A city government official said the plans to expand the Taipei World Trade Center's (TWTC) exhibition hall 2 will be finalized by the middle of next month. The director of the city government's Bureau of Finance Lee Shu Der said: "The expansion project is still worth implementing if a business model can be developed to sustain future operations for next five to 10 years.”

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying Jeou has instructed government agencies to evaluate the project by considering the influence of nearby exhibition halls. Beside the TWTC, the plan also includes Taipei Sports Dome, an 800-booth hall that is scheduled to build on the old site of Sungshan Tobacco Factory by 2005. Lee said the city government will soon call meetings to exchange views with local trade show organizers including the China External Trade Development Council (CETRA) and the Taipei Computer Association (TCA).

TCA vice chairman Huang Yun Pei expressed its support for the city government's expansion project and said: "The emerging exhibition and conference industry is promising, giving Taiwan a greater selection of venues to offer in the future." However, CETRA official said that the expansion project could meet only short-term demand as the hall will be fully replaced by the trade center's hall 1 and the planned Nankang-based exhibition center, which is slated to be completed by 2006.

Present capacity of exhibition hall 2 only maximum of 331 booths and the new plan will expand the number of booth to 800. The hall would also house a multi-functional conventional center for trade shows, sports events and parking. The duration of construction will reach eighteen months with an estimated construction cost from NT$500 million to NT$1 billion.

By: DocMemory
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