Big Talk
Awni Behnam, who was the commissioner general of the UN Pavilion at Expo Garden, delivered a seminar to students at Shanghai's Fudan University on Wednesday to share some ideas on international communication and multi-lateral diplomacy.
For Francesca Cusumano, a Rome-based communication expert, visiting the Shanghai Expo was a unique experience, and what impressed her most was the enthusiasm displayed by Chinese visitors during the 6-month event.
"The SAIC-GM Pavilion has received more than 2 million visitors since the opening of the Expo, making us one of the most popular pavilions in the Puxi side of the Expo Garden.
"We have been truly honored to be a part of the Expo 2010 Shanghai, the greatest Expo to date. It is a great opportunity for us to promote our various products as well as the company's culture to the public. During these six months, we have created the largest operational venue in the company's history by serving drinks to millions of visitors as well as Expo staff. Our pavilion is deeply loved by visitors and we have received more than 5,500 people each day on average. Our pavilion has been so popular that there was unfortunately an average waiting time of four hours to enter, but our 'Happiness Ambassadors' have helped entertain visitors while they waited. The ambassadors appeared nine times per day, or over 1,500 times in total. Finally, we would like to thank the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination for providing us with such valuable and rapid support throughout."
Thank you to China Daily for the accurate, abundant and very interesting information they have provided about the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. They have contributed greatly to the success of this magnificent and unforgettable Expo, providing an enormous service to China and the international community.
"We congratulate the Shanghai World Expo! This Expo has broken every record by virtually every measure. I will tell everybody this was an epic event. It's one of those that happen rarely throughout history. I am also proud of the United States' participation in the Expo 2010 Shanghai. Being one of the most popular pavilions at the Expo, the USA Pavilion has kept a momentum of hosting 45,000 visitors per day, with a peak level of 55,000 a day, and has received nearly 7.2 million guests over the entire duration of the Expo. This is 1 million more guests than we anticipated at the beginning, which means 1 million more have experienced the tremendous cultural exchange taking place here at the Expo 2010. This triumph has been made possible through the constant teamwork and partnership between us - country to country, people to people.
"The opportunity to implement France's participation at the Universal Exposition of Shanghai from the beginning to the end was a fantastic experience. My team and I worked very hard on this project for three years.
"We have been thrilled and amazed to see so many people queuing - sometimes for over four hours - every day for the past six months to visit our pavilion to learn more about Italy. I am very proud, moved even, to have received such attention from our Chinese visitors. These six months have been an incredible adventure, over which - thanks to the hard work of all our staff and the Expo Bureau - we have celebrated and shared the best of Italian tradition and innovation. Some 63 cultural events, 150 business forums, 180,000 Chinese and International VIP delegations, close to 7 million visitors - these numbers give just some indication of the success we have achieved. I am sure that through our commitment to this Expo - an Expo of records and undoubtedly the most important World Expo in recent memory - the relationship between Italy and China is closer and based on a deeper understanding than ever before."