For the Greatest Show in the World – Expo 2010

 

“…70 million visitors, of which 3.5 million, will come from abroad, are estimated to descend upon Shanghai.”

Perhaps one of the biggest differences between the Expo and the Olympic Games is the period. Shanghai residents will have no escape from the excitement, as the doors of the Expo will remain open for six months, opening on May 1 and closing on October 31. Many Beijing residents, both local and foreign, fearing that the Games would cause city-wide mayhem took well deserved holidays in neighbouring cities or abroad. But the Olympicsare only two weeks long. As the Expo is six months this won’t be possible for the Shanghai residents, but then again, Zhu says Shanghai residents should fully embrace the event.“From the outset we want it to be a very fun event, like a gala theme park with advanced technologies, cultural activities, and forums. Tickets are relatively inexpensive, and you can choose either the oneday pass to just see some of the highlights, or youcan choose the seven-day pass to see much more”, says Zhu. Zhu also highlighted that due to the extended duration of the event, Shanghai will not face the same transport pressure of the Games. During the Expo private cars, for example, won’t have the same limitations, based on their number plate digits that are still enforced in Beijing today. That isn’t to say that Shanghai is not enforcing a cleaner, greener city. Zhu says, “For one, there won’t be any private vehicles allowed into the site, so people are encouraged to use one of the many methods of public transportation. There will be one subway line (Ed: Expo 13) and one tunnel that will be exclusively used for the Expo, and there is also a carbon free shuttle bus.”  Visitors to the Expo should also notice that the architects of the project, that covers 5.28 square kilometer (2.04 square miles), have encouraged the use of natural light, solar power, and wind turbines; technologies that China has been fully embracing around the country in its endeavor to power the fastest growing economy, and the 3rdlargest GDP. For example, according to reports from the 2007 China International Wind Energy Exhibition held on April 10, 2007 at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, by the opening of the Shanghai World Expo, 5% of Shanghai’s energy needs will be generated from wind power. Currently China has 12.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generating capacity, which will expand to 100 GW by 2020. The Shanghai Expo’s motto of ‘Better City, Better Life’ will be shared by all the Chinese, eventually. 

 For foreign visitors, Shanghai plans to take a leaf out of Beijing’s book and utilise an army of volunteers, all who are proficient English speakers. Kiosks dotted around the city, and every subway will also be equipped with guides and maps.“We want foreigners to come to Shanghai and learn more about China. It is important to show the rest of the world who China is in the 21st century. There are still many people who think China is stuck in the past, but we would like to show them how advancedwe are,” says Zhu.  Zhu does add that, international tourists should plan well ahead, particularly when applying for their entrance visa. Many tourists and expatriates alike, were caught off guard last year when visa restrictions were suddenly tightened and Hong Kong based visa offices all but closed their doors. Consequently, the number of foreigners who came to the Beijing Olympics was far lower than expected, frustrating, above everyone, the hotels that had been built in readiness. According to the Associated Press, five-star hotels were only at 77 percent capacity during the Games, and this was down to only 44 percent for four-star hotels. Hopefully the respective bureaus, this time around, will keep both hoteliers and tourists happy. 

The only shock of the Shanghai Expo, so far, was the near omission of the United States, which will now be joining the 205 country and international organisations that have confirmed their participation - the first to be held in a developing country. This number is 34 more than was set in Hanover, Germany in 2000. Zhu says that aside from each country putting on events there will be three main types of forums running over the 6 month period. She calls these ‘Third party submissions’, ‘general themes’ and participant/ public forums’. One such scheduled event is Spark10 which will follow the success of Spark09, held on March 28 this year, at the Shanghai World Financial Centre. “We think it could add a lot of value to the attendees of the expo by talking about innovation in China,” says Zhu. The Shanghai Expo will also provide a platform for each of the 23 Provinces, five Autonomous Regions and two Special Administrative Regions to present on topics such as pollution and development challenges, which Zhu says will take place every week during the duration of the Expo. For the rest of us, the Shanghai Expo 2010 is a great opportunity to volunteer. Zhu believes that “HR staff could especially help because they have a lot of skills that can be put to good use” across multiple areas. She says that at the end of the day being part of the Expo is a “great way to be a part of the Shanghai community, experience allthe educational benefits, and most importantly – have fun!” And isn’t that what life’s all about, really? For more information on the Shanghai World Expo 2010, visit the official website at www.expo2010.cn where multiple languages are supported. AndyAnderson is the co-founder of Spark China and spends his days touringChina meeting great Thought Leaders.