Dina and I recently returned from a week in Tokyo, Japan attending the GlobalCom PR Summit. GlobalCom is a network that Smart Connections PR belongs to and is an alliance of international PR firms around the globe delivering integrated PR campaigns. Every year, we meet up as team to discuss PR trends, brainstorm ideas, and top of mind business topics. We spent two days learning about Japanese etiquette and how to work with Japanese companies and we were very fortunate to meet with Japanese executives in a variety of industries to discuss global PR initiatives. Independent working sessions focused on hot topics included the 2023 subject of the year, AI and how it can and will transform the PR sector.

As a team, we of course also enjoyed some downtime and catching up. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner cruise at the Tokyo harbor and an evening of Karaoke (please ask Dina about her winning performance) and a wonderful dinner at Meiji Kinenkan.

Big thank you to GlobalCom for organizing such a great event and to our PR partners in Japan, Kyodo PR, for the hospitality. It is an event we will always remember… and we are looking forward to the 2024 summit.

On a personal note, Tokyo was a special place and a destination that we hope to go back to one day soon. We spent a week in Tokyo and witnessed the most amazing places; the Zojoji Temple, Tokyo Tower, the SkyTree, Meiji Shrine, Sensoji Temple, Imperial Palace, Shibuya Scramble and much more. We certainly walked thousands of steps every day enjoying this beautiful city. In addition, we immersed ourselves into the culture, ate some amazing sushi and ramen, and were so touched by the hospitality, grace and thoughtfulness of the Japanese people. We left Japan feeling like our eyes were opened to a whole new world of kindness that we had not seen before with the hope we return to this special country again soon.

To all our clients, we look forward to bringing the knowledge we have learned over these special few days to you and your next PR campaign.