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July 4 @ People's Park
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History/Purpose:
The Taichung American Chamber of Commerce, better known
as AmCham, was founded in 1993 by two American businessmen
for the same purpose that similar AmCham chapters serve in
Taipei and Kaohsiung.
AmCham's main goals are to serve as a crossroads and
meeting place for the international business community, to
organize business and social events for the community and
provide related information and services.
Mike Garrido, co-chairman of Taichung AmCham, emphasizes
that--despite its name--the American Chamber of Commerce is
an international organization which welcomes participation
by all, foreigners and Taiwanese alike, much like Taipei and
Kaohsiung's organizations do.
Today, its members are a mix of American, European
and Taiwanese individuals and businesses and its events are
enjoyed by a broad spectrum of participants.
Regular Events/Activities/Services:
With the exception of certain months like December
and July (when other larger events take place), Taichung AmCham
holds two monthly events--a Happy Hour and a Dinner Meeting,
respectively on the second and last Tuesdays of each month.
The Happy Hour (admission NT$200/members, NT$300/non-members)
is a relaxing social get-together, alternating between various
local hotels, restaurants and pubs, which features a free
snacks buffet and buy-one-get-one-free drinks. The dinner meeting (NT$650/members, NT$800/non-members), held
a high-end hotel, features a social hour, a full meal and
a guest speaker.
Other special annual AmCham events are the Independence
Day Celebration, which takes place in early July, usually
at Peoples Square, and draws thousands of participants with
a fun afternoon of games, food, drinks, live music, a raffle
drawing and other activities.
In December, the Christmas Banquet is a traditional
celebration with a full Christmas buffet dinner, a live Christmas
concert and raffle drawing for prizes.
AmCham is able to provide limited information and resources
and can usually point inquiries in the right direction.
Members enjoy a variety of privileges, including lower
prices for regular events, mailings of COMPASS magazine and
use of the AmCham Card, which provides various discounts and
other bonuses at local hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
How To Participate:
Membership in Taichung Amcham is an easy and reasonable option. One-year memberships for individuals are
NT$5,000 and a corporate membership is NT$15,000, entitling
five individuals within the member company to full privileges. However, members and non-members are welcome
to join all events, with non-members usually paying a slightly-higher
admission fee to meetings and other activities. AmCham's largest annual event, the Independence Day Celebration
each July, is free and open to the general public.
CONTACT: Administrative Coordinator Jessie Lee, tel. 04-205-0443, fax
04-205-0981, website http://www.amchamtaichung.org. Regular information about AmCham can be found in COMPASS 'AmCham
Updates'.
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