2025 Meet Pacific Hualien Carnival: Japan & Thailand Join Two-Day Innovation + Sustainability Forum

(中央社訊息服務20250825 17:45:04)The “2025 Meet Pacific Hualien Innovation & Entrepreneurship Carnival” will take place on October 24-25 at the Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park. The event will feature high-profile speakers from Japan and Thailand, including Keisuke Saito (Mayor of Yoichi, Hokkaido), Duangrit Bunnag (Thai architect), Shun Shimada (Boosterra), and Tetsuya Igarashi. These speakers will headline the Global Startup Trends Forum on October 24 and the Tomorrow’s Business for Sustainable Growth Forum on October 25, where they will share insights from an international vantage point. Free registration for the talks is now open.

In response to the diverse challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs along Taiwan’s east coast, Day One’s Global Startup Trends Forum will center on four major themes: Sustainability and ESG, Quality of Life, Digital Innovation, and Workation-driven travel entrepreneurship. Top speakers from Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan will share global case studies and help chart a practical innovation roadmap for Hualien.

On “Sustainability and ESG,” Keisuke Saito, Mayor of Yoichi (Hokkaido), will discuss how a small town transformed its local wine industry into an internationally recognized brand, offering a sustainable governance model for rural revitalization. Steven Yang, founder and CEO of Canopi Impact Investment, will outline how impact capital can help uncover local strengths and integrate ESG values into place-based entrepreneurship.

For “Quality of Life,” Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag, who is known for transforming Bangkok’s riverside with the creative hub The Jam Factory, will share how spatial storytelling and thoughtful design can revitalize underused urban spaces and infuse them with cultural meaning. His talk will offer fresh inspiration for place-making and urban renewal in Hualien. Meanwhile, Boky Chen, founder of Curiosity Creative, will speak on “Digital Innovation,” analyzing how contemporary brands can use digital content and community engagement to build deep cultural resonance and reach global markets.

The “Workation” session will feature Johnny Chiu, founder of JC. Architecture & Design, who will share how to infuse transport and hospitality environments with cultural identity. His firm’s work includes the design of The Future tourist train and the Penghu Ferry. Chang Li-Chieh of YuLi Co., operator of Forest 3030 Hostel, and Shun Shimada of Boosterra will offer firsthand perspectives on local business operations and regional revitalization. Together, they will explore how Hualien can become a world-class work-and-stay destination with sustainable business models.

Hualien County Mayor Hsu Chen-Wei continues to promote global innovation thinking among local youth. Her vision, “Hualien goes global, and the world comes to Hualien,” has driven efforts to bring international perspectives to the region. The county government encourages participants from across Taiwan to attend, engage with global startup trends, and help spark new ideas and innovation for Taiwan’s industries.