From 25th February-1st March, 16 association executives and journalists visited key cities in Japan as part of the 2018 Meet Japan program, hosted by the Japan National Tourism Organization.
Meet Japan is an annual hosted buyer program specifically designed for the association market, to introduce conference planners to the attractions of Japanese convention cities and to the value Japan can bring to meetings and events.
The program began with a welcome dinner at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, overlooking the Imperial Palace. The following day, the attendees split into groups and left on their study tour courses to visit cities selected to meet the requirements of their individual events. The groups visited: Sendai, Tsukuba, Kanazawa, Toyama, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Takamatsu, Matsue, Hiroshima, Kita-Kyushu, Nagasaki and Okinawa.
After the three day tours, everyone reconvened in Tokyo at the Keio Plaza Hotel for the Meet Japan Trademart. During the Trademart, the participating cities and additional convention bureaus met with the attendees in one-on-one business talk sessions. This allowed for a deeper exchange of information and for the attendees to learn about cities they did not visit.
The program ended with the farewell party 202 meters in the sky at one of Tokyo’s most popular unique venues— the No.1 South Observatory of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The group celebrated the success of the program with a party with stunning 360° views of Tokyo’s night skyline and an energetic and interactive yosakoi dance performance.
Meet Japan is an annual program for associations. JNTO also organises the Visit Japan Travel & MICE Mart hosted buyers program for incentive and corporate planners. For information about either of these events, please contact:
Margaret Mann Head of Conventions London office, Japan Convention Bureau (Japan National Tourism Organization) margaret_mann@jnto.go.jp