Typically, companies arrange internal seasonal or sports-related activities to help motivate and foster communications within their organizations; in this case, the Kikkoman Group selected the theme of food to energize its businesses this year. Nabe is a type of home cooking very familiar to Japanese, where several people gather around a hot pot and enjoy eating together. Over 30 teams enrolled in the festival and presented hot pots based on original recipes made using products that each Group company manufactures and sells, such as soy sauce, soymilk, tomato-based products, mirin and wine. Overseas teams introduced their own culinary tastes via Japanese nabe culture, as they served up their own distinctive and creative "transborder" hot pots. To vote for their favorite, visitors received a new pencil, and placed it in a ballot box positioned in front of their preferred hot pot entry. The pencils were later donated to an organization that supports children in developing countries.