Introduction.
I am developing “Mia,” a talking cat-shaped robot that speaks various dialects.
The company participated in the 5th TIB PITCH held on Friday, June 28 at the Tokyo Innovation Base (TIB), an initiative of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and was selected for the TiB SHOP course, and is currently on display as a pop-up store at the TiB SHOP from Sunday, August 25 to Thursday, October 24.
The exhibition ended today and the removal was just completed.
What we did in preparation for the store exhibit and what we did during the month of September after the exhibit began was previously described in this article.
In this issue, I would like to describe the improvements made to the layout and the final removal of the exhibition in the latter half of the month.
Layout improvements made in the month of October
Here are the layout improvements made during the month of 9/25-10/24.
I want to look at each of these.
| Date | Layout Improvement |
|---|---|
| 9/26 | Japanese map panel installed |
| 9/30 | Original message function panel installed. |
| 10/14 | Change of exhibition location |
| 10/24 | Final day of exhibition → Removal |
9/26: Japanese map panel installed
On 9/18, 28 new dialects of Mia’s correspondence were added.
Until now, panels were set up for four dialects (Kagoshima, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima)
However, since the number of supported dialects has increased significantly with this release, we decided to create and install an A3 panel on the map of Japan with Mia icons lined up where the dialects are already supported.
The panels were set up with the catchphrase, “Which region is your guess Mia? with the catchphrase “Which region is your guess Mia?
9/30: Panel for original message function
Next, panels were created to promote the original message functionality that was released.
Original Message is a feature that allows you to create your own phrases that you would like Mia to speak, either in text or in a recording.
You can create favorite phrases in the voices of your children, grandchildren, family members, or guesses, and use them as alarms, reminders, messages of support, etc.
It can be used not only for general users (toC), but also for business purposes (toB), such as product descriptions.
Since the original message function itself can be used for both toC and toB, and since TiB SHOP offers many points of contact with toB as well as toC, we wondered if we could successfully appeal to both toC and toB, and consulted with the management staff.
The final product was created in this manner, with pink background panels for toC and toB, respectively, and placed in the middle and bottom rows.
For the toB phrases, we prepared explanations such as TiB SHOP information and TiB explanations that companies could recall that they could use to explain their products and events. The toB phrases were prepared in such a way that companies could recall that they could use them to explain their products or events.
Phrases for toC
- Thanks for your work, Mom and Dad! Thanks for everything. Have a good rest today.
- It’s time to take your medicine! Don’t forget to take them!
- Grandma and grandpa, how are you doing? I’ll come visit you again.
- Good morning! Did you forget anything? Did you bring your homework, pencil case, and contact book?
Phrases for toB
- TIB Shop is a place where startup companies dealing with products for general consumers can open a store for a limited time to conduct test marketing and promotion of their products.
- TIB, which aims to be the nexus of TMG’s efforts to promote innovation around the world, holds TIB Pitches on a regular basis. We look forward to hearing from you.
- Tokyo Innovation Base aims to be a nexus for innovation around the world. It is a place where diverse people connect with each other and create challenges to advance society with innovative ideas and technologies.
- The TIB Shop provides opportunities for startups to meet and interact with other startups, supporters, and other business partners.
- Welcome to the TIB Shop! Please take a look at the products on display.
- The TIB FAB is a demonstration field where prototypes can be built and products can be tested, from principle hardware prototypes to simple tests in the FAB space.
10/14: Exhibit location changed
We decided to change the sales floor because some people will be exhibiting in the next two months.
Personally, I was happy with the change in the sales area, as it was originally a place where the wind came directly from the front and had to be protected from the wind.
10/24: Final day of exhibition and removal
And today, October 24, was the last day of the exhibition.
The exhibition ended at 5:00 p.m., and we went straight to work taking it down. It took about an hour and a half to set up, but only 15 minutes to take down.
The plastic panels made it simple, so it took only one cardboard box.
As a memorial? I had a staff member take a picture of me.
Return Wi-Fi rental
Mia communicates with the app and the device through 2.4 GB of Wi-Fi to operate the device, including dialect switching, so we rented Wi-Fi for two months.
We used this Wi-Fi rental. 9,000 yen for 60 days.
https://www.rakuten.co.jp/wifi-rental
I received it the day after ordering and it was very easy to return it, as all I had to do was put the wifi, usb cable, and adapter in a special bag and post it to the post office with a Yu-packet cash on delivery.
I will continue to use the Wi-Fi rental service for temporary use of WiFi at pop-up stores and other locations.
summary
This was my first pop-up exhibition and I had a lot to learn from zero, but with the advice of the TiB SHOP staff, I was able to get through it and had fun doing it.
The most rewarding thing for me was that I learned that it is possible to create a somewhat presentable exhibit without spending a surprisingly large amount of money, depending on the ideas one has.
By the way, we were able to sell 11 units in stores during the two-month exhibition.
