It’s a new face for the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Expo, or AIME for short. The expo has launched a new brand identity to keep up with the changing times.
Announced at a press conference to media types yesterday, Melbourne Convention Bureau’s CEO, Karen Bolinger, revealed the new logo and direction the AIME conference was heading into.
“To remain number one now and into the future, you can’t just shift the goalposts a little bit,” said Bolinger. “You really have to change the game.”
“We’re transforming what AIME means and how it’s connected to our industry around the branding positioning of ‘community’. It’s about connection and it’s about belonging.”
Starting with the look of AIME, “with a fresh, forward-thinking brand identity, led by a new logo”.
“AIME is iconic, so we wanted to give the brand an iconic graphic that was confident and bold, instantly recognisable across all channels. And it’s a strong market distinction for AIME.”
Check out some of the older AIME logos.
The logo has stuck with the purple hue, as a nod to the brand’s heritage.
Colour was clearly a key aspect in the logo redesign, with the three pillars of AIME, business, education and networking, each receiving its own new coloured logo.
“They’re all sexy sounding marketing names,” joked Bolinger. “Sunset orange, aqua blue and dark teal.”
The expo also has a new tagline to go with the new logo – ‘where inspiration begins’.
The refreshed logo, colours and tagline are just the start though, with Bolinger stressing the rebrand is so much more than just the visual identity.
Jacqui Timmins, director at AIME and IBTM Global Events at Reed Travel Exhibitions added: “We have a revitalised brand that will underpin the changes and the new face of AIME. Our new tagline ‘where inspiration begins’ embodies everything AIME stands for. It brings meaning to the brand by highlighting the inspiration, ideas and learning our community will experience.”
There will be a number of new networking events throughout the year, explained Timmins, as well as a show-floor redesign.
Timmins said: “Doing business is the ultimate reason buyers and sellers come to AIME, growing their opportunities to connect successful business is our absolute goal for AIME 2015.”
