The Granvia Hotel, Kyoto, is now offering organisations hosting business events the opportunity to participate in a traditional Summer Festival as part of its MICE package.
A number of Kyoto hotels incorporated Summer Festivals into their international conference reception parties during 2011 such as when the Grand Prince Hotel Kyoto hosted a reception organised for the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
The scheme achieved most success at the Granvia that has recognised the benefits it can offer to planners and the fun it can offer to attendees. A Summer Festival is an integral part of Japanese culture. The event involves the venue being decorated with traditional lanterns, a range of market stalls, caricature drawing and yoyo sukui – a traditional Japanese fishing game.
James Kent, international marketing manager at Kyoto Convention Bureau, welcomes the idea. He says: “Summer Festivals became popular as an event to relieve summer fatigue and is based on a Buddhist tradition. Kyoto is Japan’s historic capital and a centre for culture so we are always looking for ways to combine business with culture. Summer Festivals can be introduced to improve a delegates experience in the business environment, and incorporating cultural activities into business also helps attendees network more effectively so they get more out of the experience.
“The introduction of Summer Festivals was particularly successful for the Granvia and there are many ways to make the most of the experience. For example, getting everybody to dress in brightly coloured ‘yukata’ summer kimonos, giving delegates an uchiwa fan with the company logo on it and serving food and drink on ‘yatai’ festival stalls. We are looking forward to seeing more venues incorporate such creative ideas into their events offering so delegates get a real taste of Japan.”
