4 videos, result of my first big-client project as business development manager ✔ Helping introduce Osaka to international & Japanese organizers of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions is exhilarating with the 2025 World Expo in mind, its track record (1970 World Expo, APEC & G20 meetings…) and its cultural assets (Osaka-founded bunraku puppet theatre is a UNESCO Heritage of Humanity). Watch “Work Hard, Play Hard”:
All versions:
- 🎞️ 3-minute English version.
- 🎞️ 3-minute Japanese version.
- 🎞️ 1-minute English version.
- 🎞️ 1-minute Japanese version.
Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (OCTB) became my client through networking on LinkedIn then a business breakfast during a consulting trip! OCTB had never worked with Japan Travel KK; we are now at 3 projects 🙂 Content creation required multilingual meetings, market research, brainstorming, alternative concepts, storyboards, trips to scout locations and film events, much editing, and changes all along based on authorization results and stakeholders’ feedback (precious to respect brand images). The long Japanese video will soon appear on a giant screen at Intex Osaka 👍
Lessons learnt:
💡 MICE videos benefit from simple asks e.g. access to translator booths upstairs (open windows for clear shots).
⚠️ Ambitious videos require months to get all the authorizations.
⚠️ Local summer heat is unavoidable (29°C while filming in a park at 07:30).
⚠️ Making a short version may require different music, influencing cuts.
Beyond:
➡️ Osaka is in the Top 10 of the 2023 Global Liveability Index.
➡️ Osaka is famous as Japan’s Kitchen. I savoured its safe & fragrant street foods, lovely vegan meals, and halal cuisine while guiding Middle Easterners.
➡️ Osaka leads Japan for LGBTQ inclusion: Visit Gay Osaka website, IGLTA 2024 Global Convention… hence drag queens in our videos (scenes filmed on my birthday so unforgettable).
➡️ Following the 2011 Fukushima incident, some multinationals moved managers from Tokyo to Osaka to ensure business continuity.
➡️ OCTB is the 1st Japanese convention bureau certified ISO 20121 (sustainable event standard).
➡️ Climate favours Osaka over Tokyo: more sunshine hours (+122/year), less rain (-26cm/year), milder winters (+0.5°C)… During summer, I recommend cooler Sapporo.
➡️ Lodging favours Osaka over Kyoto. Combine a venue/hotels in Osaka with Kyoto sightseeing tours.
➡️ I confidently recommend Osaka to leave lasting impressions on attendees. Contact Jonathan or Satoshi to learn more about how Osaka can make your event a success.
Big thanks to colleagues videographer Zaid, creative director Tom, local travel agent Pauline, and project manager Anna who solved scheduling conflicts across projects/clients. Big thanks to Conrad Osaka and Swissôtel Nankai Osaka hotels for their kind collaboration. Special thanks to Jonathan for kindly praising our work publicly.