The policy of the China External Trade Development Council (CETRA) in its overall trade promotion and in the organization of trade shows in the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) has always been flexibility in fitting in with Taiwan's needs as its economy develops. Today, thousands of businessmen from all over the world visit these shows, which number about 20 a year and cover every aspect of Taiwan's industry ranging from aerospace to houseware.
When the trade shows began in 1973, just after CETRA was founded, they were assigned to support Taiwan's export boom and mainly featured the labor-intensive, low-value products for which the island was known at that time. Then, when Taiwan's trade surplus started to become an embarrassment in the mid-1980s, policy was switched to stress two-way exchanges, and the shows became more internationalized with the participation of foreign firms promoting their wares in the local market.
Most recently, CETRA has used its trade shows to promote strategic alliances between local and foreign firms. This is seen as the best way to facilitate exchanges of high-tech information. The underlying trend, which continues to this day, is to move away from low-value products toward the high-tech items which now dominate Taiwan's exports. The electronics show, first
held in 1975, kicked off a proliferation of high-tech shows, including those covering such areas as the information industry (the Computer show, or Computex, now the biggest CETRA show of all, was first held in 1978), aerospace, telecommunications, and automation and precision equipment.
Shows stressing low-value products such as garments, shoes, and leather goods are being phased out, or changed to stress the more high-tech aspects of the products. These include giftware (the oldest of the shows), cycles, and sporting goods--sectors in which Taiwan still leads the world. Machinery shows remain strong, although they have been reclassified to make them more specialized.
It's Good--Made in Taiwan
CETRA also plays a crucial role in improving the image of Taiwan manufacturers abroad. One of the ways it does this is through the "Celebration of Excellence--Taiwan Products Showcase" --an exhibition of products which have won the Symbol of Excellence award. This exhibition is held every year as part of Taiwan's Image Enhancement Program (IEP), which was started five years ago to make the world more aware of the high quality achieved in Taiwan.
Only in September, CETRA was entrusted with a "supplementary program" to promote Taiwan's exports, as these have fallen to a growth rate of only 4% a year, compared to almost 20% in recent years. In this way CETRA is in fact returning to its roots, but will not abandon its broader goal of promoting two-way trade.
Another trend has been toward shows aimed purely at the domestic market. The aim is to enlighten the local public, provide all-round service, and raise revenue for the running of the exhibition hall.
Altogether, out of the 19 shows being held next year, three can be considered high-tech, two are concerned with machinery or construction materials, two cover design and the environment, and five are aimed mostly at the local market.
Outgrowing the Venue
All the shows are currently held in the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall, an arena-sized facility in eastern Taipei, part of a four-in-one complex that also includes a convention center, office building, and hotel. Despite the hall's 160,000-square-meter area, it is still not big enough to house some of the larger shows, such as Computex and the Electronics Show. As a result, many of them have spilled over into the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC) next door, and the CETRA Exhibition Hall at the Sungshan Domestic Airport across town.
But now the airport authorities have taken back the Sungshan facility, and TICC is not considered suitable for holding exhibitions. As a result, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is responsible for CETRA, is embarking on two plans to expand the space available. The first facility, to be finished in the spring of next year, is a temporary exhibition hall next to the TWTC, which will provide space for 300 more booths in addition to the 1,300 in the present hall. For really big shows, the TICC will continue to be used.
For the long-term, however, a much bolder project is being planned: the building of a completely new permanent hall in the eastern Taipei suburb of Nankang, which will be three times bigger than the present facility in the TWTC.
Such a facility will go a long way in helping Taipei trade shows maintain their reputation of being among the best of their kind in the Asia region, and in many cases reaching the standard of international shows anywhere in the world.
Copyright 1995 Vision International Publishing Co.