Initiatives
Behind the Scenes at STEF 2022 as Told by the Project Leaders
A Collaboration that Begins with Creating Space
Mar 22, 2023
STEF was originally only for Sony employees, but STEF 2022 was open to the public for the first time. What is the behind-the-scenes story of this Sony Group-wide event?
We asked the project leaders about the goals of STEF, what went on behind-the-scenes, and about the culture that supported it.
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Kensuke Shimizu
Project Leader of STEF's In-house Exhibitions
Corporate Technology Strategy Department
Sony Group Corporation -
Kohei Adachi
Project Leader of STEF's Public Exhibitions
Corporate Technology Strategy Department
Sony Group Corporation
Aim to “Create Innovation and Collaboration”
──Please tell us about your career path and how you came to be in charge of promotion and operations of STEF.
Shimizu：As an engineer until March 2022, I worked as a team leader of audio product design and as a professional demand analyst summarizing elements we should work to achieve by looking at user experiences and technological solutions against business demands. I also enjoyed learning deeply and sharing about various topics, and I would often give lectures at in-house events and hold study meetings in addition to my usual work. Until recently, it probably could have been said I was wearing 2.5 hats. I moved to my current department in April of last year and am working as project leader of STEF's in-house exhibitions.
Adachi：I was transferred to my current department in June 2022 and started working as the project leader of STEF's public exhibitions for outside guests. Before that, I was working in promotions and marketing for Sony Interactive Entertainment, and most recently I was responsible for planning and operations of e-sports. I'm glad I got to join the project for the first opening of STEF to the public. It was good timing.
──What was the original goal of STEF?
Shimizu：One of the goals of STEF was to “create innovation and collaboration.” Through having diverse group employees gather from around the world and interact with those who share a curiosity for technology, we create a dream of possibility. STEF has embodied this with sincerity and sustainability for 50 years. At the event, most of Sony's Values are embodied, and we can even witness the things produced by those values. It's almost as if the event is a condensed version of Sony Group.
Adachi：This was our first attempt at opening the event to the public. Previously STEF had only been held as an internal event for Sony employees, and one of the reasons we decided to open the 50th STEF, which had been limited to Sony employees in previous years, to the public was because we wanted people to gain a better understanding of the strengths of Sony's technology. We wanted to share the diversity of Sony's technology and the fact that corporate culture that gives rise to innovation is firmly rooted in Sony. In other words, sharing our technology was not the only goal; we also wanted to share our corporate culture.
──How did you go about promoting the project?
Adachi：Because this was the first attempt at opening STEF to the public, it was progression by trial and error. We consulted with in-house engineers and management partners as we contemplated which technologies to exhibit and how, and at the same time we were determining the scale of the event, the website, and more. On top of that, we collaborated with other departments in utilizing social media and coordinating with the R&D Strategy Briefing,which was held at the same time as STEF.
Shimizu：In planning the in-house exhibitions, we started by deciding on this year’s theme, which would be common to the public exhibitions, with CTO Kitano and the technology management team. We received hundreds of applications for in-house exhibits. We couldn’t accept all applications due to space constraints, so we looked at the applications to determine which exhibits most closely embodied this year’s theme and would have higher synergy with the technical exchange.
Adachi：We used a part of the first and second floors of Sony Headquarters for the public exhibitions, but we had to think about what to exhibit and how while considering physical constraints, such as space. We wanted to foster a sense of unity between the in-house and public exhibitions, so I was contacting Shimizu-san on the daily.
Shimizu：Yeah. We had regular meetings, but we were constantly contacting each other outside of that too. I’m glad that we were able to always understand each other’s current status and support each other.
Even if we simply say “public exhibitions,” what we communicate changes depending on the visitor. In addition to separating in-house and external visitors, we gave each stakeholder different time slots to see the exhibit. Of course, we limited access to technologies currently being researched and developed to in-house visitors. In order to have visitors with different purpose easily enjoy the exhibitions while maintaining a sense of unity, we continued working together until the last day to adjust site flow and guidance.
The Power of the People Fueled STEF's success.
Challenges and Efforts Behind the Scenes
──What were the responses of the visitors like?
Adachi：This time, we made exhibitions and lectures public on our website, while the physical venue was invitation only. We made preparations to invite as many stakeholders as possible and mainly exhibited things that visitors could try and experience for themselves. Some of them commented saying, “It's like an amusement park for adults!”
Shimizu：It was also very refreshing to have college and high school students attend this year.
Adachi：I agree. We asked the exhibitors to prepare explanations that could be understood by high schoolers. Thanks to their good planning, we received many comments from visitors saying the explanations were thorough and easy to understand.
Shimizu：In addition to STEF, we have many internal technical exchange events within Sony Group, but STEF is our biggest and is one to which group employees from around the world come to participate. We also heard some people say they wanted the event to last longer; however, extending the event period would put a lot of burden on the exhibitors, so we will search for balance as we consider extending it.
Adachi：It was also our first time opening the conferences to the public.
Shimizu：We opened a few conferences to the public that were previously only for employees, and we have received a large response for it.
──What were you especially careful in planning, and what about promoting the event did you find difficult?
Adachi：We were especially conscious of unity in the event space. Although the event spaces and the visitors were different, both the in-house and public exhibitions were part of the same STEF. We made sure to manage the event and to create a space so all the visitors could experience the same STEF atmosphere Sony employees have experienced for the last 50 years.
Shimizu：STEF is an event in which all of Sony Group’s six business segments participate, so the number of exhibitions, exhibitors, visitors, and stakeholders was considerable, which made it challenging to communicate with everyone. Because we held briefings multiple times so everyone could attend, and because we were contacting everyone individually on a daily or a weekly basis, it almost felt like everyone involved in the project was old friends. We always kept in mind the sincerity of our communication and support. Looking back on it, I think that was one of the factors that led to STEF's success.
Adachi：I also felt the importance of communication at the event. The main goal of the event was to accurately communicate Sony’s technology and get visitors interested. So that we didn't stray from that goal, even if there were various limitations, we didn't look for things to compromise but for the best methods to display the exhibits.
We Anticipate the Rise of New Innovations Through Created Opportunities
──What kinds of comments did you receive from visitors and participants? In addition, if you noticed any networking happening at the event, could you please talk a little about that as well?
Adachi：We heard many compliments from visitors saying the event was interesting and easy to understand and from exhibitors saying they would like to exhibit again. I think we did a good job in creating an event that satisfied both.
Exhibition visitors at Sony Headquarters
Shimizu：There has been some form of networking at STEF every year. We hosted the event online one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but since then we have been progressively increasing the in-person exhibitions. The event has finally become hybrid, which expanded the way of networking.
Adachi：I have also heard that people have been staying in touch with those who physically attended the event, so I hope to see something develop from there.
Shimizu：We have seen various developments come from the exhibitions at STEF. For example, after people exhibited some convenient technology they had developed, the technology then quickly spread to various group companies. In another case, people exhibiting separately teamed up in the next year to show off their polished version of the technology or to turn it into a business. The networking has now expanded to external parties this year, so I look forward to seeing bigger results.
Message
Shimizu：I think Sony has a work environment in which you can pursue the work you want to achieve, in the way you want to. As for me, I often find myself diving into and talking about anything I find interesting, which is how I ended up wearing 2.5 hats. Of course, there are tasks that we must complete, but we enjoy a lot of freedom in deciding how we go about those tasks.
At Sony, there is no need to hesitate to express your individuality. There is a diverse group of people here, we appreciate each other, and we all bring something unique to the table. By being aware of the diversity of people and following my curiosity, I have experienced the birth of dreams and Kando (emotion). This is the corporate culture of Sony.
Adachi：Through STEF, I came to see that Sony is a place for diverse engineers that do not fit into one type of mold. I sensed each engineer has different aspiration, such as to deepen research, pursue development, or aim for business implementation. I think Sony has a culture in which the engineer's vision and goal lead the growth in their passion for technology.
Many of the visitors to STEF said they felt the passion of the engineers. I think Sony’s purpose to “Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology” could be felt and communicated with a sense of reality through the engineers at the event.
I would be delighted if someone who shares our dream to use technology to change the world for the better, takes an interest in Sony thorough STEF.
