Belgium celebrates King's Day every year on November 15 to mark its founding in 1830 and honor the King. On November 14, the Belgian Office in Taipei held a celebration at Shangri-La Far Eastern Hotel, Taipei. With a big-screen display of a Taichung Shopping Festival poster, Director Matthieu Branders gave a speech, sharing his experience filming a promotional video for the festival, and introduced Belgian cuisine tied to the festival's special offers. His spirited exclamation, “Taichung Shopping Festival No. 1!” received warm applause from the hundreds of attendees.

Deputy Mayor of Taichung, Cheng Chao-hsin, attended the celebration on behalf of Mayor Lu Hsiu-yen, warmly interacting with Director Matthieu Branders, who presided over the event. Cheng highlighted the strong ties between the Taichung City Government and the Belgian Office in Taipei. He noted that Mayor Lu had invited Director Matthieu Branders to participate in filming a promotional video for the Taichung Shopping Festival featuring Belgian elements, which received a highly positive response. Cheng used the occasion to congratulate Matthieu Branders, express gratitude for his involvement, and share the campaign's achievements. Cheng also expressed hopes for continued collaboration and deeper exchanges between the two parties.

Deputy Mayor Cheng highlighted Director Matthieu Branders' gentlemanly presentation of Belgian cuisine and beer in Taichung during the promotional video, as well as his humorous interaction with Mayor Lu, which received widespread praise. Since its late October release, the video has surpassed 10,000 views, successfully promoting the shopping festival and increasing awareness of Belgian culinary culture in Taiwan. Cheng also noted the Belgian Office's ongoing support for city government initiatives. He emphasized that both parties have collaborated in areas like comics, cultural arts, and offshore wind power within the green energy sector, expressing hopes for deeper collaboration and stronger exchanges through future events.

Chang Feng-yuan, Director of Taichung’s Economic Development Bureau, shared that Director Matthieu Branders was the sole European representative among the foreign participants in the Taichung Shopping Festival - Belgian Version advertisement. In the video, Matthieu Branders highlighted the integral role of beer in Belgian culture, showcasing its connection to daily life and celebrations. He also introduced lesser-known Belgian-inspired bistros, chocolate brands, and waffle shops in Taichung, as well as an intriguing fact: the well-known Smurfs originated in Belgium. This adds a touch of relatability and charm to Belgium’s image for Taiwanese people.

Director Chang noted that the 2024 Taichung Shopping Festival introduced foreign diplomats into its promotional efforts for the first time, aiming to outperform past events, draw more international visitors, and position the festival as a global celebration. Since its launch on October 24, the festival has garnered strong consumer engagement, with total spending recorded at NT$93.69 billion as of November 13.

The Secretariat highlighted the distinguished attendance at the event, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung, Trade Representative Yip Wei Kiat from the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei—who also appeared in the shopping festival’s promotional video—and numerous diplomats and business representatives. Deputy Mayor Cheng and Director Chang enthusiastically introduced the Taichung Shopping Festival’s citywide promotions to the guests, piquing their curiosity. Many attendees showed interest in visiting Taichung to experience the event firsthand and expressed hopes of winning one of the grand prizes.