Promoting Taiwan's MICE Industry - Launch of Taiwan's MICE Industry Pilot Program: Interview with Project's Managing Director, Walter Yeh News Date：2013/02/20
The MICE industry is one of the principle service industries supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs. After four years of the “Taiwan MICE Advancement Program", the next stage is the new “Taiwan's MICE Pilot Program” phase, which is implemented by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) under commission of the Ministry's Bureau of Foreign Trade. The MICE industry is surging worldwide, rising in recent years as a new star of Asia, and leading the industry as an engine for market growth. Matching the latest trends, at the end of 2004 the government listed the MICE industry as one of the major service industries worth developing. In 2012, the “Taiwan MICE Advancement Program”, ended successfully after four years. In respect to the constant advance of technology, green conventions have become an unmistakable trend and an imperative orientation for Taiwan's MICE industry. Aside from the program mentioned above, the nationally ranked “Taiwan MICE Pilot Program” will pick up and carry on another four years to assist and promote Taiwan's MICE in gaining entrance to the international market and breaking new ground for the industry. In a special interview with the Pilot Program's Managing director, Vice President of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Walter Yeh, discusses the Pilot Program's content and objectives. Q: Please briefly describe the main objective of TAITRA's proposal and thoughts on winning the bid. A: TAITRA has accumulated more than 40 years of hands-on experience in organizing exhibitions, conferences, exhibition venues, etc., and possesses a deep understanding of the aspirations and demands of the industry. With overseas branches around the world, TAITRA continues its positive relationships with prominent international organizations and is duty-bound to promote Taiwan's MICE industry. As successors to the implementation of the “Taiwan’s MICE Industry Pilot Program," TAITRA will proceed to execute a "Taiwan MICE Training and Certification Project" and act in concert with the government's policies and
measures. Building upon the foundation of the former "Taiwan MICE Advancement Program," TAITRA aims for industry prosperity and is more than willing to share our immediate experiences, so as to enlarge the MICE market in Taiwan and benefit individual enterprises. Q: What are the main items that the Pilot Program intends to develop? A: The content of the project is all-inclusive. In short, corporate meetings (including incentive tourism), international conferences, and exhibitions will be our main focus. In the development of corporate meetings and incentive tourism, we will be employing strategic marketing to attract buyers to organize their meetings in Taipei, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Kenting and other parts of Taiwan in order to assist the local urban development of the MICE industry. In respect to gaining hosting opportunities for international conferences in Taiwan, the Pilot Program will assist, encourage, and support public associations that wish to participate in the activities of international organizations for the purpose of expanding contacts and inviting them to hold their annual meetings in Taiwan. As for organizing exhibitions, we aim at consolidating existing exhibitions and expanding them to a larger scale. In order to sustain the prosperity of the Taiwan exhibition business, it is crucial to keep up with the industry's innovation and cultivate new exhibitions. Therefore, providing subsidies for the showcasing of new exhibitions in Taiwan will also be included in the Pilot Program. Q: What are the concrete plans for international publicity? Is there a target market? A: All tools and strategies of marketing and promotion will be adopted by the Pilot Program, including MICE publicity media, short film productions, websites, QR Codes, applications and other digital technologies, holding road shows in target markets, participating in foreign exhibitions, and annual meetings, etc. This year, prioritized target regions will revolve around the principle markets identified by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, for instance, emerging economies including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Brazil, and Russia. Of course, the burgeoning market in Mainland China is no exception. The target market for incentive tourism, for example, is the Mainland—specifically the headquarters of multinational companies, Chinese enterprises, and Taiwanese corporations in the Mainland. Q: Please briefly describe the trend of the international market and the competitive situation. How can Taiwan use its advantages to generate revenue? A: The majority of the international MICE industry has gradually shifted its focus to Asia, with rapid growth especially in China, India, and Indonesia. Being quite advanced already in the MICE industry, Japan is beginning to reinstate its domestic market after some years of inactivity. In terms of the distinction between target customers, the large population in Mainland China, India, and Indonesia allows these countries to rely primarily on their vast
domestic market, thus their exhibitions are mainly domestic-oriented. International exhibitions of Taiwan and Hong Kong, on the other hand, are export-oriented with a target market consisting mainly of visiting overseas buyers. The Asian exhibition industry in Hong Kong and Taiwan each have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as different features. Hong Kong is known for its consumer goods, many of which are premiered at its world-renowned jewelry and gift shows. Taiwan, on the other hand, is the leader in showcasing computers, auto parts, bicycles, fasteners, safety equipment, printed circuit boards, and other capital goods. When marketing MICE, we must emphasize our own strengths and make good use of Taiwan's industrial base and export-oriented characteristics. Domestic-oriented exhibitions should not be neglected, but according to the above analysis, our stress should still be placed upon promoting professional international exhibitions. In view of the rapid growth in Mainland China, public associations will also take the initiative to organize exhibitions in the Mainland, in addition to the cross-strait exhibitions for electronics, food, computers, etc. that have been continuously held in Taiwan. As for the endless business opportunities provided by incentive tourism, we could combine these with medical cosmetics, health checks, educational training, or experiencing local culture. Q: What innovative approach does the Pilot Program have to offer when catering to the arrival of the digital and green epoch? A: Technology and greening projects are two major trends of the global MICE industry. Taiwan's technological accomplishment is known worldwide, yet we will never be complacent and must always strive for improvement. In addition to personal, professional, and friendly service attitudes, enhancement and innovation of MICE services play key roles within the Pilot Program as they can improve efficiency and simplify the procedures of applying the latest technologies. Since the Pilot Program extends from the foundations built during the Advancement Program, the co-branded "Meet Taiwan" website that has contributed much to the promotion of Taiwan's MICE will also be expanded. Its content will be enriched by the facilitation of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which accelerates the interactive traits of the website. The original "Meet Taiwan" mobile application will also be propagated so as to increase international browsing. Making "Meet Taiwan" a well-known international MICE brand is one of the Pilot Program's primary objectives. The green MICE concept in showing concern for the earth has already been widely valued by advanced countries; therefore, it should also prevail in Taiwan. Aside from the Nangang Exhibition Center which has already been inventoried for greenhouse gas emissions by the British Standards Association (BSI), our domestic bicycle show, printed circuit board show, green industry exhibition, and other events have also undergone carbon footprint checks.
These experiences will be passed on to the industry. Moreover, foreign experts will be invited to jointly develop a Green Convention Implementation Guide, so as to encourage the industry to practice the "3Rs"—"Reuse, Reduce, Recycle". Another point worth mentioning about the Pilot Program is the distinction from its precedent. In addition to the continuation of the bidding exchange convention, the Pilot Program will also be inviting professionals from the ICCA Bidding Workshop to pass on their valuable experiences to Taiwanese enterprises of successfully earning opportunities in hosting international conferences. Q: How will TAITRA’s role and position be adjusted to coordinate with the domestic industry? A: After 40 years of effort, TAITRA has been ranked as the sixth largest exhibition company in Asia. It is the collaborative pride of Taiwan's MICE industry to be able to reach such an achievement in the competitive grounds of today's mega international exhibition companies. Having been awarded the reigns to execute the Pilot Program, TAITRA will also adjust its position and role within Taiwan's MICE industry by stepping out of its comfort zone, which is originally the showcasing business, and fulfill its social responsibilities by sharing the experiences established upon its specialization for the benefit and growth of private enterprises. Since the Pilot Program is a government project, TAITRA will adopt a macro viewpoint for overall planning and fully assist the Government in their duties of developing the MICE industry. TAITRA has prepared sufficient resources and deployed experienced exhibition talent to developing various business-related affairs. These include counseling private exhibitions to obtain UFI certification, the establishment of a MICE counseling group for individual cases, providing consultants for the domestic industry, and making good use of resources and experience to counsel the industry on the attainment of international conferences. Furthermore, we will also enrich the "MEET TAIWAN" site content, establishing a complete MICE database for domestic and foreign inquiries, publicizing foreign and domestic MICE activities, and sharing industry information and research reports, thus constructing a Cloud Portal with breadth, depth, and interaction for MICE. In terms of interaction with domestic associations and the industry, our consideration lies in the continuity of the plan itself. TAITRA will take on an interlinking role, strengthening cooperations with domestic associations built during the former "MICE Advancement Program," listening to the aspirations and needs of the industry, and working with the industry to reach new heights. TAITRA will use the opportunity of implementing this Pilot Program to render services to the industry and share our hands-on experience of more than 40 years to turn over a new leaf together. TAITRA will not be complacent with past achievements and does not fear
competition. We will work hard together with the Taiwan MICE industry in enhancing our international competitiveness, enabling the market to flourish, and expanding the scale of the market so that we may all benefit and expect growth together.