Introduction to Destination Marketing, EXCO Taiwan 2011

31 October 2011 - Three   KDU Students accompanied by their lecturer Ms. Chris Ong Siew Har, Senior Lecturer of the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA) left for Taipei, under the sponsorship ofthe Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAJTRA), to attend the 'Destination Marketing EXCO Taiwan 2011' exhibition.

This annual event was first held in 2009 alongside  the Taiwan Exhibition & Convention Industry Show. Since then, it has garnered international support and publicity attracting thousands of participants from different regions of the world. For this year's event, TAlTRA decided to upgrade the event to give it a more global appeal and to further add to the diversity of the crowd, by getting students from neighboring countries to get involved in the event as exhibitors. With this purpose in mind, TAITRA sent invitations to leading colleges and universities in Asia (e.g. Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.) to send exhibition proposals showcasing the cities where they are from. A total of  ten  foreign teams from at least six different countries were selected and granted lull sponsorship' to participate in the event - KDU SHTCA was one of them, with Chris Ong Siew Har being appointed as one of the 'Judges' for the competition in the event (to select the best student exhibition). The KDU SHTCA team includes the following students: Ms. Koh Yi Sha, Ms. Chiu Mei Syean, Bowie and Mr. Ching Ming Chert.



The theme for this year's exhibition is "Clean and Green". It aims to reinforce people's awareness of critical issues surrounding the environment and to promote the use of eco-friendly building materials, open-space designs, and environmental technologies; and also, to advocate conservation practices. Each exhibitor was provided with exhibition booths, with the instruction to only make use of 'recyclable' and 'reusable' materials for their exhibits. The KDU SHTCA exhibition booth was adorned with the distinct colors and cultural symbols of Malaysia that includes a Wau Bulan (Traditional Malay Kite), Keris (Malay Dagger), Peacock- designed Kolam (Indian rice grain painting), Chinese Lanterns, and many more. These cultural pieces were set at the backdrop of the Petronas TwinTowers (built with drinking straws), and the contrasting urban and rural sceneries of Malaysia (presented in posters in full colors). To top it all, students manning the booth adorn themselves in traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian costumes, captivating the crowd with an air of wonderment and curiosity. In essence, the booth served as an epitome of the 'One Malaysia' concept or the social cohesion of multiple races and multiple cultures in Malaysia. The exhibition also conveyed the country's rich and varied culture, heritage and history, as well as its urban landscape and modem society. Although the KDU SHTCA team did not participate in the competition, on account of its foreign status (as the competition was only opened to local schools), the students' exhibition received very good reviews and was constantly visited by large  crowds.

A total of 116 exhibitors participated in the event, with over 241 booths; attracting nearly 5,000 international and domestic professionals. The event also hosted a total of 12 trade seminars, and featured three  performances from three different countries. One of those performances included a 'Malaysian Fashion Show' performed by KDU SHTCA students which was featured at the event's Gala Dinner. During the dinner, KDU SHTCA was honoured for its participation in the EXCO event and was awarded with a trophy by representatives of Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade and TAITRA.

Chris Ong (right) received a trophy for SHTCA

The KDU SHTCA team was also supported by two very generous organizations: the Marketing Support Division of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), through Mr. Zainuddin Abdul Wahab (Director), and the Expat Experts Company - a consulting firm specializing in 'Malaysia 2nd Home program'. The MTPB provided KDU SHTCA students with giveaway gifts for visitors (e.g. lapel pins, poster, brochures, coffee table book, pens), and other presentation materials, while the Expat Experts Company provided the Wau Bulan, authentic  Batik  Sarong from Kelantan, postcards, brochures, keris and buntings of Malaysia. Their contribution and support have been an invaluable source of motivation for students.

On the 6th of November, after nearly a week in Taiwan, the team headed back to Malaysia with lots of good memories and an unforgettable experience from Taiwan. Many thanks to TAITRA, KDU University College, SHTCA, and our corporate sponsors.