The World`s Leading Tourism Event: Tourism EXPO Japan 2018
・Event Date: 20-23 September 2018
・The Tourism EXPO Japan 2018 took place in Tokyo.
・World leaders gathered to further expand on ideas and plans to create a sustainable tourism industry.
Details of the Event
Contents of 20 and 21 September:
Opening Ceremony, Forum & Seminars (Keynote) Speech / The 2nd TEJ Ministerial Round table / Asian Tourism, Business Leaders Forum, Thematic Symposia, WTTC Networking Reception, Tourism Industry Forum, In-booth business meetings, Japan Tourism Awards, WELCOME RECEPTION, Inbound Tourism Business Expo 2018
Contents of 22 and 23 September:
Exhibition, Closing Ceremony and Grand Finale Held at the same time:
VISIT JAPAN Travel & MICE Mart 2018 (Organizer: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO))
The annual Tourism EXPO Japan took place over the course of 4 days.
JTB Communication Design (JCD) set up a pre-expo appointment system that participants could use to set up meetings with dealers within their exhibition booths. Participants: Sellers: 890 companies / organizations Buyers: 414 companies Media related buyers: 29 companies
A challenging aspect of this year`s event was utilizing JCD`s self-designed "business matching system" for planning and operation. As a business partner of the Tourism EXPO Japan, we aimed for achieving better results by creating and utilizing this newly made matching system.
JCD Staff Role
① Business to Business Meeting management (Staff in charge: Sekino, Noguchi, Kanda)
"We were mainly responsible for the B to B's "business meetings", something that was one of the most important aspects of the Tourism EXPO this year. From the pre-planning and production stage, we created a registration and matching system, and operated this at the event. Especially the never done before realization of matching "exhibitor with exhibitor" brought a record of made appointments, exceeding last year. Considering the management of this, we were able to book progress and make a complete transition to this new business negotiation format that we can now utilize at future events."
Provided services
・Promotion of planning and production
・Creation and implementation of registration and business matching system
・ Management at the actual event
② WELCOME RECEPTION (Staff in charge: Nanba) The WELCOME RECEPTION was held on the evening of the first day.
"We figured out ways to deepen the impact of the networking events for participants and make this kick-off reception an exciting occurrence. We took care of sponsor booth decoration, stage production using balloons, stage performance, etc."
Provided services
· Overall stage direction and management
· Stage decoration
· Entertainment casting
· VIP management
③ Official Event Management（Staff in charge: Katou） In charge of: Closing Ceremony, Award Ceremony, Keynote lectures, TEJ Tourism Ministerial Meeting, WTTC Networking · Reception
"I oversaw the planning, operating and production of the official events that were open to the press. It is safe to say that content here was picked up by the attending media representatives, as it was an event where the participating ministers of different countries met. I kept a strict eye on the time schedule and was able to manage it smoothly." Provided services
· Stage direction and management
· Stage decoration
· Venue management
· VIP management
Overall impressions from the staff Challenges and difficulties
"A challenge was making rules and constructing a certain management flow while understanding the tendency of the various participants in combination with the client 's wishes. As with any event, this is the hardest thing but at the same time the most important point in making the event successful." What is something you are satisfied about?
"We can`t say we’re satisfied. It is because We feel that there is much more that must be done until the clients and participants are 100% satisfied. As a partner that supports the Tourism EXPO Japan from the outset of the event, we believe that for future editions it is our mission to constantly adjust and level up according to the trends of the times and the world."
Were you able to meet the clients` requests?
"Business meetings have clear quantitative results compared to other business models, and not only clients but also participants are very particular about having them.
This is because the result is directly related to the significance of holding the event, business continuity and the future of business in the tourism industry.
If we can get results or not, what to do next, etc. We will try to find the client`s deepest desire as a partner and I think that in that way we can find out what the true core of their request is."
Expectations towards the future
"We think that business matching in the tourism industry is still full of undiscovered possibilities. However, for those possibilities to become realized, we think it is necessary to reform participants' awareness and to bring business value to a higher level. We are hoping to contribute not only to the coming editions of the Tourism EXPO Japan but also to the still unknown future of the tourism industry that is supporting Japanese businesses."
