With the promotional campaign for the 2010 World Expo going "smoother than expected", the priority now is ensuring the event is truly "creative", Wan Jifei, one of the organizers, said yesterday.

During an exclusive interview with China Daily, Wan, who is chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said more than 190 countries and international organizations have confirmed they will participate in the Shanghai event, and that the construction of the China Pavilion is "in full swing". Wan is also vice-director of the Expo organizing committee and director of its executing committee.

"But we are thirsty for creative designers," he said.

"It is a headache now. A big challenge for us is how to showcase China's economic development, unique culture and new image in a creative way."

Impressed by the creativity and high technology on show at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, Wan, a newly elected CPPCC member, said he is feeling the pressure to make the Shanghai event outshine the previous ones.

The Expo, to be held for the first time in China, is expected to attract about 70 million visitors.

"The robot band and robot basketball team in the Japan Pavilion at the 2005 Aichi Expo were really special, they were such a surprise to visitors," he said.

"We have to admit China is still a developing country and we lag behind some countries in terms of hi-tech development."

The CCPIT was responsible for organizing the China Pavilion in Aichi.

It featured an exhibition of some national relics and cultural performances, such as how to make la mian (pulled noodles), to attract people, Wan said.

"This time, I hope we can have even more creative ideas to delight visitors," he said.

Wan promised the Expo will be environmentally friendly.

The entire Expo venue has been designed to minimize energy use, and the pavilions of all participating countries and organizations must meet strict requirements on energy conservation and environmental protection, he said.

He said he also expects the Expo venue to become a new engine for Shanghai's development.

The 5.28-sq-km park will become a tourist attraction in Shanghai, he said, while the relocation of a steel company and a shipbuilding firm, to make way for the park, will cut air pollution in the area.

Wan said the Expo will also provide a boost for the nation's exhibition industry. And as a new CPPCC member, he said he had proposed an exhibition association be established to develop standards for the booming sector.

In recent years, the exhibition industry has seen average annual growth of more than 20 percent, he said. In 2006, more than 3,000 exhibitions were held across the country, generating 14 billion yuan ($2 billion).

But the scale of the industry remains small compared with those of developed countries, and local firms are at threat from global players, Wan said.

"Therefore it is urgent and essential we establish an industry association responsible for setting standards, organizing training and releasing information," he said.

(China Daily March 6, 2008)