Walter M. S. Yeh, president and CEO of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), was elected to the board of directors of the World Trade Centers Association during the latter organization’s 48th general assembly held April 2-5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With more than 30 years of service at TAITRA, which manages the Taipei World Trade Center, Yeh has established himself as a prominent figure in the global conventions and meetings sector. He is the third TAITRA executive to become a WTCA board member, following former Chairmen Francis Liang in 2015 and Wang Chi-kang in 2010.
In addition to enhancing Taiwan’s global visibility, Yeh said the four-year board membership will enable TAITRA to assume a greater role in promoting collaboration and exchanges among WTCA member organizations while creating additional opportunities for local firms to expand their global reach.
During his visit to the U.S., Yeh hosted a press conference promoting the 2017 Computex Taipei, the largest information and communication technology exhibition in Asia and second largest in the world. He also touted the World Congress on Information Technology, dubbed the Olympics of the ICT industry. The two events will take place May 30-June 3 and Sept. 10-13, respectively, in the northern Taiwan metropolis.
Yeh also took the opportunity to bring participants up to speed on government efforts to transform Taiwan into an R&D hub for the Internet of Things sector as well as a global center of entrepreneurship under the Asian Silicon Valley project, one of the government’s five major industrial development initiatives.
Since becoming a member in 1981, the Taipei trade center has been an active participant in various WTCA activities, including hosting the general assembly in 1994. The local facility broke a WTCA record in 2012 when it was awarded the Best Practices designation for excellence in all eight categories including business services, club and conference facilities, exhibition facilities and services, as well as trade education and information.
Founded in New York City in 1970, the WTCA aims to foster global trade and business opportunities. It comprises 320 member trade centers in 89 economies. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw