Speaker program announced for AIME Ideas Academy presented by Spice

The two-day speaker program has been announced for the AIME Ideas Academy presented by Spice at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 11-12 February, 2025.

Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) will run from 10-12 February, with the Knowledge Program taking place on the first day, followed by the exhibition across two days, which includes the AIME Ideas Academy presented by Spice on the show floor.

After successfully presenting the Ideas Academy at AIME 2024, Spice is again partnering with AIME to deliver two days of keynote speaker sessions and panel discussions delivering expert information and knowledge sharing about the events industry.

The AIME Ideas Academy presented by Spice sessions will be delivered silently via individual headphones, with high-quality, informative content providing practical takeaways for attendees to implement in their businesses.

Sessions are free for all AIME attendees without booking, and the line-up of panellists and keynote speakers will be headlined by Robin Mack, executive general manager, Business Events Australia (pictured, at top); Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO, BESydney; Melissa Brown, CEO, Australian Business Events Association; Natalie O’Brien AM, chief executive, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre; Emma Bowyer, owner and CEO, ICMS Australasia; Nicole Walker, CEO and director, Arinex; Vanessa Green, CEO, Cliftons Event Solutions; Ian Whitworth, co-founder, Scene Change; Ross Steele, general manager, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre; Samantha Glass, director of corporate affairs, communication and sustainability, ICC Sydney; Mat Woods, chief executive, Destination Queenstown; Denise Broeren, co-founder and director of business development, Think Business Events; Leisa Hart, partner, AI Adaptive; Debra Panipucci, partner, AI Adaptive; and Adam Moon, general manager, Stage and Screen Travel Australia.

The AIME Ideas Academy presented by Spice MC will be Simon Cooper, exhibition director and publisher at Interpoint and Intermedia Group. This will be his second year MCing the event and moderating its panels.

The headline session, “The power of business events: Championing a thriving industry on the rise”, at 1pm on Tuesday, 11 February, will be moderated by Spice editor Gavin Dennett.

At the conclusion of the speaker program on both days, experienced industry duo Brad Cocks and Shane Buzza will present their An Eventful Life podcast for one hour onstage, in which they will delve into stories from the events industry.

The full list of speakers and session themes and times is below, with more to be announced soon.

Tuesday 11 February – Day One

9.30am-10.15am (45 minutes)
Design principles for successful events coordination

Three senior events professionals deep dive into the proven design principles and trends that lead to events success. With case studies and key insights into the innovations shaping the industry, these experts offer steps to planning events that resonate with clients and delegates, and offer immersive and personalised experiences to remember, while forecasting how events of tomorrow will take shape.

Emma Bowyer, owner and CEO, ICMS Australasia
Nicole Walker, CEO and director, Arinex
Vanessa Green, CEO, Cliftons Event Solutions

11.30am-12pm (30 minutes)
Timeless business truths: Enterprise survival and other tips for success

Ian Whitworth is the founder of national audiovisual company Scene Change and author of Undisruptable – advice from a working entrepreneur that strips away all the MBA jargon. According to author and businesswoman Zoe Foster Blake, “Ian is a cheeky, funny, disruptive, and, importantly, proven business rascal”. He received the Outstanding Contribution award at the 2024 MEA Awards, and is highly regarded for commonsense advice and tips for surviving the minefield of small business. In this keynote address, he will deliver essential tips on how your business can survive and thrive, how to better understand the strange behaviour of your clients, and how to increase your margins.

Ian Whitworth, co-founder, Scene Change

12.15pm-12.45pm (30 minutes)
Unleashing human potential with AI in the workplace

Join Dr Debra Panipucci and Leisa Hart from AI Adaptive – and producers of the Humans & AI in the Workplace podcast – as theyshare insights on harnessing the complementary strengths of humans and AI. With actionable advice to futureproof your organisation and thrive in the era of AI, learn how to address and overcome AI-related fears and misconceptions, creating a workplace culture that embraces change; discover key elements to prime your organisation for AI-driven success, and explore real-world examples of human-AI collaboration; gain practical strategies to unlock productivity gains, enhance employee experience and drive business growth; and leverage the human-AI partnership, unlocking new opportunities for innovation, creativity and competitiveness.

Leisa Hart, partner, AI Adaptive
Debra Panipucci, partner, AI Adaptive

1pm-2pm (60 minutes)
The power of business events: Championing a thriving industry on the rise

With the business events industry in Australia worth an estimated $36 billion and employing 229,000 people, it does plenty of heavy lifting for the national economy. Senior figures who help drive the boom provide insight into the power of this increasingly valuable sector.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
Robin Mack, executive general manager, Business Events Australia
Julia Swanson, CEO, Melbourne Convention Bureau
Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO, BESydney
Melissa Brown, CEO, Australian Business Events Association
Natalie O’Brien AM, chief executive, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

2.15pm-3pm (45 minutes)
Budget beaters: Getting maximum bang for your buck

With the current state of the economy, event planners and their clients are looking for ways to make their budgets stretch. Three experienced event planners and caterers give expert tips, advice and real-world examples for delivering events that wow on a budget.

Tamara Cook, founder and events director, Known Associates
Gina Samuels, director, The Production House Events

3.15pm-4pm (45 minutes)
Get noticed! Best practice for events marketing and social media strategy

Three industry professionals, who are the brains behind some of Australia’s most successful, creative and respected business and public events, share wisdom on creating experiences that matter and maximising reach.

Michelle Sargent, director, CWT Meetings and Events
Thomas Staunton, CEO, Sold Out Events

4pm
An Eventful Life podcast

Brad Cocks
Shane Buzza

Wednesday 12 February – Day Two

9.30am-10.15am (45 minutes)
Green focus: Taking sustainability to the next level

Sustainability in the events, hospitality and tourism industries is more than a buzzword, with visitors, delegates and the broader community expecting big venues and destinations to be leaders in this space. These panellists represent some of Australasia’s spearheading organisations that are providing a window into the future of sustainable operations.

Ross Steele, general manager, Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre
Samantha Glass, director of corporate affairs, communication and sustainability, ICC Sydney
Mat Woods, chief executive, Destination Queenstown
Denise Broeren, co-founder and director of business development, Think Business Events

11.30am-12pm (30 minutes)
Back from the brink: When a carefully constructed plan implodes and how to fix it

Stage and Screen Travel Australia general manager Adam Moon is a travel and logistics specialist for major events such as The Logies, the royal funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, major sporting events, and stage and film productions. He knows the best laid plans can go awry, but as a leading travel planner, he has learned how to pivot when disaster strikes. In this keynote address, he provides insights on crisis management and intelligent planning that allows for plan B, C and D when the clock is ticking.

Adam Moon, general manager, Stage and Screen Travel Australia

12.15pm-1pm (45 minutes)
Trends in event design: What’s new in 2025

Get the latest insights on what’s hot and what’s not with three events professionals who will deliver the trends set to shape the events industry in the year ahead, and offer case studies on design strategies that work.

Kirsty Mainstone, event director, Lux Events
Hannah Pickford, executive director, ASN Events

2.15pm-2.45pm (30 minutes)
Build a thriving culture for your events business

Dream Culture CEO Shelly McElroy is an experienced training and development consultant who has helped individuals and businesses in the hospitality industry to develop and foster healthy workplace relations. In this keynote address, she will share her passion for helping people build relationships and provide valuable tools for harnessing a strong professional culture in your business.