Why Sapporo, then?
Ranked 3rd in Japan, following Tokyo and Kyoto, in the 2014 ICCA rankings, Sapporo has surely been proving itself as an attractive destination for both world’s travelers and meeting organizers.
Travel time matters
Multiple connections, long hours wasted at the airports, ages to get to the hotel, well, definitely not in Sapporo. The city can easily be reached directly from major capitals in Asia, while it is only a 1.5 hour flight away from Tokyo – the world’s busiest air route with over 70 flights per day. Once at Sapporo New Chitose Airport, the travel time between the airport and the city centre is only 37 minutes via rapid train. And just so you know, a food market filled with fresh local delicacies, Ramen noodles restaurants from all over Hokkaido, Japan’s famous sweets avenue, not to forget a hot spring, will all be at the airport as well.
Unbeatable prices, amazing choice
When it comes to meeting venues and hotels in the nation’s most walkable city, the prices and options are unbeatable. All major convention facilities and hotels (over 20,000 rooms) are located within 1 km radius of Odori Park. A short 10-15 minute walk from the hotel to the meeting venue will be enough to start your day. And in case you are staging your meeting at Sapporo Convention Center, it is just a short 7 minute ride on subway from downtown. Speaking of cost, meeting space and room rates are about twice cheaper compared to Tokyo or other major cities in Japan.
Unique is guaranteed
Sapporo has been the front-runner of Japan’s unique venues arsenal. Be it a gathering of about 50 to 200 pax, the Ski Jump Stadium at Okurayama or the Glass Pyramid at Moerenuma Park would definitely wow your guests. Sapporo Racecourse, a chic facility right outside of the city centre, could be a perfect option for a networking event or a gala for a group of 300. And if you need to go big, beer halls at the historical Sapporo Beer Garden will accommodate up to 1,000 guests.
Value for money
For the last couple of years, Sapporo has been seeing a dramatic increase in the attendance when it comes to participation from Asia-Pacific members. One example is the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society Annual Meeting, held last August, which hit its record attendance of 3,100 participants.
With academic institutions such as Hokkaido University, Sapporo Medical University and Rakuno Gakuen University leading in the fields of geosciences, organic chemistry, agriculture, forestry, energy, medicine, pharma, animal behavior and veterinary sciences, Sapporo’s unique and rich natural environment has a lot to offer when it comes to the value of a meeting. This collaboration of natural environment and the value of a meeting were particularly obvious when the participants of the 5th International Wildlife Management Congress 2015 together with the citizens put their forces together for a good cause – clearing out and cutting down thickets and tall grass along Toyohira River.
Sapporo’s IT sector has also been developing strong recently, with various international IT meetings of all sizes increasing their appearances in the northern capital. This year’s key gathering is W3C Technical Plenary / Advisory Committee Meetings Week, which is planned to attract over 500 specialists from all over the world to Sapporo in October.
Contact
Dima Azarov
Sapporo Convention Bureau
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