What is HCJ?｜Japan’s Comprehensive Exhibition for Hotels, Foodservice, Catering, Kitchen Equipment and the Hospitality Industry

The videos shown below are randomly selected from this exhibition. To browse all videos from this exhibition, please see the “Featured Exhibitions by Year” section below.

Benefits of Exhibiting

HCJ is a business-focused exhibition where companies can directly present products and services to operators of hotels, ryokan, restaurants, institutional foodservice, prepared-meal businesses, catering services and related sectors.

Companies providing commercial kitchen equipment, food and beverages, guest room supplies, furniture and interiors, hygiene management solutions, IT and DX systems, robotics and other products can meet with owners, purchasing professionals, facility development personnel and on-site managers.

A major advantage is the ability to communicate the effects of implementation through actual product displays, cooking demonstrations and hands-on operation experiences.

Because exhibitors can propose solutions to several markets, including accommodation, restaurants and institutional foodservice, the exhibition can also be used to develop sales channels beyond existing customer segments.

Key Points for Exhibition Preparation

Before exhibiting, clearly identify the priority targets for business discussions, such as hotels and ryokan, restaurants, institutional foodservice operators, trading companies and wholesalers, and facility design companies.

For commercial kitchen equipment, organize information on cooking capacity, processing time, power consumption, installation dimensions, water supply and drainage requirements, cleaning and maintenance procedures.

For food and beverages, prepare materials explaining commercial pricing, minimum order quantities, shelf life, storage conditions, allergen information and supply capacity.

For hotel equipment and guest room supplies, clarify design, durability, ease of cleaning, delivery times, installation examples and maintenance systems.

For IT and DX-related services, organize information about integration with existing systems, implementation periods, monthly fees, operational support and return on investment.

If cooking demonstrations or food tastings are planned, confirm venue regulations concerning food hygiene, water supply and drainage, electrical power, use of open flames and waste disposal.

If business discussions with overseas hotel and foodservice companies are expected, prepare English product catalogs and product videos as well.

Estimated Exhibition Costs

Booth Space Fees

Exhibition fees vary depending on the number of booths, exhibition area, exhibition zone and application conditions.

When displaying commercial kitchen equipment, check additional facility costs for electrical power, water supply and drainage, gas, exhaust systems and the handling of heavy equipment.

If food tasting or cooking demonstrations are conducted, also budget for hygiene facilities, ingredient storage and waste disposal.

Please check the organizer’s exhibitor information materials for the latest booth fees and application conditions.

Decoration and Booth Construction Costs

As a general planning guideline, approximately JPY 300,000–800,000 may be considered for one booth, approximately JPY 700,000–1,500,000 for two booths, and JPY 1,500,000 or more for four booths or more.

These figures are general estimates for exhibition booth construction and are not construction rates provided by the HCJ organizer.

Additional costs may apply when installing large commercial kitchen equipment, cooking demonstration facilities, water supply and drainage, special electrical power, exhaust systems, large monitors or LED displays.

For exhibits reproducing a hotel guest room, the cost of furniture, lighting, interior finishes and flooring should also be considered.

Personnel Costs

In addition to sales representatives, assign technical personnel for commercial kitchen equipment, staff responsible for cooking demonstrations and personnel capable of explaining product installation and operation.

For food and beverage exhibits, ensure sufficient personnel for food tasting, hygiene management and sample replenishment.

For IT and DX-related products, it is effective to have staff who can explain system operation and implementation requirements.

Transportation and Logistics Costs

Budget for transportation, move-in and move-out, packing, insurance, installation and dismantling of commercial kitchen equipment, food and beverages, furniture, guest room supplies and display fixtures.

For foods requiring refrigeration or freezing, consider temperature-controlled transportation and storage costs at the venue.

For large commercial kitchen equipment, confirm move-in routes, floor load limits and installation and dismantling procedures in advance.

Please confirm exact fees with the exhibition organizer.

Booth Examples by Size

1-Booth Stand

Suitable for introducing food and beverages, guest room amenities, compact kitchen equipment, hygiene products and IT services.

Combine product samples, explanation panels and monitors to communicate the main product features within a short period of time.

For food-related products, a hygienically designed tasting or sampling area can also be provided.

2-Booth Stand

A layout can separate commercial kitchen equipment demonstrations, food and beverage tasting, or hands-on hotel equipment displays from the business meeting area.

For kitchen equipment, demonstrate cooking processes and differences in working time. For IT services, present operating screens and workflows showing how operations can be improved.

4 Booths or More

Suitable for companies presenting multiple commercial kitchen systems or products for hotels.

The booth can combine cooking demonstration areas, product displays, model guest rooms, seminars and business meeting spaces.

When installing large commercial kitchen equipment or conducting cooking demonstrations, consider electrical power, water supply and drainage, exhaust systems, hygiene management and safe visitor flow.

When selecting a booth contractor, check its experience with hotel, restaurant and food-related exhibitions, track record in installing commercial kitchen equipment, and previous construction photographs and portfolio.

Key Points for a Successful Exhibition Booth

Visitor Flow Design

Separate the flow of visitors viewing products, visitors participating in cooking demonstrations or tastings, and professionals seeking business meetings.

If food or beverage sampling is provided, ensure appropriate waiting space and a hygienic serving flow.

For demonstrations of commercial kitchen equipment, arrange the booth so that visitors are protected from hot surfaces, blades, moving parts and other hazards.

Visibility

Make the brand name, product field and the business problem solved by the product clearly visible from the aisle.

Communicate implementation benefits concisely with messages such as “Reduce Cooking Time,” “Address Labor Shortages,” “Save Energy,” “Reduce Food Loss” and “Improve Guest Room Service.”

Displaying equipment performance comparisons and implementation examples can help owners and facility professionals evaluate how the products could be introduced into their own operations.

Demonstration and Hands-On Experience Design

For commercial kitchen equipment, demonstrations showing actual cooking processes and operating procedures are effective.

For food and beverages, use tasting and sampling; for hotel equipment, offer hands-on experiences; and for IT and DX products, use operating demonstrations to communicate product features.

Announce demonstration schedules in advance so visitors can plan their visits.

When conducting demonstrations, pay attention to food hygiene, open flames, electrical power, water supply and drainage, and visitor safety.

Using Exhibition Videos

Showing a 2–3 minute product introduction video on monitors or LED displays inside the booth makes it possible to efficiently explain cooking processes using commercial kitchen equipment, how hotel equipment is used, the operation of cleaning robots and food manufacturing processes.

Videos showing actual installation examples at hotels and restaurants, work in commercial kitchens, equipment operation and before-and-after comparisons are particularly effective for content that is difficult to reproduce at the exhibition venue.

If information is also intended for overseas hotel and foodservice operators or import-export companies, consider multilingual support such as English subtitles.

By repeatedly showing videos, product information can continue to reach visitors even while staff are engaged in business meetings or cooking demonstrations.

Another option is to film a company representative or product specialist explaining the product at the exhibition and edit and distribute the footage as a 2–3 minute video on the same day or the following day.

The completed video can be reused on the company website, YouTube, social media, sales emails, product pages and materials for distributors.

By continuing to publish the video on WorldTradeShow.tv（インターネット展示会.tv）, product information can also reach hotel, restaurant and institutional foodservice operators in Japan and overseas who were unable to visit the exhibition.

Videos showing the operation of commercial kitchen equipment, the use of hotel facilities or the characteristics of food and beverages can become long-term assets for sales activities and product explanations even after the exhibition ends.

If a booth contractor can provide both booth construction and video production, the placement of commercial kitchen equipment, lighting, monitors, LED displays, cooking demonstration areas and filming positions can be planned together from the design stage.

Visitor Acquisition Measures for Better Exhibition Results

Email Marketing

Send exhibition announcements to hotels and ryokan, restaurants, institutional foodservice and prepared-meal operators, trading companies, wholesalers and existing customers.

Introduce the exhibited products, implementation benefits, planned demonstrations and booth number to encourage advance business meeting reservations.

Social Media

Use Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and other platforms to share cooking videos using commercial kitchen equipment, examples of hotel equipment in use, introductions to food and beverages and operating demonstrations of IT and DX products.

Short videos showing how products are used and the benefits of implementation can increase interest among accommodation, restaurant and institutional foodservice operators.

Invitations and Direct Messages

Send individual invitations and product materials to hotels, ryokan, restaurant chains, institutional foodservice operators and facility design companies that you want to develop as priority prospects.

Provide information on cooking demonstration and product explanation schedules to encourage concrete business meeting reservations.

Using an Exhibition Landing Page

Create a dedicated exhibition Landing Page containing exhibited products, booth number, product specifications, implementation examples, product videos, catalogs and a business meeting reservation form.

After the exhibition, the page can continue to be used as an information resource for companies considering equipment investment or product procurement.

Companies Available for Booth Construction and Exhibition Operation Consultation

When exhibiting at HCJ, it is important to select a booth contractor capable of handling displays involving commercial kitchen equipment, food and beverages, hotel facilities and guest room supplies.

Check whether the contractor can support the move-in and installation of commercial kitchen equipment, water supply and drainage and electrical work, cooking demonstration areas, hygiene facilities, product display shelves, lighting, monitors and LED installations according to the exhibition requirements.

Product demonstrations and explanations by staff can also be filmed at the exhibition and edited into 2–3 minute videos on the same day or the following day for use in communications during the event.

By continuing to publish the completed videos not only on the company website and social media but also on WorldTradeShow.tv（インターネット展示会.tv）, product information can continue to reach hotel, restaurant and institutional foodservice operators in Japan and overseas after the exhibition ends.

Please see the booth construction company pages below.