What was the main purpose of this event?

・Discovering and nurturing specialists
・Enhancing the motivation of participants, organizers, and supporters
・Improving service levels to achieve our target vision
・Increasing brand value

This event had the secondary purpose of elevating an employee-led customer service contest to a company event. Therefore, we put in additional effort to make it even more prestigious.

Why did you entrust us with this event?

We organized the event internally the first five times, but felt that we were too limited in terms of management. For the sixth event, we were introduced to GP through JTB, and they created a wonderful event. Consequently, we requested their services again for this seventh event.

What were the key points during the planning?

There are three main aspects.

The first is “the view the finalists see”. Since the finalists are the stars of the event, we made efforts to ensure that when they step onto the stage and are in the spotlight, they would feel, “I want to stand on this stage again!”

The second is the eve festival. The MARUHAN Service Grand Prix includes both an eve festival and an award ceremony, both of which play important roles. While the award ceremony goes without saying, the eve festival is also crucial, as it is meant to convey the passion MARUHAN puts into the event to our stakeholders. Therefore, we focused on how to make the eve festival as exciting as possible.

The third are our sentiments towards Tohoku. As MARUHAN Corporation’s North Japan Company, we are primarily based in northern Japan and Tohoku. Given the theme of this event is “returning to one’s origins”, we placed the core emphasis on how to express our gratitude and respect for the people of Tohoku who have supported us thus far, and incorporated this into the contents of the event.

What were the challenges in holding this event?

We thoroughly pondered over what would make the seventh anniversary and its Tohoku characteristics unique. Additionally, it was decided that we would involve students for the sake of recruitment synergy, so scheduling was also a challenge. While we could rely on GP for participant management and logistics, handling VIPs internally was a bit challenging.

What was impressive about your interactions with GP?

Their professional on-site responsiveness, coordination, and teamwork. An unexpected change in venues from the original location to a public facility occurred. GP confidently assured us it would work, making numerous suggestions during the site visit, which left a strong impression on us.

They also transformed suggestions and concerns that seemed unlikely into plausible proposals, providing reliable advice.

How were the reactions of the participants?

The finalists, internal members, store managers, executives, and performers responded positively. Even the filming crew expressed that it was the most moving event they had ever experienced. Our aim was to make everyone involved happy, so it was very gratifying.

Additionally, external parties appreciated our employees’ mindset, MARUHAN’s initiatives, and overall high standards from various angles.

To what extent did you achieve your goals?

We largely accomplished what we set out to do and were extremely satisfied. The event’s success not only highlighted our top-notch staff, but also facilitated smoother operations for new store openings and other ventures.

However, we also identified the need for a faster notification speed to further heighten enthusiasm, which is something that will be addressed in future events.

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

About 20 years ago, MARUHAN built the MARUHAN Pachinko Tower in Shibuya, entrusting a young employee as the manager. He was interviewed over 660 times and also appeared on TV, changing the industry’s image.

Next year’s MARUHAN Service Grand Prix will be held in 2025, marking the seventh anniversary. Given the significance of the number seven for MARUHAN, we aim to surpass our previous efforts, leveraging this opportunity for further growth, both internally and externally.

We aspire to further elevate the pachinko industry’s image through customer service. Ultimately, we envision the MARUHAN Service Grand Prix as an event that attracts new customers to MARUHAN.