What is the inaugural “SSU Group Friends Family Day”? We bring you the full story of this event that deepened bonds between members and their families and friends

Work occupies much of our lives. If we’re going to do it anyway, we want to enjoy it while giving it our all!

When do you think, “I’m going to work hard!”?

When you achieve results, when you receive your salary, when you buy merchandise of your favorite artist, when your supervisor praises you…

The source of motivation varies from person to person, but some may say “when my family or friends support me.”

In fact, within our group, we hear stories like “I was happy when a friend told me, ‘Your eyes sparkle when you talk about work!'” and “On my way back from visiting home, my parents said, ‘Do your best. If it gets tough, you can always come back,’ and it really touched my heart…!”

Parents, spouses, children, and friends… When facing challenges at work, everyone has likely experienced feeling supported not only by the workplace but by various people in their lives.

We wanted the families and friends who support our members every day to learn a little more about our group and the members who work here.

So! We recently held the inaugural “SSU Group Friends Family Day” at our Sendagaya office 🎉

This article reports on that bond-deepening day 🔍

Preparing the day before while imagining smiles

We had been preparing for several months, planning from scratch—deciding when to hold the event and what content would be enjoyable for our guests.

Finally, the day before arrived. Members from the corporate division prepared together, imagining the smiles of those who would visit.

The full picture of the inaugural event is…!?

The day finally arrived.As soon as the event started, members and their friends family began arriving at the reception one after another!

We had been preparing for this event for six months. As it was our first attempt, we were anxious about how many people would participate, but we were thrilled to welcome over 80 people, far exceeding our expectations 🎉

Let’s take a peek at the event 👀

Light Refreshment Party

Upon entering the entrance, a delicious aroma filled the air… It was the light refreshment party at the Central Kitchen, the main attraction of the event!

For this occasion, products that our group handles PR for came together in a dream collaboration just for this day! We prepared a lineup that various guests could enjoy 🍽️

From the popular bakery café Saint Marc Café: “Chococro” and “Premium Chococro Kyo no Hannari White Bean Daifuku”

From Bel Japon: “Kiri Stick,” “Kiri Fruit Blend,” and “Belcube,” loved in over 130 countries worldwide

From YOKU MOKU, a prestigious Japanese confectionery manufacturer: “Cigare®” and other winter-limited assortments in “Cadeau de Liberté,” a collaboration with Hibiya Kadan

From Shake Shack, the hamburger restaurant from New York, USA: the popular “ShackBurger” and “Fries”

From DONQ, the long-established bakery from Kobe: limited-edition breads from the Aomori Apple Fair

From Royal Holdings, known for Royal Host: the popular Royal Deli items “Java Curry” and “Demi-Glace Hamburg Steak”

From Heineken Japan: “Heineken®,” the world’s No. 1 selling international premium beer, and its non-alcoholic beer “Heineken® 0.0”

From amaretto liqueur Disaronno: “Disaronno Amaretto” and “Disaronno Velvet”

And from bills, the all-day dining restaurant also operated by SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, we prepared “Ricotta Hotcakes,” “Parmesan Chicken Schnitzel,” “Hot Sandwich with Hokkaido Mozzarella and Sage Butter,” and “Chopped Salad” 🥂

Everyone enjoyed the food drinks as they pleased, and the Central Kitchen was buzzing with excitement! Some members were even introducing products and projects to their families. True PR professionals!!

Special Talk Session by Tsugihara Matsumoto

After selecting their favorite dishes, guests headed to the screen area for another main event: the “Special Talk Session by Tsugihara Matsumoto”!

Our group celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Etsuko Tsugihara, President and Representative Director of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, and Rie Matsumoto, Director of SUNNY SIDE UP, who have walked this journey together, presented on the company’s history, what PR and communication work entails, and the members who work here.

The primary purpose of this event was to help families and friends learn about our group and the daily activities of our members. The talk session was so engaging that it exceeded the scheduled time, but seeing everyone listening with great interest put us at ease.

Super Ball Scooping Children’s Coloring

Anticipating that children might think, “Company introductions are fine, but we want to have fun too,” we prepared enjoyable activities 🙆‍♂️

Making its first-ever appearance in the office was “Super Ball Scooping”! Participants used scoops to catch super balls and rubber duck toys 🐥 in our corporate colors floating in a water tank. Many children enjoyed aiming for their favorite prizes!

Perhaps because the moment of catching them is so satisfying, some children became so absorbed that their take-home bags were filled to bursting…! It felt like a 100% repeat rate activity. (We received numerous reports of continued excitement playing with them in the bath at home!)

Additionally, at the “Coloring Corner,” fried eggs invaded world-famous paintings!? Participants challenged themselves with special AI-generated coloring pages.

In contrast to the super ball scooping, children were impressively absorbed in their own worlds, silently coloring 🎨 Some coloring pages were challenging even for adults, making it a highly popular activity with plenty of challenge!

Feeling like a famous artist 🧑‍🎨

The creator of the work selected by Tsugihara received a prize!

The president’s office was also specially opened! Children were delighted to pose as president for photos…? 📷

Families lined up together, say cheese 🤳

The inaugural “SSU Group Friends Family Day” was a first for our group. Would our guests truly enjoy it…?!

We were anxious until the day of the event, but the content we created in collaboration with Tsugihara, Matsumoto, and many members who came together to make this event a success was enjoyed by all participants until the very end.

We received comments from friends family who support our members daily, such as “My son, who just learned to speak, said ‘Company was fun!’ on the way home, which made me very happy,” “Please hold this every year!” and “I feel more connected to the company!” These words brought tears to our eyes 🥲

We will continue to share the appeal of our company from various angles, including first-time events like this one, products and services we handle PR for, and internal events 📣 We hope you will continue to warmly support SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, our members, and SUNNY DAYS!