UFI Asia-Pacific Conference & Digital Innovation Forum cancelled for 2020
Dear colleagues, Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and the travel restrictions that remain in place in most Asian markets, UFI has decided to cancel the 2020 UFI Asia-Pacific Conference and the Digital Innovation Forum which were originally scheduled to be held in Macau in March and were subsequently rescheduled in late August. “The UFI team worked closely with our hosts in Macau on this decision. Unfortunately, the travel restrictions across the region and around the world made it impossible to proceed with this event in Macau in 2020. We thank our hosts at the Macau Fair & Trade Association (MFTA) for their professionalism and understanding in this difficult situation and we look forward to bringing this event back to Macau at the earliest opportunity.” says Mark Cochrane, UFI Regional Manager Asia-Pacific. “As the host of the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference 2020, the Macau Fair & Trade Association is saddened by this cancellation, but we understand and support UFI’s decision given the current pandemic. At MFTA, health and safety are our priority in order to ensure the recovery of the exhibition industry! Hence, we will look forward to welcoming the exhibition industry back to Macau when the time is right. Until then, stay healthy and happy!” remarks Council Chairperson, Synthia Chan. Although this is disappointing for all involved, the UFI team is looking to the future with optimism and will return to Macau in 2022 to organize another successful edition of the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference. And before that in 2021, the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference will go to Melbourne, the first time that an UFI event will take place in Australia. More information here If you have any questions about the registration cancellation, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Stay tuned UFI will announce the specific dates and locations for the ‘glocalised’ Congress later in the summer. For more details on the UFI Global Congress 2020, please visit www.ufi.org/congress2020. Stay safe and healthy, With best wishes, The UFI team
Taiwan Sports Industry Resilient Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Until May 12, 2020, Taiwan has not seen any domestic COVID-19 transmission for 30 consecutive days. The country has endured more than 2 incubation periods (28 days). Taiwan is not just safe on paper. Compared with pre-COVID times, the daily lives of citizens remain relatively similar, including outdoor sporting activities. For instance, Taiwan’s professional baseball league CPBL, began its closed-door 2020 Season in early April. For a time, CPBL was the only professional baseball league holding events worldwide. CPBL is now allowing 1,000 fans per game to enter the stadiums, and is the first of its kind to make such a call. On top of drawing attention from the international sports community and media, by doing so, Taiwan and the CPBL is also making a statement that it is prepared for a post-COVID era and that the island nation is ready to gradually and cautiously lift restrictions imposed to combat COVID-19. While professional sports are always exciting to watch, personal exercises are also important. According to a WHO research, adults should maintain moderate daily physical activity in order to enhance muscular strength and physical wellness. Doctors also urged that during the epidemic prevention period, regular exercising at home can help boosting immunity. Taiwan has long been a major global sporting goods and fitness equipment exporter. In 2019 alone, US$2.12 billion worth of sporting goods were shipped to other parts of the globe. A significant amount of the increase was driven by the growing fitness and sporting equipment market. Brands from Taiwan are among the top industry players in the world, including Johnson and Dyaco, both are manufacturers of sporting and fitness goods that are frequent winners of the Taiwan Excellence Award. Johnson is among the top 3 largest fitness equipment manufactures in the world, and number one in Asia. Its brands include Matrix Fitness for commercial clients, Vision Fitness and Horizon Fitness for retail clients. See more at: https://www.johnsonhealthtech.... Dyaco is the parent company of various prestige brands including SPIRIT, fuel, XTERRA, SOLE, Spirit Medical Systems Group, and CLUBFIT. See more at: https://www.dyaco.com/en-gb In 2021, TAITRA will hold the TaiSPO tradeshow on 3-6 March at Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC). It is one of the most complete and innovative platforms in the global sporting and fitness industry. The exhibition will feature Smart Sport, Sports Services, as well as the Taiwan Excellence Award Pavilion and a lot more. For further detail, please see: https://www.taispo.com.tw/en_U... Together with TaiSPO, TAIPEI CYCLE, will be held by TAITRA on 3-6 March, 2021, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Halls 1 and 2 (TaiNEX 1&2). It is the second largest professional cycle show worldwide, and will feature a complete ecosystem of the healthy lifestyle and sports industry, and will include many special features, such as enhanced online and offline sourcing services, and outdoor demo riding for bicycles. See more at: https://www.taipeicycle.com.tw... ***TAITRA, your reliable partner for doing business with Taiwan, has a global network of 63 branch offices dedicated to helping you connect with quality Taiwan partners, suppliers, products, and services. Contact an office near you: https://lnkd.in/eRfrjzb ***As of today, May 12, the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in more than 4,212,538 confirmed cases worldwide. As of writing, a total of 440 confirmed cases were reported in Taiwan, with 30 consecutive days of ZERO domestic transmissions, 349 imported cases, 7 deceased cases, 372 cases released from isolation, and the remainder hospitalized in stable condition. See the latest update: https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En.
Taiwan acts effectively in combating new corona virus
Amid the growing number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infections globally, Taiwan has been effective in curbing the outbreak by moving swiftly to deploy the necessary actions that ensure public health and safety. As of today, Wednesday Feb 12, the new coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a total of 45,183 confirmed cases reported worldwide. As of writing, a total of 18 confirmed cases were found in Taiwan, all of which were imported or close contact cases. There have been no community-acquired cases, nor any new confirmed case since Feb 9. Moreover, one of the confirmed cases has already fully recovered, with the rest on the way to recovery and are in stable conditions. The risk of infection to international travelers within Taiwan is considered low to minimal.
Special Events Releases 2020 Event Planner Forecast
The event industry feels confident going into 2020, with 90 percent of in-house event professionals predicting they will stage the same number or more events in 2020 than they will in 2019. As for independent event professionals, 79 percent say they will stage the same number or more special events next year. The study is conducted every year by the Informa Engage division of Informa, parent company of Special Events. The 2020 outlook for business/corporate events is strong, with the majority of independent event professional respondents (55 percent) expecting revenue increases. The typical respondent expects a mean increase of 11 percent in business/corporate events. Some 35 percent of respondents expect their 2020 revenues from business/corporate events to stay on par with 2019, while a scant 2 percent of respondents expect revenues from business/corporate events to decrease in 2020. The outlook for social/private events is a bit more tempered, with 43 percent expecting revenue increases and 37 percent expecting no change. The typical respondent expects a mean increase of 12 percent in social/private events. Five percent of respondents say they expect revenue from social/private events to decrease in 2020 while 16 percent are unsure.
2019 SCSE Sets Record for Overseas Visitors
The 6th Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) once again poduced outstanding results! A total of nearly 1,700 overseas visitors from 42 countries and regions participated. Among them, 128 mayors and delegates led 276 city government delegations to the Smart City Mayors Summit on March 26 hosted by the mayor of Taipei, Wen-Je Ko. They also attended a launch for the Global Organization of Smart Cities (GO SMART) on the 27th. The number of visitors from international cities to Taiwan has already broken previous records. It is expected that the large-scale smart city exchange among mayors of major international cities will lead to closer cooperation between Taiwan and other international cities. Overseas Businessmen Up 30% In addition to city delegations, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and other countries sent large trade delegations to hold bilateral meetings on economic and trade cooperation with their mayors present in Taiwan. Also, IT associations from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and India sent business delegations to Taiwan. The number of overseas visitors exceeded 2,000, a 30% increase from the year before. The first Global System Integrator Conference, organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, invited more than 150 system integrators for exchange and procurement in Taiwan to expand MICE business opportunities. The ever-increasing number of overseas businessmen has turned SCSE into Taiwan’s up-and-coming international exhibition, contributing to the realization of making Taiwan a major supplier of smart city solutions. The 2019 SCSE was held in Nangang Exhibition Hall 1 during March 26–29. This year, a total of 337 domestic and foreign exhibitors occupied 1,250 booths, an increase of nearly 20% from the previous year. Sixty-six sessions of professional forums took place during the exhibition (one session is half a day), forty-three (65%) of which were held in English. These can lead to more international cooperation with up to 19,000 participants in attendance. The exhibition attracted more than 33,000 professionals from Taiwan and abroad. Conference Theme AI x IoT x Smart City As artificial intelligence (AI) matures, its application can provide smart services from the city government. The theme of this year’s exhibition was AIoT Invigorates Smart City. The integrated applications of AI and IoT can lead to upgrades of Smart City 2.0. The conference organized an [AI 50] event especially for this theme where the world’s quality AI startups for the next five years were selected and recommended to Taiwanese businesses. Business matchmaking was used to speed up AI applications in different industries. A total of 52 startups from 19 countries registered for this year’s event, 18 of which decided to register after receiving recommendations from accelerators or venture capitalists. In the end, AI applications provided by 36 startups from 15 countries were selected. Their creative contents were on display in the [AI‧50] Pavilion. Startup founders and technical directors from all over the world attended the summit to share their experiences. The event was Asia’s largest AI application exchange, and AI will be quickly spread to all areas of smart cities as a result. In addition, a Smart Hospital Superintendent Conference was held in the form of an industry strategic meeting. The exchange and cooperation between hospitals and ICT industries that resulted from the annual event will accelerate the development of Taiwan’s smart healthcare industry. The theme of the second conference was Creating Efficient Healthcare Organization with AI Application. Vice Superintendent Shih-An Chen of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Superintendent Mu-Kuan Chen of Changhua Christian Hospital, Chief Executive Chun-Sheng Ho of Advantech, and Chief Executive Officer Sheng-Wei Chen of Taiwan AI Academy were invited to make introductory remarks. Nearly 50 superintendents and vice superintendents from Taiwan’s hospitals, along with 30 leaders in tech companies, attended and joined the discussion. Cross-Domain Application of IoT Four sub-expos were held concurrently with SCSE: Smart Healthcare Expo, Smart Education Expo, Intelligent Building Expo (IBE Taipei), and Intelligent Transportation System Expo (ITS Taiwan), the last of which was added this year. The Smart Healthcare Expo (SHE) was jointly organized by the Joint Commission of Taiwan and the Taipei Computer Association. This year’s exhibition featured two key activities: 1. Smart Hospital Superintendent Conference: 50 hospital superintendents and vice superintendents from Taiwan and abroad, as well as 30 leaders in tech companies, were invited to discuss Creating Efficient Healthcare Organization with AI Application under the format of a strategic meeting. This promoted further bilateral cooperation and will lead to rapid development of Taiwan’s smart healthcare industry. 2. Presentation of Smart Healthcare Scenarios: Technologies and products from 16 companies such as Imedtac, Stipendiary, and Golden Smart Home Technology were used to showcase three patient care solutions outside of the hospital. These included home care, smart community care, and AI precision healthcare. This interactive zone was a highlight at the conference again. The Intelligent Building Expo (IBE Taipei) was co-hosted by the Taiwan Intelligent Building Association (TIBA) and Taipei Computer Association, with the Architecture and Building Institute, Ministry of Interior in an advisory role. It was sponsored by the Material and Chemical Research Laboratories from ITRI and the Smart Architecture and Building Center. The rapid development of IoT and AI in recent years has become a foundation for the next generation of smart buildings. With these development trends in mind, members of the Asia Pacific Intelligent Green Building Alliance (APIGBA) were invited to organize an Intelligent Green Building International Forum in Taiwan. Leading businesses in intelligent buildings from Taiwan and abroad were also invited to showcase themselves. The Smart Education Expo was co-hosted by the Digital Talent Cultivation Center and Taipei Computer Association. The theme of this year’s event was Learning Without Borders, with more than 100 overseas education experts to share their experiences from their respective countries during citizens’ digital transformation. This conference presented the progress of three smart campus applications from 14 Taiwanese companies: smart classroom, smart library, and interactive teaching. Complete solutions were also showcased, which served as a reference for education officials and experts from other countries that were interested in developing smart campuses. This interactive area was a highlight this year. The Intelligent Transportation System Expo (ITS Taiwan) was held for the first time this year, with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications as an advisor. The Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS Taiwan) and Taipei Computer Association co-hosted Global Trends in Smart Transportation & Mobility and co-managed the Taiwan ITS Vision Pavilion. In addition, eight companies worked together to plan solutions for smart management of vehicle logistics, smart bus stops, and smart loading. With the release of electric scooters, global leader KYMCO designed a complete charging management system for electric scooters and vehicles. The cloud-based solution will be an important part of the development of smart green cities and was recommended to visiting mayors. Source: Smart City Summit & Expo
Opening Video_Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 & Taipei International Machine Tool Show 2019
Co-hosted by TAITRA and the Taiwan Machinery Industry Association, the ‘2019 Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS)’ will take place March 4-9, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1&2, and TWTC Hall 1&3. The six-day show, the largest in TIMTOS’ history and the third largest of its kind in the world, will gather 1,230 exhibitors and bring to life 7,000 booths – the greatest number of booths ever used in Taiwan, as well as welcome 7,500 international buyers and 52,700 Taiwanese industry visitors. TIMTOS is the first international show to take place at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2). The much anticipated TaiNEX 2, which passed Taiwan’s first Green Building Gold Label, has a total floor area of 156,700 sq. m2 and capacity of up to 32,000 people. TIMTOS will occupy the ground level, with 12m ceilings and 4th level with 9m ceilings. The joint grand opening TaiNEX 2 and TIMTOS 2019 will create momentum to Taiwan’s MICE industry and upgrade the international status of Taiwan’s industries. TIMTOS this year features exhibitors from 26 countries. Those include world-renowned firms such as DMG MORI, MAZAK, FANUC, SIEMENS, SODICK, and HEIDENHAIN. Local exhibitors include Fair Friend Group, Chain Headway, Soco Machinery, Tongtai, Kao Fong Machinery, Po Ly GIM, Goodway, Shinwu, Chevalier, PMI-Group, and Deta. In addition to countless exhibitors from Switzerland and Germany, companies from USA, Denmark and Turkey will feature in national pavilions for the first time. This points to the fact that TIMTOS has become a major show for global manufacturers to demonstrate their advanced machines and technologies. This year TIMTOS presents an “AR Experience Zone” for the first time, which uses Augmented Reality (AR) to demonstrate the structures of metal-forming machines. Taiwanese metal-forming machinery companies apply robotic arms, automatic die change systems, sensors, and AR applications and together with production management systems and remote management, to build smart production lines of sheet metal and aluminum alloy casting. This corresponds to TIMTOS’s themes ‘Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing’, featuring Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing solutions and complete machine tool supply chains. For example, YCM’s Smart Factory, Kao Fong’s new 5-Axis Machine and Double-column Machine, and Honor Seiki’s new generation machine tools specifically designed for making aircrafts. Furthermore, the TIMTOS Summit at TICC on March 5-6, will assemble top executives from international and local firms including ABB, Optomec, Dassault Système, Airbus, DMG, Siemens and Bosch Rexroth. They will focus on ‘Machine Intelligence and AIoT’, ‘Additive Manufacturing’, ‘Innovation in Aerospace Manufacturing’, ‘Automotive Manufacturing Revolution’ to explore state-of-the-art technique application and industrial trends. In parallel, the show features multiple events including the ‘14th Ceremony of Taiwan Machine Tool Industry Awards for Excellence in Research & Innovation’, ‘TIMTOS 2019 One-on-One Procurement Meetings’, ‘Market Briefing of Machinery Industry in Malaysia & Signing Ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding between TAITRA and PENFEIA (Penang Foundry & Engineering Industries Association)’, ‘Taiwan-Japan Machinery Enterprise Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting’, and the ‘Germany Company Talk @ TIMTOS’. There will also be 40 seminars on new technologies and new product launches. The show opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00, March 4-9. Free admission with business cards is available for professional visitors. Tickets can be purchased for the general public (NT$200 per ticket - booths are open till 16:00), local students from industry-relevant fields require a student ID for free admission. The show will not admit children under 12 years old. For more information, please access our official website at www.timtos.com.tw.
World PCO Alliance Immediate Past President Kitty Wong Formally Recognized by the International Congress and Convention...
Tokyo, Japan: Kitty Wong, president of K&A International Co. Ltd. and Immediate Past President of the World PCO Alliance, has been awarded an Inspirational ICCA Woman award.The awards, a project initiated by Nina Freysen-Pretorius, ICCA’s Immediate Past President (also an Alliance partner), were presented at her President’s Choice session by the newly elected ICCA President, James Rees, on November 12, 2018 as part of the 57th ICCA Congress. The awards celebrate the achievements by women who embody the principles and values that are central to ICCA. Ms. Wong was one of ten women recognized and the only representative from Asia. “I am so humbled by this award,” says Wong. “Thank you to ICCA for acknowledging the contributions of all women in our industry, and I hope these awards inspire my female peers to continue their invaluable work.” A meetings professional since 1991, Kitty Wong is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) industry. In addition to being president of K&A International Co. Ltd., a company she founded in 1995, she’s also vice-president of the Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association (TECA), a board member of the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Association (AFECA), and a senior consultant for the MEETTAIWAN Project (2017-2020). She is one of the founders of the World PCO Alliance and is the organization’s Immediate Past President. Founded in 2009, the World PCO Alliance provides leadership in meeting management through the delivery of streamlined and effective meetings around the globe. The Alliance’s mandate includes the collective exchange of education, technology, and other information for the mutual benefit of the industry and ensuring the effective global promotion of its clients’ events. The organization is comprised of 21 chosen, quality PCOs in the meetings industry from around the world. Website: http://www.worldpco.org Attachment (photo) Kitty Wong with Nina Freysen-Pretorius, Immediate Past President of ICCA and other Alliance members; from left: Liu Ping, Kayo Nomura, also an IAPCO Council member and Nancy Tan, Treasurer of the World PCO Alliance.
Taipei Cycle's Closing Ceremony Focused on Smart Riding
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) hosted the 2018 Taipei International Cycle Show (TAIPEI CYCLE) from October 31 to November 3, 2018. The four-day exhibition attracted more than 4,932 overseas visitors and 28,953 domestic visitors. Buyers were mainly from Mainland China, followed by those from Japan, U.S.A., South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. Free test rides were available on the demo day at Hua-Zhong Campground. 27 companies from 6 countries took part in the event, and thousands of buyers came to test-ride the newest bicycle models from over 40 brands along scenic riverside paths. The international Taipei Cycle Forum was also held, attracting 300 participants for in-depth discussions of hot cycling industry topics, which included anti-dumping cases in Europe, U.S.A. Trade Act Section 301 actions, smart manufacturing in response to the rise of Industry 4.0, and the impact of the future evolution of human transport on bicycles. The discussions drew enthusiastic responses. THULE, a Swedish manufacturer, stated that TAIPEI CYCLE is an important international exhibition in Asia. This year, they showcased new products and hoped to establish and consolidate their brand image through this exhibition. It turns out their products were popular during the 4-day exhibition and they were quite satisfied with the benefits of the exhibition. An Italian manufacturer, Basso, was shocked by the results from participating in their first show this year. They further mentioned that, although the shows in 2018 and 2019 are only four months apart, they will continue to support the Taipei International Cycle Show in 2019. Ms. Gina Chang, Secretary General of the Taiwan Bicycle Association, believes that from a broad perspective, the cycling industry will further evolve to meet the unstoppable trend towards digital living. However, the speed of the evolution will depend on the regulatory environment and technical breakthroughs. TAIPEI CYCLE 2018 responded to industry trends with its first-ever TAIPEI CYCLE+, a hall dedicated to bringing bicycles, innovation, and technology together. Exhibits and industry discussions during the Show revealed the germination of cycling for the digital generation and the expansion of cycling as a culture. TAIPEI CYCLE 2019 will be held March 27–30 at Nangang Exhibition Hall 2 and the 4th Floor of Hall 1.
2018 AFECA Awards
Dear AFECA Members, The 3rd AFECA Asian Awards held last Sep 6, 2017 in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan was another success. We thank you very much for your support. This year, AFECA continues to acknowledge outstanding achievements by individuals and corporate establishments in the industry. In addition to this, AFECA has made it a goal to focus on the youth, teaching them “Excellence” through proper work values and experience. This too, AFECA will recognize. For 2018, consistent with AFECA’s pursuit for Excellence, we will, once again, honor and pay tribute to deserving personalities and organizations in the industry and we are happy to announce that Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) shall once again hold the 2018 AFECA Asian Awards. Honors will be presented to the following 6 categories: 1. Outstanding Trade Exhibition Awards2. Outstanding Consumer Exhibition Awards3. Outstanding Congress/Convention Awards4. Outstanding Service Awards5. Outstanding Venue Awards6. AFECA Young Professional Awards In line with the above, we enjoin everyone to support the AFECA Asian Awards. We invite the AFECA General Membership to participate in this year’s Awards by nominating outstanding and deserving personalities in the various sectors of MICE , including the MICE Young Professional category. The Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 24, in Goyang City, Korea. The AFECA Awards Winners will be announced in major publications in the region and also on the AFECA website. For more information, please contact the AFECA Secretariat: MS. SUSANNA CHANG/ MS. BETSY LIN, AFECATaipei Liaison Office ([email protected])Contact No.:+886-2-8789-6107 Thank you very much and we look forward to another year of AFECA EXCELLENCE! Very truly yours, WALTER YEH President Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations(AFECA) MARISA D. NALLANA Secretary General Chairperson, AFECA ASIAN Awards