[Employee Interview] Behind the Scenes of the "Customer Event" Held at the Professional Baseball Dramatic Sayonara Award Ceremony

The "SKY PerfecTV! Dramatic Sayonara Award Annual Grand Prize" is presented to the player (one from each of the Central and Pacific Leagues) who hit the most dramatic walk-off hit throughout the regular season.

On December 13th of last year, 2022, an awards ceremony was held for the 2022 season winners.
For the Annual Grand Prize, fans vote to select which play among the monthly SKY PerfecTV! Sayonara Award winners is most deserving of the Annual Grand Prize.

For the 2022 season,
Pacific League: Yuma Mune (Orix Buffaloes)
Central League: Kazuto Maruyama (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)
were selected.

＼Click here for the winning play videos!／

At the awards ceremony, as a "customer event" to express our daily gratitude to customers subscribed to SKY PerfecTV!, we invited lottery winners to participate in customer events such as a lottery for commemorative goods and photo sessions with the winning players.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the event had been held online until last year, but this year marked the return of an in-person audience for the first time in three years.
We spoke with Ms. Maruyama, a second-year employee in the Customer Relations Department who led this year's customer event, about the behind-the-scenes stories leading up to the event and how it went on the day.

―You were in charge of planning and operating the customer event at the "2022 SKY PerfecTV! Dramatic Sayonara Award Annual Grand Prize Awards Ceremony & Talk Show" (hereinafter referred to as the Awards Ceremony). Could you tell us about the flow of the event again?
This awards ceremony consists of three parts: first, the player awards, followed by a talk show and a photo session for the media, and finally, as the customer event, we hold a lottery where attendees can win autographed goods from the players, and set up a commemorative photo corner where they can stand behind the two players.

―While there were benefits unique to the online format, it was great to have an in-person audience for the first time in a while and to have the opportunity for fans to interact directly with the players again, wasn't it?
Yes, it was. Even when we held it online, some people came to the venue wearing the uniforms of their favorite teams. In particular, seeing a fan who came wearing a Yakult uniform win Mr. Maruyama's goods in the lottery and look so happy when the player handed them over directly made me happy too.

―Moving on to the time before the event, when does the preparation for this customer event begin?
For the awards ceremony in December, we started coordinating the event date and content with the Sayonara Award planners around mid-September.
Around October to November, we recruited participants on the "SKY PerfecTV! Waku Waku Present*" site, and in parallel, we went through various preparations such as checking the operation manual, coordinating support staff, and implementing COVID-19 infection control measures before the day arrived.

―Since it was the first in-person event in three years, you couldn't just follow the precedent from last year during the preparation stage, could you?
That's right. Since it was held online last year, I remember that the advance preparation for the stream and dealing with people who couldn't enter the Zoom meeting on the day were difficult.
This year, because it was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to create detailed infection control guidelines to ensure customers could participate safely, and think about criteria for deciding whether or not to hold the event in advance.
We also had to make preparations different from last year, such as sending antigen test kits to customers in advance for them to use.

―As a second-year employee, I believe this is your second time working on the awards ceremony, but the difficult points were completely different between the first and second times, weren't they? Were there any parts that were difficult in terms of preparation this year?
Since it was an event using an actual venue, it was difficult because there were many things I couldn't imagine, such as how to guide customers and how much space to leave between seats, and thinking about how to guide the customers who came in the smoothest way possible so they could enjoy the event.

Also, compared to the online event, there were more internal staff supporting on the day, such as staff for guidance within the venue, identity verification, and checking antigen test results, so thinking about the movements of each staff member and creating manuals was something I had to consult with senior employees about while struggling.

―I see. Was there something like a driving force that kept you going even at times like that?
After all, I believe that making customers happy and having them enjoy and love SKY PerfecTV! is the essence of our work, so the desire to create a place where people can find something they are passionate about or enjoy what they love even more was my driving force.
Actually, I became interested in baseball because of last year's awards ceremony, and now I'm looking forward to the arrival of next season (laughs).

―Is that so! (laughs)
I had opportunities to encounter baseball before, but honestly, I didn't really understand the rules or the teams...
But at last year's awards ceremony, I saw Chiba Lotte Marines player Shuhei Fukuda, and I thought he was cool and started to like him, and with the sole desire to see a real baseball player, I went to watch a baseball game for the first time after that.

―To see Mr. Fukuda.
No, the game I watched was Giants vs. Chunichi (laughs). From there, I also started to like and support Chunichi Dragons player Ryuku Tsuchida.
I felt once again that actually going to the venue and experiencing the atmosphere of the stadium is a trigger for becoming passionate about something.

―I see. Were you originally interested in this kind of communication with customers, Ms. Maruyama?
Yes. In high school, I was involved in running the school festival, and after entering university, I held exchange meetings for new students in a group that creates events for students and staff, so I felt a sense of fulfillment in events where someone comes directly and is happy.
So, I originally wanted to have a job where I could interact with customers, and I feel glad that I joined the company because I was able to be involved in the customer event for the Sayonara Award as part of my work.

—Before we know it, the 2023 professional baseball season will be starting soon. Finally, please tell us if you have any thoughts or plans for the future!

Through this awards ceremony and customer event, I was reminded once again that holding events with a live audience is wonderful.Events are, after all, a great way for people to discover something they like or to become even more passionate about it. Although there are still some COVID-related restrictions, I hope to plan and increase the number of such opportunities.
I want to create special moments that customers will look back on fondly and think, 'That was so much fun.'

—Thank you very much.

The behind-the-scenes footage of this awards ceremony and the talk show are currently available on YouTube. Please be sure to watch them!

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