REPORT | DMO TOKYO Marunouchi 5th Anniversary Event Held at UniqueVenue

The rooftop of the Science Museum with the night view of Marunouchi

On October 25, 2023, member companies, representatives of the MICE industry, meeting planners,and event planners for global companies based in the Marunouchi area were invited to DMO TOKYOMarunouchi Day, a reception party celebrating the fifth anniversary of DMO TOKYO Marunouchi’sfounding.
In prospect of hosting large-scale MICE events in the future, this party organized in collaboration withmember companies to promote networking and communication among industry representatives. Thisevent was held as part of “Program to Improve Competitiveness in Attracting Overseas Meetings andIncentive Travel” by the Japan Tourism Agency and “Unique Venue Development Support Program”
by the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

1The rooftop of the Science Museum turned an event venue. Left: Before

Right: After

The Science Museum is located in Kitanomaru Park, adjacent to the Imperial Palace in the heart ofTokyo. This marks our first challenge to use it's rooftop as a unique party venue for MICE. On the dayof the event, artificial grass reused in Marunouchi Street Park* was laid across the roof’s surface
and ...a stand was set up in the center of the space. The rooftop space certainly turned an attractive
party venue where guests enjoyed a pleasant conversation overlooking a spectacular city view ofMarunouchi and the rich green of the Imperial Palace Garden. The rooftop space certainly turned an
attractive party venue where guests enjoyed a pleasant conversation overlooking a spectacular city
view of Marunouchi and the rich green of the Imperial Palace Garden.
*Marunouchi Street Park: A seasonal event with the aim of creating a space where large numbers ofpeople can congregate on Marunouchi-Nakadori Street and Gyoko Avenue.

Approx. 200 guests attended to the party.

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●“MICE Destination Marunouchi”

Left: Environmentally-friendly “WASARA” Plate was used
Right: The menu featured vegetables that would typically be discarded

Holding the event atop the Science Museum, which had never been used as a venue for MICE events
before, posed a number of challenges, particularly in the form of catering requirements and restrictions.
To overcome these challenges, the secretariat worked with member companies to ensure that the foodhygiene standards imposed by the public health center were met. Such efforts included the installationof containers on the roof, as well as careful consideration given to catering foods and the manner inwhich they were prepared.
The event was also designed to limit CO2 emissions as much as possible. In addition to offsetting any
unavoidable CO2 emissions by purchasing J-Credits*, we strived to use foodstuffs that would typicallybe discarded, put kitchen refuse from the cooking process into compost, operated on a set number oforders to reduce food waste, opted for "WASARA" that uses surplus resources such as bamboo andsugar cane as raw materials, and distributed all invitations electronically. This event incorporated
various workarounds and problem-solving efforts that will aid us in hosting future MICE events fromthe perspective of sustainability, such as the elimination of plastic and the shift to paperlessness.
*J-Credits: The Scheme is designed to certify the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced andremoved by sinks within Japan.

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Left: An original cocktail featuring Marunouchi Honey●Right: Signboards that use easy-to-understand pictograms

Marunouchi-style Hospitality

Member companies the Peninsula Tokyo, the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Tokyo Kaikan, the Tokyo Station
Hotel, and Palace Hotel Tokyo teamed up to serve canapés based on the theme of “Marunouchi andsustainability”. As part of efforts to promote local production for local consumption, Team
Marunouchi gave its unique touch to a special menu featuring a welcome drink made with Marunouchi
Honey*, as well as a taste of Japanese-style hospitality in the form of a tea ceremony service by Ippodo
Tea Marunouchi.

Left: Serving a sustainable menu affording chefs from each hotel
Right: Guests flocked to see the Green tea ceremony of Ippodo Tea in person

The event was designed to promote Marunouchi to guests as an ideal MICE destination from start tofinish. The venue served as a platform for promoting each member company while also embodying a
sense of unity and hospitality from Team Marunouchi. This collaborative effort was evident throughvarious initiatives such as a prize raffle, guest souvenirs, and other contributions, all provided by themember companies.
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*Marunouchi Honey: harvested on the building's rooftop in Marunouchi as an environmental projectcalled “Marunouchi Honey Project”.

Left: Souvenirs from Palace Hotel Tokyo, Tokyo Kaikan, the Tokyo Station Hotel, the Peninsula Tokyo,
the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, and Marunouchi Hotel
Right: Drinks were provided by Suntory Holdings Limited

Left: DJ and projection mapping brought the venue to life
Right: Guests delighted in the chance to win big at the prize raffle

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5th Anniversary Achieved Thanks to Close Collaboration with Member Companies

Mr. Koichi Okizaki of Palace Hotel Tokyo (left of photo) and Mr. Hiroaki Fujii, Secretariat General of DMO TOKYO Marunouchi(right of photo)

Five star hotels and banquet hall members representing DMO TOKYO Marunouchi collaborated asone team to lead the event success in prepare for prospective large scale MICE events in Marunouchi
in future. Mr. Koichi Okizaki, Director of Global Sales and Marketing of Palace Hotel Tokyo, playeda pivotal role in forging this collaboration of catering services. Mr. Okizaki provided us with thefollowing comment on the significance of holding this event.
“DMO TOKYO Marunouchi has led the way in focusing on MICE in Marunouchi, an area with aconcentration of a large number of facilities and shops that can be used for versatile purposes on alevel rarely seen anywhere in the world, and has steadily worked to raise the appeal of the area overthe past five years. In a society with a heightened concern for safety and peace of mind following theCOVID-19 pandemic, this experience of hosting an event with member companies of DMO TOKYO
Marunouchi will prove to be of great benefit in bolstering the area’s competitive edge in the years tocome.”
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Left: Staff from each hotel work together across corporate boundaries preparing for the event
Right: Commemorative photo of all the staff before the opening

Mr. Okizaki also noted how establishing close communication ties and sharing knowledge through theevent between what would normally be competitors benefited the industry as a whole.
“Of all the negative impacts brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the one most keenly felt by
the tourism industry is the shortage in human resources. The reality is that, even with a resurgence indemand, ongoing labor shortages are resulting in an inability to meet this demand. In this context, I
feel that the connections made with other hotels have paved the way for further mutual cooperation.
With the many restrictions and regulations that need to be cleared in order to provide outdoor catering
services, this event provided a vital first-hand experience for the future, in addition to the opportunity
to share know-how with other member companies and related parties. While we may be competitors
in the general sense, for MICE it all comes down to area. With this in mind, we hope to work withDMO TOKYO Marunouchi and other member companies on a broad range of other projects in thefuture.”
Mr. Hiroaki Fujii, Secretariat General of DMO TOKYO Marunouchi, thanked Mr. Okizaki and theother member companies who worked tirelessly to prepare for the event as follows.
“We hear a lot about the difficulty that any single company has in hosting a large party attended byover 1,000 people due to the recent labor shortage. Hopefully, this event demonstrates a way to holdlarge events based on a scheme where multiple member companies collaborate on providing a highlevel of services to guests. Working with professionals from every field to come up with solutions for

hosting the event on the rooftopof the Science Museum, which had never been used as a venue for

MICE events before, was also an incredibly gratifying and enriching experience. We hope to draw on7

this experience to uncover other new, unique venues in the future”
DMO TOKYO Marunouchi has been involved with a broad range of activities since its founding in
2018. While there were times when regular activities proved difficult, such as when faced with theunprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it is thanks to all the help and support of member companies andother industry professionals that we were able to host this fifth anniversary party. Looking ahead, wehope to continue to work with all of our partners in enhancing the image of the Marunouchi area.
Please look forward to further DMO TOKYO Marunouchi activities coming soon.

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