Six B2B exhibitions help to jump-start Japan’s MICE sector

Last week, Japan successfully held several exhibitions – the first few large-scale B2B trade fairs since the country lifted its national state of emergency – with numerous health and safety measures in place.

The 12th Kansai Hotel & Restaurant Show, and five other exhibitions (Maintenance & Resilience Osaka 2020; 12th Factory & Process Visualization Expo; 3rd Industrial Automation & Robo-Tech Expo; Weather & Climate Measures Business Week 2020 – Summer Edition Osaka; Plant Show Osaka 2020; and International Drone Expo 2020), were concurrently held at INTEX Osaka from July 29-31. A total of 460 companies at 830 booths utilised the entire INTEX Osaka complex.

The event signified high hopes for the resumption of the MICE industry, and the recovery of economic activity, while ensuring infectious disease control measures were in place.

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, operational measures included implementing capacity limits; using a web pre-registration system to control date and time of attendance; installing thermographic cameras; setting up of a quarantine area; as well as placing social distancing markers within the venue. The venue layout was also changed to ensure at least three metres in width, and installing clear panels on speaker podiums.

Hiroshi Mizohata, president of the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, expressed: “By holding Japan’s first major exhibition amid the coronavirus pandemic, we want to send a big, encouraging shout to those concerned about exhibitions and international meetings held across Japan.

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