Taiwan offers an open arm welcome back to exhibitions
End of quarantine signals route for strong trade fair return
aiwan is reopening
T up to the world with no more mandatory quarantine required .
Taiwan has always been one of the information and transfer hubs in Asia and is home to numerous global-leading professional trade shows in industries such as ICT , cycle , machine tools , automotive parts and accessories , foods , medical supplies and fasteners .
With the steady easing of border measures , Taiwan ’ s MICE industry has entered a new chapter since the end of quarantine and the adoption of 7-day self-initiated prevention policy for arrivals on 13 October , 2022 .
The MEET TAIWAN programme , organised by Taiwan ’ s Bureau of Foreign Trade , recently an ‘ Open Arms ’ press conference ’ at the Taipei International Convention Center .
VIP ’ s from international associations , venue operators , and companies were present both in person and online .
International associations ICCA , UFI , IAEE , and IAPCO , plus convention bureaus and associations from around the world , welcomed the reopening news .
Despite the challenges for the MICE industry in recent years , Taiwan ’ s creativity and resilience , combined with robust software and hardware capabilities , have seen it come back stronger than ever .
At the beginning of the Covid outbreak , Taiwan quickly showed its digital integration resilience , successfully holding large-scale online international conferences such as the 2020 ICCA Congress .
During the pandemic , the government swiftly launched an Online Public Exhibition Template to help Taiwanese companies easily exhibit online . Taiwan also held 280 online business meetings , serving more than 7,000 domestic and foreign companies in the past two years alone .
Looking into 2023 and beyond , Simon Wang , president & CEO of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council ( TAITRA ), expressed positivity for the prospects of MICE events in Taiwan in the coming year .
“ Taiwan expects to host more than 500 business events next year , and around 390,000 business travellers ”
Taipei Cycle
“ We are expecting more than 500 business events to be held in Taiwan next year . It is estimated there will be around 390,000 business travellers incoming , generating economic benefits of around US $ 800m , for an anticipated total value of US $ 2bn for the Taiwan MICE industry .”
Taiwan ’ s diversified industrial chain is the cornerstone of highquality exhibition activities .
Taiwan considers itself at the centre of the global supply chain , and the government is committed to the promotion of five-plus-two innovative industries plan and Six Core Strategic Industries initiative , including Information and Digital , AI , National Defence and Strategic , Outstanding Cybersecurity , Precision Health , Strategic Stockpile , Green Electricity and Renewable Energy , Smart Machinery , Biomedicine , New Agricultural , and Circular Economy industries .
One of the best ways to experience the strength of these industries is by joining Taiwan ’ s booming exhibitions in 2023 . The main trade fair schedule for 2023 can be accessed at : https :// www . taiwantradeshows . com . tw / en _ US / show-list-calendar / 005 . html
TAITRA will also host the International Elite forum , one of the biggest celebrations in the global exhibition community , and the Asian MICE Forum ( AMF ), next June and September respectively .
TAITRA , together with the Bureau of Foreign Trade , UFI , and KPMG Taiwan , has proposed the Taiwan MICE Sustainability White Paper , to provide a practical framework for sustainable MICE operation .
The White Paper covers major sustainability trends such as UN SDGs and ESG . The hope is that the White Paper will become a sustainable model for the international MICE industry through the development and implementation of the SIRCO framework .
50 Issue 6 2022 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk