DALIAN: Preparatory work for the World Economic Forum on Growth to be held this summer in this coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province is going smoothly.

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Last week, a work team made up of IT and conference experts from Paris-based Publicis Events Worldwide and headed by Jeremy Jurgens, chief of the World Economic Forum Beijing office, inspected the city's accommodation and the infrastructure and services being prepared for the meeting.

The team also discussed the concept of the meeting with its local partner, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Dalian branch, and put forward suggestions for the improvement of existing facilities.

"This is a further step to continue our effort to work with all the partners in the city for the world event, and we are very satisfied with the facilities and the job the local team has done," said Jeremy Jurgens, who is also director of the World Economic Forum Global Growth Companies.

The Davos, Switzerland-based forum is known as one of the world's most important non-governmental economic meetings and has attracted thousands of business and political leaders to the Swiss town every winter for decades.

The forum cast its eyes to China when organizers decided to organize a world-class meeting to bring together all of the new global business champions, Jurgens said.

Dalian was selected among several cities in the country to host the World Economic Forum on Growth, which is also the inaugural annual meeting of global growth companies.

These companies are operating globally, developing recognized global brands and managing extremely rapid expansion. They have clearly demonstrated the potential to become leaders of the world economy in the next five years.

"The final choice for Dalian to host the forum on growth really came down to the combination the local environment, the leadership of the local government and the commitment to bring the forum to China," Jurgens said.

To promote the upcoming meeting, a delegation from the city held a Dalian Night attended by more than 200 business and government leaders during the World Economic Forum held late this January in Davos, Switzerland.

"They were extremely excited to visit the city this September," Jurgens said.

(China Daily 03/08/2007 page14)

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