AIME 2007 Right on Target
To stay on top of the Asian Pacific meeting destinations market, many planners found it paid to go Down Under. AIME 2007, the 15th annual AsiaPacific Incentives & Meetings Expo held in Melbourne, Australia, occurred over two days in mid-February and drew an attendance of 2,640, including 370 hosted buyers (nine from North America). Described as "one-stop shopping" by Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Sandra Chipchase, the show is the largest trade event of its kind in the Asia Pacific region. It featured 850 exhibitors from 50 countries, educational seminars and a bevy of exciting social events including cocktails and nibbles at the famous 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and a dining event that featured nine restaurants in the city's Docklands area.

AIME is managed by Reed Travel Exhibitions and maximizes buyer/ seller interaction with pre-arranged appointments, some requested by exhibitor, some by the buyer. There is also a stringent policy in place to make sure appropriate buyers are invited. "We check what business they have done in the past and what business they will be doing in the next few years. Eighty percent of our invitees are new or haven't attended consecutive shows," explained Tom Nutley, chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Each of the two days was scheduled into 20-minute appointments, starting at 10 a.m., and ending at 6 p.m. When hunger pangs set in, many headed to Globe, a purpose-built restaurant on the exhibition floor that was sponsored by Tourism Malaysia and offered delicious Malay cuisine. The F&B team at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) also catered to exhibitors who wanted to serve delicacies reflective of their regions. For instance, the Northern Territory stand offered emu prosciutto and char-grilled kangaroo kebabs with Illawarra plum jam.

"We had quite a bit of interest from North American buyers," said Karen Lock, business development executive with the Northern Territory Convention Bureau. The inquiries, she said, were mostly about Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayer's Rock), and Darwin. "People wanted to know about everything from outback adventures, to helicopter rides over Uluru, to jumping crocodile tours."

And what did the North American hosted buyers think of AIME? First-time attendee Margaret Launzel-Pennes, a Los Angeles-based corporate event planner with Herbalife (who organizes up to five yearly events in Asia with an attendance that ranges between 2,000 - 20,000) said, "It was a grueling two days, but it was also great because it helped me define my first cut of countries, regions, and cities. Because all these exhibitors are under one roof, it simplifies the sifting process for me. Plus, when you do business face to face it's much easier that trying to connect over the phone or Internet."

John Wee Tom, whose 12-year-old Toronto-based company, Area, specializes in incentive and meeting planning for clients such as Pfizer and Pitney Bowes, noted that in the past he organized international meetings in Europe or the Caribbean. He decided to attend AIME because he's branching further afield to places such as Dubai and Africa. "My clients might say they can't handle the long flights, but I tell them it's worth it. I have to entice them with the 'wow' factor and tell them it's an experience they couldn't have any other way." Tom found AIME to be an excellent place to meet Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and also noted, "The education component was invaluable, especially the seminar on procurement, which is a big issue in North America."

For planners such as Tom and Launzel-Pennes, AIME was right on target. AIME 2008 will be held at the MECC, Feb. 19-20, 2008.
By Maureen Littlejohn

AIME 2007 Gives Melbourne Many Chances to Impress Attendees
Melbourne is a dynamic city chock-a-block with diverse venues and AIME 2007 attendees flexed their social muscles in some of the city's finest offerings. The opening night reception took place at Federation Square, an ultra-modern arts complex where guests experienced delicious Australia wines, appetizers, and an aboriginal dance performance. Another night they headed to Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG), a 100,000-seat stadium very familiar to fans of Ozzie Rules football matches. The theme of the MCG evening was Discover Victoria and in the stadium's reception area overlooking the playing field, food stations dished out regional favorites such as Yarra Valley salmon, Lakes Entrance scallops, and King Valley Milawa artisan cheeses. The most ambitious event was Dine at the Docks, where attendees ate at nine of Melbourne's best restaurants in the burgeoning Docklands area. Afterwards, a magnificent fireworks display lit up the sky, and the evening was capped at Studio 3 at the Crown Casino with dessert and bubbly.

Hosted buyers also saw some alternative event venues including Number 12, a hidden gem in a warehouse district, complete with fantastic props from the "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" (the owners are theatrical producers), the sky-high, 89th floor of the Eureka Tower, Melbourne's tallest building, and the angular Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

The most exciting venue was one that has yet to be completed. The new Melbourne Exhibition Centre is scheduled to open in 2009 and will more than double existing capacity. It offers a 5,000-seat plenary hall (the first in the world that can be divided into three for smaller conventions), 32 meeting rooms of various sizes, and a ground floor foyer that can accommodate 8,400 guests for cocktails. The building's ecological design elements have earned it a six green-star rating and include an on-site black water treatment plant, individual room air conditioning controls, and a roof water run-off system for garden maintenance. The center is part of a $1 billion urban renewal project on the Yarra River that includes a Hilton hotel, residential and office space, a maritime museum, and retail outlets. One of the new facility's mandates is to draw more association business, especially from abroad. Sandra Chipchase, Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO, explained, "Some associations have pressure to do offshore meetings and Australia is a good choice since we speak English, we're cheaper than the U.K., and we have an outstanding infrastructure. Many associations are starting to have an international meeting every second year. It's a trend that is expanding." To date, 12 conventions have been booked between 2009-1012, including the International Congress of Internal Medicine, International Congress of Applied Psychology, and the International Congress of Parasitology.

Bubbling with opportunity and looking forward to an exciting future, Melbourne proved to be a formidable contender in the international meeting marketplace at AIME 2007.
By Maureen Littlejohn

Scottsdale's SouthBridge Set to Tantalize Palates Along the Canal
Scottsdale's downtown is on the cusp of another major development as part of the area's $2.4 billion makeover. In the next few months, SouthBridge (www.southbridgescottsdale.com), a three-acre retail, dining, and cultural center along Scottsdale's south bank canal, will attract shoppers and diners with more than 30,000 square feet of retail space and seven planned unique restaurants:

• Digestif will be a high-energy urban space spotlighting hands-on craftsmanship in the kitchen with an exhibition wood-burning oven. 
• Mexican Standoff will be a sophisticated reinterpretation of indigenous Mexican cuisine, courtesy of acclaimed Cowboy Ciao Chef Bernie Kantak. 
• Sea Saw's Executive Chef Nobu Fukuda, three-time nominee for The James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest, will offer his signature 'tapanese' dishes and the popular eight-course omakase (chef's choice) pairing menu. 
• Shell Shock, also under the direction of Chef Fukuda, will resemble a traditional izikaya (Japanese tavern), offering seafood with a twist in a uniquely modern setting. 
• Café will be an all-day and evening European-style café featuring convenient grab-and-go or al fresco dining. 
• The Estate House will be a dinner-only establishment in the style of old Europe. 
• CANAL will be a fusion of fashion, food, and entertainment, offering luncheon fashion shows combined with chef-designed small plates paired with signature beverages.
  By Peggy Swisher

Post-Trip Options Down Under
Hosted buyers at AIME had a stupendous selection of post-trips to choose from, including these Australian must-sees. Each was more than enough reward for making that long-haul flight.

Great Ocean Road, Geelong Otway Region - a three-hour drive from Melbourne. For groups, companies such as Big Stick Adventures can organize anything from helicopter rides to car rallies along this stretch of stunning coastal highway. There are many upscale hotels along the way, including the Cumberland Lorne Resort, that offer small conference spaces. www.visitgeelongotway.com

Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayer's Rock), Northern Territory - a two-hour flight from Melbourne, you will find Australia's first telegraph office here, along with excellent aboriginal art galleries including Mbantua Gallery. For a real taste of the Outback just 30 minutes outside of town, there's Ooraminna Homestead, a 450,000-acre cattle station that offers groups unforgettable dinners under the stars. No visit to Australia is complete without seeing the big red rock. Uluru is a 45-minute flight from Alice Springs and the overnight accommodations range from budget to five-star. www.travelnt.com

Darwin, Northern Territory - three-hour flight from Melbourne. A tropical, lush city next door to great attractions such as The Territory Wildlife Park which customizes its facilities for large and small groups. Go on a Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the nearby Adelaide River and you're guaranteed to see one. A new convention center for meetings of up to around 1,500 will be completed in 2008. www.travelnt.com

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, North Queensland - three-hour flight from Melbourne. This world heritage spot not only has the reef with fantastic diving and snorkeling, but one of the world's oldest rain forests where the Sky Rail cable car whisks visitors over the leafy green canopy. If you don't have a lot of time, helicopter rides can be arranged via companies such as gbr helicopter group that take you out to the reef. www.tropicalaustralia.com