Shanghai World Expo ideal place for businesses to showcase products

By Channel NewsAsia's China Correspondent Glenda Chong | Posted: 07 May 2010 2003 hrs

SHANGHAI - The Shanghai World Expo is not just a learning destination for visitors to find out more about the countries featured, it is also an ideal place for businesses to showcase their products. 

Shanghai is a city of business, so the six-month long World Expo is the perfect place for networking and deal making.

And one Singaporean company is doing just that.

Ariva Hospitality is managing the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion at the World Expo.

"We provide the property management… but we go beyond that into the customer service. One of the key thing… is what Shanghai Corporate Pavilion wants to impress upon the visitors… that Shanghai is not just a financial hub or fashion hub. It is beyond that; it has people with warmth, people with services, etc. And that is something we are working together to create,” Cameron Ong, CEO of Ariva Hospitality.

According to Ariva, it's the little details that make the difference - such as queues located indoors so as shelter visitors from the sun, seats for the elderly while they wait, greenery for relaxation, and TVs to distract visitors from the potentially long wait.

All subtleties that make the pavilion stand out.

Five per cent of the expo's anticipated 70 million visitors are expected to be foreigners.

With that in mind, the expo partnered with MediaCorp, the parent company of Channel NewsAsia to reach out to its foreign visitors.

"China is not short of choice in terms of media partner. I think it goes to show that they have a lot of respect for Singapore and for Channel NewsAsia," said MediaCorp's CEO Lucas Chow.

MediaCorp is Singapore's largest broadcaster and Channel NewsAsia is an English language Asian TV news channel.

Providing news coverage to more than 24 territories across Asia, the satellite footprint of the channel stretches from the Middle East, across asia to Australia.

"I think there are many areas between Chinese companies (and) Singapore companies, that we can cooperate with one another and really go for a win-win situation between the two countries," said Mr Chow.

Cooperation between China and Singapore is nothing new with the island city celebrating 20 years of bilateral relationship this year with China.

The Shanghai World Expo is a multi-billion dollar business opportunity that has yielded massive contracts for various firms. At the same time, it has allowed for the transfer of technology and know-how, improving China's soft power. - CNA /ls

Source: 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/corporatenews/view/1055074/1/.html