An exhibition after 5 years. BEEATS fully understood the purpose and supported us

As a specialized trading company for ICT, Suntel Co., Ltd. operates with its headquarters in Tokyo, 11 domestic locations, and operations in two overseas countries. They provide not only network and security-related products but also offer solutions for systems in offices, hospitals, schools, and various other places that impact people's lives.

BEEATS was in charge of the construction and operation of the "ICT Comprehensive Exhibition" hosted by Suntel. Today, Esaki from the Business Development Department of BEEATS interviewed Mr. Uchida, General Manager of the Strategic Planning Department at Suntel, and Mr. Tanaka, the manager in charge.

What is the "ICT Comprehensive Exhibition" organized by Sun Telephone?

Koki Esaki (BEEATS / hereafter, Esaki): Thank you for your time today. Could we start with a brief introduction, please?

Mr. Susumu Uchida (Suntel / hereafter, Uchida): It is a pleasure to be here as well. My name is Uchida from Suntel. I am in charge of the ICT Comprehensive Exhibition, which is a key mission of our Strategic Planning Department.

Mr. Tsuyoshi Tanaka (Suntel / hereafter, Tanaka): My name is Tanaka, also from Suntel. Together with Mr. Uchida, I am in charge of the ICT Comprehensive Exhibition.

Ezaki: Could you first introduce us to the ICT Comprehensive Exhibition?

Uchida: As an ICT trading company, Suntel delivers products and services from approximately 500 suppliers to about 3,000 companies nationwide. Since products and services are constantly evolving, we held the ICT Comprehensive Exhibition in five locations—Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Hokkaido—as a place to introduce the latest industry information and new products all at once.

Tanaka: This time, we showcased products from 74 exhibiting manufacturers across five zones: "Network," "Security," "Communication," "ICT Infrastructure," and "Energy," as a wide range of solutions created by the fusion of ICT and services. In the organizer zone, with the theme of ICT and the environment, we utilized the strengths of a multi-vendor approach to exhibit functional, cost-effective solutions through various combinations of products.

Preparation Start for the First Time in 5 Years

Esaki: Thank you for the introduction. Since this was the first regional exhibition in 5 years, I imagine the preparation involved significant challenges. How did you proceed?

Uchida: That is correct. We had to refrain from holding it during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it had been a long time. It is a precious opportunity to meet customers, so we started by aiming for an exhibition that emphasized face-to-face interaction to properly serve the visitors.

Tanaka: Vendor selection had to be redone from scratch. I felt that labor and construction costs had soared over the past five years, so we decided to use a competition format for selection. While searching for the optimal vendor, mainly online, I found BEEATS' website and made an inquiry.

Ezaki: Thank you again for contacting us and giving us the chance to propose among many vendors.

Evaluation of BEEATS in the Competition

 Ezaki: Could you tell us why you decided to order from BEEATS as a result of the competition?

Tanaka: The competition involved three companies. What we evaluated most in BEEATS' proposal was that you deeply understood our intent to emphasize face-to-face interaction. Specifically, we were very satisfied with the proposals from the perspective of us and our customers, such as the optimal route, booth layout for each company, and the design of the organizer's booth. Furthermore, you were very considerate regarding costs and provided the best offer.

Preparation Period Before the Event

Ezaki: Thank you for your feedback. Next, how was BEEATS' support during the preparation period leading up to the actual event?

Uchida: Your performance exceeded our expectations. For example, just touring each of the 5 area venues for a site visit is quite an effort, but in the subsequent regular meetings, I could see that you had prepared thoroughly for our questions, from photographing key points to confirming loading routes and interviewing venue personnel.

Tanaka: Not only with venue preparation, but despite the wide variety of adjustments needed with exhibitors, you acted as the single point of contact for the secretariat and shared information with us in great detail.

The thing that helped me the most was how reachable you were. Even if you couldn't pick up the phone, you would return the call right away. It's rare to find a vendor like that (laughs).

Esaki: Thank you very much for those kind words. Putting the customer first has been drilled into me since I joined the company as a fundamental part of our sales approach, so I am proud that this is a strength of BEEATS!

Achieved 117% of Visitor Goal

Esaki: And so, the exhibition started in 5 locations nationwide. Could you share your thoughts on how it went?

Uchida: It was a wonderful exhibition, as we were able to meet face-to-face with customers from all over the country for the first time in a while. The goal of the exhibition was three-fold: can we get more people to come, can they see more products, and can we smoothly transition to follow-up activities after the visit?

First and foremost, achieving a 117% increase over our visitor goal was our greatest accomplishment.

Tanaka: Since it was a caravan-style event held nationwide, many issues arose for both the organizer and operations side as we went along, but we were able to bring them up in meetings and improve them. You also handled sudden changes, which was a huge help.

About future initiatives

Esaki: Finally, could you tell us about your future initiatives and challenges?

Uchida: We feel very positive about this exhibition. We would like to consider continuing it next fiscal year and beyond. As a learning from this event, we believe updates in on-site response—such as visitor monitoring and survey collection methods—will be necessary. We would appreciate your proposals in the future.

Esaki: Of course, we would be happy to propose. Thank you very much for your time today.

Uchida & Tanaka: Thank you, too. We look forward to your continued support.

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Consult BEEATS for business events (conferences, company exhibitions)

Thank you for reading until the end.
BEEATS comprehensively produces business events such as hosting conferences and private shows, and exhibiting at exhibitions. Through “experiences” that remain in the memory of attendees, we design spaces that convey corporate philosophies and brand values. We provide total support, from planning and space design that attracts the target audience to high-quality construction and smooth operation on the day of the event.

▶ Click here for details on our planning, design, construction, and operation services for business events (conferences, exhibitions)

Companies considering improving brand value or effective lead acquisition through hosting conferences/private shows or exhibiting at exhibitions, please feel free to contact us.

We can also support space design and construction specialized for “booth exhibitions” at large-scale joint exhibitions.

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