17/06/2024
We at Kohisekai would first of all, like to open this statement by giving our thanks to all the wonderful people who paid us a visit at the VIP Lounge during the Nijipop event. Despite it all, it was through your company and support that we are able to enjoy a small part of the event.
On to other matters, we'd like to preface this statement saying that the following is the collective experience of our group as someone who was asked to collaborate with the Nijipop event. The initial talks with Nijipop was promising and was advertised to us as not being labor heavy and similar to what we do as a hostclub centric organization. We were only supposed to serve the snacks that the management picked and entertain guests who were resting in the lounge. This was the reason why we agreed to the collaboration in the first place. However, in no way were we promised any talent fee or payment for the appearances and work we would be tasked to do for the event. When the event changed venues and people started complaining, we knew that the event was going to have a lot of problems. We soon discussed back out of the deal but ultimately reached the conclusion to see the event through as we contractually promised. Of course, the option to not join was available to our members and it was easily understood if anyone would want to back out. All things considered, it would have been the better option but we still did our part, not wanting to burden the staff members who actually tried their best to make the whole event and collaboration work. With that being said, it was a deeply disappointing collaboration on our part, one that cost our members a lot of stress and headaches. (Unfortunately, it was also not the first time that HyperLink has let us down, as was the case with a Honkai Star Rail event project where the organizers from their end left us hanging even after our members already bought their costumes and wig.)
Below is a summarized list of all the things that the Nijipop Head Organizers failed to provide and follow through during our "collaboration" for the event:
1.) Communication between the organizers and our team was poorly handled and information about the event had to be asked for repeatedly before it was even provided. Online communication was completely ignored during the weekend of the event, we had to offer our suggestions and observations regarding the VIP Lounge and event when we actually got a hold of the people in charge in person.
2.) They did not give us proper time to prepare for our segment on stage. The most we could provide was an interview to fill in for the time where the event did not have anything else planned. As much as we wanted to provide a more entertaining alternative, we were only informed of this part of the program 3 days before the event.
3.) One of the few things we asked for our members is to be provided meals on both days but on the first day, if it weren't for one of our members directly asking for it, it would not have been provided to us. They did provide it to us earlier on the second day so that was at least appreciated.
4.) The event judging was also something that was sprung on us on the day of with no prior time to prepare for it, as it seemed to be the trend for the event. While we were thankful for the opportunity, it did not change the fact that it could have been handled better. The fact the competition rubrics and contestant information was not readily provided was greatly disappointing and stressful to not only our members but even the international guest judge back then.
5.) Similarly related to the point above, the fact that we had to do odd jobs outside what we promised to the Nijipop organizers, all in an effort to ease the other staff's burden was incredibly upsetting as well.
6.) During our initial discussion, it was agreed upon that our members will be leaving early during the second day of the event in order to celebrate a team member's birthday. Unfortunately, due to the unexpected competition judging and program delays, they were unable to follow through with what they promised us and it almost completely ruined our plans for the day.
7.) Lastly, it was greatly frustrating that we were never offered any real apology from the head organizers regarding what we experienced. They did not respect our time, nor our hard work. Even the constructive criticism that we provided them privately after each day of the event was not even seen or acknowledged by the Nijipop core member that we were in contact with.
As a team, we truly did want the people experiencing the VIP Lounge to enjoy their time but with the limited resources they provided us it was difficult for us to do our job. Nevertheless, we still appreciated the hardworking staff that tried their best to accommodate us despite it all most importantly, to each of our guests who visited and purchased our merchandise. It was truly a pleasant surprise to us to see how much you all support our team! We hoped that we'd be able to see each other in our future events where we'll be sure to provide the best quality experience we can provide as a small team!
This marks the end to any and all partnerships or collaborations we had with Nijipop and HyperLink.
Photo credits to jCLICKson Photography