The beam-raising ceremony of the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center (TICEC; hereinafter referred to as the Center) takes place today (on the 6th), declaring that the exterior structure of the Center will complete soon. Upon completion of the main constructions next year, related internal decoration works will take place and be completed by 2024. The Center, to which people of Taichung have been looking forward over the last 20 years, is expected to start operation in 2025. Mayor Lu Shiow-yen expresses that the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center, which has its Phase 1 construction works funded by the city government with a total budget of NTD8.8 billion, carries the expectation of the industry and citizens of Central Taiwan. The Center, which can provide 2,360 standard booths and accommodate 12,600 forum/seminar attendees, will become the first large international exhibition center in Central Taiwan once the construction is completed.

Mayor Lu has also attended today’s beam-raising ceremony. The red cloth, which symbolizes “a great joy for the raising of the beam”, was signed by all guests and then slowly raised up together with the main beam. Witnessed by the team of city government, engineering construction team and representatives of the industrial, business and agricultural sectors, the exhibition industry and schools, the beam-raising ceremony was participated by a record number of over 500 people. All attendees have witnessed this historical moment, which symbolizes another takeoff of Taichung’s economic development.

Mayor Lu highlights that Greater Taichung is the base of high-precision machinery, traditional hardware and photoelectric industrial clusters. Over the last decades, business practitioners have been traveling around the world with a suitcase to join international exhibitions instead of displaying, selling and promoting products in their own country. It is therefore the expectation of all citizens that Taichung City will have an international exhibition center. In response to citizens’ expectations, the Taichung city government invested NTD8.8 billion in Phase 1 to provide 2,360 standard booths and accommodate 12,600 forum/seminar attendees. Phase 2 construction, on the other hand, is now in the planning stage. Upon completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2 construction works, the Center will become Taiwan’s biggest international exhibition center, realizing the local industry’s greatest expectation of “Wealthy Taichung, Good New Economy” and bringing citizens better new lives.

Mayor Lu explains that the Center is situated in an excellent location right inside Shuinan Economic and Trade Park. Reputed as “Taiwan’s Manhattan”, the Park is surrounded by major infrastructures and parks, such as the Central Park, Green Museumbrary, Shuinan Transit Center and so on, providing excellent accessibility. Jointly planned and designed by Ta Chung Architects & Associates, H.C. Ho Architect & Associates, and AXS Satow Inc. (AXS), the Center has a steel-reinforced concrete structure with 5 floors above ground and 2 floors below ground, requiring the use of complicated construction methods. The Center also has a spectacular giant magic carpet roof that is designed to create a simple yet elegant curved skyline, making it the exhibition center that features the most complicated curved roof surface and uses most space trusses in Taiwan. With the largest adjacent green area, the Central Park, it appears to be a giant tree swaying its branches on the park lawn. The building, which is a square that allows citizens to do activities, promenade and play, has been built into the Central Park’s entrance sign as the “Tree Gate”.

Mayor Lu points out that, to become an important international city, Taichung City needs to have a large exhibition center. TICEC is a pilot infrastructure that citizens of Taichung have been waiting for for 20 years and will be the largest international exhibition in Central Taiwan. In the future, it will combine with the Phase 2 exhibition center, which is to be jointly constructed with the central government, and become Taiwan’s biggest exhibition center. Mayor Lu also emphasizes that the Phase 1 construction was launched in March 2019 and is now halfway completed, with completion expected in 2024 and operation to start in 2025. Upon then, Taichung’s strong industrial clusters will bring its advantage of “front shop, back factory” into full play, which will enhance the international visibility of local industries and drive business opportunities derived from exhibitions, such as tourism, accommodation, catering and transportation. All of these are crucial for the product sale, exhibition, business and economic development of Taichung as the Center will become an important base for holding international exhibitions, forums and large-scale activities.

Mayor Lu also gives special thanks to the engineering team for overcoming the pandemic, labor and material shortages, and other challenges. Because of their efforts, the Center can be presented to the citizens as scheduled. She says that, as TICEC is an important infrastructure for citizens of Taichung, the steel beam of the Center was moved to the city government’s squire before the beam-raising ceremony, giving all citizens the opportunity to put their names on this building forever. In only two days, 2,368 citizens have participated in this event to share this joy and build a memory shared by all people of Taichung.

Today’s ceremony was unveiled with the musical dancing performance “Traveling through the Forest to Welcome the Sunlight” brought by Taichung City Symphony Orchestra and MAD Theater (winner of the Taichung Performing Art Golden Award), symbolizing that the Center will welcome the sunrise through the Tree Gate and welcome tremendous global business opportunities. The performance also delivers the expectation that TICEC will become Taiwan’s “Window on the World”. Moreover, a video that shows the center’s spectacular appearance in the future and the arduous construction process, and video clips of people signing on the beam on June 24 and 25 in the square in front of the city government were also played at the ceremony.

The entire activity was live broadcasted on Mayor Lu’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/LuShiowYen), GLAT Taichung Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GLAT.Taichung) and Taichung City Government Economic Development Bureau’s Facebook page (https://reurl.cc/VDV7gy); and will be broadcasted in USTV’s 5 o’clock news “Light the Torch – TICEC Beam-Raising Ceremony”. All citizens are welcome to watch the ceremony through the Facebook pages.

A number of guests have attended today’s ceremony, including Mayor Lu, Deputy Mayor Linghu Jung-da, Secretary General Huang Chong-dian, Director of Land Administration Bureau Wu Tsun-chin, Director of Construction Bureau Chen Da-tien and Director of Economic Development Bureau Chang Feng-yuan from the city government; chairpersons, directors, supervisors and member representatives of major industrial and business groups (ex., Taichung City Industrial Association, Taichung City General Industrial Association, Taichung City Chamber of Commerce, organizations subordinated to Taichung Chamber of Commerce, factory associations of major industrial zones, the Entrepreneur Club, Elite Clube of Listed and OTC Companies in Central Taiwan, Golden Hand Award Winner Association and so on); representatives of engineering teams (ex., SINOTECH Engineering Consultants, Ta Chung Architects & Associates, DACIN Construction, King Polytechnic Engineering, Hongxiang Institution and so on); Legislator Yang Chiung-ying; Councilors Wu Chiung-hua, Chen Cheng-tian, Chen Cheng-hsien, Chang Liao Nai-lun, Chiu Su-chen, Liu Shih-chou; and a number of village chiefs have all attended the ceremony to witness this grand occasion. Councilors Huang Hsing-hui, Lin Chi-feng, Chen Shu-hua and Lai Yi-huang also dispatched representatives to show their support.

The beam-raising ceremony of Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center takes place today - Mayor Lu - TICEC carries the biggest expectation of the industry of Central Taiwan