On November 6–7 at Kamiyacho Trust Tower, the first public exhibition for international residents was held—Expat Expo Tokyo 2020. Our recently rebranded platform GoConnect made its public debut at the event, with lots of giveaways from the platform and its Partners, as well as a raffle in support of a very worthy charity. The two-day event drew more than 1,000 guests and nearly 30 companies from a variety of industries—such as travel, food, beverage, language schools, and real estate. Visitors were treated to opportunities to experience Japanese culture through activities such as samurai performances and trying on kimonos. Many companies also provided the chance to try their products and services—booth visitors could enjoy everything from sake tasting to a short massage.
Recap Video
Check out our video recap to hear from our Partners and get a look at all the fun!
The GoConnect Booth
Aside from our staff, we were happy to be accompanied by Michael Clemons, founder of YouMeWe NPO, and by Tokyo Coding Club—our premium sponsor for the booth. YouMeWe supports children at orphanages in Japan, while Tokyo Coding Club organizes classes in coding and IT for young children and teenagers.
We also organized an exciting raffle, with all proceeds going to YouMeWe NPO. Amazing prizes included a weekend for two in Hakuba, dinner at the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, afternoon tea at Conrad Tokyo, and more. GoConnect raised ¥41,000 for YouMeWe! We were also pleased that many guests were interested in using GoConnect offers on the platform and listing their products and services with us. GoConnect’s newsletter subscription list also got a significant boost from guests. The Expat Expo 2020 was a great success and an excellent opportunity to spread the word about our rebranded platform. 
Sponsors of the GoConnect Raffle
Our raffle would not have been successful without the generous sponsorship from our Partners. GoConnect is deeply grateful for their support. Here are the Partners that we would like to express gratitude to:
- Four Partners who are making the Hakuba Weekend Get-a-Way for two possible: The Alps View for a two-night stay, Hakuba Valley for a two-day lift ticket, Rhythm Japan for two days of ski or snowboard rentals, and Evergreen International Ski School for two full-day group lessons
- Conrad Tokyo for an afternoon tea for two at TwentyEight
- ANA Intercontinental Tokyo for a dinner for two at the Karin Chinese Restaurant
- Club 360 for three group classes
- Elana Jade Beauty for a 60-minute Aromatherapy Oil Massage
- Louis Pommery England for 3 bottles of English sparkling wine
- mesm Tokyo for a lunch for two at Restaurant Chef’s Theatre
Angelinah Maphanga
Content Marketer, Custom Media
