By AIME Event Director Silke Calder

As a professional event organiser most of my working days – and let’s face it nights, too – are spent thinking about how to make each year’s AIME better than the last. Our team works hard taking our learnings from each year’s event to enhance and evolve AIME to ensure it remains the leading event on the professional conference organiser calendar.

We’re a small and mighty all-women team but as everyone who works within our dynamic and exciting industry knows, good ideas come from all places. That’s why it’s so important to come together to share our knowledge and insights, to foster international collaboration and connections and to seek inspiration from around the world.

Over the past few months, I’ve travelled to Germany for IMEX in Frankfurt, over “the ditch” to attend Meetings NZ in Wellington, to the sunny Gold Coast for Evolve, and to Sydney for the SITE Conference, AIME’s Diamond lunch and Events Uncovered.

Through these events, I’ve gained a broader perspective on the latest trends, sustainability practices and international collaborations that are possible for our industry, while meeting industry friends and colleagues from around the globe.

Here are my seven key insights:

1. Break out of your silo

As event professionals, it’s so easy (and understandable) to become completely engrossed in our own “four walls”. Stepping out of the familiar and breaking out of AIME for a moment has exposed me to diverse approaches, ideas, and practices from counterparts worldwide. I’m excited to apply some of the fresh and innovative concepts I came across during my travels.

2. Event industry trends

Global shows serve as a hub for the latest trends in event technology, which is obviously a key – and increasingly important – aspect of the modern events landscape. With the most talked about topic being how AI-powered analytics and interactive experiences, this will definitely play an increasing part in the life of every professional event organiser over the years ahead. At AIME, we currently use AI powered technology for meeting matching.
As event professionals, staying informed about technological advancements is vital to remain competitive and deliver exceptional experiences to our clients.

3. Face-to-face meetings are efficient

Attending events provides a unique opportunity for event professionals to have multiple face-to-face meetings in a concentrated timeframe. There’s nothing quite like meeting a colleague who you’ve exchanged countless emails with in person for the first time. I saw many industry friends at IMEX – and it was great to be back in my old stomping ground of Frankfurt for a few days. The exchange of ideas, partnerships, and collaborations that emerge from these meetings contributes to both the personal career growth of professional conference organisers and, in turn, of the global event industry.

4. Reassess and re-evaluate

Global events including AIME offer a chance for event professionals to reassess and re-evaluate how we approach event management. By attending a range of insightful seminars, inspiring workshops and interesting panel discussions, I gained insights into industry best practices and the latest trends.

5. Year-round industry networking

Each February we welcome thousands of industry colleagues to Melbourne, however, AIME comes but once a year. Attending shows throughout the year fosters and develops networking opportunities and has allowed me to form and maintain connections with industry peers from around the world. The strong network that emerges from these experiences provides me with invaluable support and resources throughout the whole year.

6. Embracing sustainability

Sustainability has become a central focus for the industry and has become a key focus for every professional conference organiser. By engaging with international event professionals throughout these events, I’ve gained valuable insights into various sustainability practices and this cross-pollination of ideas has inspired me. After all, by adopting environmentally-friendly strategies we all can reduce our industry’s global ecological footprint – and that’s a win for everyone.

7. Putting Australia on the global stage

Our AIMEbassadors do an incredible job helping to share stories of AIME each year – but it’s also nice to also wear the hat myself! By travelling to events as an AIMEbassador I’ve loved telling the world about Melbourne and why it remains one of the World’s Most Liveable cities.
In so many ways we punch well-above our weight on the world stage – and in our Meetings Incentives, Conference and Events industry it is no different. Promoting our event prowess on the global stage is and remains a great privilege.

Building a global community of event professionals is essential for an industry that thrives on creativity, innovation, and connections.

Events such as IMEX and, of course, AIME, play a pivotal role in bringing together event professionals from diverse backgrounds, offering a wealth of insights, experiences, and opportunities.

As this community grows, so does the potential for the global event industry to thrive and continue delivering extraordinary experiences worldwide.