MICE News

Every year on the first Wednesday in June is Global Exhibitions Day! Established by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, this day of recognition brings awareness to the importance of the exhibitions industry.

June 1, 2022, marks the seventh edition of Global Exhibitions Day, and this year emphasizes how physical exhibitions and face-to-face business events are invaluable to economic growth and are key to accelerating the pace of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 restrictions end in Japan and worldwide, the community is eager to meet in-person again and the industry anticipates a strong and quick recovery.

Osaka has long advocated for the return of in-person exhibitions and events, being the first city in Japan to safely host a major exhibition after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kansai Hotel and Restaurant Show in July 2020 injected more than ¥1.6 billion into the local economy, and business talks at the event reached nearly ¥3.1 billion in value.

Following a successful Japan Tourism Showcase in March 2022 with nearly 5,000 visitors and 585 sales talks, Osaka will see even more dynamic events in 2022, such as the highly-anticipated MICE Expo 2022 in Kansai. Stayed tuned with us to see more on the success of these events and how they contribute to the local economy!