End of quarantine signals route for strong trade fair return
Taiwan is reopening 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.
“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 high-quality 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.
