MICE News

We have successfully held the 2019 edition of our Destination Showcase!

Our 7th annual Osaka MICE Destination Showcase was held on December 2nd and 3rd, 2019 at Congrés Convention Center. Let's take a look at some of the event details and see what it was like.

On the day of the Destination Showcase, MICE-related service providers exhibited their facilities and 402 people attended to meet with them. To everyone who participated in the showcase, we truly thank you for attending.

A wide range of MICE facilities, hotels, caterers, dining establishments, tourism facilities, travel agencies, convention management companies, and other MICE-related service providers all participated in the Destination Showcase, and the buyers who attended were able to have discussions of many different aspects. During this year’s showcase we adopted an appointment system of nine 30-minute blocks of 25-minute talk time and 5-minute break time, and we were able to talk into account the needs of the attendees when arranging the meetings.

The 2019 fiscal year had already seen the arrival of the G20 Osaka Summit and Tourism EXPO Japan, but 2020 and beyond includes many more large-scale events such as the Kansai World Masters Games, Osaka World Expo, and potentially the opening of Japan’s first integrated resort (IR.) Because of these developments and more, we expect the excitement in Osaka to only increase from here on out. We are already seeing an increase in Osaka-held events with the coming 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Accordingly, at the Destination Showcase we saw a large number of interested people participate in the business talks. From here onward, we will continue to promote and attract MICE events to Osaka and will strive to invigorate the Osaka area.

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  UCC Ueshima Coffee Co.

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  Japan Tatedo Association

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  Onyou Co, Ltd.

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  Ninja-do

Held jointly with the Osaka MICE Destination Showcase, the 4th Osaka MICE Business Alliance Seminar featured a talk from Mr. Megumi Nishikawa, Executive Director of the Japan Traffic Culture Association. In an address titled “The G20 Osaka Summit Seen from Banquet Diplomacy,” Mr. Nishikawa reflected on the G20 Osaka Summit, held on June 28 and 29 at INTEX Osaka.

At MICE Night, we organized attractions and decorations under the theme of “Visit Osaka: A Tourist Destination with a Bright Future.” Dance performance group XTRAP, famous for their appearance on Asia’s Got Talent 2017, gave a thrilling performance highly praised by attendees.

While conversing with each other, guests enjoyed a buffet full of famous Osaka foods and locally grown vegetables, and were able to truly experience the charm of Osaka’s culinary culture. We make every effort to promote the appeal of Osaka through its gastronomical delights.

The domestic FAM tour largely focused on facilities in the Osaka Castle area. We were unable to visit all of the facilities within the limited time, but we received several comments saying, “There are so many venues used in Osaka MICE, and the tour was very enlightening.” We selected venues while considering the theme of “Japanese-feeling venues, venues that can easily meet any needs, and exceptional experiences,” and truly hope that these venues will be widely used in the future.

The overseas FAM tour brought in visitors from various countries around the world, and focused on places that are truly unique to Osaka as well as venues that could be readily used for incentive tours. The historical Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine and Osaka-esque Tsutenkaku were toured as examples of popular destinations.

Attendees enjoyed a bento lunch on a privately-reserved Hankai Tramway train, and were delighted with a surprise performance from lively shamisen players. Guests shared their experiences on social media, some with over one million followers! We strive to see Osaka’s appeal spread to people all over the world, and help invigorate Osaka as a destination.