Taipei City Government

To vigorously develop MICE-related markets, Taipei City Government formed the Taipei Expo Office in March this year (2019) as the one-stop counter for promoting the MICE industry. So far, the office has demonstrated remarkable achievements, and the department will be accepting applications for the first of the MICE subsidies in 2020 from November 1 to 30, 2019. Taipei City sponsors a wide range of tickets and coupons (such as special-edition EasyCard and art performance appreciation) and theme luncheons valued at NT$1 million for MICE organizers.

Four meetings were convened for expo organizers in May to gather their thoughts and feedbacks, while studies were carried out on expo industry-related policies in 6 major MICE cities in Asia-Pacific such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, and Bangkok. Moreover, 5 influential experts in the field of MICE including meetings, exhibitions, incentive tours, and city marketing were appointed as international consultants of MICE industry development in Taipei City to offer their professional, comprehensive strategic advice. Besides securing more MICE-related business opportunities for the city, the Taipei Expo Office has also collected an abundance of recommendations and feedback pertaining to MICE subsidy policies.

After taking expert feedback and policies in various international cities into consideration, the department has not only retained existing measures such as the mayor’s welcoming letter, discounts on Double-decker Taipei Sightseeing Bus tickets during the promotional stage of international conferences, as well as special-edition EasyCard, NPM admission ticket, and theme luncheon subsidy during the organizing stage, but the following upgrades will also be implemented next year (2020):
MICE subsidies will be increased significantly from NT$300,000 per international conference to NT$500,000 during the preparation stage, while the subsidy threshold has been decreased from 2,000 participants or more to 1,000 participants or more. During the organizing stage, the art performance appreciation subsidy has been added, and assistance will be offered to the organizer to collaborate with airlines and negotiate for concessions.

With regards to reimbursements after the event subsidies have been approved, the department has simplified the process by doing away with the list of VIPs attending the conference, and there is no need to obtain a welcoming banner from the department for incentive tours. Additionally, there is also no need to provide the department with a list of domestic attendees.

The department reminds potential applicants that the application for the first of the subsidies in 2020 will officially begin on November 1. The appropriate amount of MICE-related subsidies is awarded after the review committee has given the approval based on benchmarks such as the event’s scale, importance, and influence. Potential applicants may download relevant regulations and application forms from the Department of Information and Tourism’s website (www.tpedoit.taipei.gov.tw) and apply accordingly.