Yokohama city announced on 5 October a bid for contracting management operations to hold a “Symposium to consider a Yokohama IR” in relation to the city’s planned IR.
The mandate specifications state, “We will hold a symposium comprising lectures by experts and panel discussions to promote the understanding of residents about IR. The event will be held online and sufficient measures will be taken against infectious diseases.”
The date and time of the event is expected to be in December and will be broadcast live online to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
According to the Yokohama City IR Promotion Department, the city is planning lectures and panel discussions by domestic and overseas experts, mainly regarding concerns such as problem gambling.
When asked by IAG if this was a substitute for resident briefing sessions that could not be held in all the planned locations due to the pandemic, a representative explained, “This event is completely separate from the resident briefing sessions. This event was originally planned for and included in the budget. The event was delayed due to COVID-19, but we have moved it online. We are no holding a bid to contract the services to an operator.”
Further, when asked if viewing the online symposium and opinion submission would be limited to residents of Yokohama, IAG was told, “No decision has been made yet about that. We plan to disclose the details once they’ve been decided.”