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DESTINATION | Tokyo, JAPAN 34 NOV-DEC 2017 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com With Tokyo being selected as the host of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the city's name will be heard more frequently over the next few years as the games approach. This free promotion is sure to bring increased awareness of the city and will surely heighten interest from all kinds of different sectors, including the MICE sector. In fact, according to Kazuko Toda, director of the business events team at Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, the number of enquiries relating to business events has grown immensely. Toda said they expect interest for corporate events to grow in the run-up to the games, with Words Brittany Panter Securing the bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games was an obvious win for the city, but what does the upcoming event mean for meeting planners? It's gametime Above and below: Renderings of the futuristic 194,000 sqm stadium for the Olympics, due to open January 2020 a demand for incentive activities. A boon for meetings organisers is the fact that Tokyo is in the midst of an overhaul of all kinds of spaces in preparation for the games, including hotels and meeting venues. One big draw for planners will be the improved infrastructure within the city with new roads being built to improve traffic flow in the city meaning smoother meetings thanks to fewer delays. On top of the improved roads, many hotels PHOTO CREDITS: TAISEI CORPORATION, AZUSA SEKKEI CO., LTD. AND KENGO KUMA AND ASSOCIATES JOINT VENTURE FAST FACTS ON THE STADIUM 60,000seating capacity with plans to increase to 80,000 47.4-metre-high with 5 storeys and 2 underground levels 850-metre-wide rooftop garden SOURCE: JAPAN SPORT COUNCIL are undergoing renovations to meet international standards and the number of international flights is increasing at Haneda and Narita airports. "Winning the bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has helped to raise the country's profile internationally. Tokyo has become an incredibly popular destination for business events, not only associations but incentives and corporate events as well," says Toda.