Suruga Market!ng & Tour!sm is now presenting the Japanese destination as one where corporate groups can come through on day trips to experience the quiet local life and learn all about tea culture through workshops and farm visits.
Taichiro Ishida, marketing manager, Suruga Market!ng & Tour!sm Bureau, told TTGmice on the sidelines of the M&I in Suruga Seminar: “We understand that Suruga is not a final destination in Japan, nor is it a big overnight destination. That is why we are positioning ourselves as a stopover between two big cities – Tokyo and Osaka – and opting to show visitors our culture and activities related to tea, such as tea pairings, farm tours, and green tea calligraphy.”
He opined that Suruga would appeal to Singapore event groups, as travellers were already “familiar with Japanese culture, and are ready to explore lesser-known destinations outside the main cities”. Other nationalities, Ishida noted, still opt for well-known parts of the country, like Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka.
“Since we started promoting to the Singapore market in 2017, MICE visitors from Singapore have increased about 20 per cent,” he said.
In South-east Asia, Suruga is also targeting corporates based in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, and will be making sales calls to these countries before the year is up. Ishida noted that corporate event arrivals from these markets “have been steadily increasing”.
Located an hour from Tokyo via the Shinkansen, Suruga would be apt for an incentive group size of between 20 to 40 pax. Although hosting a group of 100 guests is possible, Ishida said the group would have to be split up for overnight stays, as there is no hotel large enough to accommodate everyone together.
However, Ishida said Suruga would work fine for corporate groups now, as group sizes have shrunk post-lockdown.
He added that now is the best time to take events to Japan, as the yen is weak.
Ishida added: “Aside from incentives, we’re also looking at attracting medium-sized conventions. Although we have a 4,000-seater venue, we do not have enough accommodation to cater to large-scale conferences. This is why we are, instead, looking at conferences at around 400 people, where not everyone will stay overnight in Suruga.”
Australia-headquartered The Arinex Group has officially unveiled Arinex Live, which specialises in event management software, technical event direction, on-site production and experience, and post-event engagement.
At the heart of Arinex Live’s technology is the Arinex One platform. Designed by event managers for event managers, the Arinex One platform provides a range of functionalities that save organisers time and improve the delegate experience throughout the event life cycle.
In July, The Arinex Group – comprising Arinex event management services and Arinex Live technology services – delivered three in-person, multi-day conferences across three states and industry sectors in one week.
Arinex One efficiently streamlined the programme design for 45th International Conference of the IEEE Engineering and Medicine and Biology Society, resulting in significant time savings. The platform allowed for seamless session allocation for the four-day programme, easily managing over 700 speakers across 18 concurrent rooms, ensuring zero scheduling clashes.
All three events were also enhanced by the Arinex One event app, customised to meet the unique requirements of each conference.
For example, during the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Science Week 2023, attendees harnessed the app’s capabilities to navigate through the event’s programme. They also enjoyed the convenience of accessing a dynamic newsfeed that provided real-time notifications. Furthermore, delegates actively engaged in interactive Q&A sessions, constructed personalised schedules, and seamlessly exchanged contact information with fellow delegates using scannable QR codes. This process also proved beneficial for exhibitors, facilitating efficient lead capture.
Beyond receiving lead information via email, exhibitors could instantly download comprehensive lead reports. This innovative feature extends to fostering engagement by introducing point-based incentives and leaderboards. This gamification approach encourages interaction and engagement between attendees and exhibitors.
Similarly, at the Dieticians Australia 2023 Conference, Arinex Live provided comprehensive support to speakers, offering technical direction and on-site production assistance to ensure they had all the necessary resources for their presentations.
In addition to speaker support, The Arinex Group’s team ensured the overall success of the conferences with a physical presence at all stages. The dedicated on-site teams also played a crucial role in managing self-service registration kiosks and streamlining the registration process for thousands of attendees.