Despite concerns over staging of the APEC conference with high security plans in place on the Friday and weekend immediately following AIMEX 2007, it appears that disruption to visitors and exhibitors will be minimal.

With most security related to APEC concentrated around the Sydney CBD and lower North Shore, including the Harbour Bridge, AIMEX, which is well out of the city at Olympic Park, Homebush, is expected to be reasonably unaffected, says director, industrial events, with Reed Exhibitions, John Gorton.

"Visitors and exhibitors travelling to the exhibition from the north, west and south can expect relatively trouble-free runs with traffic possibly lighter than normal due to Sydney residents avoiding the city generally, as well as the introduction of extended clearways from Monday, September 3.

"The clearway times have been extended due to the earlier arrival of US President George Bush, who will fly into Sydney on the Tuesday evening.

"There will be high security on main arterial roads into the city, primarily Parramatta Road and Victoria Road, but due to our distance from the CBD we do not expect this to have any undue impact. In fact, traffic may be considerably less than usual, with police working to ensure there is no congestion on these key arterials before and during the APEC conference.

"In addition, as the Friday is also a public holiday for most workplaces within the Sydney metropolitan area out about as far as Parramatta, we anticipate substantially reduced traffic on that day," John Gorton says.

"Visitors and exhibitors from out of Sydney who are staying in the city, especially in the northern end, which will be blocked off considerably, may experience some delays on the Friday, especially if travelling by car.

"AIMEX visitors and exhibitors who are staying in the city during the exhibition should also notify us at Reed Exhibitions. We have been invited by the police in charge of security operations to provide their details so that arrangements can be made for their travel to AIMEX to be disrupted as little as possible."

Out-of-town and interstate visitors planning on attending the exhibition should also find accommodation in and around Sydney easier to find, with the recent announcement that up to 2000 hotel rooms previously earmarked for APEC business delegates have now been released, due to lower-than-expected bookings.

"We invite any exhibitors or potential visitors concerned about the possible impact of APEC in the final couple of days of the exhibition to contact us regarding any particular issues they may have," John Gorton says.

For information, contact the AIMEX customer service team at Reed Exhibitions, on (02) 9422 2955, or email aimex@reedexhibitions.com.au