Not the blockbuster film “Your Name.” but “Your Company Name.”—an exclusive scoop on SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP’s 2017 New Year’s party!

Hello, I’m I, a new employee who joined in 2016!

As February draws to a close, it will soon be a year since we joined the company. When we first started, we had no idea what we were doing and could only desperately chase after our seniors… That has not changed even now, but I have found myself looking back more often and thinking that we may have grown at least a little.

In the midst of that, we were given a chance to show our seniors how much we have grown so far!
That chance was the “SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP New Year’s party”!

At SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP, it is customary for the new employees who joined that fiscal year to serve as organizers of the New Year’s party. Last year, we were still in the position of helping out as “informal offer recipients,” but this year, we were the organizers. The party itself was held at the end of January, but we would like to share how it was put together—along with our growth!

Rewinding about five months: we started preparing for the New Year’s party in October, when the air was starting to turn chilly.

This year’s theme was “Your Company Name.”, a play on the 2016 blockbuster film.
As a PR company that is highly attuned to trends, we chose a film that was a massive hit in 2016!
The meeting kicked off with great energy.

What we discussed and decided together was that we wanted content that did not rely on the audience. We considered participatory activities such as games and recreation, but because we wanted our seniors to relax and enjoy themselves, we decided to offer handmade hospitality with content created by us.

Here is what it looked like!

We went to a recording studio to record a song for the opening video (lol).

Also, wanting to give everyone something from us as first-year employees,
we made a special cake engraved with SUNNY SIDE UP’s history.

What this will turn into is something to look forward to later!

In addition, we planned and ran the entire program for the day, including the emceeing. As we prepared, one issue after another came up—prize arrangements did not go smoothly, we got stuck coming up with MC material, and we struggled with the run-of-show script. At SUNNY SIDE UP, we hold many PR events such as press conferences, but what we are involved with in our day-to-day work is only a small part of that. Even though it was an internal event, we experienced firsthand just how difficult it is to plan something from scratch. I feel we also learned many things that will be useful in our work going forward, such as how to respond when unexpected situations arise and what is important when moving things forward from zero.

And then, the day of the New Year’s party!

We had been rushing around preparing up until the day before, but
we prepared together with the informal offer recipients who will be joining in April.

The hosts were an Osaka duo who ran the program while mixing in manzai comedy!

First, a greeting from the president, followed by a toast!

We were very anxious about whether everyone would truly enjoy it, but the opening video we created with such care was very well received by everyone, starting with the president.

And here is the special cake we were particular about designing during preparations!

Everyone also enjoyed the “SSU Original Special Cake,”
which expressed SUNNY SIDE UP’s past and future!

Even on the day, there were plenty of mishaps—the cake was so large it would not fit in the venue’s refrigerator, the intercom would not stop and led to miscommunication, and (did our seniors’ chatting never end…?)
But we supported one another and, by working together, managed to get through it! Seeing our seniors’ smiles that day turned what felt like a tough preparation period into the best of memories.

A New Year’s party we created entirely by ourselves from scratch. The sense of unity with the new graduate members when we finished was indescribable! It felt close to the sense of accomplishment you get from work.

Of course, there were also points for reflection and challenges—things we would have done differently if we had more time… Still, while hoping to apply these lessons to our core work, we entrusted the next New Year’s party to the informal offer recipients who will be joining in April. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of New Year’s party it will be next year!

And we would be very happy if even a little of our growth has come across!

That concludes the New Year’s party, presented by the 2016 new graduates!