Tokyo Unique Venue Showcase Event Held at KidZania Tokyo

On 20 January 2026, TOKYO UNIQUE VENUE SHOWCASE EVENT hosted by the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau (TCVB) was held at KidZania Tokyo. Congrès Inc. was responsible for planning and overall event management operations.

For this event, KidZania Tokyo was reserved exclusively for the occasion and transformed into a special MICE venue. Through a wide variety of presentations –including an opening performance, interactive establishment programmes, cutting-edge MICE technology experiences and a participatory parade – the event showcased new possibilities for utilising unique venues.

This report introduces the initiatives of the showcase event, for which our company served as the PCO in charge of planning and proposals, as a reference for those considering attracting and hosting MICE events, as well as utilising unique venues in MICE.

What are unique venues?

Unique venues refer to locations – such as historical buildings, cultural facilities and public spaces – where conferences and receptions can be held to create a sense of exclusivity and highlight regional characteristics. Unlike conventional MICE facilities, they are expected to be utilised as special places where people can experience the unique character of Japan and the local culture, such as gardens, shrines, art museums and shopping streets. The venue for this event, ‘KidZania Tokyo’, is normally an experiential theme park where children learn about society through hands-on occupational activities. By reserving the entire facility, however, it becomes possible to host highly distinctive events that take full advantage of the venue’s unique characteristics.

An immersive, memorable event open to participants and their accompanying guests

The TCVB actively promotes the attraction of MICE events, including international conferences, while also encouraging the use of unique venues. Through showcase events proposing new ways to utilise such venues that can lead to MICE events, the TCVB has been communicating the appeal of the city of Tokyo.

This event was designed around the theme of ‘An exciting, hands-on experience open to participants and their accompanying guests.’
By exclusively reserving KidZania Tokyo’s cityscape at night, the venue was transformed into a special space where all participants take centre stage.

This approach fostered natural interaction and networking among participants, while also presenting new possibilities for team building and hospitality toward accompanying guests.

Four proposals for utilising unique venues

At this event, we leveraged the unique characteristics of KidZania Tokyo to create a programme structure combining four distinct proposals that showcase the venue’s unique potential. The following section introduces these proposals as practical examples of event production and programme design, based on anticipated use cases and interaction scenarios for future MICE events.

1. Transforming the entire facility into a MICE stage

This proposal envisioned transforming the entire KidZania Tokyo facility into a MICE venue while preserving its immersive world view.

On the day of the event, venue setup was conducted within a limited preparation time of approximately three hours following the end of KidZania Tokyo’s regular business hours. Lighting, sound and visual effects, stage construction and crowd flow planning were carried out to convert the ‘city’ where children had enjoyed during the day into a space suitable for hosting MICE events.

At the Main Square, which served as the main stage, lighting effects utilising the ceiling and clock tower dramatically highlighted KidZania Tokyo’s streetscape, creating an extraordinary atmosphere distinct from the facility’s regular operations.
Additionally, welcome drinks and finger foods were served around the main stage, forming a reception area that naturally encouraged gathering and interaction.

 

 

Furthermore, street performances and live music by a special band were staged throughout the venue, adding vibrancy and excitement to the entire cityscape. The opening performance featured a combination of video and live music on the main stage, creating a memorable and impactful presentation that perfectly captured the overall atmosphere of the event.

 

 

2. Stage production featuring host messages and advanced technologies

This proposal assumed the use of a main stage for greetings and messages from event hosts during MICE events.

The main stage was positioned as a hub for information dissemination, incorporating examples of advanced technologies to enhance the delivery of messages.

At the opening, Mr Hironobu Fujimura, a Senior Director of Business Events Team at TCVB, delivered remarks outlining the purpose of the event. This was followed by remarks from Ms Reiko Kanzaki, General Manager of KidZania Tokyo, who explained the venue’s unique characteristics and the significance of its use for this showcase event.

 

 

In conjunction with the host’s address, a digital human video of Mr Yasuyuki Maeda, Executive Director of TCVB, was projected on the LED screen behind the stage. The interactive exchange between Mr Fujimura and the digital human left a strong impression on participants.

This digital human was created using the Digital Human Concierge technology developed by Nabla Works Corp.

In addition, three companies showcased advanced technologies within the venue, including:

• A Digital Human Concierge by Nabla Works Corp.
• ‘Luminary AR,’ an invisible code technology by Flyby Co., Ltd. that links images directly to digital content
• ‘HYOKA AI Concierge’ by Datailo Inc., which supports multilingual venue guidance, matching and FAQ responses to enable smooth event operations

3. Utilising KidZania establishment experiences for MICE programmes

This proposal focused on incorporating the venue’s original experiential content into MICE programs to promote interaction and team building among participants.

For this event, KidZania Tokyo leveraged its unique experiential content for MICE by offering career experience programmes – typically reserved for children – to adult participants.

Participants took part in hands-on programmes across various fields – such as product development, manufacturing and service operations – primarily at establishments assigned to them in advance. By sharing these experiences within the same establishment, participants naturally communicated with one another, fostering interaction and relationship-building through shared activities.

 

 

 

4. A participatory parade finale across the entire venue

This proposal envisioned concluding the event with a participatory performance that utilised the entire venue as a stage.

As the finale, a participatory parade was held throughout KidZania Tokyo. Participants wore illuminated straps, carried flags and floats and toured the cityscape alongside live music performed by a special band. The entire venue was enveloped in a strong sense of unity and excitement.

By extending stage performances and experiential programmes across the entire venue and concluding the event as a single cohesive story, this production demonstrated the potential of immersive event design unique to such venues.

 

 

Through this event, Congrès Inc. hopes that those considering the attraction and hosting of future MICE events were able to gain insight into new possibilities for utilising unique venues.

As a PCO, we will continue to plan and operate MICE events that align closely with the objectives of organizers and the unique characteristics of host destinations, leveraging the full potential of unique venues.

We sincerely thank all participants for attending this event.