I visited the Tokyo Big Sight this week, starting March 12th, as several exhibitions were held concurrently.
Even just in the East Hall alone, there were this many exhibits (photo included), and since there were also companies of interest in the West and South Halls, I ended up walking around quite a bit and became tired both physically and mentally.
After a few years’ hiatus due to the coronavirus, I returned to this March event to find changes ranging from subtle to significant
Below, I will share my personal impressions in no particular order.
①The most impressive change was at the ‘JAPAN SHOP’ exhibition in the East, Hall 4. I was captivated by the exhibits that encompassed eco-friendly elements with a uniquely Japanese beauty and craftsmanship. The exhibits from the Noto region were also outstanding.
②From the perspective of our company’s vein recognition technology, which allows for hands-free opening and closing of doors and logging, I toured the ‘Architecture and Building Materials Exhibition’. However, I felt that exhibits emphasizing IT/DX were actually fewer than before, similar to JAPAN SHOP, with a greater focus on aesthetic quality.
③Another area related to our business, ‘RETAILTECH JAPAN’ and ‘SECURITY SHOW’, seemed to have shifted focus from individual proprietary technologies to more finely segmented services. Previously, there were quite a few exhibits boasting about the high performance of biometric authentication, but I didn’t see any this time. Within the total service offering, the convenience of hands-free operation and the security of preventing impersonation through biometric authentication shone as added values.
④Overall, ‘AI’ was clearly a keyword or buzzword this time, with many exhibits featuring AI prominently. I wonder if this trend will continue. (For someone like me, whose specialty during my student days was AI, this feels a bit embarrassing, though.)”
