Large scale events return to the Kobe International Convention Center this August with the International Jewellery Exhibition and the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology’s 49th IVR Conference.

Held from August 9 – 11, the International Jewellery Exhibition has come to a successful conclusion, according to the Convention Center. 200 companies exhibited, including local pearl dealers from Kobe where 70% of the world’s pearls are processed and sorted.

With the number of visitors per day limited to 5,000 under current national guidelines, the organisers and the convention center staff took a number of measures to ensure the safety of buyers, exhibitors, staff, and attendees, which over the three days was close to 6,000 people.

All attendees underwent temperature checks via thermal readers at the entrances and were required to wear masks. Hand sanitization products were posted at all entrances, exits, and high traffic points in the venue.

Signage and staff were also utilised in and outside the venue to make sure that guidelines were followed and that attendees were made aware of efforts to create a hygienic space, such as the changing of the air in the venue every ten minutes.

Doctors and nurses were also on hand to look after anyone feeling unwell and to advise staff. With social distancing also a key concern at high capacity events, isles between exhibitors were widened and break and dining area seating was strategically placed to maintain social distance.

From August 25 – 27 now Kobe is hosting another large-scale event in the 49th IRV conference which annually attracts around 1,800 participants. Organised by the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology, this year’s IVR conference will be held at the Kobe Portopia Hotel in the Kobe Convention Center as a hybrid event for the first time.

Organisers initially chose to postpone this year’s conference as they wanted to gauge member interest in holding the conference given the various restraints in place and safety concerns due to the spread of Covid-19.

Despite the circumstances, they found that there was strong sentiment amongst members and stakeholders to meet and go ahead with the conference. The new hybrid platform will allow attendees unable to travel, or those who prefer to participate remotely, to attend sessions online at the same time as live attendees and gives them the option to access sessions on demand via online recordings.