Organizers make final arrangements inside Dalian's World Expo Center, the site of the Annual Meeting of business leaders, or the Summer Davos, which will kick off in the northeastern city of Dalian, China on September 10, 2009. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, is making the final dash in its preparations to host the annual meeting of world business leaders dubbed the "Summer Davos," one day before the event kicks off.

Workers are busy testing technical equipment and cleaning the site to ensure they are ready for tomorrow's opening.

"We are completing the finishing touches for the sound and lighting of the venue," said one of the meeting's technicians, in the Dalian World Expo Center, the main meeting center of the upcoming event.
 
In order to help participants travel around the site, shuttle buses will be scheduled every hour on the hour from the center to all the official hotels. As part of the city's awareness to construct an environmentally friendly community, some of these shuttle buses will be hybrid or electric cars.

"The bus uses electric power and therefore discharges zero pollution," one bus driver proudly announced.

The organizers and participants of the meeting are helped by a team of volunteers. Many of these are local students working in roles such as translators and receptionists.

"I'm in charge of renting cars. I received many guests yesterday," says Feng Chao, one volunteer helping foreigners rent cars.

The city's famed women police officers on horseback can also be seen on the Xinghai Plaza, which neighbors the Dalian World Expo Center. To ensure the security of the meeting, an IC card reading entrance system has been installed inside the venue.

Liu Fengyang, director of Communication at the Shangri-la hotel, one of the reception hotels for Summer Davos participants, says reception work is calm and has a unique Chinese flavor.

"We have made traditional Chinese Cheongsam dresses for the ladies that welcome our guests. We want visitors from around the world to know they are in China once they step into our hotel." 

To better tap into the opportunities brought by the world-class economic forum, Dalian will organize a series of meetings and forums to promote face-to-face exchanges between local and multinational companies, and introduce them to Dalian's outstanding investment environment, Xia Deren, Party Secretary of CPC Dalian Municipal Committee, told reporters.

Tomorrow, the Summer Davos 2009 is scheduled to open, with the theme of "Re-launching Growth" amid the global financial crisis. It is expected to attract more than 1,300 representatives from 86 countries and regions to voice their suggestions on economic challenges.

There will be more than 60 sessions during Summer Davos. Many of the topics such as corporate governance and management could offer great insights in how to improve competitiveness in the marketplace. A number of Chinese Fortune 500 companies, such as Sinopec, CNOOC and China Mobile, will also be attending the event.