Hiroshima’s appeal as a venue for international conferences grows after Obama’s visit last year
May 26, 2017
by Hiroaki Watanabe, Staff Writer
The City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau, which are actively promoting Hiroshima as a venue for international conferences, are making use of information about former U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May 2016 in their promotional materials. They mention Mr. Obama’s visit in invitation letters to conference organizers and exhibit photo panels of this visit at trade fairs both in and out of Japan. Mr. Obama’s appearance in Hiroshima last year continues to benefit the city’s efforts.
Last June, the City of Hiroshima made changes to the invitation letters sent to conference organizers from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. The letters are written in both English and Japanese, and the English version includes the words “It is my sincere wish for participants to share in Hiroshima’s enduring desire and hope for peace, which former U.S. President Barack Obama also partook of during his historic visit to our city on May 27, 2016.”
The City of Hiroshima says that it has sent five letters to domestic and international conference organizers over the past year, inviting them to hold their conferences in Hiroshima. Two international conferences have since been confirmed, including a university-related conference in which approximately 600 people from some 40 countries will take part in the year 2020. Two other conferences are still under consideration, and one organizer has decided to hold its gathering in another city.
The Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau, a public interest incorporated foundation, has displayed photo panels of Mr. Obama making a speech with the A-bomb Dome behind him at its booth for international trade fairs, seeking to persuade conference organizers to hold their events in Hiroshima. At a trade fair held in the U.S. city of Las Vegas in October 2016, 24 business negotiations were conducted, compared to 19 in 2015.
In March, the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau created new promotional materials which incorporate information on Mr. Obama’s visit to Hiroshima. The organization says that the former president’s visit has certainly helped raise the city’s profile.
Because international conferences involve large numbers of participants and other visitors from home and abroad, they can generate significant economic benefits. For this reason, the City of Hiroshima is aiming to attract 100 conferences a year by 2020. According to the latest figures, 59 conferences were held in Hiroshima in 2015. The city’s tourism department says that it will make use of all available means to attract as many conferences as possible in the years ahead.
(Originally published on May 26, 2017)
The City of Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau, which are actively promoting Hiroshima as a venue for international conferences, are making use of information about former U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May 2016 in their promotional materials. They mention Mr. Obama’s visit in invitation letters to conference organizers and exhibit photo panels of this visit at trade fairs both in and out of Japan. Mr. Obama’s appearance in Hiroshima last year continues to benefit the city’s efforts.
Last June, the City of Hiroshima made changes to the invitation letters sent to conference organizers from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. The letters are written in both English and Japanese, and the English version includes the words “It is my sincere wish for participants to share in Hiroshima’s enduring desire and hope for peace, which former U.S. President Barack Obama also partook of during his historic visit to our city on May 27, 2016.”
The City of Hiroshima says that it has sent five letters to domestic and international conference organizers over the past year, inviting them to hold their conferences in Hiroshima. Two international conferences have since been confirmed, including a university-related conference in which approximately 600 people from some 40 countries will take part in the year 2020. Two other conferences are still under consideration, and one organizer has decided to hold its gathering in another city.
The Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau, a public interest incorporated foundation, has displayed photo panels of Mr. Obama making a speech with the A-bomb Dome behind him at its booth for international trade fairs, seeking to persuade conference organizers to hold their events in Hiroshima. At a trade fair held in the U.S. city of Las Vegas in October 2016, 24 business negotiations were conducted, compared to 19 in 2015.
In March, the Hiroshima Convention and Visitors Bureau created new promotional materials which incorporate information on Mr. Obama’s visit to Hiroshima. The organization says that the former president’s visit has certainly helped raise the city’s profile.
Because international conferences involve large numbers of participants and other visitors from home and abroad, they can generate significant economic benefits. For this reason, the City of Hiroshima is aiming to attract 100 conferences a year by 2020. According to the latest figures, 59 conferences were held in Hiroshima in 2015. The city’s tourism department says that it will make use of all available means to attract as many conferences as possible in the years ahead.
(Originally published on May 26, 2017)
