AIME looks to the future with new mentorship initiatives

Australia has 229,000 people directly employed by the events industry (source ABEA). Getting experience in the early stages of an events career is invaluable, so with this in mind, The Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Events (AIME) introduced two programs to help new entrants to the business events sector to develop their careers.

The Accelerate Program

This new initiative was launched to assist junior members of the industry who would not normally qualify for the Hosted Buyers Program because they had less than five years events industry experience. These junior buyers – called “Rockets” – shadowed their managers on their Pre-Scheduled Appointments (PSAs) with the AIME exhibitors.

This gave valuable relationship introductions to suppliers and allowed participants to learn from their manager on the job. The program also gave free access to the Knowledge Program, Ideas Academy, the legendary AIME Welcome Event and many more learning and networking opportunities. It also offered the “Rockets” access to the Hosted Buyers Lounge, where they can meet experienced event professionals.

One such pairing was Wilna van Eyssen, Managing Director, and Fonri Myburgh, Event Coordinator, from EventSmart Conferences and Events, a conference, incentive and event management company. Wilna explained how useful she found the program.

“I think it’s a great benefit for people to join the program, its certainly given Fonri in particular a head start much faster than sitting in the office doing the work, this has accelerated her in the industry and once she leaves here (AIME) she is ten steps ahead of other people in the team who might not have done the program so I think its super beneficial.”

See Wilna’s full interview below:

We also caught up with Fonri to talk about her Accelerate Program experience at AIME 2024.

Q: What insights did you get from shadowing Wilna?

A: Firstly, thank you to the AIME Accelerate Program and EventSmart Conference & Events for allowing me to be an AIME Rocket this year. Shadowing Wilna gave me the opportunity for self-development within my career and the confidence, knowledge and skills to speak and promote EventSmart better in the future.

Q: How has the experience benefited you in your day-to-day role?

A: This program is an excellent networking tool and platform for all attendees. Being part of this program for the first time gave me the confidence to not only succeed in my career, but also the opportunity to be introduced to different venues and destinations around the world.

Q: Would you recommend other new entrants take part in the program? If so, what tips would you give them on making the experience a success?

A: Most definitely!! The connections, friends, knowledge and ideas gained at AIME are invaluable and made such a difference in my career. Enjoy every second and book as many meetings as possible to make the best connections with major venues and suppliers. Make sure you attend the workshops and gain knowledge from those in the business for many years and lastly enjoy the AIME Welcome Party as you will definitely not forget the experience and the peers met at this event. I can’t wait to be part of AIME 2025!

Fonri Myburgh enjoying the AIME Welcome Event.

AIME Next Steps Program

AIME 2024 also saw the inaugural AIME Next Steps Program. We took three event undergraduates and gave them the chance to shadow each department at AIME, giving them on the job experience in operations, sales, marketing and PR. They worked with us in the lead-up to the event and across the week of AIME, gaining valuable insights and experience in how a highly complex event is organised. The participants also had the opportunity to attend the Knowledge Program and the Welcome Event.

One of the “Next Steppers” was Natasha Goldsmith, an undergraduate studying Event Management at the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS). She found the experience to be very beneficial.

“What stood out to me the most was how big the event was. Getting to watch everything get built during bump-in, to seeing all the finished stand designs and sizes on show day was so cool. I had never attended or worked at an event on this big of a scale before and I was truly amazed.”

Next Step Program participants also took part in the legendary AIME Welcome Event. “What I enjoyed the most was attending the AIME welcome event. We first got to meet every guest as we scanned them into the event. Then walking into the venue and seeing how Grazeland got transformed into a spectacular neon carnival. Every different element came together to create same an amazing event. We then finished the night dancing on the dance floor with all the attendees to Daft Punk, it was so much fun.”

What does the future hold for Natasha? “I am currently working at a hotel as an Event Coordinator, this experience has shown me a different side to events I hadn’t seen before. It has inspired me to want to organise events of a larger scale.”

Fellow “Next Stepper”, Nicki Coleman, found the networking aspect particularly insightful. “Meeting industry professionals during the program was another highlight. I was able to network with individuals who could potentially offer me job opportunities in the future. I found that many of these professionals were genuinely interested in mentoring and fostering the future generations of event managers, which was incredibly inspiring. This experience has given me more confidence in my ability to interact with industry professionals and pursue opportunities within the field. I plan to leverage the connections and knowledge I gained through the Next Steps program to further my career in event management. I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a valuable program.”

The other participant was Wendy Li. “There were many memorable experiences during the program, however, if I were to choose one particular part it would definitely have to go to the ‘going live’ stage aka tradeshow period of the event’s process. As this is when everything comes together, all the hard work and preparation finally hitting the tracks and paying off. Honestly speaking, this is what made me want to major in event management, with the ability to physically see your work come together and socialise with a diverse range of people being very rewarding”.

AIME Next Step Progam participants, Natasha Goldsmith, Nicki Coleman and Wendy Li pictured with AIME’s Michelle Mantis.

Both programs were well received, and the AIME team are looking to enhance them for AIME 2025, which will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) on the 10-12 February 2025. Contact us if you would like to participate in either program.