A grand assembly of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), an authoritative organization of the global MICE industry, convened from December 9-11, 2014, in Los Angeles. During the conference, TAITRA’s Executive Vice President Walter Yeh was announced the new Chairman of the IAEE’s Asia Exhibition Council (AEC) and will start his term at the beginning of 2015, illustrating the achievements and international recognition of the Taiwan MICE industry, and setting a new milestone for Taiwan’s participation in Asian and global MICE organizations.

The IAEE was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in the United States. It is the most influential organization of the U.S.A. MICE industry. To connect with Asian and European MICE industries, IAEE established branch offices in Belgium, Singapore, and Shanghai. The organization has recruited more than 1,300 member organizations and over 8,000 individual members; their membership categories cover MICE organizers, exhibitors, and peripheral suppliers. This year, TAITRA’s Executive Vice President Walter Yeh led a total of 17 participants to the IAEE Annual Conference. The group included SEMI Taiwan Regional President Mr. Shi-Lun Tsao, representatives of the Taichung City Government Economic Development Bureau, and other Taiwanese MICE professionals, making it the largest group ever from Taiwan to attend. The delegation caught the special attention of the organizers, effectively enhancing Taiwan's international reputation and illustrating the nation's ambition and contributions through active participation in prominent international MICE organizations.

Mr. Walter Yeh was invited to speak on the subject of “Exhibition Marketing: Asian Practice” by the IAEE during this year's annual conference. The lecture attracted participants from the United States, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India, and Mainland China, providing international MICE professionals a glimpse of the overall performance of the Asian MICE market, while familiarizing the audience with Taiwan's MICE industry. The newly established Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, Nangang Exhibition Hall 2, and a construction plan of the Taichung Exhibition Center were mentioned, plus a detailed analysis of the differences between East and West business cultures was covered. Several inspiring stories of Asian MICE projects (UBM, Reed Japan) and other internationally renowned MICE companies' secrets to success were revealed. In addition, key factors that made COMPUTEX TAIPEI, an UFI Marketing Award winner, were shared. The speech ended with encouragement to industries interested in entering the Asian MICE market to seek assistance from each region's official MICE promotion unit, such as the Taiwan’s MICE Pilot Project (MEET TAIWAN) office, who are capable of providing intermediary services for finding local partners, successfully enhancing the quality image of the Asian MICE industry.

In recent years, Taiwan’s MICE industry has thrived under the promotion of government policies and gained much international attention. Numerous MICE elites from Taiwan have taken leading roles in global MICE organizations, including the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA) First Vice-President, Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) Director, IAEE Asia Exhibition Council Chairman, International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Asia-Pacific Chairman, and others. Through promotion of the Taiwan's MICE Pilot Project, continuous effort will be made to gain increasing international exposure and market Taiwan’s MICE brand of MEET TAIWAN, strengthening ties with the global MICE industry, and further elevating Taiwan's global position to create more opportunities for international collaboration.