What do Halls cough sweets, the Typhoon fighter jet and a Naked garden party have in common? Up until last month the answer would probably have been nothing at all, though all suggestions welcome - could make for a good dinner party joke. This month, though, they all share the distinction of having been the focus of promotional events at the British Embassy in Tokyo.
We call them SIWM events, which stands for "Selling into Wider Markets", and represents a win-win way for British companies to take advantage of the superb facilities we have here while helping us to cover our overheads.
The Embassy compound is located bang in the centre of Tokyo, next door to the Imperial Palace (so not too much trouble from the neighbours - although the extreme right nationalist groups that come round from time to time with loudspeakers declaring their loyalty to the Emperor are well up the decibel scale). In a nifty piece of negotiation, British diplomats back in the 19th century secured this prime piece of real estate, formerly the site of several daimyo residences, from the Japanese government for a peppercorn rent in perpetuity. About 30,000 sqm in size, the compound includes two large office buildings, the Ambassador's official Residence and 10 other houses, all rebuilt after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in neo-colonial style. Most have gardens, a rarity in high-rise Tokyo, and there are lots of cherry trees which produce stunning blossom in the spring.
All of this means that Japanese people are always curious to find out what lies inside the walls and behind the bollards, and can be pretty much guaranteed to accept any invitation to an event taking place inside the Embassy grounds. That makes it a really attractive venue for British companies wanting to hold a press conference, a product launch, a reception, photo-shoot or seminar, and we're delighted to be able to make our facilities available for those purposes. We do make a charge to cover overheads and staff costs, but it works out a whole lot cheaper than a hotel or conference facility, and it has a whole lot more character!
It does mean a bit of an upheaval for the residents of the houses, who see teams of porters move in to remove all their furniture, their kitchen taken over by caterers and their families banished upstairs while guests invade their living space. But the benefits for UK business are immense, and worth a bit of inconvenience.
Apart from the three very disparate examples mentioned above, we have also hosted events in the past fortnight featuring Lotus cars, organic foods, model wargames and Scottish expertise in translational medicine. Next month's schedule includes the interesting juxtaposition of a counter-terrorism seminar and a Thomas the Tank Engine promotion. Quite a cross-section, but pretty typical of the range and number of events we get involved with. It makes so much sense to use these government assets to benefit British business, and it's a real pleasure to see so many satisfied customers.
And in case you were wondering, the garden party was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Naked Communications, one of the most creative and innovative ad agencies in the world. Their Tokyo office is working with Coca Cola Japan, Reebok, Sony, Uniqlo and more. The theme for the event was "British eccentric". Some of the outfits had our security guards' eyes popping . But at least not quite as much as an eponymous dress code would have done.
Sue Kinoshita
Director of Trade and Investment, UKTI Japan
Sue.kinoshita@fco.gov.uk
1 comment
Comment by Tony Kesten posted on
I really enjoyed this piece. I thought it was well-written, interesting and a real illustration of how UKTI's operation in Japan works for the UK's national interest. I've had the privilege of visiting there on business and seeing the interest even Japanese media (typically blase as the media are) take in the Embassy, Residence and grounds. I do hope whoever did the deal that secured it was suitably recognised.
Tony Kesten