Organized for Korean companies participating in COMPUTEX TAIPEI—an international information technology and computing exhibition—the event was attended by a large number of representatives from major firms such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, LG Electronics, Doosan, and Naver, as well as professionals in the semiconductor, cloud computing, robotics, and startup sectors. Held off-site from the exhibition hall, this dinner is regarded as a prime example of how global trade shows are evolving beyond mere product displays into business platforms for building corporate networks, sharing industry demands, and creating new opportunities for collaboration.
Taiwan is emerging as a key hub for Korean companies to expand their global industrial networks and identify overseas business opportunities. While Korean companies previously focused on securing brand recognition and market presence in the global market, they are now entering a phase of generating tangible business results, establishing strategic partnerships, and building long-term relationships based on trust.
Amid this trend, Taiwan’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) industry is gaining attention as a new business platform. Taiwan is establishing itself as an international business hub for Korean companies—one that goes beyond being a mere exhibition venue—where they can interact directly with global buyers, connect with Asia-Pacific supply chains, gauge market reactions, and build business trust.
According to statistics from the International Trade Bureau of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, the output of Taiwan’s MICE industry expanded from 22 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately 1.02 trillion won) in 2022 to over 50 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately 2.31 trillion won) in 2025. This represents more than a twofold increase in the industry’s scale in just three years.
Approximately 70 large-scale international trade shows are held in Taiwan each year, attracting more than 110,000 professional buyers from overseas. For Korean companies seeking to enter overseas markets and explore opportunities for global collaboration, these large-scale exhibition platforms and international buyer networks provide a strategic business environment that allows them to identify overseas partners more efficiently, going beyond individual corporate contacts.
◇ From Product Displays to “Solution-Centered Dialogue”
As the era of artificial intelligence (AI) gains full momentum, the role and function of trade shows in Taiwan are rapidly evolving. Whereas trade shows were once spaces for showcasing products and technologies, they are now evolving into “solution-centered business platforms” that demonstrate how a company’s technology can create value and solve problems in real-world industrial settings.
In particular, as the AI industry expands into various fields—including data centers, energy efficiency, cooling and thermal management technologies, and enterprise AI solutions—the demand for specialized exchange and collaboration opportunities based on the exhibition, such as technology forums, customer-focused sessions, partner networking, and B2B business matching, is also increasing.
This year’s COMPUTEX, held under the theme “AI Together,” drew approximately 1,500 companies from 33 countries worldwide. With roughly 110,000 visitors from over 150 countries attending during the event, it once again demonstrated its competitiveness as a global AI industry platform.
The number of participating South Korean companies also increased from 16 in 2024 to 39 this year, more than doubling in just two years. This demonstrates that South Korean companies are utilizing the Taiwanese exhibition not merely as a stage for brand promotion, but as a strategic business platform to connect with global AI, semiconductor, and advanced technology supply chains and seek tangible business collaboration opportunities.
◇Why Taiwan: From Product Experiences to Building Professional Trust
The reason Taiwan is gaining attention as a strategic platform for Korean companies to enter the Asia-Pacific supply chain and expand their global business lies in the fact that the exhibition offers a comprehensive business environment that simultaneously provides product experiences, professional networking, and business matching.
The beauty sector, one of South Korea’s leading competitive industries, is both a consumer goods industry and a field where technological capability and expertise are crucial. Accordingly, face-to-face interactions at trade shows have established themselves as a key touchpoint where buyers can directly verify a product’s uniqueness and competitiveness, evaluate collaboration potential, and build long-term business trust.
Industry analysts note that for brands to secure sustained competitiveness in the global market, it is crucial to expand opportunities for consumers and distribution partners to experience products firsthand. A beauty industry official stated, “In fields that require specialized expertise, such as beauty tech and medical aesthetic devices, the process of directly examining products and verifying their performance at the exhibition site serves as a crucial starting point for business collaboration.”
Of the 230 participating companies at this exhibition, 55 overseas brands from 10 countries took part. Korean companies such as Celandir, Alpha Medical, and Shilla Bio also participated to explore opportunities for entering the Taiwanese beauty market and to expand their collaborative networks with local buyers and industry professionals.
For K-Beauty brands, such exhibitions go beyond being mere platforms for product promotion. They hold significant strategic importance because buyers, distribution partners, and professional customers can directly verify product competitiveness and gauge market response on-site, while simultaneously discussing future collaboration opportunities and engaging in substantive business consultations.
While beauty exhibitions focus on the process of directly experiencing and evaluating products, the bio and healthcare industry—another major sector in Korea—places greater importance on validating technological capabilities and building long-term trust. In particular, since securing market trust based on research and development achievements and clinical application cases is crucial in the bio and healthcare sector, technology presentations, expert forums, and one-on-one business consultations at international exhibitions have become key processes for interacting with potential partners and identifying new collaboration opportunities.
This trend is particularly evident in South Korea and Taiwan, both of which face the common challenge of an aging population. As of 2025, both countries have entered a “super-aged society,” with the proportion of their populations aged 65 and older exceeding 20 percent; consequently, market demand for medical devices, digital healthcare, and age-friendly healthcare solutions continues to grow.
The 2025 event brought together participants from 58 countries, featuring over 3,000 conference attendees, more than 850 exhibiting companies, and a business matching program involving over 500 companies. With the number of exhibition visitors exceeding 140,000, the event demonstrated its status as a global biotech industry platform.
For Korean bio and healthcare companies, such international exhibitions go beyond being mere platforms for product promotion. Through specialized forums, technology exchanges, and one-on-one business consultations, they can showcase their technological competitiveness, build a foundation of trust for entering global markets—including Taiwan—and identify long-term collaboration partners.
These examples demonstrate that Korean companies’ choice of Taiwan is not based solely on geographical proximity or cost-effectiveness. Taiwan’s exhibitions offer comprehensive networking opportunities—ranging from product demonstrations and technology validation to business matching—tailored to the characteristics of each industry, and are establishing themselves as global business platforms that transform initial interest into tangible business partnerships.
◇Trade Shows That Go Beyond “Booth Displays” to Build “Relationships”
For Korean companies, the significance of overseas trade shows no longer stops at setting up a booth and showcasing products. As the importance of relationships and communication formed on-site—through corporate networking events, buyer receptions, brand experience programs, and exchanges between executives—continues to grow, trade shows are evolving into platforms for building global business relationships.
Accordingly, companies’ objectives for participating in trade shows are also changing. Moving beyond simply deciding “which trade show to attend,” the ability to facilitate effective business dialogue during the event and translate it into follow-up collaborations has become an even more critical criterion.
SEMICON Taiwan, taking place this September at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, is a prime example of this shift. Organized by the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Association (SEMI), the event has seen consistent participation from Korean companies and organizations—including Hanmi Semiconductor and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA)—as they work to expand their global semiconductor industry networks.
A KOTRA official who previously managed the Korean Pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan explained, “Approximately 75 business consultations took place during the exhibition,” adding, “One Korean semiconductor test equipment company held direct discussions with a leading global semiconductor firm and achieved the result of receiving an invitation from that company to visit its headquarters in Korea for further discussions.”
An official from Hanmi Semiconductor stated, “Semicon Taiwan is a crucial business platform that allows us to interact directly with key companies and stakeholders in the semiconductor industry,” adding, “We will continue to expand opportunities for technical exchange and cooperation not only with local Taiwanese customers but also with global partners.”
Another reason Korean companies are paying close attention to the exhibition environment in Taiwan is its geographical accessibility and high business efficiency. Taiwan boasts well-established transportation and MICE infrastructure, along with systematic support services for participating companies. Consequently, companies can efficiently carry out various activities—such as business consultations, brand events, and meetings with VIP buyers—even within a short timeframe.
Above all, Taiwan possesses a distinctive strength in its regional clusters, each with sector-specific competitiveness. With globally competitive industrial ecosystems—such as the semiconductor industry in Hsinchu, the precision machinery industry in Taichung, and the medical device and metal processing industries in southern Taiwan—companies can combine their exhibition participation with various business activities, including supplier meetings, factory visits, and technology exchanges.
As such, trade shows in Taiwan function as business platforms that connect global supply chains, international buyers, and industry partners, going beyond simply serving as spaces to showcase products. Companies can use these trade shows as opportunities to discover new collaboration opportunities, expand cross-industry exchanges, and build long-term partnerships.
◇Turning Business Ideas into Tangible Results
As demand among Korean companies to participate in Taiwanese trade shows and business events continues to rise, “MEET TAIWAN,” a program promoted by the Bureau of Foreign Trade under Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, is gaining attention as a key channel for supporting companies’ overseas business activities.
Based on companies’ initial business concepts, MEET TAIWAN helps them develop actionable business plans by coordinating various programs—including meetings, trade show participation, buyer invitations, company visits, and incentive travel. It also serves to integrate trade show participation, buyer interactions, brand experiences, and business networking into a comprehensive market expansion strategy.
What sets MEET TAIWAN apart is that, going beyond simply providing grants or venue information, it designs and supports customized business programs to help companies generate tangible business results through exhibition participation.
Taiwan’s exhibition industry is expanding into various emerging sectors—including semiconductors, healthcare, beauty, and biotechnology—and is growing into a global business platform. Moving forward, Taiwanese exhibitions are expected to establish themselves as a key business stage where Korean companies can meet customers face-to-face, allow them to experience products, showcase technological competitiveness, and build trust in their brands.
For Korean companies seeking new growth opportunities in the global market, Taiwan is more than just a venue for exhibitions. It is expanding its role as a strategic hub for connecting international buyers and industry partners, identifying new collaboration opportunities, and facilitating global business expansion.
