【Breaking News】Dentsu Selected as Osaka Expo Opening Ceremony Operator - Advertising giants revived one after another as bidding suspension lifted
On May 31, 2024, the Japan Expo Association announced the consortium in which advertising giant Dentsu will participate as the best proposer through an open call for projects related to the opening ceremony of the Osaka Expo. In fiscal 2024, the suspension of bidding by major advertising companies, which had been suspended from bidding for the Tokyo Olympics due to allegations of bid-rigging, has been lifted, and we are entrusted with the Expo business. (In the center: The tower building where the Dentsu Kansai Branch is located)
The official name of the Osaka Expo Opening Ceremony related business is "Planning and operation work related to the opening ceremony and organizer events of the Osaka Expo", and is a joint venture of Dentsu, Dentsu Live, and NHK Enterprises. Final Selection Was. There were two companies that made proposals, and Hakuhodo was the one that was not selected.
| Dated April 30, 2024 Osaka Expo Starts Accepting Businesses to Operate the Opening Ceremony - Measures to Suppress Hollowing Out Are Limited, Dentsu Lifts the Bidding Participation Ban in February ( ※ ） |
Dentsu and others will be in charge of organizing the opening ceremony of the Expo on April 12, 2025, and the organizer events after the opening. In the announcement of the project, the maximum budget for consignment was 965,948,500 yen, and the Dentsu consortium proposed 965,941,900 yen. In the future, Dentsu and others will conclude a contract with the Expo Association and will be involved in the business based on the basic plan formulated by the Expo Association and others.
Dentsu made a comeback in April with sponsorship acquisition, followed by other advertising giants
Dentsu was suspended from bidding by Osaka Prefecture City and the Expo Association from February 10, 2023 ~ February 9, 2024 due to allegations of bid-rigging at the Tokyo Olympics. After the ban on participation in bidding was lifted, Dentsu became the final contractor of the three companies on April 24 with the first place in the Expo Association's "Expo Organizers Sponsorship Promotion Consignment Project" selection Was.
The second highest rating score was advertising giant Tokyu Agency, which was also suspended from bidding last year due to allegations of bid-rigging at the Tokyo Olympics. The third place in the evaluation score was a surprising Hibiya Flower Garden Group from outside the advertising industry. In the future, these three companies will be in charge of acquiring sponsors for organizer events and opening and closing ceremonies. Hakuhodo, a major advertising company, did not participate in the public offering.
At the Tokyo Olympics, a corruption scandal related to sponsorship contracts occurred, and executives of advertising giants ADK and Ohiro were indicted, highlighting the importance of advertising companies being involved in sponsorship acquisition at large-scale events.
Hakuhodo had been suspended from participating in bidding by Osaka Prefecture City and the Expo Association until February 29, 2024, but after the suspension of bidding was lifted, on May 28, three applicants were selected as final contractor candidates for the "Osaka Expo Theme Week Overall Secretariat and Agenda 2025 Program Implementation Work" election Was. The maximum consignment budget was 697 million yen.
During the period when Dentsu and Hakuhodo were suspended from participating in bidding by Osaka Prefecture City and the Expo Association, their group companies participated in the public recruitment of Osaka Prefecture and the Expo Association and were entrusted with various projects.
