Taipei Arena set for December opening

TAIPEI Taiwan's latest CEI facility, the Taipei Arena, opens for business on December 1 and will assist the local industry's four-year campaign to attract more CEI events to the island.

Built at a cost of US$140 million, the main arena has a maximum capacity of 15,362 seats, with a sub-arena of 800. The state-of-the-art venue is designed for multipurpose use such as concerts, sporting events and large-scale meetings. Fully Lin, deputy manager, public affairs, Taipei Arena, said he expected that conferences and exhibitions would account for around 21 per cent of the arena's business. The opening comes as Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra) pushes ahead with its four-year, US$20 million campaign to boost the island's CEI industry. Chao Yuen-Chuan, president and CEO of Taitra, said that the island had many advantages. "We are a safe and secure destination and are highly advanced in terms of technology," he said. "Our position geographically is also something that can be turned to our advantage," he added. Chao added that the current Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall is already too small to offer growth for Taiwan's major trade shows, including Computex, the flagship IT show. The island is currently building a new exhibition centre at Nankang, which will offer a substantial increase in space. A further exhibition space is also planned.