10th Anniversary of UNIVA Awards in Bali
For the first time in 4 years! Complete Close-up by JUAN Editor-in-chief!

In this UNI-SQUARE, we will introduce the UNIVA AWARDS 2023 incentive tour, which was held for the first time in four years due to COVID-19. On May 28th, 10 Shining Stars and 4 judges landed in Bali, Indonesia at dusk. The NAKAMA from Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore were captivated by the bright red sun and the beauty of the sky as it sank into the Indian Ocean. This trip started with feeling the sea breeze and getting to know each other at the Beach Bar of "Club Med Bali" where guests from around the world repeat. I, Juan, the tour manager and editor-in-chief of UNI-SIGHT, will report on the special moment with our NAKAMA!

Spend time face-to-face with NAKAMA around the world

After recovering from the fatigue of the trip, the next day, the morning of May 29th, started with the award ceremony. NAKAMA, who were meeting for the first time, praised each other's hard work, actively exchanged questions, and deepened their understanding of each other's work. However, there was still a lot of tension, and UNP Taiwan's Robot showed off his magic skills! Thanks to this, a sense of unity was created.

Then there was a panel discussion by the judges. "Purpose of UNIVA AWARDS", "Initiatives of each company", and "Ideal effect by UNIVA AWARDS" were discussed and shared. How do you incorporate the perspective of “Unite the Values” into your daily work, integrating values beyond the boundaries of group companies? I would like everyone Shining Star to utilize what they have felt and thought here in their next projects. I hope it will be delivered to NAKAMA, who couldn't come here. And the last activity in the morning is "Human Bingo". Surprisingly! Almost everyone goes bingo and gets a special souvenir from Bali. At the Janken tournament with Chairman Inaba, there was a heated battle for the Chairman's Award (laughs).

Free time in the afternoon. Each of them enjoyed archery, badminton, SPA, swimming, and trapeze. In just a few hours, I saw NAKAMA getting along with each other, and I felt the power of UNIVA AWARDS and incentive tours.

May 30th is Excursion Day. After boarding the Jeep, the group went to a place registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The countryside that spreads out to the south of Mount Batukal is truly the original scenery of Bali. The "water conservancy system" that has supported terraced rice fields for more than 1000 years has been spectacular, giving a sense of harmony between nature's mystery and people. After that, we stopped at a village where you can experience local life up close, and enjoy the charm of a resort away from the hustle and bustle. We visited a farm that produces Luwak Coffee, known as the rarest coffee in the world, and had the opportunity to sample a coffee that coffee lovers around the world say is a must-try. In the evening, we also enjoyed Balinese folk dance show and dance party.

We had such a rich time together in such a short time (three nights and four days), that it was a reluctant time to say goodbye. "I'll see you soon!" and "I'll get back to you." each of them made the following promise on their way home. I was deeply moved to see NAKAMA continuing to wave even after the car NAMAKA was in was out of sight.

First of all, what are UNIVA Awards?

Here, I would like to think about UNIVA AWARDS itself.

UNIVA AWARDS was established at the same time as UNI-SIGHT was launched in 2014. There are three purposes.

The first purpose is to share and "celebrate" the outstanding human resources of the UNIVA Group and their achievements with our NAKAMA. Over the past 10 years, we have awarded 133 NAKAMA! In addition to the awards, this event also led to personnel transfers within the group, with some employees even transferring to other group companies. "For the past 10 years, what we have always cherished is the form of "self-recommendation" in which people raise their hands. There were about 500 entries in the first round, and I remember that the judging was very difficult. In recent years, there is a tendency for companies to recommend and carefully select entries, but we would like you to raise your hand confidently and "nominate yourself" with "I am the one!"

The second purpose is "knowledge sharing". "Human Capital" and "Knowledge Capital" are important assets of the UNIVA Group, and we aim to create synergies beyond the boundaries of the company and maximize the profit of the group by sharing the knowledge of human resources. There have been cases where knowledge sharing has contributed to the growth of the group.

And the third purpose is to "reflection". By looking back on the past year, you can identify what you have done and what you have not done, and review your goals and strategies for the following year. In fact, some companies have made it mandatory to enter the UNIVA AWARDS as a way to reflect on the year. We have also received reports that in group companies that do not have awards systems, the UNIVA AWARDS have created a positive competitive spirit within the company.

"UNIVA" stands for "Unite the Values". The UNIVA WAY is to operate based on "People-focused Management" and then take on the "Global Ambitions" and realize "Capitalism based on Co-creation". UNIVA AWARDS is a major project within the UNIVA Group that embodies the UNIVA WAY. The daily consciousness and actions of each and every NAKAMA create the UNIVA WAY. Without comparing yourself to anyone else, be proud to present what you have accomplished this year as a member of UNIVA.

The real voice of NAKAMA and what's next

A survey conducted after the tour showed that satisfaction was 100%, just like in previous years.
Many of the comments were related to knowledge sharing, such as "I was able to talk with people from other group companies and my understanding of the group has deepened," "I was inspired by interacting with friends from different industries and occupations," and "I would like to collaborate with other group companies in the future to expand business opportunities."

Judge Asakura, Chief Branding Officer of the UNIVA Group, said, "I was reminded once again that meeting face-to-face and spending time together is extremely beneficial for team building." This time, I also felt many times that we could gain a sense of unity and motivation that could never be created remotely. And I witnessed the change that deepened the bonds between NAKAMA. It was also impressive that many people said they would like to keep in touch with people who are working on the same issues and exchange information in the future.

Robot (UNP Taiwan) and Varun (Nature Plus Singapore) had already had a discussion on a specific project during the trip, saying that they would "integrate the functions of existing APPs in each country and jointly develop a globally applicable APP". I'll be there to cover it as soon as it launches.

I believe the unknown value of incentive tours is that they allow you to communicate directly with Chairman Inaba and other management of group companies, and receive feedback on your work. Even just a few minutes of communication will change the breadth and speed of growth. This is the true essence of motivation.

"I would like to keep the motivation I gained from this tour and use it for future initiatives."
"I want to cherish what I notice and share it with my NAKAMA."
"I have gained confidence. I would like to actively make various proposals from now on."
"Thank you for a fun and meaningful tour."
"It was a very valuable experience."

This kind of positive feedback also serves to increase motivation for us, the organizers and managers. Of course, we have also received harsh opinions.

"It would be ideal for incentive tours to be original experiences that cannot be had on typical, outcome-based tourist trips."
"The content of the meeting should be better."
"I wanted to go to famous sightseeing spots."
"I wanted time to shop."

We will take all opinions seriously and will strengthen our planning and management to provide even better incentive tours from next year onwards. We also received this idea.

"If the focus is on what to do rather than where to do it, and if there is value in living under the same roof and sharing meals and sleeping quarters, then it might be fine to hold the event in Japan every year."

Please share your ideas for next year and your thoughts on this year's UNIVA AWARDS in the comments section below! Anything is fine. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions. You might be the one to join this tour next year!

I am looking forward to meeting and reuniting with many NAKAMA at the upcoming UNIVA AWARDS.