430 companies were presenting their products over an area of 16 500 m². This means the event was completely booked out. "There's a long waiting list," said Keim regretfully in an interview with DIY International. Once again, the fair took place in Taichung, a nearly three million inhabitants city around 150 km south of Taiwan's capital Taipei.
The hopes of the event organisers now lie on the construction of new exhibition grounds by Taichung City. These are expected to be completed in three years. The range of offers at the Taiwan Hardware Show will also be extended then, announces Kaigo.
From their point of view, Taichung has proven itself as the location for this trade fair because a cluster of the Taiwanese hardware and tool industries, with many diverse ties among the manufacturing companies, has formed around this city on the west coast of the island state and therefore also, not least, short production routes.
The fact that the trade fair is thus in the geographic and economic centre of the Taiwanese hardware industry and therefore right on the doorstep of a large part of the exhibitors has decisively contributed to its positive development. In order to also keep the event attractive for the extremely important international visitors, the organisers Kaigo are continuing to work with the governmental trade promotion organisation Taitra. This makes it possible to continue to offer this target group an accommodation subsidy and airport pick-up service.
In addition, there was an interesting supporting programme with a matchmaking service and several presentations this time too, for example on the impact of the US-China trade war for the Taiwan hand tool industry or the Vietnam hardware industry. DIY International with managing editor Rainer Strnad also contributed with a presentation on home improvement stores in Europe.