EXPO Express

In Brief

Earthquake-struck Chile and Haiti will participate in the Expo as scheduled, despite heavy casualties and damage

China promises speedy visa processing for Expo visitors, as well as more hotel space

Marking the 50-day countdown, more high-profile stars are appointed as Expo ambassadors

The new Hongqiao airport terminal opens, making way for a heavy increase in Chinese tourists during the Expo

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Participants

USA Pavilion Program Discussed

3/15/10 – In a Silicon Valley-based Mercury News story, entitled “US looks to Shanghai Expo to help ease distrust,” AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach writes that the USA Pavilion will be the closest that millions of Chinese will ever come to an experience of America. And, she said, “What they’ll get – apart from long waits – is a warm welcome and a dose of Hollywood-style entertainment.” It’s “the single biggest opportunity to nation brand that’s ever come along,” Kurtenbach quoted Greg Lombardo, director at BRC Imagination Arts, who is designing and producing the pavilion’s program, and also handling the program at the China Telecoms-China Mobile corporate pavilion. The 45-minute U.S. program will begin with the “Spirit of America” – a video of classic American landscapes, welcoming Chinese with ordinary Americans and celebrities, and messages from President Obama and Hillary Clinton – and proceed to a theater for “The Garden” – a movie about a 10-year-old girl who works to turn a vacant city lot into an urban oasis. The dialogue-free “visual parable” will include computer-generated imagery and 4-D effects, like vibrating seats, mist and lightning, said Lombardo. In other news, it was announced in PublicAffairsAsia.com on Thursday that former China Edelman MD Martin Alintuck is to become the director of communications and main spokesman for the USA Pavilion.

[Elaine Kurtenbach AP Business Writer / MercuryNews.com]

Participants Briefed On Trial Runs

3/13/10 – More than 250 participants were briefed on the Expo’s trial run preparations by Huang Jianzhi, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination. Delegates showed their support to the trial operation, and said they would speed up their projects’ progress and would be glad to participate in the trial operation. The organizers are expected to hold five trial operations between April 20^th and 26^th.

[en.expo2010.cn]

London Completes Carbon-Neutral Buildings

3/12/10 – London has completed construction of two carbon-neutral buildings, as its contribution for the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA). Games have been designed to let visitors learn about energy-saving and emission-cutting technologies, and experience a healthy lifestyle via interactive means, said Chen Shuo, chief coordinator of the pavilion, last Thursday. The world’s first system to calculate an individual’s carbon dioxide emissions in their daily life was also unveiled. The inspiration for London’s UBPA pavilion came from the Beddington Zero Energy Development, an environmentally friendly housing development near Wallington, in the London borough of Sutton. The buildings house a lecture hall, restaurant, exhibition hall and six model rooms. Six designers were chosen to create their own style for each of the rooms, which will have environmentally friendly furniture and decorations.

[en.expo2010.cn]

Smurf becomes Belgium and EU Pavilion Mascot

3/11/10 – Leo Delcroix, Belgium’s commissioner general for the Expo, officially introduced Smurfs as the mascot of the Belgium and EU Pavilion during a press briefing in Brussels last Wednesday. Smurfs, created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford in 1958, are considered popular in China as well as the rest of the world.

[Xinhua News Agency]

Italy to Showcase 265 Innovation Projects

3/11/10 – Italian Public Administration and Innovation Minister Renato Brunetta and Italy’s government supervisor for the Shanghai Expo, Beniamino Quintieri, presented “The Italy of Innovators” initiative last Wednesday, which will be featured from July 24^th to August 7^th. The Italian pavilion, dubbed “Man’s City,” will showcase 265 innovation projects that won in a national contest. “These projects for innovation represent an unknown Italian reality composed of small and medium enterprises, universities and young people, with new ideas that, thanks to the Expo, will have a great opportunity for promotion and international expansion,” said Brunetta. The projects for innovation come from Italian enterprises, industrial consortiums, universities and research centers. All will be featured online on a special website (both in Italian and Chinese) throughout the Expo.

[Xinhua News Agency]

Quake-hit Chile, Haiti to Attend as Scheduled

3/11/10 – Chile and Haiti will participate in the Expo as scheduled, despite the heavy casualties and damage that the two countries faced due to powerful earthquakes. This was announced by Wan Jifei, executive director of the Shanghai World Expo Executive Committee, at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, the top political advisory body. Wan said the Expo’s executive committee has kept close contact with Chile and Haiti, after each encountered deadly earthquakes. The organizing committee will continue to support Chile and Haiti, to ensure the opening of their pavilions as scheduled, Wan said. Construction of the Chile Pavilion was completed last November and has begun its decoration and exhibition layout.

[Xinhua News Agency]

General Info

Hongqiao Expands for Expo

3/14/10 – The latest mega- infrastructure project to be completed before the Expo will be the brand-new airport terminal at Hongqiao airport, which is being unveiled Tuesday. The city has spent 2.2 billion dollars on the makeover of Hongqiao airport, located just half-an-hour from the city centre, and made it part of an ultramodern travel hub linking a metro, high-speed rail and proposed maglev train line. Pudong Airport is Shanghai’s main airport for international flights, while Hongqiao is used mainly by domestic airlines; officials anticipate the vast majority of the 70-100 million visitors expected during the Expo will come from China. The new terminal is four times as big as the old one, which was designed for 9.6 million passengers a year but handled more than 25 million in 2009. The new terminal and a second runway are part of a chain of projects that will see up to 400 billion yuan (58 billion dollars) in direct and indirect investment in the Expo, according to state media – more than the 290 billion reportedly spent on the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

[Linda Shan / AFP]

Four Stars Join Expo Firmament

3/12/10 – Four high-profile stars were appointed as Expo ambassadors Friday, on the 50-day countdown to the event’s opening. They are Hong Kong pop and film star Andy Lau, Beijing talk show hostess and businesswoman Yang Lan, gymnast and entrepreneur Li Ning, and contemporary classical composer Tan Du. Other Expo ambassadors include Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan, pianist Lang Lang, and NBA star Yao Ming.

[en.expo2010.cn]

Expo Bureau Awarded for Foreign Publicity

3/12/10 – The Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination last Thursday received the Silver Dove Award, the city’s top foreign publicity award, for its pamphlet, documentary, promotional videos and exhibitions. The winning works are “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China,” a pamphlet that presents an overall introduction of the fair, the documentary “A Hundred-Year Dream of Expo,” two promotional videos “City Rhapsody: A Preview of the Site of Expo Shanghai” and “A Grand Gathering of the World Cultures,” as well as the Expo Exhibition Center in downtown Shanghai, which hosts exhibitions about participants’ displays. Yang Zhenwu, minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee, addressed the importance of media coverage for the Expo and stressed the application of new media in foreign publicity. Also at the ceremony was Song Chao, deputy minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee and director-general of the Shanghai Municipal Information Office.

[en.expo2010.cn]

Expo Tickets Available in Vietnam

3/12/10 – A fair to start the sales of Expo tickets was held in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi on Friday. The participation of Vietnamese companies and visitors will surely contribute to the success of the Expo, said Chen Xianjin, deputy director of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination Bureau. The Vietnam Pavilion has chosen the theme “1,000-year-long history of Hanoi”, said Le Tien Tho, Vietnam’s deputy culture, sports and tourism minister for the Expo. The design of the pavilion highlights Vietnamese culture, and traditional musical instruments will be showcased and played. Tho said this year marks the Year of Friendship between Vietnam and China, and that Vietnam’s Expo participation is of great importance in bilateral relations.

[Dawa News]

Policy Report

East China’s Heliport to Provide ‘Air Guard’

3/15/10 – A heliport in east China’s Jiangsu Province will be ready in early April for providing “air guard” services for the Expo, heliport investors said Monday. The main part would be completed in early April – five months faster than it usually takes to build such a heliport, said Lu Yong, chief executive officer of Ruohang Transportation Development Co., Ltd – and a patrol drill will be held on April 15^th. It will take only 20 minutes to fly from the heliport to Shanghai, the fastest way to get to the Expo site if there was an emergency. When fully completed by the end of 2010, it will be able to support 50 helicopters, Lu said.

[Xinhua News Agency]

China Promises Speedy Visa Processing for Expo

3/9/10 – China will provide speedy visa processing for visitors to the Expo, as well as more hotel space, with help from surrounding cities. With support from the Foreign Ministry, it is already “an established policy” to provide quick visa processing for Expo visitors from around the world, said Zhou Hanmin, deputy director of the Expo’s executive committee, last Monday at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). To receive the coming waves of visitors, a total of 550,000 beds will be available inside Shanghai during the Expo, and visitors can stay in nearby cities if Shanghai cannot hold all of them. To further assist, efforts have been made to provide easy transportation between Shanghai and its surrounding cities.

[en.expo2010.cn]

Biz Offering

Shanghai Airports: First Step to Expo 2010

We are pleased to inform you that Hill & Knowlton has recently formed a strategic alliance with JCDecaux Shanghai airports media, and is now launching a “First Step to Expo 2010” offering. With the forecasted 70 million visitors to the Expo, there will be a significant increase of daily flights bringing an unprecedented number of visitors to Shanghai during the six-month period. As the No. 1 touch point for Expo visitors and tourists, Shanghai’s airports are a solid platform to boost your brand exposure, stage promotional events, and make a real first impression on consumers in China.

Please get in touch if you are interested in knowing how H&K can help you best leverage this special opportunity. Simply email Marc Arnold at marc.arnold@hillandknowlton.com to receive the offering.