Basic information
Our MICE Project
Greetings
Organizing MICE maximizes the potential of Hachioji’s local resources
Hachioji has abundant local resources. In 2017, Hachioji became the first city in Tokyo to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of a municipal system. The city possesses an environment blessed with nature, which is represented by the famous Mt. Takao. There are more than 100 shrines and temples that tell the rich history and culture of Hachioji, and it is also known as an academic town where 21 universities are based to support traditional industries and advanced manufacturing technologies in the region. The city of Hachioji, led by our association and other local industries, vows to extend the utmost in hospitality and support in order to realize exciting MICE for both hosts and participants. The Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe opened in October 2022 and will contribute to further improving the accessibility of the town. We hope you consider holding MICE that fully utilizes the local resources of Hachioji.
Hachioji Visitors & Convention Association
Chairman Takashiro Kato
MICE Project in Hachioji
The Hachioji Visitors & Convention Association strives in cooperation with Hachioji City and the adjoining regions to promote the MICE market, which contributes largely to the creation of exciting hands-on tourism programs and the increase in tourists by nurturing and utilizing a variety of local resources, such as its verdant natural environment, rich history, cultures, academic studies, and industries, all for the goal of overcoming the challenge of a shrinking population in society. We make urgent efforts to vitalize the regional industry and economy, as well as to enhance cultural communication and public welfare.
We will continue to actively develop the goal of promoting MICE projects through support services for hosts and by winning the opportunity to hold a variety of conferences and competitions, such as trade fairs, exhibitions, international conferences, academic conferences, and other events, in Hachioji to gather people from not only within the city but also from across Japan and overseas. We strive further to maximize the charms and potential of Hachioji and integrate our strengths with tourism to live up to the concept of our MICE strategy—Global MICE city of Hachioji.
Business Outlines
1. Promotion Steps
The MICE project led by Hachioji Visitors & Convention Association (government-managed) will be taken up in three phases: 1) from start-up to 2017, the centennial anniversary year; 2) from 2017 to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic year and finally; 3) from 2020 to the advancement year of 2021 where we will make a full-fledged start with the promotion of holding MICE at Sangyo Koryu Kyoten (tentative name), a large venue scheduled for completion in February 2022.
Basic Goals of Phase I
In 2017, we established a department in charge of the MICE project at the Hachioji Visitors & Convention Association as a foothold to launch full-scale efforts towards the goal in accordance with the 100th anniversary of the city.
Basic Goals of Phase II
We will develop a variety of voluntary and invitation businesses based on the foundation firmly established in Phase I.
Basic Goals of Phase III
We will transfer Hachioji into a Global MICE city and a major MICE destination in Japan by effectively utilizing Sangyo Koryu Kyoten (tentative name) and facilities within the city.
2. Business Components
We will promote the following business activities;
MICE Promotion Project:
Activities to attract MICE hosting organizations to Hachioji that include the maintenance of overall service systems by local companies to extend hospitality to MICE visitors and further suggestions on MICE support facilities by administrative bodies.
Hachioji Promotion Project:
Activities to disseminate information on MICE in Hachioji. We will share appropriate information with MICE-related companies in an effort to promote the charms of Hachioji as a MICE city.
Past Initiatives
As birthrates decline and societies continue to age, Japan stands at a major turning point in the trajectory of society and the economy. How we add new value to Hachioji to design the ideal vision of the city in the future and establish a robust economic base that can deliver our full potential on a sustainable basis has been a major challenge on which we have had to focus. Our efforts must be in line with the future planning efforts of the city and current municipal initiatives.
In order to better address the critical issues, the Tourism Industry Promotion Council was set up in November 2012 as a partnership between Hachioji and the Hachioji Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We aim to organize and fully utilize a variety of local resources and, furthermore, consider and implement concrete strategies towards achieving the new city image based on the March 2013 Tourism Industry Promotion Council Report. To drive our strategy toward, we established the Hachioji MICE Promotion Center Preparation Room within the Hachioji Chamber of Commerce and Industry in April 2014.
On March 8 of the same year, the private research organization, the Japan Policy Council, addressed their research results. According to their proprietary estimation data of the total population of Japan in 2040, as many as 896 cities, wards, towns, and villages among the 1800 municipalities across the country are at risk of extinction due to the population decrease. The regional competence and ability are challenged to survive this era.
After hitting a peak in 2020, the population of Hachioji is also estimated to begin decreasing. In the preparation center, we have begun developing basic structures that will enhance the sustainable economic development and vitalization of the city. In the MICE promotion project, we will attract more tourist visitors to the city with effective tactics by utilizing the abundance of resources in the city.
In the first stage of our initiative towards the implementation of basic concepts, we conducted research activities with a focus on four key areas to maximize the strengths and originality of Hachioji: 1) establishment of Sangyo Koryu Kyoten (tentative name), the largest convention hub in the Tama region, as well as utilization and cooperation of the existing MICE facilities; 2) promotion of the global economy and accumulation of advanced industries and academia; and 3) establishment of a project to maximize the tourist attractions that are represented by the famous Mt. Takao, such as the nature, history, culture, agriculture, and food, as well as a variety of municipal events.
We first gathered information from the national and metropolitan governments and sought opinions from leading cities, local companies, and related institutions to pursue the concept, then moved on with the implementation of the basic scheme of work for the Hachioji MICE Promotion Center Preparation Room this time, followed by the 2017 official opening of a MICE promotion department, Hachioji Visitors & Convention Association, an integrated activity base between the Hachioji Tourism Association and the Hachioji MICE Promotion Center.
Beyond the vitalization of the local economy and Hachioji, we will take another step forward with the MICE strategies in a unique way while taking into account the influencing of society in different aspects, such as local production for local consumption, local activities, and creation of new culture and lifestyle of the people in Hachioji, who are the driving force of the MICE project.
