"The ultimate solution for introverts is referral recruiting": Inside IVS, which attracted 10,000 people with almost zero advertising, discussed by 4 organizers
Hello. This is Sunagare, the PR representative for IVS2026.
Out of the blue, have you ever had the experience of attending an event for the first time, not being able to fit into any of the social circles of people you don't know, and ending up going home after only exchanging business cards? That feeling on the train ride home where you think, "I could have talked a bit more." The "Referral Ticket" system, which IVS introduced this year, is exactly for people like that. It's a system where you can invite trusted friends to participate in IVS with you, and those invited can use a free ticket slot. It means you don't have to jump alone into a place full of people you don't know.
This perspective of "how can we make each and every person feel comfortable" is not limited to just Referral Tickets. IVS is an event that reconstructs the way the venue itself is created from scratch every year based on this perspective.
The other day, the organizing members had an opportunity to talk about the behind-the-scenes of how we build it. We, four IVS organizing members, spoke at Venture Café Tokyo's Thursday Gathering (a regular startup ecosystem event held every Thursday at CIC Tokyo) under the theme, "How is the 'Place' where people gather designed?" The moderator was Akiho Adachi from Venture Café Tokyo. Since it was such a great opportunity, please let me, from a PR perspective, share what the members talked about on that day regarding "how to create a place."
Four members with different roles took the stage.
Tomokazu Okada (IVS COO / Headline Japan, Inc.).
The head of Sponsor Sales, who bears the responsibility of making the entire event financially viable. Everyone calls him "Tomo-san."Takahiro Asao (IVS HEAD OF STRATEGY & CREATIVE / Representative of ZFILMS).
The person who creates the world and creative aspects of IVS, and is usually a film director. From my position in PR, he is my boss.Hiromutsu Nakamura (IVS CHIEF DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & PROMOTION / 4S, Inc.).
Handles marketing, PM, and serves as the primary internal contact window. Everyone calls him "Daimu-san."Keisuke Sunagare. PR representative and on-site photographer.
"The Ultimate Solution for Introverts is Referral"
While IVS takes on new challenges every year, when it comes to the new challenge for IVS2026, I believe these words by Mr. Asao best represent the design philosophy of IVS.
Mr. Asao:
Basically, Mr. Shimakawa (Representative of IVS) and I are introverts (shy), so we've always wanted to make IVS an event for introverts. It might look like an event for extroverts, but my personality makes me not want to talk to people I don't know.
The ultimate solution for introverts is nothing but referrals. You will definitely talk to someone introduced by a friend, right? Going to the venue together with that person is what I believe elevates the experience value of the event the most, and we have finally managed to implement that technically this time.
Just watching the sessions, keeping an eye on networking from a distance, and eventually going home without talking to anyone. With about 30 to 40% of the attendees said to be first-timers, it would be a waste if that happened, and we want everyone who participates to bring home as much "tangible benefit" as possible.
What works well here this year are the "Referral Tickets" and "4S (Force)."
4S is a participant platform that IVS developed in-house starting last year. This year, we introduced a referral system into this system where one person can invite up to two people at a discounted price (the free campaign period has ended, and it is now a discount code).
Just by going to the IVS venue with someone who referred you, you won't be alone even if it is your first time at IVS. It's simple, but we believe that the connections generated by this referral are what elevate the experience value of the event.
You can find a more detailed explanation of the referral system here.
This year's IVS, seriously, "Strike while the iron is hot." What is the "Referral Ticket" that allows you to participate for free and invite your peers?
"We are gathering 10,000 people with almost zero advertising budget"
Something that often surprises people about IVS's audience acquisition is the conversation about advertising expenses.
Mr. Asao:
IVS hasn't spent even 1 million yen on advertising. We barely spend anything besides the advertising expenses related to submissions for the pitch contest "IVS LAUNCHPAD." I think a characteristic of IVS is that we utilize relations to the fullest from every angle and scrum together with everyone, saying "let's build this together."
Daimu-san (Mr. Nakamura) also added some follow-up details.
Mr. Nakamura:
We operate under the assumption of not relying on advertising. So from the point of wondering how to get everyone to spread the word, measures like "why don't we co-host side events?" or "why don't we increase the number of members participating in IVS together?" have also been born.
To gather 10,000 people with zero advertising, you end up with a design on "how to increase active participants." Looking back now, the reason why IVS insists on "making everyone an active participant" might be precisely because of this constraint of zero advertising expenses.
By the way, regarding the style of communication at the venue, almost anything goes, and we value having "the official account be the most playful."
Mr. Asao:
This time, for the referral code posts on social media, we are teasing everyone using Kyoto dialect. Right now, we are dynamically putting out posts like "only a few days left for the referral codes" or "only a few tickets left," but if the official account acts playfully, it creates an atmosphere of "anything goes at this event."
The design philosophy since 2007: "Everyone becomes an active participant"
Whether it's catering to introverts or having zero advertising budget, at the root is the design philosophy of "everyone becomes an active participant." Tomo-san (Mr. Okada) spoke about this along with the history.
Mr. Okada:
IVS started back in 2007, and originally, for about 15 years, it was an exclusive gathering where only investors and entrepreneurs could meet. Investors and entrepreneurs would pay for a 100,000 yen ticket and come because they decided on fundraising and business collaboration right then and there. The key base is how they can bring home practical benefits.
From there, when we decided to scale to 10,000 people in 2023, what we were most conscious of was making everyone an active participant. We would prefer they didn't come just as guests. We designed it with strong awareness of having everyone participate with some sort of role.
What's super important there is that we don't say much from our side, like "this is a place where you can do this" or "you can get this kind of thing." We create the blank spaces and the venue, and then entrust it to them, saying "We rely on you all." I think having everyone find it interesting and become an active stakeholder generates momentum.
Daimu-san also added details about the quality of the 10,000 people gathering in Kyoto.
Mr. Nakamura:
Although it is held in Kyoto, about half of the participants come from Tokyo. When they come to Kyoto, they come with quite a bit of commitment, so I've always felt that we have an obligation to meet that. A "10,000 group of just numbers" is totally different from a "committed 10,000 coming to Kyoto." This is something I strongly feel every year, even as I participate in marketing.
By the way, Tomo-san (Mr. Okada) also shared an anecdote from when we aimed for 10,000 people in Kyoto for the first year.
Mr. Okada:
We had set a goal of gathering 10,000 people, but up until a week before the event, the number of registered users was actually only about 3,000 or 4,000. At that time, our representative, Mr. Shimakawa, told the stakeholders, "The number of people this year is between 5,000 and 10,000" (laughs). What a huge range! I thought that if we became too realistic at that point, it would be over, so we ran through to the end while holding onto a sense of urgency but enjoying ourselves. I think this kind of mindset is also why everyone continues to have fun.
Even after 4 years, I feel like the boldness to casually present numbers with a wide range like "from 5,000 to 10,000" is still unwavering.
"Why do you tear down the theme and worldview completely and start over every year?"
Tomo-san (Mr. Okada) also answered this question.
Mr. Okada:
It's definitely better for events to formulate and optimize for efficiency. However, IVS tears everything down and starts over every time. Why? Because we would also get bored, and if IVS ended with people saying "I went once and that's about it," they wouldn't have the motivation to go the next year, would they? We want them to come every year, bring back practical benefits, and want to come again next year. We go on the offensive every year because we want participants, sponsors, media, and speakers, absolutely everyone, to feel that way.
Some of you might remember last year's IVS design, which had a worldview reminiscent of the early days of the internet in the 2000s, using a Windows 2000-like dot gothic font all over.
"With a team of 100 people managing this, why doesn't the passion fade?"
The IVS management team consists of about 100 people. With 100 people, temperature differences naturally occur. How do we navigate that? This question was answered mainly by me and Daimu-san.
Sunagare:
We communicate using Slack, and even if a task doesn't seem to be in my court at all, I try to pick it up anyway. With this size of team, especially in an organization where people are involved as a side business, I think the most troubling thing is when nobody responds when you ask something you are unsure of. If those occurrences increase, the passion fades right there. That's why I take the initiative to bridge people, like "this person might know about this." Especially, Daimu-san is playing that role of a bridge builder.
Mr. Nakamura:
I think the reason why I play the role of the bridge builder is because I operate under the assumption that if there is something "we don't know" within the marketing or PR team, it means the public doesn't know either. So, I take the lead in aligning information not only within the team, but also in terms of aligning information across the entire organization.
"Pick up the ball even if it's not yours." It's simple, but there aren't many teams of 100 people who can actually do it.
Summary
And with that, we've brought you "how to create a place" from the four IVS managers at the Thursday Gathering × IVS stage.
IVS2026 will be held over 3 days from Wednesday, July 1 to Friday, July 3, 2026, with Miyako Messe, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, and Hotel Okura Kyoto as the main venues. The free slots for Referral Tickets are still being accepted at this time. If you are a first-timer, please join us with your friends. We look forward to seeing you in Kyoto.
See you then.
