Sponsored Content bring business to Aichi Sky Expo ? MC : Aichi Sky Expo is located five minutes from the airport . The airport has a very strong network of airlines coming in from Asia , but also from the USA and Europe . It is convenient for visitors to go directly to Aichi Sky Expo .
The airport has a capacity to receive 15 million passengers . We have more than 70 domestic flights daily and 70 international flights every day .
Thomas , is there a partnership between your two hotels and Aichi Sky Expo ? TV : We do collaborate to make sure that our hotels are seen as preferred hotels and we try to develop and promote the destination . Aichi is not on the map like Tokyo , Osaka or Kyoto but it has a lot to offer in terms of business opportunities , and also from a leisure point of view .
Is Aichi / Nagoya well connected ? TV : The three main cities are connected directly to Nagoya station . You can get from the airport to Nagoya City Centre in 29 minutes using the Express train or 40-50 minutes by car .
What makes Aichi Sky Expo stand out compared to other venues in Japan ? MC : The first thing is , we have the connection with GL events – the only venue in Japan managed by the group . Having this brand backing the venue is a huge benefit . Organisers can sign long term contracts with GL events to organise their events . For example , if an organiser has an annual event , they can organise this year at Paris , next year at Aichi , in two years at Rio . The programme guarantees the level of quality of service for all of venues .
The second is easy access to the venue from the International Airport , which has been awarded the best regional airport in in the world , according to the Skytrack certification .
We are also a permanent bonded exhibition centre , meaning that the exhibitors can import their exhibited items without paying taxes and import them with simplified process .
We have a strong cluster in the region for sectors in the automotive , aerospace and robotics and have developed a very strong network with local stakeholders , so we can connect the organiser directly to these key economic players .
Thomas , the Four Points and the Courtyard properties , do they get a lot of business travellers or are they more leisure based ? TV : Originally , the Courtyard is a brand from the US , which is designed to appeal to the business traveller . However , the type of traveller staying at both hotels depends on the time of year . If a big convention is taking place at the Aichi Sky Expo , then the Four Points will be packed and mostly welcoming business or corporate travellers . During the autumn period we tend to get a lot of Asian leisure guests travelling to Japan .
Does Aichi or Nagoya have a convention bureau or DMO ? MC : Aichi actually created a public private partnership when Aichi Sky Expo opened . The goal of this partnership is to promote the destination . There is a dedicated budget , subsidies offering financial support for specific events and we are also creating what we call a welcome package to help international visitors to come and enjoy Aichi . TV : We have been building a network to raise the profile of Aichi , which may have been missing in the past , compared to other competitor destinations . We are keen to show that we do not only have the facilities , but also the brands and the knowledge to welcome the international travellers and exhibitors .
How important is sustainability to your venues ? MC : We are applying the policy of GL events , which is putting sustainability as a priority . Full information can be read in the annual report which includes our carbon reduction targets .
Furthermore , Aichi Sky Expo ’ s building has a variety of sustainable ideas .
The venue is certified with CASBEE or Zeb Ready , which certifies that our building is designed to consume less energy comparing to the other buildings of the same scale . Moreover , the materials used to build the venue have come from the Aichi prefecture – such as the wood , the ceramic , the porcelain , the bricks , etc .
We involve local stakeholders with regards to the food and all aspects of the management . Moreover , Aichi Sky Expo ’ s energy is 100 % renewable and sustainable . n
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