Tokyo May Loose Its Status as an Exhibition City
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government(TGM) is planning to use Tokyo Big Sight as the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) and Main Press Center (MPC) for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics ("Tokyo 2020") for the period of 20 months. (Text provided by Reed Japan)
The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) is planning to use Tokyo Big Sight as the media centers-- i.e., the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) and Main Press Center (MPC) ─for Tokyo 2020. According to the current plan announced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), the site preparation will begin in April 2019, and the Japan's largest exhibition center is planned to be occupied for 20 months through November, 2020.
If they stay with their current plan, about 500 exhibitions which have been held at Tokyo Big Sight will have to be cancelled for the said period. Seriously concerned that TGM's current plan will cause serious problems, the Japan Exhibition Association (JEXA), Japan's largest association for the exhibition industry (headed by Chairman Tad Ishizumi) has proposed a new plan in which they are proposing to the construction of a new facility to serve as the IBC and MPC.
In order to reveal the truth and understand the substance of their proposal, we interviewed two of JEXA's executives and an expert of IBC/MPC arrangement.
(Layout and interviewed by Akira Amano, Photos by Fujio Kifuji. All data are current as of November 15, 2015.)
Architectural rendering of IBC and MPC Source: Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Bid Committee 14 mass media companies
─ When did you first learn the fact that the exhibitions at Tokyo Big Sight will be cancelled for an extended period of time in order to use the venue as the IBC and MPC of Tokyo Olympics 2020?
Ishizumi:
We first learned the fact in the beginning of this year (2015).
Back then, the rumor got around thatTokyo Big Sight is going to be used as the IBC and MPC for Tokyo Olympics 2020 and all the exhibitions which have been held there for many yearswill be cancelled for about a year. We became very concerned because if this was true, about 300 exhibitions which have been held at Tokyo Big Sight for many years would have to be cancelled, which would lead to serious damages because there are no alternative venues for the cancelled exhibitions.
We were shocked by the news.
Hiroya:
The Candidature File (a written plan for hosting the Games) which the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) includes the plan to set the IBC and MPC at Tokyo Big Sight.
Their initial plan was to use part of the exhibition halls at Tokyo Big Sight to host the wrestling, fencing, and taekwondo events while using the rest of the space as the IBC and MPC.
However, after Tokyo was awarded the Games, the IOC pointed out that the space prepared for the IBC was too small. To satisfy the IOC's requirement, they changed the plan and decided to use all the exhibition halls and conference halls at Tokyo Big Sight as the IBC (conference halls will be also used as the MPC) and host these three games at Makuhari Messe. As to the MPC, a new building is planned to be constructed in the vacant space adjacent to the West Exhibition Hall.
And furthermore, Tokyo Big Sight has confirmed that they are going to construct a temporary exhibition hall with a total floor area of 20,000 square meters right next to the East Exhibition Hall to ensure some exhibition space, but it is inevitable that we will face the repercussions of having the IBC at Tokyo Big Sight.
Ishizumi:
Since the beginning of 2015, the rumor had been around that Tokyo Big Sight is going to be used as a competition venue or press center for an extended period of time.
As more and more concerns were raised regarding this issue, we became worried about possible negative consequences. After a series of consultations by JEXA's Board of Directors, we submitted a petition to Governor of Tokyo on September 11, 2015. The substance of the petition was to "construct a new media facility inside the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park so that all exhibitions can be held as usual during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics".
It does not mean that we are against Tokyo hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020. We want the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to be successful.
But at the same time, we take the position that the TMG should construct new press and broadcast centers for the Olympic Games somewhere else.
We also proposed a possible location for a new media facility (See the proposal for an alternative location on page 27).
When we submitted our petition to the TMG, we told them that we do not really care about where to have a new facility-- if they have a better idea on where to build a new facility, it does not have to be where JEXA has proposed.
Since the beginning
─ Now, I'd like to ask for your opinion, Mr. Hiroya, from the perspective of an expert of IBC and MPC.
Hiroya:
First, let me talk about how the IBC and MPC were set up in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics.
For the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government constructed an Olympic Park within which they also constructed the famous Olympic stadium known as the "Bird's Nest", competition centers ⇒venues for the gymnastics and swimming events, and a huge convention center to serve as the IBC and MPC for the Games.
The main building is 400 meter long with a total floor area of approximately 220,000 square meters, and the IBC and MPC were placed in there. After the Olympic Games, this building was renovated into China National Convention Center, a state-of-the art integrated exhibition center that includes exhibition halls, international conference halls, and an international hotel. This convention center is now serving as the new base for commercial facilities in Beijing.
As to the 2012 London Olympics, the IBC and MPC were also newly constructed inside the Olympic Park constructed in East London. The newly constructed building that served as the IBC has a total floor area of 60,000 square meters-- it could store 5 jumbo jet airplanes.
The MPC has a floor area of 29,000 square meters, and a catering bldg. (served as a temporary restaurant for those who worked at the press center) with a total floor of 12,000 square meters was also constructed. Their IBC and MPC were renovated after the Olympic Games into a state-of-the-art digital media center in London, including the studio for BT Sport (a satellite TV station), university facilities, research facilities, training facilities, an area to support businesses for their innovation and incubation.
Furthermore, the IBC and MPC for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics are going to be newly constructed inside their Olympic Park. The facility to serve as the IBC will have a total floor area of about 85,000 square meters, while the other (separate) facility to serve as the MPC will have a total floor area of about 27,000 square meters. After the Olympic Games, the management and operation of these facilities are to be contracted to a private company, and they will be used as a commercial facility containing exhibition halls and event venues.
As you can see from the case of Beijing, London, and Rio de Janeiro, they have constructed (are constructing) new facilities to serve as the IBC and MPC and transformed (transforming) them into a legacy of their Olympic Games, taking into consideration how they can utilize them after the Olympic Games.
The TMG presented their plan to occupy Tokyo Big Sight for 20 months.
The press and broadcast centers for the Olympic Games were newly constructed in the Beijing, London,and Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Paralympics.
Tokyo 2020 is a great opportunity for Japan to draw attentions from the rest of the world, and many people from overseas including not only tourists but also business persons, researchers, and government staff will be visiting Japan. Japan is putting all of its effort into "realizing the world's most advanced ICT in 2020".
2020 will be the year when Japan can effectively advertise its advanced technologies including IoT, fifth-generation mobile network (5G), and ultra-high definition video (4K and 8K) to the rest of the world. It will give us a great opportunity to advertise the presence of our country to the rest of the world through international conferences and exhibitions.
We can also consider renovating a new facility to serve as the IBC and MPC into a base for ICT development after Tokyo 2020, just like London did.
The government should consider the substance of JEXA's official statement from the perspective of promoting Japan's growth strategy.
It boils down to think about what we should leave behind as a legacy of Tokyo 2020, in anticipation of how Tokyo and Japan will change in the next 50 years.
─ Major cities in the world are competing against each other in enhancing its functions as a MICE city as well as an exhibition/convention city.
Ishizumi:
Exactly. Focusing on boosting the economy with inbound tourism consumptions and developing plans to enhance exhibition cities are part of the important national strategy.
The issue of the TMG's current plan would not only cause economic problems but also lead to the loss of Japan's international credibility. If exhibitions are to be cancelled at Tokyo Big Sight for 20 months, other exhibition cities and MICE cities in Asia would benefit more.
In this aspect, Japan is still not one of the world's top exhibition/MICE cities. We will continuously appeal what this issue really means to many politicians including Prime Minister Abe.
Hiroya:
Exactly. The MICE strategy is the key in Japan's growth strategy. It is said that Japan is lagging behind other countries in the internationalization of human relations, that is, internationalization of 'interaction between people".
Japan should see Tokyo Olympics 2020 not as an opportunity to attract more foreign tourists, but as part of its internationalization strategy that will become the key in the growth strategy in the next generation. It could attract business persons, researchers, engineers, and government representatives to international conferences, academic conferences, exhibitions, and events to establish international human relationship through face-to-face interaction.
The point for ICT and IoT is the integration of "cyberspace" and "real space". We should remember that the more cyberspace expands dramatically, the more "real space" will become important. The basis of business is "face-to-face interaction" in "real space".
The MICE strategy encourages this type of interaction.
Ishizumi:
As what we are advocating is gradually understood by more people, I am confident that the TMG will accept our request in the end.
★ 日本展示協会 公式声明文 2015 年 11 月 16 日
New Media (Monthly Magazine Japan) Jan. 2016 Reprint
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廣谷 徹
Toru Hiroya
国際メディアサービスシステム研究所
代表
International Media Service System Research Institute
(IMSSR)
President
E-mail thiroya@r03.itscom.net / imssr@a09.itscom.net
URL http://blog.goo.ne.jp/imssr_media_2015
Mobile 81-(0)80-5059-3261
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