expo 2012

LAS VEGAS, Dec 08, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Innovation, opportunity provide remedy to recession

The 2009 World Tea Expo(R) is projecting record attendance - not despite the current economy, but, at least partially, because of it. Historically, economic downturns have inspired entrepreneurs to launch businesses in niche industries. With specialty tea offering a highly profitable and fast-growing opportunity in the United States, the World Tea Expo and the industry are preparing for a banner year.

A Thriving Industry

Sales of specialty and premium tea in the U.S. are skyrocketing. Earlier this year, market research firm Packaged Facts forecasted that U.S. tea sales would double in five years, from $7.4 billion in 2007 to $15 billion by 2012. The firm further projected that, over the same period, the specialty tea segment of the market would grow to comprise more than half of these total sales, up from its current share of 36 percent. This translates into nearly $5 billion in new specialty tea sales each year for five years - more than double the growth of commercial grade tea.

History Repeats Itself

“In the past few years, we have already seen startups by former CEOs of major national companies, acquisitions by leading conglomerates and investments in top brands by private-equity firms,” commented George Jage, President and Founder of the World Tea Expo. “We are expecting an avalanche of entrepreneurs starting their own tea businesses, much like what happened with specialty coffee almost two decades ago.”

Karen Foley, Publisher of Imbibe Magazine, recalled, “It was amazing to see so many people leaving 20-year careers at Fortune 500 companies to open independent coffee shops, but it brought an enormous amount of diversity and experience into the coffee community.”

From 1993 to 1998, the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s membership grew from 300 to nearly 2,000, according to industry consultant and former SCAA executive Mike Ferguson.

With U.S. unemployment figures reaching record levels, financial experts are advising those who’ve considered starting their own business to do it now. In fact, 18 of the 30 current Dow Jones industrial index companies were launched during economic downturns, according to venture capital firm Reference Capital Management.

Proven Success and Innovation

World Tea Expo is the leading content, education and event provider for the tea industry. Tradeshow Week magazine has twice recognized the Expo with a Fastest 50(R) award, honoring it as one of the most successful events in North America.

The 2009 World Tea Expo is preparing for a massive influx of entrepreneurs into the tea business. The show organizers, who are recognized leaders in producing innovative, face-to-face meetings, are unveiling riveting new programs, educational sessions and events.

The 2009 innovations include a new attendee appreciation program, invitation-only roundtable discussions for key industry buyers, and the launch of the Best Tea Business(TM) awards, recognizing companies whose exceptional business practices provide a beacon for the growing industry.

Jage says, “Our goal is to create opportunities that can’t be found elsewhere, to provide value to attendees and to keep the Expo the must-attend event of the global tea industry.”

World Tea Expo features nearly 400 leading companies in the specialty tea business from around the world, including producers from almost every major growing region. Alongside the Expo is a robust educational program, featuring a New Business Boot Camp, an Executive & Technical Series, Skill-Building Workshops and Focused Tastings - all in addition to the more than 40 sessions in the Core Conference Program.

Also held in conjunction with the event is the much anticipated second annual World Tea Championship(TM), an independent evaluation of the top teas from around the world. The winners will be announced during the new awards ceremony at the Expo.

The World Tea Expo will be held May 2-4, 2009, at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The World Tea Expo(R) is a robust marketplace that brings together hundreds of new products, the latest industry innovations and relevant, cutting-edge educational sessions, providing tea professionals with a one-stop opportunity to help drive their business, fuel industry growth and encourage further exploration of the art and science of tea. The Fastest 50(TM) awards are given by Tradeshow Week Magazine, a leading publication covering the trade and consumer event industry. The World Tea Expo(R), World Tea News(TM), World Tea Championship(TM), World Tea Ratings(TM), World Tea Buyers Guide(TM), World Tea Webinars(TM), and Best Tea Business(TM) awards are produced by SFG Group LLC, a Nevada-based company. The next World Tea Expo(R) will take place at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, May 2-4, 2009. For more information, visit www.worldteaexpo.com.

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SHANGHAI, China—With China becoming a fast-growing market in tourism, the Department of Tourism (DOT) foresees that it will soon reach the top despite the global financial economic crunch. During the recently concluded China International Travel Mart (CITM) 2008 held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, where the Philippines was among the 92 participating countries, tourism attaché Gerard Panga said that even if most tourism markets are down, apparently as a result of the global economic crisis, the Chinese tourist market is surging, especially in eastern China.

“Actually, last year, the Shanghai tourism office gave us a report, ang tour group movements natin grew as much as much as 50 percent. Ngayon naman the number of visa collections of the consulate from January to October is up by 65 percent, so they are saying nga how come all the markets are shrinking but Shanghai is surging? That’s a very good indicator,” Panga told the BusinessMirror in an interview at the sidelights of the affair.

Shanghai is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. It is regarded as the center of finance and trade in mainland China. It will play host in the World Expo 2010, which will take place from May 1, 2010, to October 31, 2010.

China used to be on the 11th spot in terms of tourist arrivals in the Philippines, but it has since jumped to fourth place just behind the United States, Japan and Korea.

Panga said the DOT has created a buzz among Chinese travelers as tourist arrival from China grew by 33 percent, with the month of February accounting for the biggest share at 61 percent. That said, the tourism department is continuing a proactive role in developing new routes between China and various points in the Philippines. Philippine Airlines currently offers direct flights to Chengdu and Chongqing. Direct flights are also underway from Shanghai to Kalibo, Aklan.

To maintain the excitement level of the Chinese market, the DOT is also pursuing more marketing initiatives and encouraging more efficient financial transactions. Arlene Alipio of the DOT’s Team China disclosed that recently BancNet has begun accepting China UnionPay (CUP) cards at the ATM level. CUP is China’s largest ATM network. Panga added the DOT is actively participating in travel fairs such as CITM, so that the market’s consciousness of our wealth of tourism-related offerings remains high.

“When they see the Philippines in travel fairs, that gives a positive image of our country, and gives potential tourists the confidence in visiting our country,” said Panga.

CITM, which draws the attention of people in the tourism industry worldwide, is an annual event held in Shanghai and Kunming, alternatively.

Although there wasn’t much fanfare over at the Philippine booth in CITM, unlike those of other countries which brought in local performers, a steady stream of Chinese and foreigners visited the booth and made inquiries. Brochures and flyers featuring popular tourist destinations in the Philippines were eagerly passed around. Bandang Kawayan, a group popular for playing music using various hand-carved bamboo and narra instruments, failed to perform due to a communications snafu with the organizers.

Nevertheless, the group, showed its prowess in two separate performances at the Super Brand Mall, one of the biggest malls in Shanghai, and in Jing’an, one of the central districts of Shanghai. Alipio said this was part of the DOT’s efforts to promote the Philippines to the Chinese.

In these two performances, tarpaulins showing popular tourist spots in the Philippines were set up, and flyers and brochures similar to those distributed at the travel fair were disseminated to the crowd. Proudly Philippine-made Oishi snacks were also given to the crowd. Oishi, which is manufactured by Liwayway Marketing Corp., has a factory in Shanghai and has been helping the DOT in promoting the Philippines.

“We are not only promoting our products which are proudly Philippine-made, but we are also helping promote our country by way of assisting and helping the Department of Tourism because we believe in its effort to promote our country,” said Emily Fenix, a Chinese-Filipino who works in the marketing department of Oishi in Shanghai.

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SHANGHAI: The China pavilion for the Shanghai Expo placed its final concrete grouting on Friday, marking a milestone in the building of the country’s showcase structure for the 2010 event, organizers said.

Workers at the top floor of the China pavilion being built for the Shanghai 2010 Expo on Friday. [Niu Yixin] 

Known as the “The Crown of the East”, the 63-m-tall pavilion costs about 1.5 billion yuan ($220 million) and is slated for completion by October.

It is one of the permanent constructions in the central area of the expo and will sport a distinctive square roof made of traditional dougong or brackets, which has a history dating back more than 2,000 years.

The top of the roof will feature a grid encompassing traditional urban planning features in ancient Chinese cities such as Xi’an in Shaanxi province and Beijing.

“The project is a difficult one because the pavilion has a small bottom that supports a larger top segment,” Jiang Zhiquan, chairman of the Shanghai Construction (Group) building the pavilion, said on Friday.

The pavilion contains a 30,000-sq-m hall of exhibition space for provinces and regions, as well as a 3,000-sq-m room to be shared between Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The main structure will be used for an exhibition themed “Chinese wisdom in urban development” to explain the values of harmony, nature and spirit, organizers said. Provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and other areas will also present their urban achievements.

Organizers of the Shanghai Expo, to be held between May 1 and Oct 31, 2010, has confirmed the participation of 182 countries and 45 international organizations in the event.

The local environment protection bureau also launched a key research project on Thursday to guarantee a cleaner Shanghai during the event, while key figures in the environment sector including those who provided their expertise for the recent Beijing Olympics will reportedly be involved in the expo.

Similarly, the local government said on its website that its devotion to environmental protection for the Expo will “exceed the efforts made by the Beijing municipal government to present a green Olympics”.

The air quality will be better than current levels, as Shanghai has maintained an 85 percent or above level for five years in terms of the ratio of excellent or good quality of air, authorities said.

A package of emergency plans also will be at hand to deal with the possible occurrence of highly polluted weather during the expo, the government said.

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BEIJING (IRNA) — The Islamic Republic of Iran can have a strong presence in Expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010, the consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Shanghai said.

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SHANGHAI — Representatives of the more than 220 countries, cities and organizations that have signed up for the 2010 World Expo attended an update meeting here on Thursday.

As of Friday, 182 countries and 45 international organizations had confirmed their participation in the global showcase, exceeding the total at the 2000 World Expo in Hanover, Germany, organizers said.

The Shanghai Expo will run from May 1 to Oct 31, 2010, and is being viewed as an economic beacon for the Yangtze River Delta amid the global economic crisis.

Preparations for the event are progressing well, and construction is now under way on all pavilions and auxiliary facilities, organizers said.

A ceremony was held on Friday for the handover of the two lots on which Germany and France will build their pavilions.

On Thursday, Dutch Consulate-General Walter van Weelden said: “We are always impressed by the efficiency and completeness of information provided by the Chinese.

“As governments and businesses attempt to tackle the global financial crisis, we should be optimistic that the Shanghai Expo will draw people from around the world to celebrate societal and technological achievements,” he said.

Yang Xiong, Shanghai’s executive vice-mayor, said the city is delighted to present the Shanghai World Expo 2010 as an engine for economic growth, social progress and technological advancement.

Vicente Loscertales, secretary-general of the International Expositions Bureau, said on Thursday that the event is expected to attract about 70 million visitors from home and abroad, and that the event’s success was dependent on their shared vision.

“The Chinese government showed outstanding organizational skills at the Beijing Olympics, but we need to push the limits even further because the World Expo is even more complicated,” he said.

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WAM Abu Dhabi, Nov 29th, 2008 (WAM): A pavilion like no other, is how the imaginative and appealing structure for the United Arab Emirates’ pavilion was described by HE Saqr Gobash, UAE Minister of Labour and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), at the official launch of the country’s participation at Expo 2010 - the largest ever World Exposition event, scheduled to open on May 1st 2010 in Shanghai.

The NMC Chairman said that the pavilion is inspired by one of the country’s most evocative natural landscapes, the precipitous sand-dunes of the UAE’s legendary deserts. The building is a triumph of form and function, harmonising nature and architecture to create a fascinating structure that commands attention and reminds visitors of the Expo 2010 theme: �Better City, Better Life’.

The event is expected to attract over 60 million visitors from all over the world during a period of six months.

Designed by Foster + Partners, one of the world’s leading architectural teams, the building will be the first ever truly recyclable Expo pavilion. Following completion of Expo it will be dismantled and moved to a more permanent location, thus gaining maximum value from the extensive planning, design and construction that is involved in Expo participation.

The building’s strong appeal lies not just in its unusual organic form but also in the reflective nature of its outer covering, helping to recreate the changing patterns and colours of the UAE’s natural and urban environments. Diffused light penetrates the building during the day and spectacularly illuminates the pavilion by night, Gobash elaborated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the National Media Council and the Commissioner General of UAE Pavilion at Expo 2010 Salem Al Amiri said that in keeping with the theme of the event, the building will demonstrate a number of innovative environmental strategies including the UAE’s ambitious sustainable agenda programme.

The unique pavilion is considered as a beacon for such principles, its hi-tech form an expression of the passive environmental measures it employs.

Shaped by the wind, a natural dune appears rough on the side that bears the full force of the wind, and smooth on the side that collects the sand after it has been tipped over the ridge. The design seeks to replicate this, deflecting the Shanghai winds and protecting the smooth, leeward side, added the Commissioner General.

The curve of the dune responds to the arc of the sun and is orientated towards the north, with the solid shell forms protecting against the direct glare from the south and allowing indirect light to enter the habitable areas via a complex series of louvres.

The slopes rise to 20 metres in height to enclose the exhibition spaces within and arched entrances protected by canopies shelter visitors as they queue to enter the building. The outer finish is rosy gold-coloured stainless steel designed to shimmer in the changing light.

The UAE pavilion is located in the eastern section of the Expo site, south of the river and within easy reach of the Chinese pavilion on the opposite side of the main thoroughfare. It is approached via an entrance along the south ring road, across the elevated Expo walkway and is oriented to address a public square in the north-east corner of the site.

Situated on largest plot size (6000 square metres) available to Expo participants, The Dunes, as the building has become known, has a footprint of 3452 square metres and encloses a total of approximately 3900 square metres of exhibition space, information areas, and other facilities, Al Amiri added.

The overall installation is a celebration of city living in the UAE - the swiftness with which the nation has built modern cities and, with the resources that they are investing in sustainable technology, their global leadership in helping us all to live better in the cities of tomorrow.

Visitors will approach The Dunes by a walkway, which has seating and follows a stream of water towards the entrance. Proverbs and quotations along the route will gradually immerse people into the ideas and themes of the exhibition.

Entering the pavilion, visitors will be presented with a short film, taking them from the birth of the UAE to today. Next they will enter a large space where reactive technology and AV is used to present the daily lives of an Emirati family.

From there, moving into a large, darkened theatre space, visitors will be taken on a simulated �dream journey’ to the UAE, showcasing its many magnificent attractions.

The final area of the pavilion provides visitors with a wide range of information on the country. After leaving the building they will find comfortable, shaded seating where they can relax and contemplate.

The UAE was awarded a gold medal for its pavilion at Expo 2008 and is clearly hoping for a similar success at Expo 2010.

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THE Shanghai World Expo organizer will begin recruiting volunteers on December 5 to serve visitors outside the Expo site, an Expo organizer reported to the city’s top political advisory body today.

All Shanghai residents can apply to be a volunteer, Deng Xiaodong, deputy chairman of the Shanghai Commission of Chinese Communist Youth League and in charge of Expo volunteer recruitment, told members of the Shanghai Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at a meeting in Shanghai.

Volunteer teams may not need to work at the Expo site. Their main tasks include promoting the Expo, as well as maintaining public order and improving the city’s environment during the Expo.

There is no threshold for the applicants for the Expo volunteer team members, said Deng. The organizer encouraged all local people to be Expo volunteers, Deng added.

The organizer plans to recruit about 1 million such volunteers across the city.

Apart from the volunteer teams, there are two other kinds of volunteers for Shanghai Expo. They are the volunteers working at service stations across the city and volunteers working at the Expo site. Recruitment of these volunteers will begin next September.

The organizer will recruit about 200,000 volunteers to work at about 1,500 service stations in the city from September 2009. All Shanghai residents from high school to 70 years old can apply to volunteer at these stations.

Recruitment plans for volunteers at the Expo site have yet to be decided.

Applicants of the three kinds of volunteers can download a form from the 2010 World Expo Website and fax a print version to 021-22060627. Only Chinese language is available now.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics had about 400,000 volunteers outside sports venues and another 100,000 inside the venues.
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Graeme Maxton, an internationally renowned authority on the global automotive industry, has been announced as the Keynote Speaker of NAFA’s 2009 Institute & Expo in New Orleans next April.

Princeton, NJ, November 26, 2008 –(PR.com)– Two years ago at NAFA’s annual conference, Graeme Maxton warned that the global auto industry was in need of a major model change and a complete re-engineering in order to fix all that is wrong with it. With General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler recently gathering in Washington, D.C. seeking billions to help save their companies, his dire forecast looks truer now than ever. Maxton, an internationally renowned authority on the global automotive industry, was so well received with his sobering message in 2006 that NAFA is proud to offer him a stage to share his insights into the future of the global automotive industry as the Keynote Speaker of NAFA’s Institute & Expo in New Orleans in April 2009.

In addition to his vast knowledge of the automotive industry, Maxton is a writer, presenter and events moderator who specializes in Asian business and economics. Maxton delivers punchy, clearly articulated analysis on the challenges of doing business in the world’s fastest growing economic region. With an eye to global business affairs, he draws on over 25 years consulting and advisory experience.

Maxton chairs many of The Economist’s meetings and conferences and is the presenter of the ‘Doing Business in Asia’ video series. He writes for a variety of publications including The Economist, The South China Morning Post, Scotland on Sunday, Business China and Business Asia. He appears regularly on major international news channels including CNN and BBC as well as radio stations around the world. Maxton is also an occasional guest commentator / host on CNBC’s morning new program, “Swawk Box”.

He authored the book Time for a Model Change, which was Cambridge University Press’ Feature Book of the Year in 2005, and co-authored Driving over a Cliff, which was nominated for the Financial Times Best Book About Business Award. Other books include the EIU’s Emerging Markets of Asia-Pacific and Asia Pacific: After the Crisis.

In 1992, he co-founded autoPOLIS, an automotive industry consultancy, which advises multinational clients and governments across the globe. Maxton was the Managing Director for Asia until 2007, providing analysis and presentations at board level for companies building their presence in the region. While there, he conducted assignments for a wide range of clients including The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office, Renault, No. 10 Downing Street, Thailand’s Ministry of Industry, Britain’s Department of Trade and Industry, EBRD, Citibank, SKF, Nissan, GKN, Visteon, and TRW.

Maxton holds a first class degree in economics and operations research as well as an MBA and is a member of the economic policy committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Vienna and Hong Kong.

NAFA’s Institute & Expo will take place April 25-28, 2009 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. In addition to Graeme Maxton, the I&E will also present the motivational speakers Craig Karges and Ed Rigsbee, and comedy by Jan McInnis. The I&E also features over 60 hours of fleet training, education and workshops; the Public Safety Roadeo and a large collection of emergency vehicles, Green Fleet Ride-and-Drive where you can test drive various alternative fuel vehicles; the Green Zone, which contains the latest in “green” products, information, and services; and an Expo Floor with over 150 companies showing their latest products and services. Future I&E locations include Detroit (2010), Charlotte (2011), St. Louis (2012), and Atlantic City (2013).

About NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA Fleet Management Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit, individual membership professional society serving the needs of members who manage fleets of automobiles, SUVs, trucks, vans and a wide range of specialized mobile equipment for organizations across the globe. NAFA is the association for the vehicle fleet management profession. NAFA’s Full and Associate Members are responsible for the specification, acquisition, maintenance, and remarketing of more than 3.5 million vehicles – including in excess of 1.1 million trucks. In fact, NAFA Members across the North American continent have more than 350,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks in their fleets, totaling more than $21 billion dollars in assets for medium- and heavy-duty trucks alone. For more information visit http://www.nafa.org

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The speciality trade event Yarn Expo Spring returns to the China World Trade Centre in Beijing from 30 Mar-1 April 2009. The show is an exclusive event for this upstream segment of the textile industry and one of the few shows of its kind in Asia.

Despite challenges facing the global textile industry, fibre and yarn are still very much in demand in China. This demand is buoyed by the continued, albeit more modest, rise in textile exports, as well as growing domestic demand particularly for high quality speciality yarns from abroad.

Yarn Expo Spring, which attracted 3,500 visitors from 41 countries in 2008, has been designed to help international suppliers tap this potential. Visitors to past shows have attended from across China as well as Europe, Asia, North and South America and even Africa and include manufacturers of both knitted and woven fabrics, knitwear, designers and import/export companies.

“This show is significant in that it offers fibre and yarn producers a very specific and efficient venue to find trade buyers in China,” said Ms Wendy Wen, Director of Trade Fairs for Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. “Exhibitors know that any visitor at this show will be a serious potential customer.”

Yarn Expo also benefits from two other important trade events taking place. Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics (29-31 March 2009) features more than 1,000 top Chinese and international textile manufacturers and the China International Clothing and Accessories Fair (CHIC), one of China’s leading garment fairs, will run from 26 - 29 March 2009.

Together, these events offer added value to anyone visiting from the textile industry. At the same time, the shows offer one of the earliest glimpses into the Spring/Summer 2010 trends.

Yarn Expo features natural fibres and yarns including cotton, wool, silk and linen/ramie; regenerated and synthetic products; specialty products; elastic, fancy and blended yarns and computer-related services.

Yarn Expo is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the Sub-Council of Textile Industry-CCPIT, China Cotton Textile Association, China Wool Textile Association, China Chemical Fibres Association, China Bast & Leaf Fibres Textiles Association, and China Textile Information Centre.

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The government is planning to spend more than two-trillion won on the 2012 Yeosu World Expo.

The government finalized a comprehensive plan to support the exposition at a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo Tuesday.

He said the expo will serve as a growth engine for the nation’s southern coastal regions.

According to the plan, one-point-seven trillion won will be spent on the construction of facilities, while some 300 billion will be set aside for operating costs.

The budget is up 22 percent from the initial amount proposed when the southern port city won the right to host the international event in November of last year.

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