MOEA Holds the "International Forum on Innovation and Sustainability in the Food and Beverage Industry"

To help domestic food and beverage establishments operating for over 20 years upgrade and transform their businesses, the Commercial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs held the "International Forum on Innovation and Sustainability in the Food and Beverage Industry" on October 31, 2016 (ROC year 105) at the GIS International Convention Center of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Through case studies presented by the heads of domestic and international food and beverage groups, the forum illustrated food and beverage business trends, with more than 200 people from food and beverage-related fields attending this grand gathering for culinary knowledge exchange.

In her remarks, Director-General Lee Mei of the Commercial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that Taiwan's cuisine is renowned internationally, with even CNN publishing a dedicated feature report on it. As competition in the food and beverage environment intensifies, long-established food and beverage establishments must not only cook a table of good dishes, but also be able to speak eloquently about good dishes, and even more so let customers know the distinctive features of those good dishes. To help long-established food and beverage establishments operate sustainably, the government assists the food and beverage industry from two major dimensions: "bringing people in" and "taking stores out." On "bringing people in," it actively organizes domestic and international brand marketing activities, and also uses celebrities and social media influencers to experience food and beverage features and then recommend them to the public, stimulating in-store spending. On "taking stores out," it guides food and beverage operators to use digital and interactive technologies to increase customer stickiness, enhance operational management capabilities, reduce operating costs, and build distinctive features for overseas store expansion.

This year's international forum took "Channels and Technological Innovation" and "Brand Sustainability" as its themes, and invited renowned food, travel and lifestyle writer Ms. Yeh Yi-lan to open with "The Cultural Heritage and Innovation Directions of Taiwan's Long-Established Food and Beverage Establishments," elaborating on cultural inheritance and new-thinking transformation for long-established food and beverage establishments.

It is hoped that through this year's wonderful and richly varied "International Forum on Innovation and Sustainability in the Food and Beverage Industry," long-established food and beverage establishments will be propelled toward their next century.