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Melbourne’s leading business events show has a fresh theme and two new formats. Its message? The future of events still needs people.

Artificial intelligence can build a meeting diary. It can draft a speech and sort a guest list. But can it read a room, earn trust or turn a brief chat over coffee into a deal? Not quite. At least, not yet.

That is the challenge at the heart of AIME 2027 Knowledge Monday. The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event has named its new theme: “AIMEplify: People, Business and Impact”. Knowledge Monday opens the show at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) on 15 February 2027.

The plan is to explore what AI can do for the sector while making a case for the human touch. AIME has also announced two new formats, The Debate and The Pitch. Six industry leaders will help set the agenda.

There should be plenty to talk about. The sector earns its living by bringing people face-to-face. A lot is at stake when machines join the party.

The human touch is still the main event

AIME is working with BEAMexperience founder El Kwang to shape Knowledge Monday. The aim is not to wage war on AI. The aim is to use AI well. That could give staff more time for work that needs skill, care and sound judgement.

“Business events have always been about what happens when people come together with purpose, including the relationships they build, the ideas they exchange and the opportunities they create,” Kwang says.

He argues that as machines take on more routine work, human know-how, fresh ideas, and sound judgment will count more. The theme asks planners to build on what already works. There is no need to chase every new tool just because it has a shiny badge.

That is a sound point for event agencies, hotels, venues and tourism bodies. A digital tool can pair a buyer with a supplier. It cannot make them like or trust each other. Nor can it read a client’s aims on its own. Seeing how an event might help its host city takes more than data.

Good events need good systems. They also need people who know when to put the screen down.

Four themes, from staff wellbeing to growth

The day will run in two parts. The morning covers Inspire Me, Motivate Me, and Look After Me and My Team. These sessions will cover team needs, from staff care to the drive and skills needed to do great work.

The second half turns to business and impact. The two streams are Challenge Me and My Team and Show Me What’s Possible. Both will look at fresh ideas and new tools. The goal is to turn smart tech into real gains.

This split makes sense. Event planners face tight budgets, packed diaries, and rising client demands. A time-saving plan is welcome. But the real prize is a strong team, a happy client and a good result long after the last guest leaves.

For delegates, the test will be simple. Can they take a useful idea home and put it to work? If the answer is yes, Knowledge Monday will have done more than fill a conference room.

The Debate and The Pitch break the mould

The day’s biggest change could come from its new session styles.

The Debate will put clients and suppliers on a panel to tackle a trade-chosen topic. It could put some heat into the room. That may be no bad thing. A real debate should bring out points of difference, not just a line of nodding heads.

The Pitch will give event staff a chance to put bold ideas on stage. They will be asked to show how the sector could work in the years ahead. This gives a voice to those who plan, sell and run events each day. It is not just for those who speak about them.

AIME has yet to name the debate topic, the pitch speakers or the full keynote line-up. That leaves the best test of the new formats for February.

Six voices help set the agenda

AIME says its new Knowledge Monday Program Committee brings a mix of views from firms that buy, plan and manage events. The six members are Ashleigh Cooper of Charter Hall; Darren Chuckry of HK Initiative; and Janene Wardrop of Ascot Event Collective. They are joined by Michelle Sargent of Events Beyond; Petrina Goh of BCD Meetings & Events; and Sarah Markey-Hamm of SMH – Event Industry Consulting.

The committee has sought views from focus groups, AIME says. This should help keep the talks close to the issues that people face at work. It is a welcome change from sessions built around the latest buzzword and little else.

AIME Event Director Silke Calder says the event must give its community space to learn and ask hard questions.

“Knowledge Monday is where the AIME community comes to learn, question and think about what comes next,” she says.

For Calder, AI may change the tools, but not the aim. Meetings still need a purpose, and the most useful ideas often start when people share what they know.

Big targets for Melbourne in February

The learning day will lead into the two-day AIME trade show on 16–17 February 2027. AIME is aiming for 800-plus exhibitors, 1,600-plus vetted buyers and 25,000-plus business meetings. These are plans for next year, not results already achieved.

The show has a solid base. In its 2026 post-show report, AIME said more than 5,000 people took part, with over 25,000 pre-scheduled meetings. It also cited research that valued expected deals in the next 12 months at A$425 million. That sum is a forecast. It is not a count of sales made on the show floor.

Such figures explain why AIME matters beyond the event trade. A strong meeting can lead to work for hotels, venues, guides, caterers and the wider visitor economy. Yet a busy show is only a start. What counts is the work that follows.

Speaker deadline and who can attend

Those keen to take the stage can send in a speaker expression of interest by Sunday 15 November 2026. The form says those chosen will hear by Friday 11 December 2026. Sending a pitch does not guarantee a spot.

The AIME program page says Knowledge Monday is part of the hosted buyer package, while exhibitors get two passes. Visitor buyers can pay to upgrade their access. According to the new event release, hosted media can also attend.

AIME is owned by the Melbourne Convention Bureau and run by Talk2 Media & Events. See aime.com.au for more details.

The theme may have a playful name, but its point is clear. AI can help run an event. People still matter. And that is one part of the job no planner should be too keen to hand over.