In your company, what was the goal for this event?

This event is the largest and most important event within our company, and efforts are made daily to encourage participation in this awards ceremony from newcomers to veterans. Employees who participate have high expectations for the event, and they eagerly attend year after year.

Why did you entrust GLOBAL PRODUCE with the event this year?

The main reason is that the concept of the event was “innovation.” It wasn’t just the content of the event but also the pre-event strategies such as invitations and the ideas on small details of hospitality that had not been done before, which I thought were excellent. The event’s stage design and overall atmosphere were also things I genuinely felt that “I want our employees to see.”

This was the first time you worked with an event company. How was your experience?

I wish we had started doing this sooner (laugh). One of the advantages I felt was the opportunity to receive new ideas and “fine-tuning of nuances” through the collaboration. Communication was straight forward and as a result, the production process went smoothly. I truly think that our communication strategy was beneficial.

When gathering the award winners from all over the country, what was the most important aspect for this event to achieve?

The most important thing was the “interaction between our employees.” Since employees are engaged in sales activities individually, there are few opportunities for them to interact with other employees, even within the same region. This event not only serves as a platform to recognize daily sales achievements but also as an important opportunity for employees to interact and create lateral connections once a year.

What aspects did you focus on for the awards ceremony?

The “company history video” of Dai-ichi Life and the “LED panels in the stage background” with a “television-like” feel were highly praised. The entrance performance on the red carpet, including the sub-stage, also added a sense of specialness. I want to continue making this event something that participants would want to show to other employees when they return to their respective branches.

What was challenging in the lead-up to the event?

Conveying information among various parties such as Global Produce, travel agencies, hotels and internal departments, maintaining a unified overall structure, and the schedule management was challenging. Next time, I hope to be able to visualize the team structure and establish a system where we can convey to each other without errors. We will strengthen our communication structure and schedule management by increasing the sub-meetings.

What comments did the award winners make in the surveys?

We received many expressions of joy regarding things we did for the first time, such as the screening of the video at the event, the pre-event invitation and the newsletter sent out the next day. The invitations, which we had never attempted before due to scheduling constraints, were highly rated, and in some branches, they were handed to employees personally by the executive director, which pleased not only the employees but also the executive director themselves. The newsletter sent the morning after the event featured photos of the awards ceremony, and it received incredibly high praise.

What is your vision for the future for this awards ceremony?

I want to continue striving for an awards ceremony that makes people feel that they would really want to come back. I also hope to bring in more elements that facilitate interaction among the employees. This year, the employees who attended have likely returned to their respective branches and spread their motivation towards the next awards ceremony to those around them. In the future, I’m thinking to enhance this “spread” by sending out DVDs while their enthusiasm is still fresh.