|
Giftionery Taipei 2006 may have come to a successful close, but the real work is just beginning for exhibitors, who must now move forward with the many lucrative orders received during the show.
October 27, 2006, TAITRA Taipei Report –TAITRA (The Taiwan External Trade Development Council) once again hosted Giftionery Taipei (the Taipei International Gift & Stationery Autumn Show) that set many new trends that will ripple across the industry. At this year’s event, 318 exhibitors used a total of 550 booths to display their choicest products. Over 400 overseas buyers pre-registered for the show, but nearly 1,000 actually attended along with over 10,000 domestic professionals, all anxious to see coming trends and creations.
Each of the five themed areas enjoyed spectacular achievements during the three days of this year’s show. One stand out was the Brand Licensing Area, where visitors thronged the booths from the opening day of the show until its close on October 26. Buyers had to wait patiently in the nearby rest areas for their chance to discuss licensing opportunities with the exhibitors. Bright Ideas Design Co.’s Katz Fun series of character figurines, awarded the Taiwan Design Center’s International Product Design Gold Award, also garnered the praise of 40 distributors from the USA, Canada, Europe, and Taiwan, all lining up to become licensees.
A large portion of the overseas buyers were impressed with the latest original products featured at the show that made it a worthwhile and eye-opening trip. Professor Hsu Yi-Chuan, of the Industrial Design Department at National United University and a member of the Taiwan Prominent Inventor Association, showed off his innovative Multi-functional Trolley. The six years he spent on product development paid off, as more than 100 buyers praised his innovation and expressed interest in purchasing the trolley. Two-thirds of the inquiries came from Canadian, American, British, Japanese and Swiss buyers who placed orders on the spot. Many firms, like Angel Tsai Medical Corp. enjoyed brisk business and were kept busy negotiating orders .
A major player in Taiwan’s stationery and gift market, S.L. Deer International Co., attends Giftionery Taipei each year. The Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan has recognized the company’s creative and innovative designs with the GD-Mark (Good Design Mark) Award. S.L. Deer’s Dynasty Series of stationery and gifts, with its strong Asian colors and style, attracted attention from the merchandising departments of over 20 large-scale companies. By S.L. Deer’s conservative estimates, it will earn several million NT dollars from orders garnered at the show.
Taiwan is at the cutting edge of research and development and has already won acclaim by introducing new concepts and promoting its own unique brands. Artilize Worldwide Co. is a great example of Taiwanese innovation. The company has proceeded with a careful approach to expand its presence in the American market. Much to its delight, the products it exhibited during this year’s show received attention not only from American buyers, but Canadian and Australian companies were also interested in placing orders. The company’s sales manager, Luo Zong-ren stated that the biggest benefit of attending this year’s show was the agreement reached with the representative of a large-scale artificial flower company from New York. The two companies have signed a distribution deal, working together to develop the US market. In regards to the show as a whole, Mr. Luo remarked that the Taiwanese-Designed Innovative Product Showcase and Art Toy Display Area have the most potential for future development and expansion. While most product designers on exhibit were quite young, he felt that their fresh designs reflected a maturity that surpassed many of the established companies and could impart a new competitiveness to the Taiwanese gift and stationery industries.
To encourage these local designers, the Bureau of Cultural Affairs of the Kaohsiung City Government held a Figurine Design Competition at its International Kaohsiung Artoys Exhibition earlier this year. Two of the winners of Excellence Prizes were the Hiphop Zipper and Takau series of figurines. It seemed that the awards also helped these items win favor with local Taiwanese firm, Pumpkin Creative Inc. Using the exhibition as a backdrop, the company held a contract signing ceremony with the two designers. The show sponsors aimed to provide a conduit of creativity to provide local talent with space to stage their creations.
In addition to spurring local design innovation, the sponsors held many other activities during this year’s show, including the 2006 Taipei International Brand Licensing Forum, which attracted 200 local professionals. Another favorite was the Booth Design Competition, where the winners, the National Palace Museum, S.L. Deer, and the Taiwan Textile Federation, used environmentally friendly materials and simple designs best show off their goods, earning the gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively. The sponsors also handed out awards to the winners of the Corporate Synergy Development Center’s Taiwan OTOP (One Town One Product) Local Product online balloting. The winners, in descending order, were: Kaohsiung’s glass beads, Kaohsiung’s earthenware flutes, Chi-Shan Town’s hand painted glass frames, Chushang Town’s bamboo craft objects, Chi-Shan Town’s paper architectural models, Sandimen Township’s glass beads, Yingge’s ceramics, Hsinchu’s glass, Sanyi Village’s woodcarvings, and Suao Town’s Baimi Wooden Shoes
This year’s success put Giftionery Taipei on a path to becoming Asia-Pacific’s leading high-quality gift trade fair. During a span of just three days, the show attracted more than 50 large-scale industry professionals including domestic IPOs, wholesalers, retailers, government agencies, online shops, department stores, hotels, insurers, and financial institutions, which all placed orders during the show. These included Foxconn Electronics, BenQ, CASIO, HP, President Chain Store Corp., HiLife Co., Nu Skin, Carrefour, San Shang Department Store, and RT Mart International, plus Taishin, First, Taipei Fubon, and Shin Kong Commercial Banks. And with them Giftionery Taipei 2006 was busy showcasing Taiwan’s creative gift and stationery touch to the world.
|
