Introducing the Technologies of Tokyo Small & Medium-Sized Businesses in Hanoi
-Tokyo Pavilion Established at Industrial Trade Fair in Hanoi-
As one facet of the economic exchange projects, in seeking to promote the businesses of the member cities, the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) has set up its own booths at international trade fairs held in member cities. At the "Japanese Monozukuri Technology Exhibition" In September 2013 in Hanoi, ANMC21 set up the "Tokyo Pavilion" consisting of Tokyo-based small and medium-sized businesses, etc. interested in expanding to Vietnam. What follows is a report on the trade fair from an ANMC21 staff member who travelled to Hanoi to organize the pavilion.
Streets teeming with motorbikes
Following the six and a half hour flight from Tokyo on September 2, the scenery that met me in Hanoi basically resembled in Japan. However, numerous motorbikes rushing around the city, food stalls dotting the streets, and water buffaloes walking in the rice paddies were all unusual sights for me, and they heightened the sense of having actually arrived in Hanoi; I then felt the tension rise towards the task at hand.
On the night before the trade fair after the completion of venue preparations, a social gathering was held at a local pub to promote exchanges among our exhibitors. Although I previously had opportunities to talk with the exhibitors, this was the first occasion where I frankly spoke with them. At the gathering, I heard honest opinions such as; "because during the trade fair, it is not definite that business negotiations will immediately result in contracts, we will remain in Hanoi and continue to strongly negotiate. If you can help us after the event, it would be greatly appreciated." Such comments made me realize significant needs for post-event follow-ups also existed among exhibitors.
Teamwork at the public relations booth
During the trade fair from September 4 to 6, along with a colleague from the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs, I was responsible for overall public relations of the pavilion. Before traveling to Hanoi, while working together on advanced preparations with the colleague, our relationship clicked and we exchanged honest opinions as to how to attract as many visitors as possible to the Tokyo Pavilion. Probably these exchanges paid off. We were able to exercise great teamwork at the event, and also able to attract visitors to the Tokyo Pavilion one after another. One of the successes of this trip was being able to strengthen relationships with my colleagues. In terms of carrying my job forward in the future as well, I feel such experiences represent a great asset.
All of the exhibitors at the Tokyo Pavilion possessed superb technologies. There was the exhibitor whose printer was able to print braille and ink characters concurrently, the exhibitor with a coating agent that was able to block heat just by being applied to a surface, and the exhibitor whose equipment created dustless and static-electricity-free environments, etc. At each booth, Vietnamese visitors intensely viewed the products on display.
Exhibitor booths saw a constant stream of visitors
Furthermore, a large number of business negotiations were held at the company booths, resulting in 97 negotiations in total. In the post-event survey of exhibitors, a lot of positive feedback was obtained through comments such as; "I am certain we will conclude contracts with a number of companies," "we were able to develop a pipeline to local organizations," and "we were able to find a local agent."
The happiest outcome for those of us involved in organizing the trade fair was that our exhibitors were able to have positive responses and results concerning the development of their businesses in Asia.
A group photo of all the staff members
after the event wearing happi
coats featuring Tokyo as a motif
Preparations for exhibiting at the trade fair commenced half a year in advance. Before being involved in these activities, I had no experience of supporting businesses in overseas expansions. Thus, I found it rather difficult to undertake such tasks to which I was completely unaccustomed. However, the difficulties I faced translated into a very strong sense of achievement after the trade fair had successfully concluded.
In the future as well, I want to leverage this experience and try even harder to offer enhanced support to those small and medium-sized businesses looking to expand overseas.
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