AIME 2026 Opens with Record Growth and Advances Toward Net Zero Targets

Pictured: Robin Mack, Tourism Australia Managing Director; Silke Calder, AIME Event Director; Julia Swanson, Melbourne Convention Centre CEO; Matt Pearce, Talk2 Media & Events CEO; Natalie O’Brien, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre CEO

AIME has officially opened its 2026 edition, reporting record growth in buyers and exhibitors while demonstrating significant progress toward long-term sustainability goals under the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative.

Delivered by Talk2 Media & Events, this is the largest show staged to date under Event Director Silke Calder and her team, reinforcing AIME’s standing as the leading business events trade show in Asia Pacific.

The opening was marked this morning by an official press conference featuring Matt Pearce, CEO of Talk2 Media & Events; Julia Swanson, CEO of Melbourne Convention Bureau; and Robin Mack, Managing Director of Tourism Australia.

Pearce said the event’s expansion reflected strong industry confidence and a focus on meaningful outcomes. “AIME 2026 is the biggest show our team has delivered to date, and the continued growth in buyers, exhibitors and international participation reflects the confidence our industry places in the event,” he said.

He also provided an update on sustainability progress under the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative. “AIME signed up to the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative several years ago, with a milestone target of reducing the emissions we can directly control by 50 percent by 2030. I’m pleased to share that we are well on the way to achieving that target,” he said.

“Our venue emissions, which represent a significant component of what we can directly influence, have been reduced dramatically, largely due to the strong sustainability credentials of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.” Pearce added that AIME’s next phase will prioritise collective industry action.

Over three days, AIME 2026 will host more than 1,500 vetted buyers, welcome over 5,000 attendees and feature more than 750 exhibitors from across the global business events sector. Participants from 36 countries and territories will attend, with South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Uganda appearing on the show floor for the first time alongside strong representation from Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

Exhibitors span convention bureaux, convention centres, hotels and resorts, unique venues, event technology providers, production and AV companies, destination management companies, airlines and cruise operators. Across the two-day trade show, more than 25,000 pre-scheduled meetings will take place between buyers and exhibitors.

The event builds on recent momentum, including more than $400 million of business generated following AIME 2025, further cementing its role as a primary meeting place for the international business events community in Asia Pacific.

AIME is owned by Melbourne Convention Bureau and managed by Talk2 Media & Events, with 2026 marking the fifth edition delivered by Silke Calder’s team.

Opening day also features Knowledge Monday, the event’s professional development programme, welcoming more than 1,500 attendees. Under the theme “Expertise Matters!”, the programme explores the credibility, clarity and strategic influence of business events professionals. Keynotes Dan Haesler, Milo Wilkinson and Kristina Karlsson headline the day, followed by 20 breakout sessions across five content streams.

Curated with El Kwang and BEAMexperience and guided by an industry advisory committee, the programme continues to position AIME as a global platform for learning and leadership.

The day concludes with the Welcome Event, Aimagination, bringing together more than 2,000 attendees dressed in white at Evoqué in Melbourne’s CBD.

The trade show runs Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 February, featuring enhanced zoning, expanded networking areas and an enlarged Ideas Academy presented by Spice magazine. AIME is complemented by a series of co-located events including ICCA Regional Business Exchanges and Bid Workshop, the Oceanic Members Breakfast Meeting, the Australian Business Events Association Leaders Forum, the ABEA Bureau Chapter Meeting, SITE ANZ Young Leaders Get Together, SITE NITE After Party, PCMA APAC Members’ Networking Breakfast and the return of AIPC with a focused summit for convention and exhibition centre leaders.
 

Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.