The 1st edition of ORGATEC TOKYO has drawn to a close, having recorded 21,958 visits over three days. The event took place from 26-28 April at Tokyo Big Sight, Hall 1-2, underscored the need for an event dedicated to workspace design, furniture, and technology in Asia. Attendees witnessed first-hand how companies in Asia are adapting to changing workplace needs concerning the rise of hybrid work arrangements.
The Best Presentation Awards winners were announced on 26 April, with the Grand Prix award going to KOKUYO for their imaginative, colorful, neon display inspired by roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, and Ferris wheels. This new office theme has a playful twist on the traditional work environment, making them stand out in the showground. Semi-Grand Prix awards were also given out to CASSINA IXC., Otsu, and Tesera. “On seeing the high level of booths at the event, I felt my heart racing at an experience I had not had for some time. Of the ten nominated companies, Kokuyo received the grand prize in support of its passionate energy for change.” shared Ryuko Kida, ELLE DECOR Branding Director, Hearst Digital Japan Co., Ltd. who was sitting on the judging panel with leading Japanese architect, Sosuke Fujimoto, and Mazda’s Head of Global Design, Ikuo Maeda, “I hope we can all celebrate the start of ORGATEC TOKYO together. And I am looking forward to next time, when we will have even more participants. I hope to see you all again!”.
Under the overarching theme of “Creative Creation”, the Seminar Sessions delivered thought-provoking talks that explored “The Rise of Hybrid Work”. In the opening keynote speech, Sosuke Fujimoto deep dived into the blend of factors that make up hybrid spaces, such as occupation, location and values. Other highlight includes a panel session which invited industry figureheads such as Kazuhiko Nakama, Keisuke Toyoda, and Daito Manabe to give the community insights on the rising metaverse workplace and best practices to enhance collaboration within the digital offices.
“ORGATEC TOKYO is a new type of branding platform that combines beautiful and functional office furniture, workplace design that assumes the well-being of workers, and solutions to the challenges of hybrid work at a high level.” said Makoto Takagi, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Japan. He continued, “Even though the digital transformation develops, the fact that inspirations and creativity can be more generated from the direct perceptions with five human senses has reaffirmed the importance of physical meeting points.”
Exhibitor Talks covered more technical topics such as redefining what a corporate office in the city should be; using iwasemi an acoustic metamaterial to solve the problem of reverberant sound that accompanies the enclosed space; suitable environments for biophilic design; hybrid work with telepresence avatar robots; sustainable facilities management; as well as creating a future workplace with evolution thinking.
The installations at Xperience Area (XA) have been designed to make visitors feel like they are inside an actual ‘Athletics’, ‘Avatar’ and ‘Biophilic’ area–all highlighting ways that businesses can achieve these at their workplace. Platinum Sponsor, Masayuki Nakamura, Representative Director, President and CEO of OKAMURA CORPORATION shared, “Companies are just now beginning to explore new ways of working after COVID-19. Thus, it is of significance that we present practical solutions for companies to adopt creative and highly productive hybrid working styles– which is the theme of ORGATEC TOKYO.”
“ORGATEC TOKYO was founded with the desire to set new impulses to hybrid work in the post-pandemic era, starting from Tokyo to Asia and the rest of the world.” said Akihiro Kuroda, Chairman, Japan Office and Institutional Furniture Association, “This year, due to the COVID-19, we could not invite international visitors to Tokyo. However, we are looking forward to preparing a unique exhibition space for the international professionals within the workspace industry next year!”
The next ORGATEC TOKYO will take place from 26-28 April 2023.
