With "green" and "sustainability" becoming international trends, a Green MICE seminar was held on 27th August 2015, which aimed to inspire energy-efficient solutions among Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) industry as well as Assist domestic organizers organize sustainable event or build sustainable booth; this event was a part of the MEET TAIWAN Promotion program organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) and implemented by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

While BOFT Chief Secretary Eugene Chen urged government-oriented Green MICE action; other panelists were mapping out the ways forward to Green MICE. Speakers addressing this informative seminar included Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Association President (TECA) Walter Yeh, World PCO Alliance President Kitty Wang, Uniplan Taiwan Chairman Michael Tu, Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA), TPCA Secretary-General David Lai. Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Tamkang University, Huang Jenn-jia, TWTC NANGANG Exhibition Hall’s Executive Director Moses Yen, Taipei International Convention Center’s (TICC) Deputy Executive Director Lily Su and Gong Li-rong, head of the design in TAITRA’s Exhibition Department.

"Green MICE has become an important international issue,” said Walter Yeh, Director of MEET TAIWAN and Executive VP of TAITRA. “A nation’s development level is reflected by the extent of eco-friendly practices it has adopted in its MICE industry. Countries deeply invested in this process include the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark in Europe, as well as Japan, Singapore and Thailand in Asia. To keep up with the trend, TAITRA has been promoting Green MICE under the sponsorship of BOFT over the past two years.

“The Bureau’s green MICE campaign in 2014 not only gave rise to Asia’s first ISO 20121 certified exhibition and meeting projects, the Eco-Products International Fair (EPIF) and the Asian MICE Forum,” said BOFT Chief Secretary Eugene Chen. “It also inspired event organizers to adopt Green MICE Guidelines by opening consulting and financial incentives to five exhibitions or conferences each year. Organizers were helped to obtain certified carbon footprint verification, ISO 20121 certification and GHG inventory respectively.”

The first part of the panel discussion explored how organizers and venue providers can organize Green MICE and heard World PCO Alliance President Kitty Wang underscore the importance of Green MICE and its international trends.

Wang’s co-panelist, TPCA Secretary-General David Lai, spoke from an event organizer’s perspective by presenting 54 green practices used at the TPCA Show. Such approaches included incentives like the iECO Design Awards, charity-driven recycling of badge. As a result, TPCA has become a leading event in Taiwan renowned for green results.

A chronological approach was used by NANGANG Exhibition Hall Director Moses Yen who traced progress from day one when NANGANG Hall had completed construction. “This is Taiwan’s first exhibition hall to receive a Green Building Label by passing seven different indicators,” stated Yen. “NANGANG has also applied energy-efficient practices to be awarded several certificates that include the GHG inventory, Friendly Building, Fire Safety Building and the organizational version of ISO 20121 Certification in 2014.”

Deputy Executive Director Lily Su reflected on the success of 2014 Asian MICE Forum’s effort for ISO 20121 certification. The highlight of that campaign was the “Fields of MICE Sustainability” in August 2015 that saw TICC adopt specific rice paddies in Yilan County to encourage non-toxic organic farming practices. After the crop was harvested, it was cooked and served at the Asian MICE Forum with other large portions of the harvest going to charity, an action that stressed the corporate social responsibility (CRS) of Taiwan MICE organizers.

Several approaches were reviewed during the second part of the panel discussion moderated by TECA president Walter Yeh. The chairman of Uniplan Taiwan, Michael Tu drew upon his personal experience in providing a variety of module systems for greener booth decoration and modular options. Associate Professor Huang Jenn-jia from Tamkang University stressed integrated green practices in the marketing process to ensure profitability and customer satisfaction without sacrificing the human touch and sustainability.

And real examples of green spatial layout and design were presented by Gong Li-rong, the head designer at TAITRA‘s Exhibition Department, who cracked the myth that woodwork is an essential element of beautiful show booths. She proposed that good design isn’t necessarily sumptuous or luxurious. Instead she proposed that vendors use modular systems combined with 30% woodwork for aesthetically appealing and greener booths.

Most of the audience said they gained useful tips from the Green MICE Seminar that underscored government’s constant effort to enhance Taiwan MICE services. Most important were the many success stories from industry that showed how easy it is to implement green MICE practices at the planning stage for a green future.