I Participated in Keyket 2026

On Saturday, March 28, 2026, I participated in Keyboard Market Tokyo (Keyket) 2026 and distributed my custom keyboard, Cue2Keys 2.

I left my write-up from the previous time I participated here. This article mainly focuses on what was different compared with that previous participation.

https://www.esplo.net/posts/2025/04/keyket2025/

Overall, just like last year, it was a very enjoyable event!
From the exhibitor side, everything went smoothly, and it felt like the event itself had become even more polished than last time.
I also changed some things in my own preparations based on last year's experience, and those changes paid off. I was able to handle the distribution calmly overall instead of rushing around.
I was relieved that many people were able to see and try it again this year, and that there were no major problems.

What I Changed in Preparation

Shipping My Items to the Venue

For various reasons, the number of items I brought was not that different from last year, but this time I tried using a delivery service to send them in.
Last year I carried a huge number of boxes myself until my shoulders were about to fall off, but this time I had professional cats deliver them for me, which was much easier. If both locations are within Tokyo, the price is reasonable too.
It also helped that the organizers sent a reminder. Even if I had it in my head that I was going to send things in advance, somehow the fact that I had to ship them a few days early had completely fallen out of my mind. That is how crunch time works.

Planning the Layout and Setup in Advance

Last time, setup took a very long time, but this time I had already decided almost everything I would place and where I would place it. I also did not make the stepped display shelves I had last time, so setup went much more quickly.
Last time I was so late getting set up that I did not even have time to take photos, but this year I was able to post that setup was complete. The lessons from last year paid off.

https://x.com/cue2keys/status/2037695344704999655

This time, I also clearly separated the try-out area and the checkout area, which made the layout easier to understand. I kept the checkout area empty and reserved it as open space, and that turned out to be convenient in many situations.

Changing the Sales Format

The items for sale also changed, and compared with last time I reduced the number of item types. Specifically, I shifted to making set products the core and stopped individual item sales. If I compare it to a ramen shop, the fully loaded bowl is the main item, and then you can add a few extra toppings.
Ideally, I want customers to think about combinations and choose what they want, but that took a great deal of time for both restocking and checkout, and it also created stock imbalances that made things harder to buy.
So I moved that part to online sales and made sets the default at the event.

Also, this time I made sure not to forget to use Square.
Square can actually record cash payments too. That sounds obvious once someone says it, but I had not realized it. Since you can enter inventory counts in advance, it can also handle inventory management.
Last time I was too busy to enter things properly, and I was not using the inventory feature either, so I could not really keep track of the situation. Compared with that, this time was dramatically smoother.

I had also prepared a paper inventory sheet, but that still fell behind on updates. As soon as a task falls even slightly outside the main flow, I end up forgetting it during the real event.

Preparing Handouts

Last year I handed out a brochure, but this year I simplified things a bit and handed out a flyer that I put together in a hurry.
I designed the poster and flyer and sent them to print in about two hours, so there are two mistakes in the print data. If you feel like it, try looking for them.

I again asked Graphic to handle the printed materials this year, as usual.
It was completely by chance, but when I placed an order with a seven-day turnaround, for some reason it arrived two days later, which was astonishingly fast. On top of that, they included quite a few extra copies, probably for printing reasons, so it was a very good deal. Graphic is impressive as always.

I prepared 250 flyers, but they were gone in the second half of the event. I had figured that with around 2,000 attendees, about one tenth of that would be enough, but I might want a few more next time.
If you are thinking about handing something out, I hope this helps as a reference.

https://x.com/cue2keys/status/2034238482256961722

Also, this time I prepared key module cases as souvenirs.
If you have not seen the product, it probably looks like “what is this,” but it securely holds key switches and can also display artisan keycaps, so it is a little useful.
It took a winding path to arrive at this shape, and there are mysterious bumps and dents inside, but thanks to them it works properly. If you have one, I would be happy if you took a look at it and remembered the effort that went into it.

https://x.com/cue2keys/status/2037016605780283549

On the Day of the Event

The Atmosphere at the Venue

This year there was an ultra-early admission slot, and only a truly limited number of people were inside. With only 50 people in that venue, there were hardly any people in the aisles, so it seemed like a pretty premium ticket.

After that, just like last year, the number of people gradually increased starting from early admission.
One difference was that this year the density inside the venue seemed to be smoothed out well even after general admission began, and there did not appear to be any extreme peak.
Maybe I only felt that way because I had experienced last year's level of crowding and gotten used to it, but overall it felt like the number of people stayed at a moderate level.

That said, I imagine the experience varied greatly depending on the booth.... At the popular booths, the experience must have felt very different.
The aisles were still wide, just like last year, so I think it was relatively easy for attendees to move around. This is only my impression, but they even felt wider than last year.

Sales Results and Visitors' Reactions

The sellout timing was neither too early nor too late. It was a little before 3:00 PM, with the event closing at 4:00 PM, so I was able to respond calmly all the way to the end.

I was very happy that many customers who had been using the first generation also bought version 2.
Some people even showed me photos of how they use it, which was very encouraging. That is one of the great things about in-person events.

Of course, there were also many first-time visitors. With so many other appealing keyboards around, the fact that people still picked up a developing product like mine gives me the strongest sense of validation as a creator.
Thanks to everyone, I am still able to keep making things today.

Many people tried the demo unit, and I was happy to hear all kinds of impressions.
However, just like last time, it was still a problem that people could not understand the functionality unless I explained it. If there is a next time, I want to find some kind of solution.

Announcements and Social Media

This time I managed not to forget to post on social media. I could not do that at all last time, so that was another lesson from last year that paid off.

Still, because I was basically handling the booth the whole time, it was hard to post detailed updates. I think that is probably true for every booth, but it made me feel that doing anything on the day itself is difficult.
It is probably hard for visitors to check updates on the day too, so what matters is how early you can get things ready. I must not still be manufacturing right up to the last minute.

After Closing

After closing, there was a time slot set aside for exhibitors to interact with one another. One thing that changed slightly from last time was that the interaction time and teardown time were clearly separated, and there was a generous 30 minutes or so. I walked around too and was able to talk with people at several booths^[1].

Teardown had been just barely on time last year, and somehow it was just barely on time again this year.
I had actually finished packing up fairly early, but I had prepared almost nothing to carry things home in, so I ended up in a situation where the things I had brought in could not be taken back out. I somehow dismantled various things and barely managed to carry everything home, but next time I need to think properly about the trip home too.
It would probably be a good idea either to prepare a large fabric bag like an eco bag or to decide from the beginning that I will use a delivery service for the trip home as well.

Future Prospects

Online Sales, Publishing Articles, and More

I did not particularly adjust the production quantity. I simply made as many as I could as originally planned, so I am now in a situation where the stock is gone.
However, this version takes a very long time to make even one set, so I am trying a reservation-based made-to-order sales format. I am continuing to run the online shop on BOOTH.

I also plan to continue updating the website, adding more documentation, and creating records about the product itself, including the design details and development history.

Ideas for the Next Version

They say if you talk about next year, the demons will laugh, but one is laughing loudly right beside me now.
That is because I have had ideas for the next version for quite a while, but I still have not been able to work on them.

I will spare the details, but I have a feeling version 3 will be the definitive one. The ideas I had in mind while making this product seem likely to become real in a form that is very close to the original vision.
I feel like I will be able to share news about it relatively early, but I think it will probably still take until next year to finish.

Also, I want to reach into areas beyond manufacturing that I could not tackle for this version.
Originally, for this version, I planned to make a promotional video and a hands-on usage video so people could understand what it was like before actually buying it.
But I had absolutely no time for that. On top of that, I do not have any know-how for making videos, so even if I do make one, it takes a great deal of time.
I think the next version will probably settle into shape fairly early, so I would like to challenge myself in those areas too.

That is the plan, though once I actually start making it, it tends to turn into a castle in the air. Even so, I want to do my best as much as I can.

Conclusion

When I participated last time, I had the uncertainty of it being my first time, but this time, because I could already see how difficult it would be, I spent a long period feeling anxious.
I spent about half a year trying different things in the design and manufacturing stages, and more recently I was living under deadline pressure every day. More than anything, I now feel relieved that I somehow got through it.

Still, because I addressed the lessons from last time one by one, I was able to improve many things on the day itself and approach the event calmly. It really drove home the importance of building up experience.

Until just before the event, exhaustion was stronger than excitement, but once I actually went to Keyket, it really was fun after all!
Everything ended smoothly without trouble, and just like last year, I have nothing but gratitude for the organizers. I also want to once again thank the attendees who stopped by out of interest among so many appealing booths. And I am grateful as well to the other exhibitors, who make amazing things every time. It is tremendously inspiring.

If possible, I would like to participate again on the exhibitor side next time too, but it is a lottery, and as always, the hard part is that I never know how the product itself will turn out.
While continuing to improve this version as well, I want to keep enjoying the process.

脚注

1. Since I basically run the booth alone, the problem remains that if everyone leaves their own booth, they cannot interact, but there is no especially good solution for that. ↩︎