With the strong support of the BOFT (Bureau of Foreign Trade) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), TAITRA (China External Trade Development Council) has obtained an opportunity to hold a UFI Open Seminar in Asia from March 4th to 5th in Taipei.  The seminar will consist of a minimum of a UFI Education Committee Meeting, a UFI Education Focus Meeting, and a UFI Asia Pacific Chapter Meeting. The elites of the exhibition industry in Asia will gather in the Taipei International Convention Center to witness Taiwan’s latest innovations in the exhibition industry, with the joint support from both government and non-government agencies and firms to help the domestic exhibition industry improve its international popularity and worldwide reputation.

The concept of the UFI Open Seminar in Asia held by UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) was established in 1925 with its headquarters in Paris, France. It is one of the most important international organizations of the global exhibition industry and the only certified non-profit organization of exhibitions which has 530 members in 84 countries over 6 continents. The UFI certificate is a world known mark of high quality for exhibitions.

The seminar, since its inauguration in 2006, has been held in Hong Kong, Seoul, Macao, Kuala Lumpur and other cities. On average, TAITRA has more than 200 exhibition practitioners attending each seminar from Asia and many other parts of the world. With the cooperation of this many exhibitor nations in this and future seminars during 2010, it is expected to double in size next year. The seminar will be held with the theme “Innovation for Business Growth” which will hopefully provide a platform for domestic exhibition practitioners to integrate their operations with the countries throughout the world. During the two-day agenda, experts will thoroughly analyze creative methods needed to promote the development of Asia’s exhibition industry with prospective insight so that the conventioneers can grasp the latest industry trends.

   Meetings held during this seminar include: the UFI Education Committee Meeting, March 2nd, the UFI Education Focus Meeting, March 3rd and the UFI Asia Pacific Chapter Meeting on March 4th. UFI has chosen Taiwan as the site for these important Asian meetings, especially the UFI Education Focus Meeting. This shows that the domestic exhibition environment has obtained great appreciation from UFI, which will help to promote Taiwan as a new exhibition destination in Asia.