KCON 2015 Japan business matchmaking session
Seoul, Korea – Asia’s leading content and media company, CJ E&M, has announced its success in hosting the KCON 2015 Japan, breathing new life into Hallyu, or the so-called Korean wave, in the neighbouring country.
Nearly 15,000 people flocked to Saitama Super Arena on April 22 to meet K-pop stars and experience Korean culture firsthand. The one-day extravaganza included not only K-pop related events such as M COUNTDOWN, Meet & Greet and cover dance showcases, but also other K-beauty, K-fashion and K-food events and activities that can be easily spotted throughout convention booths at Keyaki Square in front of the arena.
The convention part of KCON 2015 Japan was a big hit. Some 65 Korean companies, including 41 small- and medium-sized businesses, participated and were excited to introduce their products to K-pop fans visiting Keyaki Square, as they packed confidence after a business matchmaking session with prospective Japanese buyers. At the session, which was held separately in downtown Tokyo, representatives from 32 small companies booked 210 business meetings with 80 buyers in Japan.
Several on-site deals were made to continue on their business relations. HansTech, a small Korean company selling various beauty products, signed a contract to export to a Japan buyer some 20,000 US dollars’ worth of such products as soaps containing gold ingredients and facial masks.
SISTAR and GOT7 performed their energetic dance remix and unique B-Boying dance, respectively, while Cheetah, the winner of Mnet’s UNPRETTY RAPSTAR thrilled the audiences with a joint performance with KangNam and Jackson (a member of GOT7). Park Bo-Ram, a star from Mnet’s SuperStarK Season 2, successfully made her debut in Japan.
“It’s apparent at KCON 2015 Japan that young Japanese female fans are now the new group of K-culture consumers, beating the previous notion that only older Japanese ladies are attracted to K-culture content,” said Shin Hyung-kwan, Executive Vice President in charge of KCON 2015 Japan at CJ E&M. Shin adds, “KCON is returning to the US this summer, and we plan to continue our support for small Korean companies by helping them expand their business outside Korea, while promoting ‘All Things Hallyu’ around the world.”
