February 2020

Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) reinvented the way associations collaborate in the Asia Pacific region by introducing the Round Table, bringing together associations attending the 2020 event to engage in discussions of common challenges facing its members.

It was by invitation only meeting connecting C-suite executives from some 40 organisations across the Asia Pacific region and worldwide.  The Round Table

was designed exclusively for associations which included lively debates and workshops to create new community and business models to drive association innovation.

Introduced in collaboration with Melbourne Convention Bureau, whose chief executive officer, Julia Swanson said that there are not many business events who have invested in the development of strong networks and communities, and the Round Table, is a testament to AIME’s development and understanding of what the industry needs.

The intention of launching this Round Table for associations according to Jay Martens, event director of Talk2Media and Events, is to leave AIME with business models that can be applied to associations in their region.

AIME 2020 wrapped up its three-day event on February 19 at the Melbourne Convention Centre with more than 2,000 visitors, 300 exhibitors and over 10,000 meetings took place over the three days.

While registration of this year’s AIME,  saw a 20 per cent uplift despite, the current reduced levels of international travel due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

Reed Travel Exhibitions announced it has postponed the inaugural edition of IBTM Asia Pacific in Singapore to April 13 and 14 in 2021.

The decision has been taken following the latest advice from partners regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) and, as a result of in-depth discussions with customers and hosted buyers from the region and globally.

Commenting on the announcement, Shane Hannam, portfolio director of IBTM Events said that the decision made by the organiser was not taken lightly for its customers, partners and team in Singapore, have worked hard on the event.  While it is disappointing to postpone, it’s imperative that the organiser prioritise on the health and safety of everyone involved.

The decision to reschedule the show is also supported by the Singapore Tourism Board. Its executive director of conventions, meetings and incentive travel, Dr Edward Koh mentioned STB, will continue to work closely with Reed Travel Exhibitions and other partners, to provide the assistance required during this time.

IBTM he added is a valued partner and the Asia Pacific show remains a key highlight in Singapore’s event calendar and look forward to extending a warm welcome to all attendees and exhibitors in 2021.

ICCA’s Research Division is monitoring the status of all 1,065 meetings in the ICCA Association Database currently scheduled in Asia Pacific for 2020: Only 44 meetings scheduled for Asia Pacific are affected by COVID-19 (4.1 percent) – 44 meetings, 34 are postponed, five cancelled and five relocated. Outside Asia Pacific, two meetings in Europe and one in Africa are postponed.

James Rees, ICCA president said: “When facing uncertainty or crisis, identifying reliable and timely sources of information is critical to making responsible decisions. We have put together our COVID-19 liveblog to help global meetings industry professionals to find reliable information about the novel COVID-19 outbreak and to share meetings industry-related resources with the global ICCA community of meeting suppliers and associations.”

“We believe the international meetings industry can play its part in finding a solution to the current COVID-19 outbreak. International meetings represent the best possible vehicle for addressing this and many other global issues. As an industry, we must demonstrate resilience and confidence by maintaining to the greatest extent possible our ongoing schedule of activities – and where this is not possible, by working collaboratively to develop alternatives that help maintain the exchange of information and insights that account for the benefits we believe to result from this kind of engagement.”

COVID-19 Meeting Solutions

ICCA has received requests for alternative meeting facilities from associations, is reaching out to associations who are looking to relocate their meetings, and to help them find new meeting facilities.

The annual China Conference & Business Travel Fair (CCBTF) organised by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism received full endorsement from ICCA. The decision was made during a meeting in Shanghai between Patrick Chen, director of marketing and promotion department of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism with Senthil Gopinath, chief executive officer of ICCA and Noor Ahmad Hamid, ICCA’s regional director for Asia Pacific.

This endorsement marks the culmination of efforts to further position Shanghai as a leading hub for conferences and, supports Shanghai’s local Business Events industry in its transformation to become an international B2B event with strong business appeal.

CCBTF is a primary educational forum for local industry professionals to stimulate knowledge exchange, business development and networking. The forum attracts over 500 meetings industry stakeholders from across China and brings together a line-up of global speakers and delegates from the meetings industry to discuss key issues, exchange industry ideas and create business and networking opportunities.

It features travel experience designed TED Talks, knowledge-sharing, buyers-meet-sellers sessions and the release of the annual China Business Travel Report, which is a highly anticipated industry report. The event also includes trending meetings industry topics such as meetings technology, destination promotion, digital strategy, and experiential design as well as, a training programme specially catered to young meeting industry professionals.

CCBTF 2020 will be held on September 23rd and 24th at Shanghai International Convention Centre.

ICCA’s Chief Executive Officer Senthil Gopinath (left) and Patrick Chen, Director of Marketing and Promotion Department, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, shake hands in Shanghai to confirm the extended partnership.

Study by Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) reveals face-to-face meetings the most effective way to conduct business.  The meetings and incentives event has unveiled a new report that shows 93 percent of business event delegates find human interaction and connections important across business events, with 48 percent declaring them to be critical.

The new study, conducted by Talk2 Media & Events in the lead-up to AIME 2020, surveyed over 200 buyers and exhibitors from across the Asia Pacific region (87 percent) and wider world (13 percent) – looking at industry challenges and the most valued attributes.

The study revealed that the biggest barriers to business when attending an industry trade show were lack of quality buyers and exhibitors (33 percent), followed by insufficient networking opportunities (24 percent), poorly organised appointments and meetings (20 percent), lack of educational opportunities (13 percent) and poor timing of the industry event (10 percent).

The study also found that over 60 percent of buyers and exhibitors continue to find face-to-face connections the most effective way to conduct business, followed by email (32 percent) and phone call (4 percent).

Interestingly, when asked about the rise of digital in the industry, the two biggest concerns lay in losing touch with human relationships (48 percent), followed by online communities replacing physical communities (26 percent).

Matt Pearce, chief executive officer of Talk2 Media & Events said, “This industry report provides real insight into what makes delegates tick – and is another way we’re continuing to listen to the community.

At AIME 2020, expect to be challenged both professionally and personally. We have sharpened our focus on creating more meaningful and human moments, with greater opportunities to drive positive business results.”

It was also revealed that the Asia Pacific region was critical (34 percent) to driving business growth, with 42 percent stating that the region had significant influence and only 16 percent stating it had partial influence.

When it came to the best time to place business, 37 per cent of buyers and exhibitors stated the first quarter (Januart to March) was most important, followed by 23 per cent for the third quarter (July to September), 25 per cent for the second (April to June) and 15 per cent for the fourth (October to December).

AIME is scheduled to run in Melbourne February 17 to 19 February.

Visit aime.com.au for final registrations.

The business events industry in Sarawak, a state located in East Malaysia considered to be a second-tier conference destination, has secured the highest number of business events in a single year in 2019 – estimated to anchor more than RM90 million in direct delegate expenditure (DDE) from the spending of flights, accommodation, meals and entertainment.

Aside from assessing the economic value to Sarawak, the secured collective of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions were also assessed under its Legacy Impact Assessment which pointed 965 potential impacts for Sarawak.

The Legacy Impact Accessment introduced by Business Events Sarawak or BESarawak, the state’s convention bureau is for the business events industry to fulfill a bigger purpose than just putting value on business and financial benefits, but also to leave a legacy.

Events are assessed against the 7 Key Focus Areas (7KFA) of urban development and re-development, industry development, social, environmental, agricultural and service and digital economy.

In addition to celebrating the triumphant wins and scoring, BESarawak has also announced that the figures associated with the bid wins such as delegate attendance, days and expenditure has surpassed the bureau’s expectation and target. According to their survey, 72.4 percent of delegates extended their stay post-convention with a satisfaction scoring of 98.4 percent.

Stated by the chairman of BESarawak, Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr. Muhammad Leo Toyad last year’s success in securing the highest number of business events indicate the actual strength of this industry on the state’s economy and is confident that the figures will increase exponentially.