How Dialogue Can Transform People and Organizations: The Chain of Listening That Led to Sanrio Puroland's V-shaped Recovery. A Dialogue Report by Aya Komaki and Eri Oka.

Lively Inc. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Representative Director: Eri Oka) held the third session of its dialogue event series, "Active Listening Talks (ALT)," on Friday, April 10, 2026, at the scc Sendagaya Community Center in Sendagaya, Tokyo. Ms. Aya Komaki, Representative Director and President of Sanrio Entertainment Co., Ltd. and Director of Sanrio Puroland, was invited as a guest. The event, lasting approximately two and a half hours, focused on the theme of "The Social Potential of Dialogue and 'Listening'." It drew the largest attendance in the series' history, offering a deep dive into how much individuals and organizations can change, starting with dialogue.

**Key Points of This Press Release** * Sanrio Puroland's V-shaped recovery was not due to a special secret, but a "chain of dialogue" where staff continuously listened to each individual. * Ms. Komaki herself spoke about the essence of organizational transformation. * In the AI era, individuals and organizations require self-understanding and the power of dialogue. * Lively is a supportive partner that balances individual engagement and corporate well-being, starting with active listening.

**What is Active Listening Talks (ALT)?** "Active Listening Talks (ALT)" is a dialogue event series organized by Lively Inc. Its purpose is to delve deeper into "listening" and explore how it can be practiced and utilized in society today, by inviting experts from various fields. The first event featured Ms. Yuka Tanimoto, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes JAPAN Web, and the second featured education critic Mr. Chikatou Oya. This third event welcomed Ms. Aya Komaki as a guest.

**Event Outline** * **Theme:** The True Essence of Dialogue Supporting Sanrio Puroland's V-shaped Recovery - No "Blanks" in Life. How to Build a Career Utilizing All Experiences * **Date:** Friday, April 10, 2026, 14:00-16:30 * **Venue:** scc Sendagaya Community Center (1-1-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) * **Organizer:** Lively Inc.

**Speaker Profiles** * **Aya Komaki:** Representative Director and President of Sanrio Entertainment Co., Ltd. / Director of Sanrio Puroland. Completed her Master's program in Education at the University of Tokyo Graduate School. Joined Sanrio Co., Ltd. in 1983. Returned to work at a Sanrio affiliated company after marriage and childbirth. Appointed advisor to Sanrio Entertainment in 2014, director in 2015, director of Sanrio Puroland in 2016, and has held her current position since June 2019. Through her unique management style, which emphasizes dialogue and empathy, she led Puroland's performance to a V-shaped recovery. Based on her own experiences, she also dedicates efforts to supporting women's careers and promoting cervical cancer prevention awareness. * **Eri Oka:** Representative Director of Lively Inc. After graduating from Kanagawa Prefectural University of Health and Welfare, she worked as an occupational therapist in psychiatry and home rehabilitation. Due to the difficulty of balancing work and raising three children after marriage and childbirth, she became a full-time housewife. While searching for a way to work that could be compatible with raising children, she started individual dialogue sessions. Through dialogues with over 100 people monthly, she re-recognized the value of communication, that "people feel better just by being listened to." To create new work options centered on "listening," she founded Lively Inc. in 2020. She now operates the online listening service "LivelyTalk," provides active listening training for corporations, and offers supportive assistance for recruitment, retention, and engagement improvement.

**Event Content Summary** 1. **Dialogue as the starting point** Faced with the fact of Sanrio Puroland's V-shaped recovery, the audience's interest was focused on what the person who achieved it would say. However, Ms. Komaki herself narrated the story as follows:

"It's not that I'm special, or that a magical secret revived the theme park. It really was the result of everyone's efforts through repeated dialogues, knocking on each individual's heart's door and asking, 'What do you want to do?' 'How do you think we should do it?'" (Ms. Komaki)

When she first took office, Sanrio Puroland faced explicit challenges in both hardware and software aspects, and the employees' expressions themselves were downcast. What began from there was not a flashy strategy, but dialogue through 1-on-1s and morning meetings.

2. **The moment the gaze shifted from "down to up"** Ms. Komaki's initial intervention to turn the organization around was a workshop called "Dialogue Festival," which transcended departmental boundaries. Employees from various professions—equipment, restaurant, merchandise, costumes, stage—changed partners in a folk dance format, stating only their department and "what they liked." It was such a simple initiative.

"People who initially walked around like clams, trying to avoid eye contact..."