Japan
Land of the re-arising exhibitions
EW put some questions to Wataru Tomiura , director of the Center for Management & HR Innovation , under event organiser the Japan Management Association ( JMA )
Can you give us a short history of the JMA and its work in organising international events and exhibitions . Japan Management Association ( JMA ) was founded in 1942 with the assistance of the minister of commerce and industry at that time , Nobusuke Kishi .
Since its establishment , JMA has walked in step with the industrial world as an institution which promotes managerial innovation .
Takuo Godo , the first chairman of JMA , had conducted research on the essence of the scientific management processes and concluded that “ Management is not just a system . People are the key , and so are the philosophy and actions of employees , managers , and executives .” He also named “ improving the efficiency of the Japanese character ” as the first policy priority . Since then , JMA has been involved in the promotion of business and management focused on people .
Wataru Tomiura
“ The value of physical exhibitions cannot be fully compensated for by online exhibitions . Visitors desire to see and touch products directly .”
JMA has four main activities : Human resources training / Organisational development , Manufacturing support , Exhibitions , and ISO audits .
In the Exhibition business division , we hold more than 30 exhibitions annually with various themes . For service industries the exhibition themes include food and beverage , hotel and restaurant , housing and construction , logistics , among others .
As for technology-related exhibitions , we organise trade fairs on machine elements technology , chemical plants , maintenance technology , agriculture , and more . Moreover , we hold exhibitions not only in Tokyo but also in other major cities such as Osaka , Fukuoka , and Sapporo .
Tell us about Foodex Japan , a major show that has recently taken place . What were the results and the challenges of staging the event ? Did it signal a return for the food sector and contacts with international partners ? During the recruitment stage for exhibitors , the impact of Japan ’ s border control measures made it difficult to predict the future , as many aspects of overseas exhibitors ’ participation were uncertain . However , from October of last year , travel restrictions were significantly relaxed , and there was a sudden increase in the number of foreign exhibitors expressing their interest in participating , causing us some difficulty in securing the desired exhibition space and arranging the venue layout . In the end , more than 2,500 companies from 60 countries and regions participated , and the event was
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