AIME’s food central goes Burger
With more than 850 exhibitors and hundreds of delegates at AIME (Asia Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo) there are plenty of mouths to feed, and who better to take on the task than the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre’s new food and beverage man, Frank Burger.
The chef’s hat is now gone, but former executive chef Burger is still very much hands on, with his association with food more than just in the name.
He has worked for, and with, some of the industry’s best – Bayerische Hof, Steigenberger Hotels and personally one of Australian’s top chefs and head of the Grange at Adelaide’s Hilton, Cheong Lew.
For AIME, the largest trade event of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, Frank and his senior sous chef Shaun Bowles have purpose built an entire restaurant on the exhibition floor at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
Called Globe, the restaurant will feed more than 600 people over two days, with the menu specifically created for the event, reflecting the sponsorship of Tourism Malaysia, with the Asian influence not just in the food, bit also the décor reflecting Malaysia.
Burger says the authenticity of the food comes from appointing a Malay chef to manage this part of the menu, with a team of 10 supporting him in the kitchen.
In addition to the restaurant, the MECC and MCVB (Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau) are holding an event dubbed ‘Taste of Victoria’ for international buyers, giving buyers a chance to taste local produce from five regions of Victoria and will include decadent morsels of Yarra Valley Salmon, King Valley Milawa cheese and Lakes Entrance scallops.
Frank’s team is also creating dishes for many of the exhibitors who want to serve delicacies reflective of their regions, including, The Northern Territory stand featuring rack baked baguette with emu prosciutto and roasted native peppers and char grilled kangaroo kebabs with Illawarra plum jam, while on the Fijian stand there will be Fijian kokoda and samosa with tamarind chutney.
Special AIME Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025