100+ Person Workshop in Monaco for a Japanese Pharmaceutical Company

Case Study of a Workshop for a Healthcare Company

Client: Pharmaceutical

No. of participants: 150

Destination: Monaco

Period: November 2025

# Case Studies
# Medical and Pharma Events
# Strategic Meetings Management
# Event Solution
# Group Travel
# Europe

We were requested by our client, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, to plan and operate a three-day workshop for participants from all over the world, aimed at updating them about the latest technologies. This is an annual workshop that we have handled for many years.

Infographic showing three elements behind JTB M&E’s one-of-a-kind experiences: Japanese quality, local collaboration, and One Europe team

Summary

・To meet expectations that get higher every year, we manage venue operations and audio in exhaustive detail. We included special features such as a classic car experience and sake barrel breaking ceremony and managed to adapt to all logistical delays without problems.

・We scrupulously accommodated dietary restrictions and allergies and responded flexibly to a sudden change of venue. To provide participants with the most comfortable and efficient experience possible, we arranged VIP-style transportation routes and online registration.

・Regardless of the host country, we maintain the highest standards. We minimize hassles by sharing knowledge between branches and making use of our European collaboration system and progress management.

・Staff who understand both Japan and the local area ensure consistent support. Our team works together to ensure success and deliver a high level of satisfaction.

Speaker

JTB M&E team member presenting a pharmaceutical workshop case study in Monaco

JTB Europe,
Meetings & Events (JTB M&E)
Sales & Operations Executive, London

Maria Obata

Monaco harbor and cityscape with national flags for a pharmaceutical workshop case study

Making Proposals that Keep Meeting
Expectations that Get Higher Every Year

Since many of the guests have attended the workshop multiple times, expectations for the entire tour get higher every year. This applies not only to the plenary sessions that make up the main part of the workshop, but also to all other activities.

To ensure the workshop runs smoothly, we check repeatedly with venue staff and audiovisual technicians to make sure that parking within the venue, people flow design, staff placement, venue sound quality, and other details are just right. Our primary role is to make sure that guests can focus totally on the workshop by diligently taking care of everything else. We do much more than this, however. To satisfy the client, it is essential that we deliver an experience that feels special and exceeds their expectations.

At the end of the first day, guests visited a museum housing the classic car collection of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and enjoyed a ride in one of the fabulous cars. At the subsequent gala dinner, we incorporated some touches unique to Japanese corporate culture. We provided happi coats and a sake barrel featuring the name of the client company, arranged a sake barrel breaking (kagamiwari) ceremony for the celebratory toast, and invited a Japanese sushi chef residing in Monaco to prepare sushi. The happi coats and sake barrel had to be shipped from Japan, but thanks to JTB M&E’s wealth of experience with logistical challenges like these, we can always anticipate and manage potential delays and difficulties. A delivery delay did occur in this case, but we were prepared for it, so there was no problem.

Another one of our strengths is our close partnership with Monaco-based Japanese guides. The relationships we have built over many years allow us to offer tour features that are normally impossible to arrange, such as the classic car experience and the special sushi chef.

Coastal road curve overlooking Monaco harbor for a pharmaceutical workshop case study

Japan’s Unique Spirit of Meticulous Hospitality (Omotenashi)

We paid great attention to designing the menu for the gala dinner. To make sure that everything would be perfect, we visited the venue in person to make sure that we didn’t overlook anything regarding dietary restrictions and guest numbers. We arranged for allergy-friendly dishes and vegan options, doing our very best to satisfy every guest.

We also focused on providing “smart” experiences, for example by designing optimized travel routes to navigate the unique roadways of Monaco (sacred ground of F1 racing), offering VIP-style services such as handing room keys and lanyards to guests immediately on arrival at the hotel (allowing them to proceed smoothly to their rooms while creating a warm and seamless welcome experience), and implementing a web registration system to allow participants to register individually and conveniently manage their event information.

As a final parting gift, we presented each participant with a bottle of Monaco liquor featuring the client’s logo. Through this tangible souvenir, we wanted to help strengthen engagement between the client and workshop participants.

Elegant hotel facade in Monaco for a pharmaceutical workshop hospitality case study

One of JTB’s Strengths is the Ability to Deliver High-quality Experiences in Different Countries

A key characteristic of this annual event is that the host country changes every year. Regardless of where the event is held, or which JTB branch is in charge, branches share detailed information with each other to ensure that they can propose a high-quality tour program that surpasses the client’s high expectations.

We build on the ideas and knowledge we receive from our predecessors, add our own experiences, and then pass everything on to the next person in charge. Our greatest strength is the ability to accumulate knowledge through quantitative and qualitative analysis, and documentation, so that we don’t lose any of our expertise. This is something that only JTB, with its seamless Europe-wide service network, can achieve.

Another important function we fulfill, naturally, is to monitor and manage the progress of the client’s tasks so that everything stays on schedule. Clients tend to become increasingly busy as the event day approaches. For this reason, we attentively prepare schedules and lists of tasks arranged by priority and deadline, hold frequent meetings, and issue task reminders. To ease the pressure on our clients, we pay exhaustive attention to every individual action. For example, we frame questions so that they can be answered simply by a yes or no.

JTB M&E team member discussing a pharmaceutical workshop case study in Monaco

Since I work at JTB London, most of the people I usually interact with are British, so Monaco was a new challenge for me. We took our time in preparing, building strong relationships with colleagues at JTB Europe, as well as with the workshop venue, hotel, and restaurants. Everyone worked together to make the project a success. When I heard that the client expressed a very high level of satisfaction in the follow-up survey, I felt a strong sense of fulfillment and gratitude, and renewed confidence.

Whenever we work with a Japanese client, as we did on this tour, a Japanese staff member who thoroughly understands both Japan and the local area serves as a constant point of contact. This allows us to provide seamless support for everything from on-site inspections and interactions with local suppliers, to settlement of accounts. As a result, clients can trust us to meet their needs with complete peace of mind. I believe that the JTB Group is uniquely placed to offer both meticulous, uniquely Japanese service quality (omotenashi) and locally rooted expertise anywhere in the world, to deliver relaxed and comfortable experiences. I hope that companies thinking about an overseas event or tour can experience this for themselves.