CBD fair celebrates urban innovation

Beijing will again garner world attention this autumn as the capital city hosts the 2012 Beijing CBD Business Festival starting on Sept 15 in its Chaoyang district.

The event, which will kick off at the China World Summit Wing in the city's central business district, is expected to attract representatives of international organizations, foreign ambassadors to China, CEOs of multinationals, urban planners and management experts, according to the event's official website.

The perspectives of international participants, with their diverse ideas and insights from success stories, will help boost economic and social development in Chaoyang and Beijing, the festival's organizing committee told China Daily.

The event, which will run through Sept 22, has 15 sponsors, including the China CBD Alliance, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the Chaoyang district government.

With the slogan "build an international CBD with commerce as the lead and innovation as the driving force", the festival will hold a series of international seminars and discussions, according to the schedule on its official website.

Among them is the Beijing CBD International Forum.

In cooperation with the program Dialogue on CCTV, the forum has invited heads of noted business districts worldwide for discussion, the organizing committee said.

The talks will explore the origins of urban business districts and hot issues in economic development, urban management and public services, said a representative of the committee.

Urban planning experts, multinational CEOs and government leaders will be invited to share their experience in "promoting innovative and sustainable development of CBDs", the representative added.

Another highlight of the festival is the annual meeting of the China CBD Alliance scheduled for Sept 16.

It will attract representatives of 20 CBDs from 17 cities around the country to explore ways to integrate resources and bring more opportunities for mutual development, according to the festival's website.

Participants will also examine the work of the alliance in 2012, vote for admission of new members and formulate a work plan for the year ahead, said the event's organizing committee.

In addition, the World Business District Network and China CBD Alliance are expected to hold closed-door meetings and also release the 2012 Report on the Development of World Business Districts, the committee said.

The festival also hosts the Beijing CBD International Financial Forum that begins on Sept 17.

The forum, now in its seventh year, is designed to boost foreign investment and strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Beijing and other international centers, the committee said.

A finance-themed exhibition will also be held at the International Financial Museum scheduled to open during the festival.

Conceived and built by the Chaoyang district government, the museum is designed to collect and showcase items that reflect the financial development of Chaoyang and Beijing as a whole, the committee told China Daily.

Another highlight of the festival is a campaign to promote 10 major developments in Chaoyang district.

They include projects in the CBD core as well as an eastward expansion of the CBD and developments in the Olympic Park area, an area for electronics, a Bohai Bay headquarters, a "green" entertainment zone along the Wenyu River, the CBD-Dingfuzhuang international media belt, Jingzhan financial services zone, the greater Wangjing sci-tech business innovation zone, and the Dongba international trade center, said district government officials.

An exhibition will be also held to present Chaoyang's development goals during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period.

The Beijing CBD Business Festival has evolved over the years into one of the most influential business events in the capital city, serving as a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign cities, central business districts, governments, and enterprises, said Chaoyang district government officials.

The event "is sure to play a greater role in fueling Chaoyang's social and economic development", they added.

wangsujuan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/14/2012 page7)