Armed with objective data, we will appeal to citizens and businesses. We will visualize the vibrancy of "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" (Everyone's Kawasaki Festival), a challenge for the next 100 years, and promote urban development unique to Kawasaki City.

Introduction

The Kawasaki City Urban Development Bureau is working hand-in-hand with private companies to promote urban development that aligns with new values. While local governments are generally perceived as "windows" that handle permits and guidance, the Kawasaki City Urban Development Bureau also acts as a "translator and liaison" connecting citizens and private companies. In recent years, they have been particularly focused on the "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" (Everyone's Kawasaki Festival), a co-creation type festival that was launched in 2024 to commemorate the city's 100th anniversary.

This time, in order to visualize the vibrancy of the "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" (Everyone's Kawasaki Festival) and to use objective data to advance challenges for the next 100 years, our company's "people flow Analysis" and "Geo-Research (Survey)" were introduced. We spoke with a representative from the Kawasaki City Urban Development Bureau's Hub Development Promotion Office about the background of the introduction, the results, and future prospects.

 

 

【assignment】

• While qualitative goals were set for the event, quantitative effectiveness measurements were not being performed.
• There was a lack of compelling data to support the citizens and businesses who were cooperating with us.

[Policies]

1. people flow analysis
   - Analysis of event attendees
   • Analysis of visitor flow to surrounding facilities
   - Traffic volume analysis for each road
2. Geo-Research (Survey)
   - Web survey limited to event attendees using location-based targeting.
   • Measuring economic ripple effects

【result】

• Quantitatively demonstrate the number of visitors, economic ripple effects, and the effectiveness of mutual customer referral measures with surrounding facilities.
• This can be used as compelling material for providing feedback to businesses.

 

The main artery in front of the station will be closed off. This event will be a "seed" that will grow into something big for the next 100 years.

What kind of event is Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri?

Created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Kawasaki City's municipal status, this event brings together a diverse range of cultural activities, including sports, dance, art, music, and food, in public spaces such as City Hall Street in front of Kawasaki Station.

What was important in the city's 100th anniversary commemorative project was "not to create a fireworks display that disappears in an instant, but to create a 'sprout' that, even if small, has the potential to grow big for the next 100 years." In front of Kawasaki Station, main roads extend towards the sea where the Keihin Industrial Zone is located, but there is no road network like the side roads and alleys that allow for detours as in Tokyo. Therefore, if City Hall Street is closed, essential infrastructure will come to a halt.

By deliberately closing off these major arteries of the city, this initiative demonstrates the potential for utilizing road space while simultaneously providing an extraordinary experience that can be enjoyed together with the citizens. This project is not simply a celebration of the 100th anniversary, but also embodies a challenge for the next 100 years.

Furthermore, in line with the walkable urban development initiative promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, this project is positioned as a social experiment to test new ways of using public spaces, shifting from "roads where cars are the main focus" to "roads where people are the main focus." The police stated that "regulating main roads is inherently difficult," and obtaining permission was proving challenging.

Kawasaki City is fortunate to have a sound financial position and is one of the few cities in Japan where the population continues to grow. Based on the idea of "investing in the future and taking on challenges while we are still healthy," we are pursuing various initiatives.

Please tell me the mission for everyone's Kawasaki Festival.

Our mission is to "provide a space where people can encounter new values and experiences."

Kawasaki City has a long, narrow shape stretching from northwest to southeast, and is characterized by a large number of railway lines running from northeast to southwest. The northern part is served by the Odakyu Line, the central part by the Tokyu Toyoko Line and Den-en-toshi Line, and the southern part by the Tokaido Line and Keihin-Tohoku Line, providing easy access to central Tokyo and Yokohama. On the other hand, there are many residents who say, "Even though it's in the same city, I've never been to Kawasaki Ward," highlighting the physical and psychological divide that is a challenge.

Therefore, we positioned City Hall Street as a "showcase packed with the charm of Kawasaki," bringing together various companies and organizations from within the city to offer diverse experiences. We prepared 96 different activities so that people of all ages could enjoy them. There was also an underlying theme: "If you walk from one end of the venue to the other, you'll come back as a different person."

Since there are several large General facility (shop) located around Kawasaki Station, we also implemented mutual customer attraction measures aimed at driving visitors from the event venue to these facilities. Because the event is still not widely known, we haven't been able to collaborate with all the facilities yet, but as an administrative body, we would like to collaborate with as many facilities as possible to create a flow of visitors throughout the area.

The need to quantitatively prove emotional value

Could you tell us the background behind your decision to implement our people flow analysis and survey services?

The impetus for this change was the fact that, while we had the emotional mission I mentioned earlier, we were unable to quantitatively measure its effectiveness.

The event's organization has involved various adjustments, including consultations with the police regarding regulations and discussions with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism regarding bus route changes, and it relies on the understanding and cooperation of the local community. Therefore, we cannot set a reserve date (postponement date) in case of rain. In other words, if it rains on the day of the event, we will have no choice but to cancel it, and there is a risk that all the effort and expenses invested up to that point will be wasted in an instant.

The funding for this event comes from the valuable tax money entrusted to us by the citizens. As an administration, we have a responsibility to be accountable for how that money is used. That's why, unless we can scientifically and objectively prove with data how much economic impact this event is generating, it will be difficult to continue it in the future. With that in mind, we decided to introduce people flow analysis and surveys.

During the implementation process, GeoTechnologies, Inc. showed great enthusiasm, even with budget constraints, and provided flexible proposals and support.

 

Use quantitative data to enhance your persuasiveness.

What were your impressions or positive points after reviewing the analysis and survey results?

1.Person people flow analysis
We feel that being able to prove the attendance figures (expanded estimates) with data was a significant achievement. Our previous calculations had resulted in an attendance figure of "approximately 107,000," but the analysis report we received from GeoTechnologies, Inc. showed "approximately 98,000," confirming that there was not a significant difference. Attendance figures for government events are often viewed with suspicion, but this allows us to objectively demonstrate the fact that "this many people gathered at this event." Therefore, we believe it will be very effective material when citizens or the council request explanations.

 

Regarding the analysis of visitor flow with surrounding facilities, we provided analysis reports to businesses that implemented mutual customer referral measures. By showing numerically the number of people who used both "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" and "each business's facility" on the day of the event, we were able to increase the persuasiveness of the measures' effectiveness. Furthermore, having quantitative data allowed us to engage businesses on a level playing field, based on the premise of a win-win situation, rather than relying on pleading, and to say, "Let's continue working together next time." We also showed the reports to businesses that did not end up collaborating this time, allowing us to say, "We confirmed such a significant customer referral effect, so let's definitely work together next time," and this has been useful as valuable feedback material.

Analysis of visitor flow with surrounding facilities

 

2. Geo-Research (Questionnaire)
By gathering information on the amount spent at the event, we were able to calculate its economic impact. The estimated economic impact is approximately 189 million yen. This demonstrated that the event is a worthwhile initiative, and also showed that even if it is canceled due to rain, there is a possibility of fully recovering the invested costs if it can be held the following year.

Amount spent at the event

Customized research and analysis create more usable data.

What are your plans for the future?

We plan to continue holding the "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" (Everyone's Kawasaki Festival) in the future. Leveraging our experience and know-how to date, we will take on even greater challenges in 2026. Under the policy of "creating an entertainment city that attracts attention," which is stated in the Kawasaki Mayor's manifesto, we have the goal of launching Asia's largest event in front of Kawasaki Station.

Up until now, we have held several large-scale events in conjunction with "Minna no Kawasaki Matsuri" (Everyone's Kawasaki Festival), but from now on, we will combine them into a single, integrated event and further evolve it.

Any city can hold a simple pedestrian zone event. However, in Kawasaki, new value is created when "citizens and citizens," "cultures and cultures," and "the city and the future" intersect, and each of these leads to the next step. We will evolve this into an event unique to Kawasaki that has such meaning.

We plan to continue evaluating the effectiveness of our events and strive to improve their quality going forward.

Please tell us what you would like to see in the next effectiveness evaluation.

We also had the road traffic volume near the intersection where traffic restrictions were implemented analyzed, but we were unable to determine the cause of the congestion caused by the restrictions. Next time, we would like to consider introducing video analysis of point-series people flow data and connect the findings from identifying the cause of congestion to developing concrete countermeasures.

Regarding visits to surrounding facilities, this time the survey was conducted solely through people flow analysis, but next time we would like to conduct a more in-depth survey using questionnaires. For example, by adding questions such as "Why did you stop by this facility?", we believe we can more clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of mutual customer referral measures.

We plan to further evolve the event by utilizing the data obtained through continuous effectiveness measurement. In the future, we aim to develop it into one of the most well-known events in Japan, similar to the "Kawasaki Halloween" event (a Halloween event including a costume parade) that we previously held. Furthermore, given its easy access from Haneda Airport, we are also considering attracting inbound tourists.

What we expect from GeoTechnologies, Inc.

Could you tell me what you would recommend about our solution?

I find their flexible proposal capabilities tailored to the budget, along with their clear and persuasive reports, to be major strengths. The detailed and extensive analysis items and attribute information available make it a highly valuable solution for private companies engaged in marketing and PR.

What are your expectations of our company?

I believe GeoTechnologies, Inc.' strength lies in the detailed and extensive analysis items and attribute information they provide. However, in government settings, this level of detail is not always necessary. Therefore, I think that providing a reasonably priced, customized package that focuses on essential information to reduce costs would make it even more useful.

 

Why not use people flow analysis and Geo-Research to measure the effectiveness of your events?

This time, Kawasaki City introduced people flow analysis and Geo-Research to measure the effectiveness of their event, and they shared the background of the implementation, the results, and future prospects.

 

people flow analysis

High-precision people flow data, which captures the movement of people as lines rather than points, allows us to visually understand where people are coming from and where they are going, enabling us to analyze their movement patterns.

―Geo-Research

Based on the fact that "people were there," we quickly conduct highly accurate surveys targeting specific areas. We support our clients in rapidly verifying their business hypotheses and increasing the likelihood of commercialization.

 

By combining both approaches, it becomes possible to measure the effectiveness of an event from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

I want to measure the effectiveness of the event that I planned with enthusiasm.

- We want to demonstrate the effectiveness of utilizing public spaces.

We want to visualize the effectiveness of measures to improve the walkability of the local area.

If you are facing these kinds of challenges, please feel free to contact us.