Thousands of online entrepreneurs from across China and around the world will travel here next week for the third APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) SME Summit and the Alibaba.com-Taobao "Net Products" Trade Fair. The SME Summit takes place Sept. 11-12 at the Hangzhou Leisure Expo Convention Center.

With the theme "Small is Beautiful" accentuating the significant role that SMEs play in the world`s economies, the SME Summit is also part of Alibaba Group`s 10th Anniversary celebration. Keynote presenters include President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd president of the United States; Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA Champion Kobe Bryant; Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Starbucks Coffee Company; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus; Liu Chuanzhi, chairman of the board, Lenovo Group Limited; and Alibaba Group Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Jack Ma; and other executives and dignitaries.

These presenters join other global business leaders, entrepreneurs and prominent scholars from the APEC member economies to explore key issues concerning the growth and development of small businesses including financing, human capital, management, brand building and other necessities for small businesses. Attendees will share insights on surviving the economic winter and taking advantage of coming trends in business for economic growth.

"There has never been a better time to bring together those who will most dramatically impact tomorrow`s economy," said Ma. "Without doubt, small businesses are the key engine of growth for every economy in the world. Uniting the can-do spirit of entrepreneurs from around the world with the continued development of technology will create a virtual world of e-commerce that will forever change for the better how business is done. The benefits of this new business paradigm will be myriad; rewarding customers with tailor-made choices at lower prices and allowing sellers, regardless of where they are, to be more competitive with bigger companies through nimbleness and higher margins thanks to favorable improvements in the value chain."

The SME Summit takes place Sept. 11-12 at the Hangzhou Leisure Expo Convention Center in the First World Grand Theatre. The summit is jointly hosted by Alibaba Group, the Singapore Business Federation, the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the People`s Municipal Government of Hangzhou.

Some 3,000 attendees from more than 20 nations are registered to attend this year`s APEC SME Summit. Highlights of the summit will include:

* A live video address by Bill Clinton on the challenges and opportunities for small businesses in the Asia-Pacific region (Friday, Sept. 11 at 10:00 a.m. local time)

* A keynote address on sustainability for small businesses by Howard Schultz (Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10:40 a.m. local time)

* A conversation about the requirements of success between Kobe Bryant and Jack Ma (Friday, Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m. local time)

* A video address by Muhammad Yunus on funding for small businesses in challenging times (Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m. local time)

* A presentation on management for small business owners by Liu Chuanzhi (Friday, Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m. local time)

* Numerous sessions addressing solutions to the daily challenges of small business success

* The sixth annual Global e-Business Champions Awards ceremony, hosted by Alibaba.com CEO David Wei, to recognize innovative online entrepreneurs who also have advocated for the principles of integrity, cooperation and social responsibility (Friday, Sept. 11 at 4:00 p.m. local time)