Shinichi Ata, President and CEO of SB Technology Corp., anchoring the earnings results briefing for FY2019. (Face mask removed only for reporting of results)
Last month, SB Technology Corporation held Japan’s first earnings results briefing for over 80 attendees on Microsoft Teams, a key milestone in the shift to virtual business events.
The financial reporting period from April to June each year is a regular hustle for companies in Japan, complete with events, multiple announcements and briefings for media and analysts. However, the onslaught of COVID-19 this year has pushed companies to move their reporting online, sparking a massive nationwide search for digital solutions.
Using the Microsoft Teams live events feature, SB Technology’s online earnings results briefing enrolled attendees via a simple click-through link on computers, smartphones and tablets. It also set microphone and chat permissions to enable dozens of attendees to easily listen in and ask questions.
To ensure all attendees were familiar with the video conferencing process, SB Technology distributed a step-by-step user manual to participants prior to the briefing – this came in two versions for both desktop and mobile devices and included ground rules for interaction. It also conducted connection tests and a dry run so that the event could be executed without a hitch.
On the day of the event, social distancing and basic protective measures were taken for those who were conducting the virtual briefing, with proper distancing of seats and room ventilation.
Japan’s first earnings briefing was successfully broadcasted from SB Technology’s head office on 27 April.
Moving forward, the company plans to leverage this effective online briefing as a best practice for future planning of digital events.
“With Japan having declared a state of emergency, many companies have had to implement work-from-home policies and refrain from holding events. Microsoft Teams will enable them to hold their events securely and communicate without any special equipment or systems. We hope that our successful earnings briefing can be a good reference model for companies in Japan during these difficult times,” said a company spokesperson.
SB Technology is a Microsoft cloud business partner and a seven-time recipient of the Microsoft Partner of the Year award.
