Osaka is striving to attract more Asia-Pacific and international associations focused on its core high-growth industries in a bid to link global conferences with local economic development and inward investment.
The strategy involves the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) intensifying its targeted sales approach to the executive boards of international associations, leveraging platforms such as the Japan MICE Expo – first held in October 2024 – to strengthen its position as a premier business events hub in the region.
According to OCTB, efforts are being driven by the region’s geographical proximity and the need to capture its rapidly growing economic and academic demands.
Of highest priority is capturing the interest of organisations involved in life sciences and healthcare due to Osaka Prefecture’s related clusters, such as Nakanoshima Qross (International Medical Strategic District), and Kento (Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical City).
The OCTB team also hopes to welcome events that explore sustainability, clean energy and decarbonisation, “backed by the Kansai region’s technological prowess in hydrogen, storage batteries and water treatment aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050”, said Asako Shiomi, director of MICE promotion at the OCTB.
To maximise impact, the OCTB plans “to drive a unified community branding effort” by uniting venues into a single cluster and partnering with the private sector to implement region-wide sustainable business events guidelines.
Shiomi explained that these efforts offer tailored, one-stop proposals for organisers while enhancing their brand value, making a business event in Osaka an automatic boost to an organisation’s ESG credentials.
