Mr. Yoshihito Takahashi, IT Director of Congress Corporation, was invited to give a lecture at the recent “Asian MICE Forum (AMF) 2018,” held on September 11 and 12 in Taichung City, Taiwan.

AMF is an international forum hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Bureau of Foreign Trade, along with the regional government (this time, Taichung City). AMF brings together speakers active on the forefront of global MICE from not only Asia, but throughout the world, who engage the attendants with relevant themes and stimulate exchange of ideas, aiming to contribute to the development of Taiwan’s MICE industry. 2018 is the AMF’s 13th year.

The participants at AMF are not just from the MICE industry; there were many young people in attendance this year, including university students in MICE-related studies. As one might expect, many creative measures were in evidence, such as the face recognition system installed at registration.

As one of the keynote speakers, Takahashi gave a presentation on IT solutions for MICE, for which he received the International Association for Professional Congress Organisers’ (IAPCO) Innovation Award. The audience showed keen interest in his speech.

This year’s Forum featured a total of 22 guest speakers from diverse sectors, including leading MICE executives such as Janet Tan-Collis, President of the Singapore Meetings, Incentive, Congress, Exhibition & Events Association (SACEOS) and Zheng Zhi, Chairman, China City Association of Convention & Exhibition, as well as the Secretary General & Executive Vice President of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games; Chief Commercial Officer of Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp, who won ICCA’s Best Marketing Award; and a professor from the University of Southern California (USC), among others.

From Japan, in addition to Takahashi, Mr. Kiyotsugu Ishihara, President & CEO of Tokyo Big Sight gave a presentation on how this major exhibition venue is tackling activities looking toward the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics & Paralympics.

The AMF serves as a forum for exchange among MICE stakeholders from not only Taiwan, but all over Asia, and as such, it was an excellent opportunity for promotion of Japan’s IT solutions.

To read more about the Asian MICE Forum (AMF) 2018, please access the link below:

http://www.amf.com.tw/index.php?lang=2