions are already locked in: February 2027 and February 2028, again in Melbourne.
No reinvention required. Just more of what works.
For further details, visit aime.com.au.
by Susan Ng – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 3 minutes
About the Writer.
With the polish of an international hotel professional and the instincts of a born storyteller, Susan Ng learned hospitality where it truly lives behind reception desks, in banquet halls, beside linen carts. She understands that excellence isn’t announced; it’s felt, in the small, quiet gestures that linger long after checkout.
Away from the bustle, her curiosity found a new front desk: the blank page. Her blog, candid and gently wry, drew readers who recognised truth when they saw it. She wrote about grace and imperfection with the steady eye of someone who had lived both.
Today, at Global Travel Media, Susan brings that same warmth and insight to her stories. Expect writing that is polished, generous, and reassuring, like the perfect welcome after a long journey.
