Case study
Above : Time for indoor sessions as well as visiting the local biodiverse nature
is not where the majority of participants live . Now that is changing because people involved in this work are not just from North America and Europe anymore . “ On the practical side , we need to have facilities able to accommodate a large group of people ,” says Dr Mergen . “ So , the convention centre , with three goodsized hotels within walking distance , was important . A facility that can handle the technology needs , allowing us to
Venues
encourage the participation of virtual participants attracted us to Okinawa and this facility .”
Excursions With support from the Japan Tourism Agency , the planners arranged for several excursions during the event . “ Dr Mergen had checked out Shuri Castle and the royal garden , ( the castle was the centre of the separate Ryukyu Kingdom , as Okinawa was known until the 19th century ). During the conference , the castle was still in reconstruction , having burned down in 2019 , but the old stone walls and the reconstruction still proved fascinating to the delegates . “ It was impressive to witness the amazing skills being used to rebuild it ,” says Dr Mergen , adding that they had seen dragonflies and spiders in the garden and that delegates had been keen to take part in their traditional Bioblitz contest where they take pictures of plants and animals using an app called
Main venues in Okinawa include :
• Okinawa Convention Center ( 8,000 pax )
• Bankoku Shinryokan ( venue of 2000 G-8 summit and capacity for 500 pax )
• Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology ( 500 pax )
• Naha Cultural Art Theater ( opened in 2021 , 260 pax )
• Okinawa Arena ( opened in 2021 , venue of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 , 10,000 pax )
Attractions
• A deep forest theme park , JUNGLIA Okinawa , in the city ’ s surrounding Natural World Heritage area will open in June 2025 .
• The limestone Cave of Gangala ( right ) can host parties of up to 100 people .
• Other experiences for delegates to consider are the Churaumi Aquarium and various ‘ experiences ’ involving karate and lacquer art , as well as cookery and local cuisine . You can also visit a local distillery and partake in both Ryukyu Kimono and Okinawan Tea experiences .
• The Okinawa CVB tells CMW that the destination hosted 1,544 MICE events in the last full year with complete statistics ( 2023 ) of which 64 % were incentives .
n More info : https :// mice . okinawastory . jp / planners / case / iNaturalist which then identifies them . “ Would I come back to Japan ? Absolutely ,” says Dr Mergen . “ Okinawa is a great place to be , and Naha City was fun to explore . You feel safe ; I could leave my bag on the beach and not worry about it at all . And the food is great . I really enjoyed Okinawan soup ! Everyone really enjoyed the experience and will be talking about this for years to come .”
World Expo The World Expo takes place in Osaka this year , April-October , and other major conferences announced to be hosted in Japan in 2025 and 2026 include :
2025
• Miyako Island in Okinawa is to host the International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security ( FC25 ). Approximately 150 participants are expected to attend .
• IEEE R10 HTC ( Humanitarian Technology Conference ) 2025 will come to Ichikawa City , Chiba Prefecture , in September . That bid was won by JNTO MICE ambassador Ms Takako Hashimoto , an incoming director of IEEE R10 from 2025 to 2026 .
• The World Physiotherapy Congress is coming to Tokyo with 4,500 delegates expected later in the year .
2026
• The 20th International Congress on Animal Reproduction – ICAR2026 – will be held in Obihiro and the 23rd Annual Meeting of Asia Oceania Geosciences Society – AOGS 2026 – will be held in Fukuoka with 4,000 delegates expected .
• Also , the International Convention of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations – WFTGA2026 – will come to Fukuoka , as will the Conference of the International Planetarium Society – IPS 2026 . n
n www . japanmeetings . org /
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