[Internal Event Report] 19th Anniversary: Thank You! THANKS Festival

Hello. This is the PR team at Saison Asset Management.
Thank you for always reading the Saison Asset Management note.

Thanks to your support, Saison Asset Management celebrated its 19th anniversary on June 12th, and we held a founding event. We would like to share how it went!

[A Day to Thank Our Colleagues]

Following last year, we held the "Thank You! THANKS Festival" as a day to express gratitude to our colleagues. At our company, we hold two internal events a year: the event in March celebrating the launch of our funds is designated as "A Day to Thank Our Customers", and the founding event in June is designated as "A Day to Thank Our Colleagues".

[Opening Remarks in a Wine Costume!]

After the opening, it was time for the opening remarks. The person who was looking forward to this event more than anyone else and who really livened things up was our President, Sonobe! He secretly prepared a wine costume and shared words of gratitude to the employees and their families.

[Special Project! Wine Tasting Party]

For this special project, we welcomed Vinos Yamazaki Co., Ltd. to give us a lecture on how to enjoy wine.

We were joined by Vinos Yamazaki's Founder and Chairman, Mr. Tanemoto, Managing Executive Officer, Mr. Tsurumi, and the manager of the Ikebukuro Sunshine City store, Mr. Iino. They carefully explained each of the wines we tasted. They talked about the wine regions, the producers, the reasons why they can offer delicious wine at affordable prices, and even shared some tips that would make for great conversation with wine connoisseurs. It was easy to understand even for beginners and really sparked an interest in wine!

We also provided non-alcoholic wine for those who don't drink alcohol, and we were surprised to learn that there is such a thing as authentic non-alcoholic wine infused with the passion of the producers.

[Customer Service with the Desire to 'Make Our Customers Happy']

We received many answers to questions from employees. One that left a particularly strong impression was the answer to the question, 'What do you value most in customer service?' Mr. Tsurumi, who is also a customer service trainer, spoke as follows.

'I believe that explaining wine and providing customer service are two different things. While explanations might eventually be replaced by AI, customer service is about making the customer happy and moved. I think it is difficult for AI to sense the time a customer spends with their family or friends and make suggestions based on that, so that is what I value in customer service. Also, I strive to ensure that customers leave with a smile, and at the root of my service is the desire for the customer to be happy.'

I felt that the attitude of not just explaining products, but providing service that is tailored to each customer while wishing for their happiness, resonates with our company's philosophy of wanting our customers to be happy through investment trusts aimed at asset formation.

[Who received the most 'thank yous'?]

Next is the announcement of the main event, the THANKS Grand Prize! We voted in advance for the people in the company we are grateful to. So, who is this year's winner?! This year, it was once again... Seshita, General Manager of the Multi-Manager Investment Department! This is his second consecutive win✨

Usually, we would get an acceptance speech here, but Seshita is currently on a business trip to Paris! Therefore, he prepared a video in advance as if he were broadcasting live from Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background, and delivered his joyful comments to everyone.

[In closing...]

Finally, a commemorative photo with all participants! Let's all work hard together for another year!