The virtual 2020 Mayors’ Summit engaged mayors, deputy mayors and city representatives from France, Hungary, South Africa, Turkey, Poland, and Russia.
Despite a small outbreak of locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases in
January, Taipei's long streak of zero domestic cases (since April 2020)
has allowed the Taiwanese capital to reboot its MICE industry.
Taipei reopened its domestic MICE sector in June last year, where
venues and operators swiftly adopted comprehensive anti-epidemic
measures.
International events have also resumed in earnest, with the World
Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce (WTCC) annual congress (29 September)
among the first. City mayor, Ko Wen-je, delivered a welcome address to
500 physical attendees, which included close to 400 international
delegates.
All-night arts festival, Nuit Blanche (White Night in
French), also proceeded as planned in October — following strict safety
measures — making Taiwan one of only four countries to host the event in
2020.
The fifth instalment of the festival showcased artworks and 50
performance troupes, and was spread across six venues in the city's
Nangang district, including Nangang Station, the Taipei Music Center,
Taipower Nangang Depot, Nangang Bottle Cap Factory, Taipei Extreme
Sports Training Center, and Nanxing Park. More than 400,000 visitors
joined the event.
Taipei congress ambassador and president of the Asian Federation of
Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA), Walter Yeh, said:
“Taiwan’s effective response is attributed to its early preparedness,
health expertise, government competence, and popular alertness."
With virtual and hybrid no longer a substitute but permanent add-on
to any business event in a post-Covid world, the Taipei City Government
also hopped on the bandwagon for its Smart City Mayors Summit in August
2020. The online meeting comprised three forums and gathered 20 mayors
from 17 countries.
Nuit Blanche Taipei 2020, an all-night arts festival, went ahead as planned in October, spread across multiple venues in the city's Nangang district. Photo Credit: Nuit Blanche Facebook“The Smart City Mayors Summit has become the top communication
platform of its kind internationally”, said mayor Ko Wen-Je, whose team
also indicated that in the years to come, Taipei-based organisers will
continue to offer hybrid options for events.
Hybrid event success
Another event that embraced a hybrid format was the BIO Asia-Taiwan
2020 International Conference and Exhibition, held from 23–26 July at
Taipei Nangang Exhibition center. The five-day event attracted more than
5,000 online participants and hosted more than 6,000 one-to-one
meetings.
“Hybrid meetings are a future trend and will no doubt become the new
normal after the pandemic," said Tiger Lin, general manager of Chan Chao
International Enterprise Group, which organises BIO Asia-Taiwan.
"The deployment of virtual and physical elements in exhibitions and
their results should be observed. Facing a high uncertainty of the
future regarding the pandemic, I suggest we continue to be flexible by
learning and trying. This is the optimal response for the current
situation."
Event management companies have also introduced new digital solutions
for virtual exhibitions, such as e-Halls and e-Stands that integrate
videos and product illustrations.
“Thanks to Taiwan having a high level of technological talent
throughout its academia and manufacturing sector, the transition to
digital formats and events that combine both live and digital formats
has come naturally," said Simon Wang, managing director of the 2020
Taipei City MICE Enhancement Plan, and executive vice president of
TAITRA.
Regular MICE updates are also posted on the Taiwan Global Anti
Covid-19 platform, including success stories, tips on organising events,
and travel policy updates.