Meeting multilingual needs for 1,000 staff supporting an international event
Empowering Expo 2025 teams to deliver multilingual hospitality for visitors from around the world
To welcome more than 25 million visitors to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, Guest Services Attendants needed to deliver high-quality assistance in multiple languages. Mondly by Pearson supported a year long language learning program for 1,000 frontline staff responsible for hospitality and information services across the event.
Company: Expo 2025 Industry: Hospitality and information services Location: Japan Solution: Mondly by Pearson
Challenge
Building multilingual capability to serve a truly global audience
To meet the needs of international visitors, multilingual communication was essential.
Around 1,000 Guest Services Attendants – covering information desks, lost and found, lost child and baby-care centres, operations support, entrance gates and roving teams – were required to develop skills in English and additional languages to support guests effectively.
Solution
Consistent, flexible learning from pre-event training through the Expo period
The Expo 2025 operations team implemented Mondly by Pearson to provide continuous language learning opportunities for 12 months – from pre-event training through to the Expo 2025 delivery period.
Designed to support different proficiency levels and schedules, Mondly by Pearson delivered bite-sized lessons with engaging videos and AI-powered speaking practice. Its gamified, habit-building approach maintained learner motivation throughout the program.
Results
Enhanced guest experience through confident communication and measurable progress
With consistent learning through Mondly by Pearson, Guest Services Attendants increased their confidence in using English and other languages. This enabled smoother interactions with visitors and more effective information sharing with international pavilion teams.
Meanwhile, the administrator dashboard gave the operations team real-time visibility into learner progress and engagement.
I started from a point where I couldn’t speak any English at all, but by using the app I learned many words and was able to grasp at least some of the meaning of what visitors were saying in English.
Feedback from the Expo 2025 Guest Services Attendant survey
25
Average total learning time was 25 hours, with around five minutes of daily study during the six-month Expo period
1,000
All 1,000 Guest Services Attendants hired for Expo were assigned in the learning program
27
27 languages were studied through Mondly by Pearson, of the 42 available
I enjoyed learning. It was my first time using an English learning app, and I was surprised I could keep at it and enjoy it this much. The audio and screen design are easy to understand, and seeing what I can do visualized through tests also boosted my motivation.
Feedback from the Expo 2025 Guest Services Attendant survey