YUTAKA'S NOTES
We will start "YUTAKA'S NOTES" along with the web site renewal. We focus on the updates of marketing methods and design in Japan's business events. Please visit this page to check out our comments on the customers' experiences of "eco-friendly" and "most effective" business events.
Any event begins with proper preparation
"A message behind the top page image"
A picture is worth a thousand words! This saying is perfect to start off with.
Nandaimon Takigi Sarugakuzu (Kasugawakamiya Gosairei Emaki, vol. 3)
"Nandaimon Takigi Sarugakuzu" is a colorfully illustrated image describing a religious ceremony at Kofuku-ji temple's Nandaimon. It is in the third volume of "Kasugawakamiya Gosairei Emaki (The Edo Period). We can imagine this Takigi Sarugaku at Kofuku-ji temple was quite a big event with a large audience. Tatami mats were used for the front row and a tiered stand (people climbed up a ladder to reach it) surrounded it. We can associate this with the basic layout of present-day outside theaters.
Any event begins with proper preparation
This picture shows us not only the traditional value of the ceremony but also the universal value of a gathering where people share joy with each other. We offer our best design and a professional production to achieve our customer's vision. In the end, this allows us to also share in the joy with our customers. We hope our creative works are recognized by future generations as a reflection of this era.
Courtesy of Kasugataisha. We thank Kasugataisha for their permission to use the picture for our web site and all the people who helped with information.
To hold an eco-friendly event, Vol. 1
"Manly" seasonal climate changes?
The unusual cold and rainy days during April came and went just before the "Golden Week" holidays at the beginning of this month. With that, we can sense a seasonal climate change from "the scent of the wind". Our hearts are blessed by the cheerful warmth and April showers really did bring May flowers. On the other hand, each change seems to be harsh. The word "manly" may be politically inappropriate to describe climate changes... but it can be a sign for us to realize that this change was part of an overall global climate change.
Our responsibility
We are facing a self-contradictory issue as a business event company. A gathering provides people with a moment to strengthen its unity and sharing their identity. This value is timeless. However, we cannot deny event-related burdens to the environment. Our responsibility is to produce waste free stages and booths using environmentally friendly products and to promote "green events." Now is the time for manufactures and planners to act against business waste.
Step by step
As an event company, we are working hard in our office and in training our employees to think and act environmentally friendly. We are continually challenging ourselves to become an environmentally conscious company. Otherwise, we would not promote “green events” as a value to our customers. Green events are far and away from a reality without our customers' understanding. To help with this we will introduce our daily steps of eco-friendly activities along with our products such as the “Eco Wall System.”
An event itself is momentary. Responsibility for reduction of environmental burden may be easily put on a lower priority list. We update Yutaka’s notes to change this tendency while realizing our responsibility as a green event promoter.
To hold an eco-friendly event, Vol. 2
With “Mottainai” in your heart
Figuring the numerical data of environmental burden is a necessary burden in holding green events. Since there have been different types of “green” events, you may have seen some of them. You may also have run into programs where a corporate company and an academic group work together to measure CO2 emissions of an event. It is quite difficult to do and it requires hard work. Breaking an event into its elements such as components, materials, services, and human behaviors is like an endless search. The event industry has started to pay attention to environmental burden, but it is still only the beginning. What we must have is a clear and understandable set of CO2 emission rates. Yutaka will continue posting our data in the fairest way possible.
The effect of "numerical data"
Showing numerical data is effective not only for validating matters you are involved in, but also for motivating stakeholders to enhance their business process improvement (PDCA, Plan-Do-Check-Action). In the process of compiling numerical data, we hope to find unexpected but useful facts.
The Japanese virtue "Mottainai"
It's been a long time since the word "Mottainai" has been used as a slogan in the world of environmental activities. "Mottainai" means gratitude toward farmers, manufacturers, and the earth. Without them it would be impossible to create events and render services. We are proud of this concept and a cultural background that has been passed down through the generations.
What each of us can do right now is to make no waste with "mottainai" in mind. We will keep on top of our "green" activities to help develop a "clean and green society". We do this with the hope of sharing this concept throughout the world.
To hold an eco-friendly event, Vol. 3
In between reasonable and unreasonable challenges
I am writing this article from my home. Beside me sits a morning glory vine growing in a small flower pot. By the way, I have been raising this morning glory from the seeds that I had picked up earlier this spring. I enjoy holidays watching its daily growth, all the while imagining this melancholic rainy season is a blessing for all plants. My mind wanders even further and goes from there to the importance of cultivation, growth of plants, and even further to the position of persons in corporate management. It is one of the Japanese wisdoms to design gardens and landscapes foreseeing harmonic scenery in the years to come. These days, more people tend to enjoy the flower of a plant rather than its growth and I think we could say that is true in a corporate situation as well.
Reduce
The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) of environmental policy is widely known. Generally, the word “reduce” refers to decreasing the amount of wastes or green house gases such as CO2. In a business event situation we want to focus on “REDUCE” as a challenge from a business event planner’s point of view.
We understand any business always comes with challenges. We view those challenges as chances for us to offer innovative solutions. But some are just unreasonable. In the field of demanding business events, unreasonable challenges are common. They usually lead to an extra environmental burden. We have to be responsible for innovative planning and not add to the reducible burden.
At the same time, we have to be careful about selecting environmentally friendly solutions that are people friendly as well. When we solely focus on the environment, convenience and hospitality towards participants can be “reasonably” neglected. Having a keen sense of judgment for each situation is the key.
Satisfactory or Excessive
The difference between “reasonable” and “unreasonable” challenges is sometimes so slight. It may resemble to the difference between “satisfactory” and “excessive.” Our innovation is to adjust our service to this subtle difference in each project.
Ceremonial Gathering at a hall
A photo shoot of a ceremonial setting (flowers, light stands, back wall, tables, portrait photo) was taken at a hall (137㎡). It is the basic set (images below) . We will design an altar and space based on memories of a person remembered with glory by participants.
We also select the best ceremonial gathering place where participants have easy access even after work hours. Also easy access in terms of location, transportation, and the size so that they are able to share special moments with each other and the person they have come to talk to.
Components of the set:
- Eco wall system (back wall)
- LED tables (tables)
- LED photo frame (portrait photo)
Please feel free to call us at +81-3-5479-8361 or free dial 0120-063-445 in Japan.
Yutaka's brochure has been redesigned with SOY INK and FSC certified paper
The Japanese phrase such as “eko” meaning “ecologically friendly” has been overused and people are becoming tired of hearing it. We understand that as we used it quite often and at least once in a paragraph on this web. However, we will continue to focus on the concept because Yutaka’s dedication to environmentally friendly event solutions is not a recent trend. Then, to top it off, we introduce the newly redesigned corporate brochure today. It is of course green sensitive not only in its materials but also in its system. We would never bring or send any pages that our customers are not interested in. Our products, services, case studies are categorized and laid out properly on each page. Each set must be customized based on a request.
Please feel free to call us at +81-3-5479-8361 or free dial 0120-063-445 in Japan.
Digital Board presentation
We held a demo presentation using the Smart Board System on Wednesday September 15th at a business hall in Tokyo. With Smartboard, which is usually used in an office meeting situation, we can propose a highly effective presentation at business, academic, and entertainment events as well. How? One solution is our Colorframe Screen System connected to the board. From the president’s speech to a theater style presentation, audiences are “attracted,” “conveyed,” and “moved.” This is key to any communication activity, and innovative solutions must be created continually.
Please feel free to call us at +81-3-5479-8361 or free dial 0120-063-445 in Japan.
To hold an eco-friendly event, Vol. 4
I attended the forum International Symposium on the LCA Global Database Guidance organized by UNEP and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on the 13th of November. Here is the update on LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) guideline.
- UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and SETAC (Society of Toxicology and Chemistry) lead a team of specialists and researchers of participating countries to find a standard or guideline on which the LCA database is compiled.
- UNEP and SETAC collect participating countries’ domestic LCA data to do the above procedure.
MiLCA (data of GHG emission index on product inventory), the latest version was introduced by JEMAI (Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry) in the forum. What JEMAI is aiming for is to promote and realize a society that shares a numerical database on which Japan' s industries recognize their environmental burdens and responsibility. JEMAI says their endeavor to acquire highly accurate data will bring attention to this environmental burden and help create an ecologically accountable society. They are planning to open a workshop to introduce MiLCA at ECOPRODUCT2010 (from December 9th Thu – 12th Sat), one of the largest ECO (Japanese abbreviation of ecology) events in Japan. It is ECOPRODUCT2010 where we can see the development of Japan's LCA database. Currently there are different types of GHG Emission Factors available since the basic concepts vary. We will keep a close watch on its development.
