News

Independent post-show research following AIME 2026 has projected a record-breaking $425 million (AUD) in business transactions between exhibitors and buyers over the next 12 months, reinforcing AIME’s role as Asia Pacific’s leading business events trade show.

Designed to prioritise quality connections and meaningful business outcomes, AIME carefully matches vetted global buyers with targeted exhibitors through a combination of human expertise and advanced AI-powered scheduling. The result is a focused environment where high-value meetings take place and real business opportunities are created.

Testament to this curation, attendee satisfaction for AIME 2026 was extremely high, with the exhibitor Net Promoter Score reaching 32.6, well above the industry benchmark of 9.6, while the visitor Net Promoter Score of 59.4 significantly exceeds the benchmark score of 30.6.

Talk2 Media & Events CEO Matt Pearce said the results reflected the strength of AIME’s targeted and curated approach to meetings.

“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.

“The projected $425 million in business shows the value of those meetings and the role AIME plays in supporting destinations, venues and suppliers across the Asia Pacific region.”

Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO Julia Swanson said:

“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. 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. 

“We look forward to the continued growth and success of the show as we continue to innovate and provide further opportunities for strong partnerships and excellent outcomes.”

AIME Event Director Silke Calder said the results reflected strong engagement from buyers, exhibitors and partners across the global business events sector.

“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,” she 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.”

Delivered by Talk2 Media & Events, AIME 2026 was the largest show yet delivered by Calder and her team.

AIME 2026 also set records for its size, number of hosted buyers, exhibitors and attendees, reflecting strong global demand for in-person meetings and industry connection.

Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9–11 February 2026, the event welcomed more than 1,500 vetted buyers, over 765 exhibitors from 36 countries and territories, and more than 5,000 attendees from the global business events industry.

Across the two-day trade show, more than 25,000 pre-scheduled meetings took place between buyers and exhibitors.

Asia Pacific’s largest and longest-running business events exhibition and learning platform, AIME connects a global community of business events professionals with industry suppliers through a seamless blend of human expertise and cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

AIME is owned by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and delivered by Talk2 Media & Events and is the first tradeshow on the annual international business events calendar. 

AIME 2027 will be held 15–17 February 2027 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with AIME 2028 scheduled for 14–16 February 2028.