To ensure all buyers who apply for the Hosted Buyer Program are thoroughly qualified, they firstly need to complete all details of the online Hosted Buyer application form.
The questions asked as part of the Hosted Buyer application form are:
- What type of company do you work for?
- Have you visited AIME in the past?
- How would you describe your position in the company?
- What level of responsibility do you have for the venue/event?
- What type of events do you organise?
- Which industries do you work in?
- Is your business focus primarily - Australia/International?
- In which geographical areas are you interested in?
- Number of events organised per year?
- Average number of attendees per event?
- Annual budget for your events?
- In which product areas are you interested in?
- Are you a member of any industry associations?
- What would you like to achieve at AIME?
The buyers must provide examples of three previous events and five future events in the Asia-Pacific region. If a buyer is unable to provide information on Asia-Pacific events, they can provide details of other events they manage worldwide.
There are 2 categories in the Hosted Buyer Program:
- Fully Hosted - Fully Hosted Buyers can choose to attend AIME on one or both days of the event. It is the highest category of hosting with flights, accommodation, transfers, entry to education session and social functions.
- Semi Hosted - Semi Hosted Buyers can choose to attend AIME on one or both days of the event. Semi Hosted Buyer have accommodation, transfers, seminars and social function costs covered by AIME.
No international buyer can be fully hosted two years in a row unless there are special circumstances. Buyers can be offered a Semi Hosted Buyer position and pay for their own airfare to Melbourne if they want to attend AIME in consecutive years.
Also taken into consideration is the level of buyer's responsibility in the company. Senior buyers are given precedence for fully hosting due to their authority when making budgetary decisions on the show floor.
The range of events is also important, for example are the events being organised in Australia only? For Australian applications it is ideal that buyers are organising events in more than one state and in Asia and New Zealand also. International buyers must have confirmed business for the Asia-Pacific region or confirmed potential business in the Asia-Pacific region, in order to be fully hosted.