The capital once again hosted SIGGRAPH Asia alongside half-day city tours and cultural programmes that immersed delegates in the city's rich heritage and vibrant culture
Brought to you by Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
From December 3 to 6, 2024, nearly 8,500 delegates from 60 countries visited Tokyo for SIGGRAPH Asia 2024, a computer-generated animation and visual effects international conference organised by SIGGRAPH, a chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM).
With the theme Curious Minds, the conference showcased a diverse range of programmes, including keynote speeches by industry luminaries, technical paper presentations, and a bustling trade exhibition featuring more than 80 leading companies like Sony, NVIDIA, and Wētā FX.
This is the fifth time the conference has been held in Japan and its third in Tokyo. It was held once again at the Tokyo International Forum, which stood out for its central location in the Marunouchi area, transport connectivity to major train stations, and its beautiful glass design letting in plenty of natural light. It also houses a large exhibition space, auditorium hall, and numerous conference rooms that accommodated various segments of the event.
“We believe that SIGGRAPH Asia’s return to Tokyo this year proves that Tokyo is the right city to host it. We hope participants will enjoy the conference as well as experience the charm of Tokyo to the fullest, and visit Tokyo again. In addition to the cultural experiences and sightseeing spots, we wanted delegates to have a heartwarming experience of the hospitality unique to Tokyo,” said Toyota Sone, director of sales, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB).
Tokyo’s strong game, movie, animation and media content industries, together with its popularity among tourists, are also the main factors why it made sense to hold the event here, said Takeo Igarashi, professor from the University of Tokyo and SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 conference chair. In addition, he noted that the financial support provided by TCVB was another benefit that contributed to the conference’s success.
Echoing this sentiment was Prakash Ramajillu, general manager at Koelnmesse, the event management company behind SIGGRAPH Asia, who said the event also benefits the strong computer graphics, animation and related industries in Japan. “The industry and community here in Japan is extremely vibrant. There is a high number of companies in VFX (visual effects), XR (extended reality); and many games are created here – the ecosystem is huge. You can see it just by walking around the exhibition floor. So Tokyo itself is a good place to host an event like this,” he said.
Tokyo being the capital city has also produced the highest numbers of delegates, compared to previous editions in Yokohama and Kobe, he added.
An enriching dose of cultural immersion
Part of what enhanced the conference experience, especially for first-time visitors to Japan, was the opportunity to explore Tokyo as well.
Delegates who attended SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 could sign up for complimentary cultural programmes and tours, which were sponsored by TCVB.
Attendees could try their hand at shaping amezaiku, a traditional Japanese craft of melted candy made from starch and shaped into animals, writing calligraphy, experiencing a traditional tea ceremony, or tying furoshiki, a traditional cloth used for wrapping and carrying items.
They could also sign up for tours to popular tourist attractions such as the Meiji Jingu Shrine, and teamLab Borderless, take a river cruise of Tokyo, and had the chance to take home a piece of pottery made from kintsugi, the traditional art of repairing broken ceramics.
There were also night tours to Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree. The tours were exceedingly popular and several of the cultural activities saw a full house.
Prajwal Kumar Singh, a PhD student and Soumyaratna Debnath, a masters student, both from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, had come to present a paper. Aside from the conference, both appreciated they could explore Tokyo through the tours as it was their first time in the city.
“One of the things we remember about the conference is the opportunity to get to go on the tour,” said Singh. Having buses that took attendees from the Forum to the tour venues was also convenient. When asked about their impressions of Tokyo, both agreed that people were generous and willing to help.
A vibrant community
A key element that contributed to the success of SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 was the community around it, from the conference organisers to exhibitors, conference volunteers, and attendees.
Igarashi in his opening address encouraged attendees to explore the unfamiliar, visit programmes outside their fields of expertise, and to talk to people and make connections with each other.
Sherry Yao, a community manager from 3D design software Marvelous Designer, said being at the event was important for her company to seek potential collaborations with other companies, while Ander Bergstrom, VFX sales manager, Qualisys, mentioned the strength of the market in these technologies, saying “Asia is an incredible market for this innovation, we’d be remiss to not come here.”
Delegate He Zhang from Adobe who was there to present a technical paper said the event was a chance to catch up with friends and meet new people from the industry, as well as learn about other projects and papers. Similarly, PhD student Wataru Kawabe from the University of Tokyo relished the opportunity to present his work on machine learning to those who may have a different perspective to get new insights from their feedback.
Student volunteer team leader Jonathan Park who recently graduated from Curtin University said the event provided opportunities for students to network and meet people from the industry. Volunteers also get exclusive sessions with industry specialists, he added.
TCVB’s Sone said: “The success of large-scale conferences such as SIGGRAPH Asia further cement Tokyo’s appeal as an unmatched international conference host city. An economic hub with a wealth of technology companies, advanced infrastructure, efficient operation, a one-of-a-kind culture and exceptional hospitality, Tokyo is the perfect destination to bring SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 to the next level. These unique advantages differentiate our city from others and will establish Tokyo as the world’s leading conference destination.”
Upcoming international events in the pipeline include The 25th International Federation of Fertility Societies World Congress 2025, World Physiotherapy Congress 2025, The 41st World Veterinary Association Congress 2026, and The 22nd Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention & Exhibition in 2026.
To find out more about the support available for your event, visit businesseventstokyo.org
