The grand annual MICE event, Asian MICE Forum (AMF), organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) under commission of the International Trade Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, opened on June 3, 2024, at the 1919 Plaza in Taipei. Themed Co-Creating a New Era for MICE, the Forum explored the latest trends in the domestic and international MICE industry, the application of MICE technologies, sustainable MICE promotion, and creative event strategy planning. A total of 250 participants attended.

The morning session of the Forum featured representatives of authoritative international MICE organizations. Anju Gomes, Middle East director of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), shared conference industry trends, emphasizing the need to highlight the unique value of destinations, strengthen partnerships between associations and destinations, and bridge generational gaps as Generation Z rises. Ori Lahav, former president of the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO), spoke on how to use technology to enhance the efficiency of physical events. He stated that the core of conferences now lies in attendee desire for higher engagement, and technology can establish meaningful connections among participants. Organizers are no longer just event managers, they are also experience creators. Following this, Chuck Grouzard, incoming president of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), shared sustainability practices of the renowned American exhibition company GES, which has successfully reduced paper usage by over 200,000 sheets annually through the introduction of e-commerce via an app. The partitions and visual materials used in their exhibitions are made of 100% recycled materials, and they adopted regional operations to reduce long-distance transportation, thereby reducing carbon emissions.

For the afternoon session of the Asian MICE Forum, domestic MICE experts took the stage, covering everything from venue operations to the creative soft power of event management. Experts revealed their tips without reservation. Luo Ming-Zhi, director of the Nangang Exhibition Center (Taiwan's largest MICE venue), shared how to promote hardware sustainability through the principles of safety, health, technology, and low carbon practices, and how they derived the first domestic venue sustainability report. Additionally, in the two panel discussions entitled Revealing International Conference Creative Strategies and Event Design Creativity, experts mentioned that creative event planning requires different strategies at the pre-, mid-, and post-stages to enhance participant experience outside the box. They emphasized the importance of starting with the end in mind, identifying the core value of the event, and then devising related creative strategies. Furthermore, technology enables people to traverse between virtual and physical realms and create new communication scenarios by integrating creativity with technology. The Forum's finale was delivered by Hsieh Shih-Yuan, director of the Tainan City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, who shared how the theme of Tainan's 400th anniversary was formulated through a series of promotional approaches linking city development, festive activities, and private sector response.

 Source: Trade Magazine Website (www.trademag.org.tw/page/itemsd/?id=7902931&no=49)