Do people in Taichung not like going to exhibitions? Netizens say: The venues are lousy, the prices are lousy — only those with nothing better to do would go.

Many consumer and cultural exhibitions are held in Taipei and Kaohsiung, attracting large crowds of visitors during holidays for leisure, shopping, and enriching their knowledge. But recently, a netizen posted on the Taichung forum of PTT (Taiwan’s popular online bulletin board), asking why exhibitions organized by a friend in the exhibition industry fail to attract crowds in Taichung.

Summarizing netizens' opinions, the main reasons fewer people attend exhibitions in Taichung are inconvenient transportation, unattractive pricing, small scale with few booths — making it simply not worth the trip.

1. Lousy Venue

According to netizen comments, consumer exhibitions held in Taichung are usually located at the Wuri Exhibition Hall, which is near Taichung High-Speed Rail Station but sees far less foot traffic than the city center. It's hard to reach by scooter and too far to justify the trip. Only passengers passing through Taichung HSR might drop by. Another venue, the Taichung World Trade Center, has limited parking and a small space, with half the exhibition areas often congested — leading many to think it’s better to just go to Taipei for a more worthwhile experience.

2. Lousy Prices, Small Scale with Few Booths

Netizens say exhibitions in Taichung are small-scale with few booths. Most promotional discounts get eaten up by high rents, so it’s actually cheaper to shop online. For example, computer expos are seen as rip-offs — expensive with lots of excuses for delays. Food expos mix in clothing and dashcams, turning into multi-themed fairs. One visitor to a pet expo said nothing was new, prices weren’t cheaper, and they’d rather go to a pet supply store than waste time at the exhibition.

This shows that when exhibitions come to Taichung, they lose their appeal — fewer booth varieties, irrelevant stalls filling the space, inferior content compared to Taipei, and no better deals. So why bother going?