GREAT Week Japan provides UK businesses with a fantastic opportunity to explore the potential of exporting to the Japanese market.
The first GREAT Week Japan, held between October 28th and November 1st, 2013, provided around 50 British companies with a chance to promote their products and showcase their creative and innovative expertise in the Design, Fashion and Digital Music sectors.
About The Event
UK Trade & Investment organised a series of seminars, showcases and 1-2-1 meetings for participating British companies to meet major buyers, potential partners, specialist media and market experts in order to encourage mutually beneficial partnerships. Fashion participants for example saw more than 400 buyers and press, the former drawn from the key department stores and so-called ‘select shops’. As the trade mission coincided with Tokyo Designers Week, there was a good opportunity for businesses and designers to network with Japanese customers and buyers, as well as business professionals from all over the world in the creative sectors.
“We came to find customers. I suspect it takes time to build relationships, but the people we have met have been open and willing to help,” said Dominic Reilly of Dom Reilly Ltd.
The difference between GREAT Week in Japan and other host countries is the focus on business to business interaction, allowing brands to raise their profiles and present their creative talents, generating new business for visiting companies. The emphasis here is on real support for real businesses.
Chris Arning of Creative Semiotics praises Japanese clients as being “loyal commissioners of services and goods” once the quality of the product has been established, and lauds “the human interaction which plays a key role in the robust service culture in Japan.”
All three sectors have seen a degree of success, with the possibility of immediate business being generated in sectors such as Fashion.
David Keech, of KeechDesign, called Tokyo a “dream city,” a “designers paradise,” and a “source of inspiration” for attendees. “Japanese people love British design; it’s a mutual appreciation.”
UKTI Japan are currently planning the next GREAT Week Japan for 2014 so please check back soon for the latest updates on Export to Japan.
If you are wondering how your company could make an impact in the Japanese market, Send Us Your Enquiry for support to start your journey today.
Click here for more information about Fashion, Design, Consumer Goods and Digital Music in Japan.
