Exhibitor Numbers Soar at AIME 2004

Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) has announced another increase in exhibitor numbers for AIME 2004, 12th AsiaPacific Incentives & Meetings Expo, in Melbourne, Australia on 17 & 18 February. Exhibitor numbers have reached a record 750, 103 more than in 2003.

“We are extremely pleased with the support for AIME 2004. Interest in exhibition space in AIME has been strong since we launched AIME 2004 at EIBTM in May 2003. This year we will have more than 100 new exhibitors, some exhibitors who have returned to the exhibition after a short absence, and other exhibitors who have greatly increased their space,” said AIME Exhibition Manager, Rosemarie Sama.

“AIME 2004 will cover more space than ever before, set a record for the number of exhibitors, and attract more Hosted Buyers than previously. We are also optimistic regarding trade visitor numbers, as our pre-registrations are currently double that for 2003,”Ms Sama said.

While AIME is predominantly an Asia Pacific event, interest from other countries and regions continues to increase, with 39 countries represented this year. Countries include: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belguim, Brunei, Canada, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sultanate of Oman, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

New exhibitors at AIME 2004 include:

Gulf Air – the airline was recently awarded the prestigious Airline Turnaround of the Year Award by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. In a traumatic year, affected by regional tensions, the war in Iraq and the SARS virus, Gulf Air achieved positive growth with record passenger figures. 2003 also saw the introduction of several new destinations, including Kochi, Bangalore and Kolkata in India, Athens and Sydney, plus fleet expansion.

Brunei Tourism - Brunei Darussalam is a small, prosperous, stable and peaceful oil rich Kingdom located on the Island of Borneo. Mostly covered in pristine tropical rainforests, Brunei is a paradise for nature lovers and for ecotourism in general. Brunei is a Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures, perfect for out of the ordinary incentives or for productive meetings.

Spain – the regional office of Spain Tourism, based in Singapore, will be at AIME for the first time to promote Spain as a prime destination in Europe for meetings, incentives and exhibitions.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World - representing over 300 of the world’s finest quality hotels including romantic heritage and rural retreats, historic houses, city sanctuaries, spa centres, sports resorts and superior game lodges, Small Luxury Hotels of the World will introduce AIME visitors to amazing locations for superior incentives or small to medium conferences.

Adagold Aviation - one of the world’s most trusted charter companies, Adagold Aviation, specialises in aircraft charters for groups of 4 - 400 for Incentive, Conference, Convention, Corporate and VIP travel. Whether your charter requirement is from Coolangatta to Canberra or Osaka to Oslo, Adagold has more than likely done it before. 

It’s A Wine Game – Australia produces some of the best new world wines in the world, and now you can include a fun wine tasting and game as part of your next event. It’s A Wine Game is also giving away a bottle of premium wine every hour on the hour at AIME 2004.

Edgewater Resort, Rarotonga, Cook Islands – a unique location for any conference or incentive group offering full conference facilities in beautiful, relaxed tropical surroundings.

CiEvents – Flight Centre unified three of its brands – Events Centre, Conference & Incentive Management and Convention & Incentive Services – into one new entity, Ci Events, late last year. The new entity is now part of Flight Centre Limited’s corporate division and will exhibit at AIME for the first time.

Norfolk Island – find out all there is to know about this special destination from Norfolk Island’s sole air carrier, Norfolk Jet Express and its Holiday Division, Norfolk Jet Holidays.

McCaffertys Greyhound Charters – this company provides transport solutions for conferences, meetings or incentives. It is the only national coach company that can transport your group anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

Stikki Products – see a range of elegant accessories including organisers, note folders and docu-cases that ensure your company’s logo, web address and message stand out, available from Stikki Products.

The Philippines – The Philippines continues to win international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions and is one of the most attractive MICE destinations in the Asia Pacific region.

Rotorua, New Zealand – Rotorua is set to get a new multi-purpose Events Centre in 2005. The Centre will have a seating capacity of 2,500 and will be designed to accommodate concerts, banquets, conferences and exhibitions.

Vanuatu - an archipelogo of 83 islands, Vanuatu is just a 3 hour flight from the east coast of Australia. Representatives from the Vanuatu Tourism Office, Air Vanuatu, Iririki Island Resort, Le Meridien, Le Lagon, Destination Pacific Management and Dive Adventures will participate in AIME 2004.