Cigarette smoking is one of the world’s deadliest addictions, with the habit being linked to multiple health hazards. And while there have been many efforts to curb cigarette smoking, the rise in popularity of alternative products has seen significant success in allowing smokers to quit the unhealthy habit.
International tobacco manufacturing company Philip Morris International (PMI), while being one of the biggest companies to produce cigarettes, has also made strides in its commitment to switch to a smoke-free paradigm which started in 2014 with the launch of the IQOS heat-not-burn (HNB) product line in Japan.
Ten years after the launch, the IQOS brand has become the world’s number 1 tobacco heating system, with over 30 million users worldwide – 72 percent have fully switched to IQOS and stopped smoking cigarettes altogether. To celebrate this milestone and a decade of positive choice, PMI held the IQOS Together X Sensorium event in Tokyo, Japan.
“Through IQOS Together X, we are engaging with members of the IQOS community from around the world—a community that, over the last 10 years, has grown to include more than 30 million adults—and we have invited a selection of them to join us at the global event being held in Japan, the first market to introduce IQOS in 2014,” said Stefano Volpetti, PMI president and Smoke-Free Inhaled Products & chief consumer officer. “Seeing so many members of this community together during this one-of-a-kind event is a chance for us to celebrate their role in making cigarettes obsolete and encourage them to advocate for other adult smokers to switch if they do not quit.”
IQOS Together X highlights the power of choice. The initiative, which has been building in markets around the world for the past 6 months culminates to create a selection of experiences at the global celebration, the IQOS Together X Sensorium.
The event brought together IQOS Club members from all over the world with the participants being the winners of an IQOS Club raffle event held in their respective countries earlier this year. The lucky members were treated to a futuristic immersive experience showcasing the future of a smoke-free world that PMI envisioned.
“It is a privilege to host the IQOS Together X global event here in Japan,” said Shea Lih Goh, president Philip Morris Japan Ltd. “Japan is the birthplace of IQOS and has been leading the delivery of a smoke-free future for the last decade, and we are honored to welcome adult consumers from Japan and from markets around the world. We applaud the choice they’ve made to leave cigarettes behind and switch to a better alternative. We want to remind them that they are a part of a growing global community of adults who are driving meaningful progress for themselves, those who care about them and public health.”
The 3,000 sqm venue in Toyosu, Tokyo featured different zones that aimed at tickling each senses, from the mind-bending kaleidoscope entrance whose periphery expands outward ad infinitum, to the gravity-defying mirror which gives viewers a sense of floating over a city nightscape, even food, drinks, and desserts that were inspired by the different colors of IQOS devices and the flavors of the HNB tobacco sticks.
Just outside the main tent was the pleasure garden with numerous LED bulbs meant to mimic the IQOS device’s LED light when in use, with the area meant to be a place of respite for guests who want to rest and relax during the event. Meanwhile, another section highlighted PMI’s partnership with famed DJ and producer Steve Aoki who teamed up with the company to produce 1,000 limited-edition jackets whose filling used the cellulose acetate from recycled tobacco sticks collected from the Czech Republic.
The event ended with a bang as Steve Aoki took the center stage, playing a set lasting over an hour long with tunes ranging from club hits that brought the crowd’s energy to its peak to more introspective tunes.
The event did not stop at the Together X Sensorium venue as guests were treated to an afterparty at the famed CE LA VI club in Shibuya where Steve Aoki once again went on the decks to perform to a packed crowd of appreciative fans.
