CITE Japan 2005 notably successful

This area of Yokohama is a major sightseeing spot. The piers and docks of past years were rebuilt, in 1989, into a new town called “MM (Minato Mirai) 21” incorporating Land Mark Tower, which is one of Japan’s tallest buildings, as well as hotels, a shopping mall, restaurants and cultural facilities.

The history of Cite Japan is short, the first event in 2003 attracted more than 19,000 visitors. Cite Japan is biennial, and the 2005 event was held on 15 to 17 June, from 10:00 to 17:00 expect on the final day, which ended at 15:00. Visitors included those engaged in cosmetics, beauty products, cosmetic ingredients, perfume materials, and magazines. Although its admission fee was set at JPY 1,000, many of the visitors were invited guests. Officers counted the number of participants at the entrance to the halls.

The Exhibition was held in Hall D (6,700 m2) of Pacifico Yokohama. There were negotiation corners, resting corners, and 142 stands featuring 152 companies. Products exhibited included cosmetic ingredients, perfume materials, packaging materials, manufacturing and measuring equipment, utensils, etc. In particular, exhibitors of contracted manufacturing companies were numerous.

Company stands continued to improve on those of previous years, with a number of exhibitors expanding their displays. There was a stand for beverages such as champagne, as seen at In-Cosmetics in Berlin, Germany, in April this year. Agents had a large presence, for example Matsumoto Trading, Sasaki Chemical Industry, Nikko Chemicals and Iwase Cosfa. The layout of the stands in Hall D was easy to understand although the stands were not classified by business type.

The exhibitors’ technical presentations were held in Annex Halls A and B (each 450 m2 and with about 200 seats). A total of 46 oral presentations were given, with contributions from Seiwa Kasei, Rohm & Haas Japan, Nikko Chemicals, Ikeda Trading, Kishi Kasei, Ichimaru Pharcos, ISP Japan, Croda Japan, BASF Japan, Dow Corning, Nihon SiberHegner and Ajinomoto Healthy Supply. Raw material companies also made a number of presentations.

Cite Japan 2005 had more than 5,000 visitors, showing an increase from the previous year. Such an exhibition plays a major role in the field of cosmetics. Although the cosmetic market in Japan has not grown in these years, it is still a big market of about one hundred forty billion yen.

There were many visitors from foreign countries, including cosmetic companies from Korea, Taiwan, China and other Asian countries, as well as companies from the US and Europe. However, the lack of presentations in English will need to be addressed to ensure visitors around the world can make the most of the event. Also, if Cite Japan uses English as an official language, it will be acknowledged as more of an international event in the company of In-Cosmetics in Europe and Suppliers Day in the US.

Next year, IFSCC Congress will be held in Osaka from 16-19 October. In 2007, the third Cite Japan will be held. The success of the exhibition is eagerly anticipated, and will contribute directly to the further development of the Japanese cosmetic industry.