At the beginning of March, we posted our blog on the status of B2B events in Japan and the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on them. This blog aims to give a brief update to the current situation in Japan and of B2B events here. 

Much has changed in the 4 months as people adjust to what has become a ‘new normal.’ Most of the world has had to drastically change the way we work and live starting from the first case of the Novel Coronavirus in December 2019. Businesses have had to switch to almost entirely remote work and change their marketing plans due to the cancelation of physical events. People and businesses are still having to adapt to the constantly changing situation.

Current State in Japan

Japan facing rising cases initially declared a state of emergency on April 7th and lifted after one month in May. Daily cases peaked on April 12th at 743 confirmed cases but near the state of emergency cases were down to around 14 - 90 new cases a day.

People have slowly begun to go back to work and small events have become possible again. However, in recent weeks Japan has once again began to see a rise in confirmed cases. With this in mind many businesses do not yet feel that it is the right time to hold large physical events and have chosen to postpone or cancel.

Many events are also being switched to virtual. Some companies, including Bigbeat, have even gone as far as building small studios in their  offices to run seminars for their marketing activities and it has become difficult to find high-quality cameras at electronics stores due to businesses buying them all up for their seminars!

Bigbeat's Rockup! Studio located in our office.

Precautions being taken

Even if events are slowly becoming possible again, businesses have to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Here are some of the most common tactics companies are using. 

Status of B2B Events in Japan 

There are still some major B2B events that are being planned for later this year. Take a look at the below events for an update on their status and which events are still planning to be held as of now. 

	Manufacturing World 2020 [in Nagoya]  　Date: Septmeber 9-11, 2020 　This trade show was rescheduled from April 2020.
	EDIX Tokyo  　Date: September 16-18, 2020 　This trade show was rescheduled from May 2020.
	Manufacturing World Osaka  　Date: October 7-9, 2020 　To be held as planned.
	FIT 2020 Online (Japanese only) 　Date: October 8-9, 2020 　Digital FIT will be held online as FIT 2020 Online.
	Business AI 2020 Online (Japanese only) 　Date: October 14-16, 2020 　Business AI will be held online this year.
	CEATEC 2020 Online 　Date: October 20-23, 2020  　CEATEC will be held online this year as CEATEC 　2020 Online.
	Smart Factory Nagoya 2020 　Date: October 21-23, 2020 　To be held as planned.
	Japan IT Week Autumn 　Date: October 28-30, 2020 　To be held as planned.

Be sure to check on the status of the event

Events in Japan are still being heavily effected by the pandemic. And while many events later in the year are still being planned, things can change very quickly. So, if you are planning on attending an event it is important to check on the status of the event often, to make sure it has not been cancelled or postponed. 

Many events are also choosing to go virtual, allowing the events to still happen and business to move forward.