Events

Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau

Sponsored by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) and organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the MEET TAIWAN promotion program has received special recognition from TTG Asia Media, winning the Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau award to be presented at the 2019 TTG Travel Awards. To promote Taiwan as a prime destination for MICE, MEET TAIWAN assists with the development of Taiwan’s MICE industry by applying media and PR promotions, as well as organizing overseas networking events and roadshows. MEET TAIWAN was selected as the Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau this year through a nomination and election process involving the subscribers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG India, TTGmice and TTG associations, which are all MICE magazine brands under the TTG group. This award reflects that MEET TAIWAN has successfully achieved global brand awareness by applying multi-MICE related services and abundant marketing methods. TTG Asia Media's annual TTG Travel Awards are world-renowned in the incentive travel and corporate meeting industry. Sub-categories include Airline Awards, Travel Services Awards, Travel Agency Awards, and more. Past winners of the Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau the last four years were: 2018, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM); 2017, Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB); 2016, Korea MICE Bureau; and 2015, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. This is the first time that MEET TAIWAN has been selected as the Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau of the Year. It not only demonstrates the results of MEET TAIWAN's efforts, it also establishes Taiwan's dominant position in the Asian MICE industry. This award is also the second international MICE award that MEET TAIWAN has received, following a Bronze Award from the 16th International Business Awards for Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Travel & Tourism category organized by the Stevie Awards, which is considered the Oscars of the commercial industry.

Taichung Flora Expo

The Taichung World Flora Exposition grand opening was held on November 3, 2018, in Fengyuan, Houli, and Waipu. In addition to displays of flowers and plants, this year's event also featured live performances including music, dance, drama, and drumming. To encourage people to maximize their visits, the Taichung Tourism Bureau has launched 36 full-scale sightseeing tours, so visitors may fully enjoy the beauty of this flower fair. The Expo will continue on to April 24, 2019, encompassing Houli Horse Ranch & Forest Park, Waipu Park, and Fengyuan Huludun Park. Houli Park: Largest of the Venues The largest park, Houli, features a forest and horse-riding area, plus a history of over a hundred years. Their stables are recognized as historical sites with stable architecture characteristic of Japanese rule at the time of their construction. This area offers a parent-child equestrian experience during the Expo, while a couple of stables will house Expo-related merchandise. The forest park displays the diversity of Taichung's landscape, from the seaport and mid- to low-altitude areas, to the Dasyueshan area. Installation art and exhibition halls, such as the one themed Listening to the Sound of Blooming, are also set up in the forest. Waipu Park: Agriculturally Themed Waipu Park covers an area of about 16 hectares and has two exhibition halls, themed Joy of Agriculture and Intelligence of Agriculture. Joy of Agriculture hightlights four important Taiwanese crops—rice, fruit, mushrooms, and tea. With the slogan of Genes Create All Things, Treasure Island is Our Ark, the Intelligence of Agriculture Hall showcases different agricultural and horticultural cultivation techniques as well as examples of cutting-edge agricultural science and technology. The Dr. Cecilia Koo Botanic Conservation Center was invited to display more than 1,000 rare plants that comprise a horticultural ark. Fengyuan Huludun Park: Tasteful and Flowery Among the Expo's 3 major parks, Fengyuan Huludun Park is the only one that has a river flowing through it. Recommended attractions include a glass art and flower sea themed Happy Flower Marriage, a competition garden, and a 213-meter flower corridor. In addition, the park combines different exhibition areas, including a Happy-Meeting Hall, county and city parks, and a corporate court park, further enriching the Expo with a variety of waterfront flowers. The Happy-Meeting Hall features Taichung pastries and offers visitors a feast of local flowers and baked goods. 36 Flora Expo Tours to Take in Taichung To encourage people to visit the Expo and enjoy Taichung culture, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has launched 36 Expo tours. These cover a broad range of the area's scenic and cultural features. In the Waipu Park area adjacent to the ocean, visitors can go to the East Donghwasa Trail, Lotus Valley, Bu Ying Xiong Culture and Creation Center, Dajia Town Palace, Rice Industry Culture Center, and internationally-renowned Gaomei Wetland Park, which is ideal for evening visits. Both Houli and Fengyuan Parks are in a mountainous area, surrounded by the Houfeng Iron Horse Road, Dongfeng Bicycle Green Corridor, Libao Paradise Resort, Miaodong Night Market, Taian Railway Culture Park, Zhongshe Sightseeing Flower Market, Yuemei Sightseeing Sugar Factory, and other famous attractions ideal for quick tours.

TECA and TAITRA Jointly Host Exhibition Technology Seminar for "Global Exhibitions Day"

"Global Exhibitions Day, held on June 7 this year, was originally initiated by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) in 2016 to highlight the economic benefits brought by the exhibition industry. Thereafter, it has now become a day for joint celebration of the global exhibition industry. In response to the new event inaugurated by UFI and IAEE, the Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association (TECA) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) held a Global Exhibitions Day Seminar at the Taipei International Convention Center on June 5, which was attended by key industrial representatives who discussed exhibition industry technologies through talks and workshops that attracted 170 attendees. The seminar was hosted by Walter Yeh, President of TECA (and President and CEO of TAITRA), and was attended by EventXtra CEO Sum Wong, Ungerboeck Software International Director Huang Jian-Lun, Ogilvy Asia-Pacific Vice President Wang Jun-Ren, and TAITRA Data Center Section Head Zhou Zi-Rong, all of whom discussed exhibition technology applications and marketing through a series of speeches and talks. David Dubois, IAEE President, Dilys Yong, Honorary Chairman of the Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations (AFECA), and Vincent Lim, President of the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), recorded a special welcoming video in support of the event which was broadcast to the guests in attendance. Walter Yeh indicated that rapid changes in exhibition technologies will result in future exhibitions that inevitably include essential elements such as big data analysis and technological applications of even higher convenience. During seminar discussions on achieving effective analysis with acquired big data, CEO Sum Wong and Director Huang Jian-Lun shared overseas exhibition technology experiences, Vice President Wang Jun-Ren explained how to project advertisements to target clients with higher precision, and TAITRA Data Center Section Head Zhou Zi-Rong introduced the methods of effective big data analysis used for hosting exhibitions. 38 key exhibition organizations from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong, Poland, Taiwan, and other regions observed the Global Exhibitions Day event to spotlight the functions of exhibitions as a platform for trade and information exchange and their major contributions towards global economic development.

COMPUTEX 2017: Building Global Technology Ecosystems

Mega event COMPUTEX Taipei 2017, was held at multiple venues: the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Halls 1 and 3, and the Taipei International Convention Center from May 30 to June 3. The event showcased COMPUTEX's achievements and outcomes after nearly two years of transition towards the goal of "Building Global Technology Ecosystems". This year's five main themes were AI & Robotics, IoT Applications, Innovations & Startups, Business Solutions, and Gaming & VR; there were also four featured exhibition areas: SmarTEX (IoT five technological applications), InnoVEX (best showcase platform for global startups), Gaming & VR (high performance eSports and VR products), and iStyle (exhibition of Apple MFi-certified designer accessories). The exhibition displayed the latest products and technological achievements, as well as presented a comprehensive look at global technology ecosystems. In addition, the exhibition demonstrated the influential and leading position of COMPUTEX following its 37 years of continuous efforts to drive the ICT industry. The exhibition was attended by 41,378 technology industry professionals from 167 countries around the world, and saw an increase in buyers from Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Russia, along with an extensive array of regions ranging from Asia and the Asian Pacific to Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, over a hundred international industry forums were held, among which the two key forums were CPX and InnoVEX at which the global technology industry's advanced ideas and future trends were extensively discussed. 181 international major buyers and exhibitors held a total of 955 talks in a demonstration of COMPUTEX's commitment to facilitate international trade matchmaking, attract capital investments, forge deeper connections with the global ICT industry, and build a global technology ecosystem. On May 30, Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-Jen personally handed out trophies at the 2017 COMPUTEX d&i awards for the Innovative Design Golden Award, Startup Enterprise Award, and Contribution Award at the COMPUTEX opening ceremony. The products entered into the competition this year were more diversified and varied due to three new competition categories: AI, IoT, and VR/AR; meanwhile, the standards of product research and development, design, and quality remained outstanding as they have been in previous editions of the d&i awards—all a result of the highly competitive selection process. For more information, visit the COMPUTEX 2017 website at www.computextaipei.com.tw/zh_TW/index.html.

Cycle show celebrates Innovation

Taipei Cycle Show in order to honor the newest innovations in the cycling industry on Tuesday (March 20th ) by giving out its Taipei Cycle Design & Innovation Awards to a slew eye-catching products. In anticipation of the 30th edition of Taipei Cycle, an exhibition for the newest products and gear in cycling which kicks off today, the organizer, TAITRA, applauded the 154 submissions from 16 countries it received for its Design & Innovation Award. The panel of judges emphasized the smart technology and convenience aspects of the products that were submitted, ultimately choosing to give 57 submissions awards, with seven receiving the highest-standard Gold Award. These products include the Alinka Lock, which unlike a typical bike lock, is locked and unlocked via a smartphone, and Taiwanese company Merida's eONE-SIXTY 900, a shock-resistant mountain electronic bike. Head judge Liang Chih-hung (梁志鴻) commented on the trends the judges saw in this year's submissions, saying that the industry was putting an emphasis on "environmentally friendly production processes and materials." All these award-winning innovations will be on display at the 30th Taipei Cycle, which runs from today to March 25. What's New at Taipei Cycle? This year's Taipei Cycle will take place at two separate venues, the Nangang Exhibition Center and Taipei World Trade Exhibition Hall 1, featuring 1,115 businesses at 3,340 booths. On top of the usual European Union Pavilion, the French Pavilion, and the Japanese Pavilion, visitors this year will see the inclusion of the Italian Pavilion, which is joining the show for the first time in its history. The Italian Pavilion is made up of six businesses displaying their products at 14 different booths. Aside from booths where visitors can purchase cycling products and exchange contacts, the 30th Taipei Cycle is hosting a forum on March 23 to discuss the trends in cycling, electronic bikes, and the design and marketing of cycling products. The forum is bringing together four experts in the cycling industry, including IDberlin's General Manager Norbert Haller, Great Britain Bike Association'sMark Bickerton, New York Bike Union's Kenneth J. Podziba, and Taiwan's Welltech Energy's General Manager Yang Mo-hua (楊模樺). Perhaps the most unique part of this year's show are the 10 limited-edition, commemorative bike models that local leading bike manufacturers Giant, Merida, and Pacific Cycles will be showcasing throughout the event. Taipei Cycle will be taking place alongside the Taipei International Sporting Goods Show, so sports enthusiasts will be getting ample exposure to the latest in sports equipment and gear this week.

New MICE Industry Promotion Program to Bring More Events to Taiwan

For the past four years, Taiwan’s MICE Promotion Program (MEET TAIWAN), launched by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), has been effective in facilitating upgrades and transformation for Taiwan companies, making them more globalized, hi-tech, and greener. The next four-year MEET TAIWAN project has already begun this year, aimed at boosting the software/hardware of Taiwan’s MICE industry to a new level, increasing its global visibility and international competitiveness, and boosting local industries through MICE activities. The project covers three goals: broaden exhibition services, strengthen marketing, and promote communication and industry research. Various measures will be taken, such as expanding presence at exhibitions and meetings, digital marketing, and assistance to local governments for developing MICE cities, as well as launching trade meetings and supporting Taiwan companies with becoming members of international MICE organizations—all to multiply MICE events and incentive tours held in Taiwan. Green MICE continues to be a focus. More trade shows and event organizers are encouraged to adopt a green model and live up to international standards, such as Carbon Footprint Verification: PAS 2050:2011, Carbon Neutrality: PAS 2060, and ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System. One aim is that carbon neutrality can be better understood and negative impacts on the earth be lessened by the purchase of green electricity and emission trades. Corresponding to Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, an important program objective for 2017 is to increase the visibility of Taiwan companies at major events in ASEAN countries (through establishment of a Taiwan pavilion). More efforts will go to solicitation of visitors/buyers from 10 ASEAN countries, six South Asian countries, New Zealand, and Australia to take part in Taiwan’s MICE events. A special section for the New Southbound Policy and promotion of Muslim exhibitions will be featured on the MEET TAIWAN website to provide information about local markets, visa requirements, support measures for company meetings, Halal certified hotels and restaurants, as well as important events. The intent is for Taiwan companies to gain a better understanding of the South Asia market and increase interaction and cooperation within the region.