Planning ahead and obtaining feedback helps to make an event more successful than the last
The annual British Business Awards evening is the highlight of the calendar of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ).
Held in 2016 at the Hilton Hotel in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, the black-tie event attracted more than 270 members of the chamber and their guests.
As well as an awards ceremony, in which British Ambassador Tim Hitchens presented awards in six categories, including for company of the year, the event featured a five-course British-themed meal and entertainment.
The organisers faced a number of challenges in the run-up to the event, said Emma Hickinbotham, interim executive director of the chamber.
“Cost is always an issue because we are a non-profit organisation,” she told TTGmice. “We have ticket sales, but we always have to find sponsorship and sponsorship-in-kind. It can be difficult to get people to donate their time or services, but I have to say that member companies of the chamber can always be relied upon to be generous.”
Tokyo has a relatively limited number of venues that are also member companies of the chamber and have sufficient room and facilities for an event of this scale.
One unique consideration, for example, was getting cars displayed by headline sponsor Jaguar LandRover Japan into the fourth-floor venue, not something that all hotels can achieve.
Such were the limitations on venues that early enquiries for 2017’s event revealed that of the four possible hotels in the city, one was already booked on both the event’s possible dates.
While preparations started to ramp up a couple of months before, there were many items on the to-do list that could not be tackled until the last few days, said Hickinbotham. That meant the three full-time staff in the chamber’s secretariat got invariably busy in the week ahead of the ceremony.
To solve cost issues, the chamber provided an attractive sponsorship package to donor companies, such as linking firms’ advertising banners to the BCCJ website promoting the awards ceremony and a visual presence at the event itself. Any company that donated a prize for draws also got a mention in the chamber’s monthly magazine Acumen.
The year 2016 saw a record number of sponsorship and more raffle prizes than in any previous year.
“We have a number of very consistent supporters and we are always glad for their support, but we do try to pick up a few more sponsors each year,” she said.
In terms of preparations, the chamber has learnt that it needs to be as prepared for anything as possible.
Hickinbotham said: “We draw up an Excel sheet of everything that needs to be done in the months and weeks ahead, and we update that every year so we can build up our knowledge.”
As such, the chamber has already drawn up plans for 2017’s event.
The chamber also carries out a survey of those who attended the event, in particular seeking feedback in areas in which they might do better next time.
“Over the years, the format of the evening has roughly stayed the same. After each event we have a meeting to discuss what went well, what could have gone better, and what we might want to change in the future. All that information is added to our preparations file so it is ready for the following year,” she said.
“This year is the 10th anniversary, so we hope to make it even more special. Also, the international business community in Tokyo is limited and there are many different events for them to choose to attend, so we have to remain relevant and attractive to make sure they return.”
“The last thing we want to do is to become predictable,” she concluded.
