Sanrio held its new product exhibition, "SANRIO EXPO 2014," until February 7th. For the first time, a press preview was held the night before the opening.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the company's popular character, Hello Kitty, and the lineup included many items to commemorate the occasion. A large screen playing commemorative videos was set up throughout the venue, and a special display of the costumes worn by SMAP, who sang the official Hello Kitty 40th anniversary song, "Hello," was also on display. High-end jewelry from the "MIKIMOTO x HELLO KITTY" collaboration, recently unveiled at the Paris select shop "colette," was also on display. Numerous collaborations with fashion brand "PINK HOUSE," table tennis brand "Whopper by PPH," American accessories brand "CHAN LUU," and glassware manufacturer "Fire-King" were also on display. Other items on display included collaboration products with Japan national soccer team player Yuto Nagatomo, commemorative products for the Sochi Olympics, air conditioners and air purifiers featuring Hello Kitty and My Melody faces, and Hello Kitty-themed pianos and guitars. The exhibit also presented new business opportunities using the company's characters. A wide range of ideas were presented, including medical equipment for children designed to make hospitals more approachable, advertising strategies to attract new customer demographics, such as young women, to horse racing and golf, new product ideas for convenience stores, such as character-themed bread, meat buns, and paper coffee cups, and overseas promotions using Hello Kitty, which is well-known overseas. A Sanrio spokesperson said, "Many of the guests were members of the media. They enjoyed looking at all the cute things with champagne and sweets in hand, in an atmosphere that was different to the usual business-based exhibitions. We have a particularly wide selection of Hello Kitty collaboration products, and we plan to continue adding more. Next year will be the 40th anniversary of Little Twin Stars and My Melody, so we hope you'll keep an eye out for those as well."