Case Studies

JTB Thailand's Knowledge Demonstrated in Anniversary Celebration Project From Proposal to Event

Client :Major Japanese manufacturer

Industry :Housing equipment and building materials

Participants :Around 50

Destination :Japan (Tokyo/Yokohama/Chiba)

Period :Mid-October 2023

# Case Studies
# Event Solution
# Group Travel
# Asia

Summary

Organizing a milestone 100th-anniversary ceremony and incentive tour
Providing special Japanese hospitality to designers from Asian countries
Supporting Japan stay with high-quality services in cooperation with Japanese division
Providing one-stop solutions that only the global network of JTB can offer

Objectives

The client is a multinational enterprise comprising approximately 200 group companies operating across more than 150 countries and regions. The tour was designed to invite designers from APEC countries (Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia), which form the foundation of the company's business, to Japan for their 100th anniversary ceremony. This included a visit to the company's headquarters, an architecture tour, a showroom tour, an incentive trip, and other events. As the company continues to expand its business globally, designers form an important part of its business, providing highly original designs tailored to the characteristics and culture of each region. The aim of the ceremony and incentive tour was to provide high-quality Japanese hospitality and to further strengthen ties with talented collaborative designers. Although there was no initial request to hold a ceremony, we understood their desire to plan a special event, and therefore offered a one-stop solution that included a ceremony in addition to the incentive tour.

Challenges

The major challenge to overcome was that the person in charge on the client’s side only had a rough outline, and their targets for what they wanted to achieve were vague. Since the designers were looking for places with beautiful designs and creative inspiration, it was necessary to select a beautifully designed hotel where guests could stay and potential sightseeing destinations that would feature splendid examples of architecture.

The hotel needed to be more than simply a place to sleep. Rather, it needed to be a place where its design would inspire. In addition, dining options during the tour had to carefully take various religion-based dietary restrictions into account. This anniversary ceremony was the first event to which executives from the company’s headquarters in Japan were invited, so more careful consideration was required in terms of food served and scheduling arrangements.

The key to the overall success of this project was, first and foremost, providing travel services that met expectations. Working together with the client, we were able to smoothly create a three-day itinerary that included comfortable accommodations, transportation arrangements, a visit to the headquarters, sightseeing, dining, and the ceremony itself.

Solutions

In order to meet the client’s unique objectives, we worked closely with JTB's Japan division, Business Solution Unit, Sales Division VI. The plan we proposed in cooperation with them successfully produced results that met the client's expectations.

Unique Japanese sightseeing plan

JTB’s great strength is its work in travel and tourism in Japan. Leveraging our network and knowledge, we collaborated with our clients to design and provide tours to famous and revered historical buildings, as well as places considered masterpieces of modern architecture.

Selection of beautifully designed hotels

For accommodations, we selected prestigious hotels that emphasized design of architectural beauty and luxurious interior decorations. The hotel's location and scenery were also carefully considered to create a space where guests could experience the minimalist Japanese aesthetic known as wabi sabi. We proposed a special experience that would allow everyone to fully enjoy the high level of hospitality Japan is known for.

Transportation arrangements to the hotel

Since everyone planned to gather in one location, we worked with the Sales Division VI to make detailed arrangements for a shuttle service to smoothly transport participants with different arrival times to the hotel. As a result, everyone arrived safely and comfortably without any schedule changes while we completed the necessary preparations.

Flexible international menu

Dining was handled in cooperation with Sales Division VI and a halal food catering service. By utilizing a buffet format, the restaurant provided a high level of satisfaction to participants of diverse religious backgrounds. We were flexible in responding to these diverse dietary needs, such as by accommodating individual customers' allergies and offering a choice of two main dishes for lunch.

Meticulous planning to deliver the project

In order to clarify the outline of the plan, we proposed hotels and ceremony venues along with multiple patterns of scheduling that would offer the smoothest experience for the group of 50 people. We held numerous meetings to sort out the client’s wishes and laid everything out into a concrete plan one by one. We coordinated timing and information on our side to ensure everyone could easily be on the same page, with no communication gap between the client's head office in Japan and or in Thailand.

Speedy response to site visits

We responded quickly and flexibly to requests for preliminary inspections of accommodations and tourist facilities and accompanied the client's representative when they visited Japan ahead of time to confirm details. This site inspection process was one of the major factors that allowed us to devise and confirm plans in the limited time available.

Conclusion

The event, consisting of an incentive trip and ceremony for the participants from APEC countries, concluded with great success. We provided a wide range of services to satisfy a wide range of people, from the selection of accommodations and sightseeing spots that would allow them to experience uniquely Japanese design, to the dining arrangements that took religious requirements into consideration, as well as transportation for everyone arriving from different places and different times.

Due to the high evaluation we received from the client’s company, plans were made to continue holding the event in the following year. Working closely with JTB’s Japan division allowed us to bridge various gaps in communication between the two countries, which proved to be a significant advantage we possess in many countries worldwide. The Japanese eye for detailed planning was able to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for this special anniversary business event.