On April 17, 2026, the "LinkedIn Meet Up!!" was held at the coworking space "GRANDSLAM" in Fukushima, Osaka.
Approximately 30 people with diverse backgrounds, including corporate HR, sales, managers, and students, participated. Conversations naturally started even before the event began, and the venue was filled with a warm yet highly energetic atmosphere throughout.
At this event, together with Mr. Jun Matsumoto, who supports Commerce Media's LinkedIn operations, we shared practical knowledge based on two themes: "the essence of individual communication" and "how to create team communication."
Why LinkedIn now? The era where "individuality" becomes valuable.
The event started with a lecture by Jun Matsumoto. As explained in Mr. Matsumoto's book "LinkedIn Daizen," LinkedIn is an SNS that connects people for various purposes such as sales, job changes, and recruitment.
What was particularly impressive was the idea that "LinkedIn is currently becoming a place for personal posts, not just work-related ones."
It's not just about achievements and know-how, but also about sharing "humanity" through real experiences, struggles, and the background of decision-making, which generates trust and empathy.
For many participants, this was an opportunity to re-evaluate how they approach their future communications.
Commerce Media's practice: The choice to "communicate as a team"
Next, Yamada, Commerce Media's HR representative, shared the company's initiatives in utilizing LinkedIn.
Currently, about 20 internal members are registered on LinkedIn, but the start was not smooth.
The project members strengthened their communication to first raise awareness of what they were doing. Then, through explanations during onboarding and company-wide meetings, they meticulously continued to convey "why we use LinkedIn," steadily expanding the circle of empathy within the company through persistent educational activities.
The following two concepts are important in this process:
・A culture of mutual support
When someone posts, it's shared on internal Slack, and members send "likes" and comments to each other. Communication is not just an "individual effort" but elevated to a "team initiative."
・Communicate like an "internal newsletter"
Instead of typical company promotions or business-oriented posts, we value communications that convey the personality of each employee, such as daily insights, the reality of our culture, and topics they are interested in.
This cycle of "mutual support × self-disclosure" ultimately contributes to building the company's atmosphere, enhances mutual engagement, and helps sustain communication.
Active questions flying around in the Q&A session
In the latter half of the event, during the Q&A session, many questions were asked by the participants.
"What are the benefits for students?"
→ Because LinkedIn has a real-name culture, students can connect with professionals on an equal footing and build trust early on.
"How should a sole proprietor communicate?"
→ Showing the process of trial and error, rather than a perfected image, leads to building a fan base.
"What's the difference from Facebook?"
→ Facebook is a "place to deepen past connections," while LinkedIn is a "place to meet future colleagues."
The high level of interest in all themes was evident, with many participants nodding and taking notes.
And then the networking event, a sense of unity like a "stadium."
The latter half of the event was a networking session. In addition to exchanging business cards, there were many conversations like, "I always see your posts!" and instances of people following each other's LinkedIn accounts on the spot.
New connections were forged everywhere, and the space, filled with laughter and serious discussions, generated an enthusiasm reminiscent of GRANDSLAM's "stadium" concept. It was a time that strongly underscored the value of serendipitous encounters, which are hard to create online.
In the age of AI, I feel that places overflowing with human passion like this will become even more valuable.
Summary
"LinkedIn is a place to meet like-minded people."
Through this event, each participant was likely able to experience the meaning of these words.
Moving forward, we will also embody this value by prioritizing human-centered communication and team efforts.
To all participants, and to Yoshinaga-san of GRANDSLAM and Matsumoto-san for providing such a wonderful venue, thank you very much.
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