I’ve always wondered about industry events. How much of them is about just patting ourselves on the back and showing each other how good we are. Who are these people that feel they’re good enough to tell me how I should be doing my job? Well, this year, I found out. This was the first industry association event I had attended in an attendee capacity. 

Let me recap on my previous post, for almost my entire career, I never felt the need to go to something like AIME. I knew what I was doing; I didn’t need help from my ‘competitors’. But in 2023, I changed roles allowing me a greater focus on innovation, and with this new focus, I knew I had to step up my learning. AIME 2024 was a stepping stone in my understanding of the industry. Read my previous blog on my account of Day 1 at AIME if you’re interested in whether the Knowledge Program is for you. 

Booking in time with Exhibitors is a must
Days 2 and 3 of AIME are all about the tradeshow. Hosted and semi-hosted buyers are booked into meetings with as many exhibitors as they can fathom. But for me, I was not in this camp. I was free to wander and see who I felt was worthy of my time. I quickly realised that this was not the right approach – I should have booked time. 

My modus operandi at exhibitions is to scout the show floor back and forth a couple of times so I know how best to divide my time. Then, at my leisure, I’d approach any that piqued my interest. For anyone that knows AIME, you know how busy all of the stands are and took until lunch on Day 2 for me to really get time with exhibitors that I wanted to engage, definitely a learning and an error I won’t make next time I attend. 

The Value of Engaging in Immersive Experiences First Hand
Feedback from all the exhibitors and attendees was that this year far exceeded last year on the floor. More exhibitors, more attendees meant more engagement and more to see. As an event professional who is more about the production, tech, toys, and fun things, the venue and destination, for the most part, was secondary for me. But I still found enough to keep me busy. If I had one negative comment, and it is a skewed commentary, I would have liked to have seen a few more production & creative suppliers. We are mostly in the business of communication, helping our clients communicate their messages, and this is almost solely done using the production suppliers and their tools. 

Yes, production has their own tradeshows, but technical shows for technical people do not attract the same crowd, the crowd that engages the suppliers. After all that virtual events have shown the industry, it is the production companies that give us the tools to reach the masses. At AIME 2025, it would be great to see knowledge sessions on production and hopefully see a few more players on the show floor get in front of the agencies and associations. Shout out to Harry the Hirer, AV1, Nextgen, and Encore, who saw the value in getting out in front of the industry (I didn’t attend the hosted buyers’ welcome, but I believe there were a few production partners on show there). 

Companies that I have known for a while, such as Rentertainment, were there, but being able to experience their Proto holograms and Sparklebot activations in person was extremely valuable. Creatives like Cirkus Bizurkus, who produced the AIME Welcome, were abuzz with conversation – definitely a good business move by Fernando, who must have had a full dance card for the 2 days of the exhibition. There were hidden gems such as Live Sketch by Danni B, who puts a new spin on caricatures and brand activation, as well as sustainable build and furniture solutions like The Cardboard Mill, who produced the entrance feature to the Show Floor (as well as a 3m high cardboard dog). 

I spend so many hours, as do we all, scouring the internet looking for very specific vendors, but creatives like Danni and fabricators like Cardboard Mill were completely unknown to me. These two alone pretty much justified my attendance at the Industry Event of 2024. In addition to everything I found on the show floor, the continuation of the knowledge program in the ‘Spice’ sponsored Ideas Academy theatre was a welcome break from wandering the floor. 

Indigenous presence in events
Similar to Day 1, the program of interviews in the Ideas Academy was varied and offered a lot for most to learn and enjoy. Whilst informative, it appeared much more sales-y, with bought sessions than educational, but there were definitely still some great finds. Specifically, the session featuring Little Rocket, an organisation that sets themselves up as the gateway to the indigenous community in events in Australia. A resource that can help you find that Elder for your Welcome, educational resources in indigenous culture in and for events. This opened my eyes to the indigenous presence at AIME. Suppliers who were creating indigenous takes on chocolate, coffee, and other wares. This was enlightening and a highlight and takeaway for me. 

Glocalisation and Sustainability
The host venue, MCEC, also took the opportunity to showcase the new convention and exhibition centre, Nyaal Bunyul, opening in 2026 and managed by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust. Although it was their Choux Choux train that excited me more – a mini showcase on how good their kitchens are at producing and presenting world-class food. 

It was nice to see a huge focus on supporting locals at the event, with a host of sustainable and supply chain topics covered by almost all who were on show and showcasing Australia. I was particularly taken by the Ideas Academy session featuring MCEC’s own Peter Haycroft. Peter spoke not only of sourcing locally and sustainably but of the partnership with Oz Harvest and their drive to reduce waste. Again, it is so good to see world’s best practice coming from one of Australia’s best event centres. 

The variety and depth that AIME puts on show is a credit to the organising team, it was a busy 3 days for everyone on-site. AIME proved to be a valuable experience for this virgin AIME-er, who took away more than he expected to.