Developer communities have always been important to me, both personally and professionally. TokyoDev got its start when I began blogging about the tech events I was attending in Japan. It turned into a thriving business thanks to the people I met at those events.
To give back to that same community, we’re now offering to sponsor any tech meetup that is:
- An in-person event located anywhere in Japan.
- Mainly for software engineers or related professionals (e.g. UX designers, product managers, security engineers, etc). The event can be open to other professionals or students, but software engineers should be the main audience.
- Conducted in English. Alternatively, it explicitly supports international residents of Japan (e.g. a software engineer-focused Japanese learning event).
- Non-profit and non-commercial.
- An event that has been held at least once before.
We will reimburse the event’s expenses to a maximum of 1,000 yen per attendee—as that’s usually enough to cover pizza and drinks for participants.
I try to keep the sponsorship process as simple as possible, since I know (from experience) how busy you already are as an organizer. Here’s how it works:
- Send me an email at paul@tokyodev.com asking for sponsorship. Include the following information:
- The name of the meetup
- Links to previous events
- The number of participants you draw on average
- The estimated budget for this particular event
- I’ll get back to you to let you know if your meetup has been approved for sponsorship.
- If TokyoDev does agree to sponsor you, you’ll initially pay for the expenses yourself, and we will reimburse you within 10 business days via domestic bank transfer.
- In return, please list TokyoDev as a sponsor on the event page, with a link to our site, and mention us at least once during the event itself.
- After the event, submit the receipts to me. Ideally you’ll obtain a formal receipt (領収書, ryoushuusho) addressed to “TokyoDev株式会社,” but if you can’t get that, a normal receipt is fine.
- TokyoDev will refund that amount by domestic bank transfer.
If you have any questions, or suggestions on how to improve these procedures, I’d be happy to hear them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the initial sponsorship budget based on registrations, or actual attendance?
In your estimated budget, you should indicate the number of attendees you think will actually show up. For our own free events, we find that between 50–70% of registered participants attend.
The refund we make will be based on your actual costs, so you don’t need to worry about getting the budget exactly correct. We just want to know roughly what we’ll be on the hook for.
Where should I order food from?
The easiest option is Domino’s Pizza. There’s usually a coupon available through their site to get 50% off deliveries. I typically order one large pizza for every four projected attendees. Depending on which pizza you get, that works out to between 400–500 yen per attendee.
For a similar amount, we also sometimes place an order with a local onigiri or sandwich shop, though this involves picking the food up ourselves.
Where should I order drinks from?
We normally order drinks from Kakuyasu. They’ll deliver at no extra charge, and the prices are reasonable. You can only roughly specify when they’re dropped off, though, so you will need to coordinate delivery with the venue.
Will you sponsor alcoholic beverages?
Yes, provided you take responsibility for ensuring that no minors consume the alcohol.
Can we use the sponsorship to rent a venue or equipment?
Yes, provided you fit within the 1,000 yen per attendee budget.
Are there any tax implications for me?
No. Since you’re paying expenses which we later refund, you aren’t responsible for any tax on the amount you receive from us.
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