What was the main purpose of this event?

Our company celebrated its 50th anniversary on February 8th, 2024. This event was not only for the new fiscal year, but was also a significant occasion commemorating our 50th anniversary. “50th anniversary” was a keyphrase and major theme, so our objective was to make it a memorable experience and to create an event that would be different from previous ones, surprising our employees. Since this event marked the beginning of the 50th year, we wanted it to be a source of inspiration and energy for our employees over the next 50 years.

Why did you entrust our company with the event?

The decisive factor was your efficiency in presenting proposals. Besides your notable track record, the creativity of the proposals and the quality of the videos were particularly impressive. During the presentation, we visited GP’s office, and the enthusiasm was extremely high! The excitement and engagement during the presentation were excellent, and you even proposed measures for the entirety of the 50th anniversary, not just the kickoff event. No other company went that far.

Our previous events had a strong handmade feel, but for the 50th anniversary, we wanted to introduce something new and create an event full of surprise and excitement. While comparing various event companies, GP stood out with the flashy website and an open display of the company’s atmosphere, leading us to think, “It’s the 50th anniversary, so let’s make it flashy, and if the company creates interesting content, the company itself must be interesting.” Simply put, GP’s office and proposals were both flashy and entertaining.

What was the most challenging aspect of carrying out the event?

The most challenging part was deciding on the concept. During discussions, there were opinions like “I joined the company to do something interesting but haven’t realized what to do yet.” and “I want to do work I can be proud of.” We wanted to express these sentiments in this event, but it was a tough process.

Ultimately, we arrived at the concept of the movie “The Greatest Showman”. Our company’s vision is that our employees, with their strong individuality, make up Japan’s best company, generating smiles and surprises. This matched the theme of “The Greatest Showman”. So, we ended up deciding on the theme of “creating the greatest show”, based on the movie’s concept. Despite the difficulties, this theme served as a point to return to whenever we faced challenges.

What was the most important point you focused on while planning the event?

We had countless ideas, so we focused on fitting them within the framework and building a cohesive event. The guiding principle was the core concept. We thought about how to make the best awards ceremony and kept in mind ways to keep excitement high. We had many meetings to discuss how to express the concept while keeping costs low. The decorations turned out to be very well-received thanks to these efforts.

What was memorable about your interactions with GP?

Throughout the detailed planning process, GP’s attention to detail was impressive. Towards the end, the schedule became tight, and we were anxious with script revisions happening right up until the last minute. GP’s immediate responses to revisions and thorough communication of our intentions and requests to partner companies were very reassuring. The high-quality production of lighting and sound, even in areas we didn’t specifically address, was also praised by our employees.

How did the participants react?

Overall, the event was very well-received. The camerawork that focused on “people” rather than “setting” and the opening video were particularly praised. As staff members behind the scenes, we didn’t notice all the details during the event, but reviewing the footage later, we were impressed by the high quality. The impression we got from your website was reflected in the kickoff event, and it successfully created anticipation for the rest of our 50th anniversary.

Were the event’s objectives achieved?

As we are currently in the midst of the 50th year, certain results will only become evident in the future, but we feel fairly confident that we did. We were concerned about the internal atmosphere when planning various projects for the 50th anniversary, but aimed for the kickoff event to ignite enthusiasm and spread the heat throughout the year, and judging by the excitement of the employees on the day of, we believe we succeeded.

How do you want to develop this event in the future?

Given that this was a special event for the 50th anniversary, the scale and budget will change next year. However, having the experience of incorporating many new ideas this time, we believe we can continue to create exciting events in the future, building on this momentum. We don’t want people to think, “That’s it after the 50th anniversary.” So we’ll keep exploring the best forms of expression in line with changing circumstances and themes each year, using free and creative thinking.