Participants in the meeting also asked questions about how to organize their exhibits.

The 2010 event will mark first time that a country like China has hosted the World Expo. The event originated in Europe and has generally been held in developed countries like England, France and the United States. The decision to hold it in Shanghai reflects "an emerging trend in the world, which is the rise of China," said Wu Jianmin, chairman of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).

"The five most important facets of the World Expo are exhibitions, education, exchanges, co-operation and innovation. These are eternal and will bring people together regardless of face, race and nationality," Wu said during his opening speech at the meeting.

A special advisory committee, composed of renowned experts in arranging exhibitions, will probably be set up to offer advice to the organizers of Shanghai's expo, Wu said yesterday.

"Having access to good ideas will be crucial to hosting a good World Expo," said Wu.

Dada Sanz, a representative of Spain, said she expected the expo to be a forum for exchanges between her country and China.

"The World Expo provides an excellent chance for Spain to look at how fast China, especially Shanghai, is developing, and on the other hand the event gives Chinese people an opportunity to get access to Spain," she said.

Though the World Expo covers a broad array of topics, including society, economy, culture and technology, many countries still regard the event as opportunity to find potential business partners.

"I think 85 per cent of the participants hope to find investment opportunities by participating in what will probably be the largest World Expo in history," said Niila Taapopi, a representative from Namibia.

"Developing countries may hope to attract investment from rich countries, while developed countries also hope to find a good place to invest their money," Taapopi added.

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