Taichung is a uniquely strategic and highly competitive battleground in Taiwan. While the demand for Agile training has long existed, our past attempts to launch classes in this region were repeatedly unsuccessful. Interest was scattered, and each enrollment cycle typically attracted only a handful of participants—two or three at most—making it impossible to form a viable class.
This time, however, we broke through by adopting a new strategy: we combined a corporate in-house class (from Existence Design) with external participants, including a quarter of the attendees from Innolux’s external training program. As a result, the class reached 27 participants—surpassing our standard full capacity of 24 for a CSM public course and setting a new record in scale.
Landmark Advantage and Market Potential: Taichung’s Bamboo Shoot Tower Brings New Hope
For this course, we intentionally chose Taichung’s iconic National Trade Center as our venue. With its bamboo shoot-like silhouette, this skyscraper stands as one of Taiwan’s most distinctive and recognizable modern buildings. If Taipei is known for Taipei 101, then Taichung’s symbol is surely this Bamboo Shoot Tower.
Hosting the course in such a landmark—paired with the strong turnout—greatly boosted our confidence. As the saying goes, where there’s a first, there’s a second, and then a third. This momentum opens the door for future classes, allowing us to gradually develop this commercially vibrant and Agile-hungry region.
About the NTC National Trade Center in Taichung
- Located at the intersection of Chaofu Road and Shizheng North 2nd Road in Taichung’s Xitun District, within the city’s prestigious 7th Redevelopment Zone, the NTC National Trade Center is a landmark commercial building developed by Runlong Construction and designed by the renowned international architecture firm Aedas. The building sits on a 1,382-ping (approx. 4,570 m²) site and rises to a height of 165.6 meters, making it the 6th tallest building in Taichung.
- Inspired by the form of a bamboo shoot, the building symbolizes new beginnings and foretells the prosperous future of the 7th Redevelopment Zone. Its mimetic qualities are expressed through its form, color, texture, and cultural resonance. The free-flowing, organic curves of its exterior stand out amid the predominantly rectangular buildings of the district. Soaring nearly 150 meters, its distinctive design and commanding presence make it an unmistakable city landmark.
Nearby Landmarks
- CBD Times Square: Located on Chaofu Road in Xitun District and developed by Highwealth Construction, CBD Times Square is a 34-story commercial tower with 7 underground floors. Designed to meet international Grade A office standards, the building features a stylish curtain wall façade and tiered terraces with green spaces, establishing it as a modern commercial icon in central Taichung.
- Taichung Diamond (Taichung Commercial Bank Headquarters): Situated at the intersection of Henan Road and Shizheng Road, this 38-story, 225-meter-tall skyscraper (with 10 basement levels) was designed by architect Kris Yao. As the headquarters of Taichung Commercial Bank, the building blends modern aesthetics with multi-functional design, including banking facilities, offices, and conference spaces.
From Beginners to Practitioners: A Full-Spectrum Agile Learning Challenge
On the corporate side, two companies joined this training program. The first was Existence Design, a branding and marketing firm with virtually no prior exposure to Agile—making them classic Agile beginners. The second was Innolux, a company that has already demonstrated a strong commitment to Agile adoption and is actively practicing Agile processes.
If we were to quantify their Agile awareness on a scale of 1 to 10, Existence Design’s participants would fall around 2–3, while Innolux’s would score around 7–8. In addition, about six PMP-certified professionals from the public enrollment also joined, resulting in a class that spanned the entire spectrum of Agile maturity—from complete novices to hands-on practitioners.
This diverse mix created one of the most challenging teaching environments possible. To address this, I specifically redesigned the course structure into five learning groups and optimized discussion activities for time efficiency. This approach not only boosted classroom effectiveness but also ensured that every participant could engage deeply and absorb the material meaningfully.
The Power of Blended Learning: Sparking Cross-Industry Thinking and Innovation
The learning interactions in this course were truly dynamic. Although groupings were initially based on company affiliation, participants had ample opportunities to engage with peers from other organizations, enabling a rich exchange of perspectives across industries, backgrounds, and experience levels.
While PMP-certified participants may not have hands-on Agile experience, their solid theoretical foundation complemented the practical insights brought by practitioners from companies like Innolux. As a result, despite the diverse levels of Agile familiarity at the start, participants reached a relatively consistent foundational understanding by the end of the course—demonstrating the strong educational value of this blended learning model.
Corporate Collaboration × Market Strategy: A High-Success Agile Adoption Model
The success of the Taichung class gave me an important insight: in regions where public classes are hard to launch, a hybrid strategy of combining corporate in-house training with public enrollment can be highly effective. Even if a single company can’t meet the 15-person threshold to form a class, it can partner with another organization or rely on public sign-ups to fill the gap—greatly increasing the likelihood of a successful course launch.
I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to two key enablers:
- Tzu-Yu Huang, Director at Existence Design – for her selfless dedication to making this course happen. Her vision of building a shared language between her team and clients demonstrated remarkable commitment and leadership.
- Chien-Hung Liao, Associate Director at Innolux – for leading the external training team’s participation and embodying the company’s determination and action toward Agile transformation.
Thanks to their contributions, this course became more than just a training—it marked a pivotal moment for the emergence of Agile culture in Central Taiwan.
The success of this Taichung class was more than just a breakthrough in course delivery—it was the blossoming of a long-nurtured hope. From an Agile desert to a record-breaking turnout, we’ve proven that with the right strategy and aligned partners, we can ignite genuine market enthusiasm. This is not an end, but a new beginning. The seeds of Agile have taken root in Central Taiwan—and they will continue to grow, flourish, and spread far and wide.