The 2018 TPM Awards took place on 21 March 2019, as the cherry blossoms were about to bloom in the city of Kyoto. JTB Communication Design (JCD) took on the overall management of this awards ceremony and in this bulletin, we look at the steps taken in the onsite preparations for the event.

For our report on this event, have a look at the Our Work section of the site: here.


19 March
・All day: Ceremonial hall and stage set up
Our staff members Rie Sasaki (Staff page here) and Haruna Enomoto (Staff page here) took charge of managing this event, and after months of preparation arrived at the venue, The Kyoto International Conference Center, two days before the event date, to take care of the final preparation stages. On this day, the stage, hall, various decorations, signs and the technological booths were set up throughout the day.


20 March
The second day of preparation featured mostly meetings, the final set-ups and technical rehearsals to make sure everything would run smoothly on the big day. Let`s have a step by step look of how JCD went to work.

・9AM – 10AM
Team arrives at the site, overall management meeting
For the first meeting of the day the JCD staff members came together to discuss the overall flow of the event and the onsite management of the event day. They would be in charge of local staff as well and went over the required tasks with them.

・9:30AM – 10:30AM
Technical adjustments
The technical team came in and went over their equipment. They checked if any adjustments were needed after the set-up from the day before. Like this, the equipment will be ready and well set-up for the technical run-through of the ceremony that was planned later in the day.


・12:00PM-15:00 PM
Table set-up, reception set-up and stage set up
During this time, all the tables were dressed with tableware, nameplates and gift bags for the guests. The reception area was also prepared with all the badges and necessary paperwork. On the stage, the on-site crew took care of preparing for the technical run-through. They figured out the best place to stand for winners when accepting their awards, the place to stand for the photo opportunity and attached small tape cues on the stage to mark the spots.


・15:00PM – 16:00PM
Technical team meeting
The technical team came together for a run-through meeting, discussing the flow of the ceremony and speeches and who needs to be where at what point. Any doubts are taken care off so that the team can always be ready for the many different scenarios that might come up.


・16PM – 19:30PM
Technical check and rehearsals
After the technical meeting, a complete run-through of the ceremony was carried out. As the ceremony would be livestreamed, these rehearsals are to perfect the camera movements, fine tune the lighting, sound and screen effects, as well as for the MC to practice her lines. Staff members stood in for the attendees and walked on and off the stage accepting the prizes while the technical crew checked how to capture the actions in the best way possible.


21 March
Last preparations: The day of the event

・8:00AM-12:00AM
Staff arrives on site, technical checks
After a good night`s rest, the staff arrived on site at 8:00AM, 4 hours before the doors opened to the ceremonial hall. During this time the last checks and meetings took place. Another technical run-through was performed for a double-check.

・10:00AM-11:00AM
Reception staff meeting
JCD`s Enomoto ran through the last details with the reception staff to ensure a smooth operation and communicated closely with other staff members. Sasaki was present in the main ceremony hall, directing the flow of events and keeping in touch with various staff members by intercom.


・10:30AM-11:30AM
Keynote speakers’ rehearsals
Keynote speakers arrived early to be able to stand on stage and run through their presentation slides before the actual show. They were guided by the JCD staff through the rehearsal and were supported with questions they might have or any last-minute changes in their presentations.


・12:00PM-13:30PM Last technical run-through, first guests arrive
The attendees started to flow in at the reception area as the starting time was nearing, and the very last preparations took place in the hall. At 12:30, the ceremonial hall was opened, and guests were allowed in to take a seat at their company`s table.

・13:30PM
Show time!
When everybody had arrived, the lights dimmed, and the show began with an exciting opening video and introduction by the MC. From there, the awards ceremony was on its way!


At JTB Communication Design, we offer a professional and swift approach to handle any kind of meetings and events. As a Japanese company, we value the reputation of “Japanese quality”, and see it as our mission to offer our clients that level of quality. We seek to meet your expectations, but also to exceed them. We will become your best meetings & events partner!