* This article was originally published on COVER’s official note page on February 2, 2024.
Greetings!
The temperature is on the rise lately! How is everyone holding up under the sun?
For those who can’t beat the heat, you’re in luck! COVER Corp. has a variety of events planned to help our fans keep their cool, such as hololive 5th Generation’s 4th Anniversary Event, as well as hololive City 2024, the latter of which is scheduled to be held at six locations nationwide.
And when it comes to hololive events, there is one group who is responsible for rolling out the red carpet for our fans to see their favorite talents up close and personal: the Event Planning Team. The most monumental task on their schedule is hololive SUPER EXPO, established in 2022. As for this year, Makuhari Messe was selected to be the 2024 venue, with approximately 30,000 fans in attendance over its two-day span from March 16 - March 17. Some of our readers may have even been among the crowd!
What kind of work went on behind the scenes to bring this electrifying affair to fruition? We asked Employee K and Employee Y from the Event Planning Team to provide their own personal insight into the story of hololive SUPER EXPO 2024. What part of the project they find most rewarding? Where have they set their sights going forward? Let’s find out!
Heading the Helm of Planning hololive Events
– Before we begin the interview, please feel free to introduce yourselves.
Y: I am the manager of the Marketing Department Event Planning Team. Having joined COVER Corp. in 2022, my main responsibilities include launching and coordinating the progress of various projects, as well as managing team members.
K: I am also a member of the Marketing Department Event Planning Team. Having just completed my first year of employment at COVER Corp., I am mainly involved in producing and tracking the progress of events organized by our team, as well as being involved in other events when requested by other departments.
– Y, what is the primary goal of the Event Planning Team? What is your mission within COVER Corp.?
Y: Our team primarily plans and produces offline events and entertainment related to COVER Corp.’s intellectual properties. And by that, I mean that the events we focus on are those involving “talents affiliated with hololive production.”
– Do you primarily plan and produce events based in Japan?
Y: Yes, we primarily plan and produce events for fans located in Japan. The largest event we’re responsible for is hololive SUPER EXPO, but we also host exhibition events such as Comic Market and Kyomaf. In addition, we also plan events where fans can meet individual talents and talent groups.
Having said that, no single team, including ours, can host an entire event on their own – horizontal cooperation with other related parties and aligning our goals is essential. Those other parties may include the Merchandise Department, who is in charge of merchandise production, the Public Relations Team, who is in charge of advertising, and the Operations Planning Department, who is in charge of projects related to distribution..
– What goals, if any, have you set as your key performance indicators?
Y: When I first joined COVER Corp., the impacts of COVID-19 were still being felt, so we had comparatively simple goals, such as acquiring new fans or increasing fan engagement. However, the pandemic eventually subsided, leading to a resurgence of enthusiasm for offline events. From there, we looked towards other important indicators, such as garnering further interest from fans abroad and creating a sales structure that is not solely reliant on merchandise.
■ Event Planning Engagement During Perilous Pandemic
– Thank you for sharing. Both of you joined COVER Corp. during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions were placed on hosting events. Please share your thoughts on this matter.
K: I have always engaged in work related to events – my previous job was dealing with lead acquisition and event planning in the marketing department of a business-to-business company, and the job previous to that was doing similar work at a live-streaming company.
When I joined COVER Corp. in 2023, offline events were gradually returning to normalcy. Therefore, from the beginning, I knew that I once again wanted to engage in my favorite line of work: large-scale event planning. Coincidentally, it was around this time when I had begun to gain interest in VTubers, which drew me to participate in events related to such intellectual properties, so it was an ideal opportunity for me.
– Thank you very much. And you, Y?
Y: As with K, my career has been primarily focused on event planning. At my previous job, we were unable to hold any offline events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I was instead assigned to completely unrelated tasks. In 2021, however, there were signs that offline events were returning, so I decided to search for a new job because the itch to participate in such events was impossible to ignore.
I was introduced to COVER Corp. through a recruitment agency, and, to be honest, I was very unfamiliar with the concept of VTubers at that time. Despite that, I was fortunate enough to be evaluated on my career history, eventually receiving a job offer.
In the past, I was involved in events related to anime, manga, games, and other similar media, but I wanted to try my hand at new content. The momentum of VTubers piqued my interest and led to my decision to join COVER Corp.
■hololive SUPER EXPO 2024 Initial Initiatives
– Both of you shared the same reasons for joining COVER Corp.: hosting events. Everyday life in Japan would appear to have more or less returned to how it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, but is the same true for events, as well?
Y: It was a recurring phenomenon throughout both 2023 and 2024, but especially true in the latter: the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions resulted in an explosion of fan engagement that was palpable. All at once, fans from every corner of the globe flocked in droves.
– Please share further details regarding the scale of hololive EXPO 2024, such as number of visitors, sales figures, etc.
Y: Many talents are affiliated with us at the moment, but I think hololive EXPO 2024 is the largest single event involving the hololive productions IP. This year, approximately 30,000 fans, from Japan and overseas, – an impressive feat for a single event. We are very grateful to everyone for helping us to achieve our sales records to date, both in ticket and merchandise sales.
– Very impressive. I would imagine that such an enormous project requires the cooperation of the entire Event Planning Team. What specific areas received the most attention for this particular event?
Y: Our primary focus was on responding to demand. In past surveys, we received a high quantity of feedback, particularly from fans abroad, expressing interest in attending live events, but being able to do so as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as request for tickets to be sold overseas. And so, we changed gears in 2024, collaborating with travel agencies to host travel packages to Japan and allocating ticket sales to visitors from other countries.
It was a new strategy for us, offering a fresh challenge into uncharted territory.
If we were going to do it, then it needed to be done right: translations of anything and everything to which our fans may be exposed, including websites, venue signs, information guides, etc.
Oh, and we didn’t merely translate the text – every minor detail, from proper nouns to entertainment lingo and terminology, was thoroughly reviewed and checked against native material to ensure that fans from outside of Japan would have as few language barriers as possible.
– K, what work were you tasked with for hololive SUPER EXPO 2024? What were the most challenging aspects of it?
K: I helped to oversee and manage the progress of the event. I also took on the responsibility of managing the so-called “entertainment areas” of the EXPO, which consisted of any activity occurring on-stage or involving collaborating sponsors, or any related content therein.
In my case, I had joined COVER Corp. only a few months prior to becoming involved with the preparations for hololive SUPER EXPO 2024, so I got the ball rolling by building trust with other teams within the organization. With so many individuals coordinating their efforts, I sometimes struggled with forging relationships among the hustle and bustle. Fortunately for me, everyone was extremely cooperative, so I think that helped ensure a smooth transition at a relatively early stage in the project.
– How long does it take to prepare for hololive SUPER EXPO?
K: Approximately one year.
Y: And for us in the Event Planning Team, the end of one event marks the beginning of another.
– A whole year! It seems difficult to design events based on trends that may or may not be relevant one year later.
Y: It is an issue that we must always keep in mind. The same could be said for any event, of course, but what was once a major success could instead be a major dud if attempted further down the road, so we are always looking for new ways to provide meaningful entertainment.
When it comes to changing trends, we devise our strategies in cooperation with the Operations Planning Division, which heads each project under our corporate wing, along with relevant individuals in similar planning positions. We also keep a watchful eye on various live streamers, tuning in on a regular basis to gather any useful information that can be found.
■ Reaping Rewards From Tireless Talents and Fan Fervor
– What was the overall response to hololive SUPER EXPO 2024? In addition, please share both your personal favorite parts and most rewarding parts of the event.
K: I was in charge of managing on-stage activities, and I remember being rather nervous at the time, so much so that I barely remember the opening of the first day.
On the other hand, what I do remember quite vividly was the closing ceremony on the second day. Among the announcements for next year’s event was holo Indie, which had the audience clapping along to the music playing in the announcement video.
The sense of unity throughout the venue was genuinely touching – it made me realize exactly how beloved our content is, and by so many people. I consider it to be a memorable experience.
– I imagine any number of unexpected problems could arise during events. Did anything occur this time?
K: Unfortunately, I cannot go into specific details, but one thing that had me stressed out was when some important materials had not yet arrived by the scheduled delivery date.
– And you, Y?
Y: I have had the opportunity to meet with former colleagues with whom I worked on events at my previous job, and, when discussing my role in managing hololive SUPER EXPO, they had nothing but kind words to say. Hearing such honest feedback from third parties fills me with joy.
Another sight that warms my heart is seeing so many people lined up before the event, waiting with baited breath for the doors to open. It is truly an eye-opening spectacle, and drives home how loved and supported we are by the fans. I am truly grateful to all of the skilled talents who can incite such fervor among the fanbase.
The loving push that encourages fans to attend these events is the amount of effort that our affiliated talents invest into trying new things, through rigorous trial-and-effort each and every single day, to bring the most enjoyable streaming experience to their viewers.
■ Quality Assurance and Colleague Collaboration Abroad
– I would like to ask about the challenges that you face both as a team and as individuals. What have you noticed from your own personal perspectives?
K: I have felt that making adjustments to art production can be challenging. As a company, there are times when requesting changes is necessary, and we are always careful to not sacrifice the artistic integrity and individuality of our creators. Through my work, I am reminded time and time again of the importance of treating others with respect, both inside and outside of the company.
Y: hololive SUPER EXPO 2024 has been a race to meet the influx of demand. Meanwhile, overseas events, which are ramping up on their end, are primarily handled by our overseas teams. We do have the chance to maintain communication with them on a casual basis, but we do hope to someday put our heads together and make a joint effort in producing both domestic and overseas events.
As a team, there are inevitable differences in experience and knowledge among those in charge, so another challenge for us is how to maintain a consistent level of quality without making those differences feel too obvious or too impactful.
In addition, as the number of joint projects across different departments increases, the type of content used in events of a similar nature can vary greatly depending on the hands and minds of those involved. Maintaining stability as our work progresses can prove to be an issue.
– K, how was your experience being in charge of progress management for hololive SUPER EXPO 2024?
K: With any manner of experience as a production manager, or other similar roles, under one’s belt, I do not think the hurdle is insurmountable. Although there may be a little more work involved, such as keeping in touch with talents and following up on their activities, the manner of work is similar to dealing with business clients and the like.
As long as one has a sense for creating and successfully adhering to well-planned schedules, it is a position that anyone can navigate.
■ Sustaining Steady Operations and Seeking Customer Satisfaction Cultivates New Challenges
– Please share your future goals and ambitions.
K: I hope to apply the experience gained from hololive SUPER EXPO 2024 to other events. This year’s event focused on “providing a safe yet exhilarating experience for everyone.” For future events, I would like to place even more emphasis on promoting “fun” and producing “interesting content.”
Y: Among the many things that I have in mind, one specific goal is focusing on “how to garner more fan participation.” This is partly a question of capacity, and partly a question of how to approach those who want to participate but cannot. An item that is always at the top of our priority list is meeting fan expectations, namely through building upon our existing parameters rather than being bound by them, such as expanding venue scale, increasing venue locations, and incorporating various initiatives using live streaming.
We plan to prepare many more events in the days to come, and nothing would make us happier than receiving positive feedback from attendees, especially when comparing those future events with ones that came before.
Laying the groundwork for further overseas expansion is also underway, which should hopefully provide more opportunities to challenge ourselves going forward.
