Following the latest conclusion of the Asian MICE Forum in Taiwan, we at Travel Daily Media had the chance to see for ourselves a few of the nation’s main MICE venues.
Interestingly, these weren’t all centred within the capital metropolis of Taipei, however had been situated within the main southern Taiwanese cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung.
The magnificence of those venues is that they function extra than simply locations by which to stage occasions: these are additionally areas the place contributors can get a better understanding of Taiwan’s distinctive tradition and heritage.
Tainan: A sustainable venue in one of many nation’s oldest cities
Taipei could be the capital of Taiwan, however the metropolis of Tainan which is just a bit over an hour away by high-speed rail is definitely one of many oldest human settlements within the nation.
Tainan’s historical past is basically that of Taiwan in a nutshell: occupied by the Dutch in 1624, then once more by the Japanese in the direction of the tip of the nineteenth century, it has a really distinctive cultural id that’s mirrored within the aesthetic of its largest MICE venue.
Indeed, those that come for an occasion on the International Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICC) Tainan will probably be awestruck by the combo of Dutch influences as seen within the assembly room names Zeelandia and Orange, Japanese nuances as seen within the paintings lining the partitions, and native Taiwanese flavour that calls to thoughts Tainan’s heritage district of Anping.
While it’s a reasonably younger venue in that it solely opened in 2022, the ICC Tainan has already hosted 576 conferences, 66 occasions, and 46 exhibitions, welcoming over 2.6 million guests prior to now three years.
The venue additionally prides itself on the usage of numerous technological improvements to make occasions extra partaking and impactful.
Where sustainability is at work
This dynamic venue can be a bastion of innovation and sustainability not only for the Taiwanese MICE sector, but additionally for MICE on the regional stage.
The Centre is provided with measures for carbon emissions monitoring inside the premises, alongside with photo voltaic panels that assist energy the venue with out changing into too reliant on the native grid.
Even the venue’s design was developed with sustainability in thoughts: its roof is supported by high-performance metal cable trusses, which successfully reduces metal consumption and development supplies by as much as 20 p.c.
This quantities to lowering the carbon emissions equal to these absorbed by 35,000 bushes per 12 months.
Likewise, ICC Tainan has planted 34,375 vegetation within the surrounding hinterlands, 77 p.c of that are Taiwan’s native species.
As a end result, its whole carbon sequestration is the same as 7,060 metric tonnes, creating an excellent surroundings for the native fauna and flora to flourish inside the surrounding space.
Indeed, ICC Tainan’s mission assertion says all of it: “We want to be a catalyst for growth and change by bringing people and businesses together, celebrating the fusion of heritage and progress.”
Kaohsiung: Two distinctive venues
The southern port metropolis of Kaohsiung is likely one of the most dynamic places in Asia by way of commerce, tourism, and tradition.
It is a heady mixture of historical traditions and up to date design; old-fashioned and new college working collectively to create a dynamic metropolis that attracts everybody in from these in commerce to these searching for a really distinctive cultural expertise.
In which case, Kaohsiung has two explicit venues to swimsuit a various vary of necessities.
A contact of historical past on the Ciao Tou Sugar Industry Culture Park
Built in 1901 and accomplished in 1902 when Taiwan was part of Japan, the Ciao Tou Sugar Factory was the primary sugar processing plant within the nation to make use of fashionable equipment in manufacturing.
Since its manufacturing days got here to an finish, nonetheless, it’s now dwelling to 19 heritage websites, together with key buildings which at the moment are getting used as venues for every part from company retreats to household milestones like reunions and weddings.
Likewise, its open-air areas function venues for weekend markets that supply homespun specialities made with native produce, and even workshops on conventional arts and crafts.
The previous Sugar Factory additionally hosts cultural performances by native and overseas artists who maintain the realm’s artistic spirit alive with their work.
The Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre: Asia’s final sensible venue
In distinction to the charmingly archaic venues at Ciao Tou is Asia’s first-ever 5G-enabled sensible venue: the Kaohsiung Exhibition Centre (KEC).
Located within the metropolis’s Asia New Bay Area proper on the shoreline, the KEC opened in 2014 as the Interplan Group’s first-ever multifunctional waterfront venue.
The Group’s goal for the KEC was for it to change into the premier occasion venue in Taiwan and one in all Asia’s main websites for MICE.
Offering greater than 25,000 sq. metres of indoor and out of doors exhibition area, this venue boasts of a number of convention rooms that may simply maintain teams as small as 20 members to huge gatherings of as much as 4,000 people.
Likewise, its huge exhibition halls have hosted quite a few large-scale occasions, together with the Asian Games, and even commerce exhibits for vehicles and yachts.
Today, due to its concentrate on technological innovation by way of services and providers, the KEC is now a 5G high-tech multifunctional occasion website that may host a variety of occasions and gatherings that’s each bit as numerous as the town it calls dwelling.
