Why Kobe?

By Lance Ferguson, Assistant Manager, Kobe Convention Bureau

Kobe is home to one of Japan’s leading biomedical clusters. The Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, located next to the Kobe Convention Center, brings together 333 research institutes, universities, hospitals and life-science companies, creating a strong ecosystem for medical and scientific collaboration.

Kobe has a strong international ecosystem spanning global organizations, business and research. The city is home to global companies such as Nestlé, P&G, Eli Lilly and Microsoft, and major companies born in Kobe including ASICS, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Dunlop, Sysmex and Kobe Steel have headquarters in the city. This industry presence creates a strong environment for knowledge exchange and innovation. A great example of this is the hinotori Surgical Robot System, born out of collaboration between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Sysmex.

Kobe offers a compact base in the heart of the Kansai region. With mountains on one side and an inland sea on the other, Kobe is a picturesque and compact city. Osaka is 15 minutes away and Kyoto 30 minutes by train. Nara and Himeji are also easily accessible, providing access to a wide range of social and cultural programmes, as well as the region’s large pool of academics, researchers and industry leaders.

Kobe City currently offers a venue fee waiver programme for international associations, covering venue rental fees at the conference centre and exhibition halls within the Kobe Convention Center.

Through the Kobe Convention Bureau, organizers can apply for three financial support programmes that can be applied for simultaneously, as well as in-kind assistance such as subsidies assisting with transportation, locally brewed sake for social programmes and signage printing.

The Bureau also has 130 local and national suppliers as members and offers a menu of 22 unique experiences exclusively for event organisers, providing trusted local support and distinctive options for pre- and post-conference programmes.

Kobe offers a wide range of accommodation, from international five-star hotels to comfortable three- and four-star properties, with over 10,000 rooms across the central districts of Kobe. Major options include Kobe Portopia Hotel, Hotel Okura Kobe, ANA Crowne Plaza Kobe, Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel, The Orient, Marriott Kobe, and Kobe Bay Sheraton Towers. New additions to Kobe’s hotel offering are also confirmed, including a Conrad Kobe, further expanding the city’s international accommodation options.

Kobe is conveniently connected to the rest of Japan and the wider region. Kansai International Airport (KIX) is around 30 minutes from Kobe by high-speed ferry and around 60 minutes by limousine bus, while Shin-Kobe Station provides direct Shinkansen connections to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima. Kobe Airport offers frequent domestic connections as well as direct international services to China, South Korea and Taiwan, with further international routes planned.

Take the Shin-Kobe Ropeway up to Nunobiki Herb Gardens. Just minutes from the city centre, it offers panoramic views across Kobe and Osaka Bay and provides delegates with an easy escape into nature, which is one of Kobe’s unique selling points.

For something more local, explore the sake breweries of Nada, one of Japan’s most renowned and the largest sake-producing area. Combine a brewery visit with the 'Magic Sake' food-and-sake pairing experience at the Nada Gogo Sake Dokoro.

For support with bringing an international association meeting to Kobe, please contact the Kobe Convention Bureau at info@kcva.or.jp, or Assistant Manager Lance Ferguson at lance_ferguson@kcva.or.jp.

For more information on Kobe Convention Bureau: https://kobe-convention.jp/en/