The state capital Düsseldorf will be participating with its own pavilion entitled "Business meets Lifestyle - Liveable City and Sustainable Development in Duesseldorf" at the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, China. The subcontractor for the entire presentation of the state capital is the trade fair company, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.

From 1 May to 31 October over 240 nations and numerous international institutions (e.g. Red Cross, United Nations) will be represented at the EXPO exhibition grounds on the Huangpu River that measure an impressive 5.28 km²; 70 million visitors are expected. This means that this year’s EXPO is expected to be the biggest World Exhibition of all times.

For the first time now at a World Expo the “Urban” theme will be centrestage – a highly topical aspect in view of global urbanisation. In China alone there are 175 cities with over 1 million inhabitants, seven cities boast over ten million – and figures are rising. EXPO 2010 will showcase paths towards and examples for the ideal “City of Harmony”. Forming an integral part of this theme is the “Urban Best Practice Area” (UBPA) where cities from throughout the world have the opportunity to present successful ventures in such areas as “Liveable City”, “Sustainable Urbanisation”, “Protection and Use of Historic Heritage” and “Technological Innovation in Buildings“.

The central theme of Düsseldorf’s 402 m² stand at the UBPA is its successful blend of business success with urban quality of life. The North Rhine-Westphalian capital evidences through its presentation in China that its citizens’ quality of life is directly benefited by the commercial success of the state capital. “Both factors – the hard locational factors as well as the soft skills – play a prominent role in successful and sustainable urban development in the 21st century,” says Wilfried Kruse, Head of the Economic Affairs Department of the City of Düsseldorf, and goes on to explain the objective: “To us EXPO is an excellent opportunity to present Düsseldorf as a business location and tourist destination.”

EXPO visitors can see this for themselves and have a personal “Düsseldorf experience” – for the duration of their visit to the EXPO they will become “Temporary Düsseldorf Citizens”. Because the stand in the “Urban Best Practice Area” is a piece of Düsseldorf, to be more precise, it is a reconstruction of the neighbourhood between Burgplatz and the Media Harbour. This area of the city is synonymous with two major urban development projects in the state capital:

1. The underground re-routing of the Rheinuferstraße and the Old Town’s “return” to the Rhine as a result of this.
2. The development of the Media Harbour into an attractive office location for modern enterprises in tomorrow’s industries. 

The development of these areas is highlighted and illustrated by means of images and films. The two-story pavilion predominantly uses interactive media to convey content. A multi-media quiz encourages visitors to join in. A stage provides room for presentation and small-scale events. Over the duration of the EXPO five themed days will highlight Düsseldorf’s strengths in an attention-grabbing manner. The official opening of the pavilion will be the kick-off event on 2 May; “Music, Art & Literature” (13 June), “Fashion & Sports” (11 July), “Town Twinning & Cooperations” (14 August), “Urban Planning, Architecture & Business” (21 September) and “Traditions & Lifestyle” (9 October) will follow.

The subcontractor for the entire presentation of the state capital is the trade fair company, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Commenting on this Werner M. Dornscheidt, CEO & President of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, said: “As organiser of numerous trade fairs abroad such as in China (e.g. wire / Tube China), India (e.g. MEDICAL FAIR India) and Russia (e.g. UPAKOVKA), as longstanding organiser of the “Deutsches Haus” at the Olympic Games and with our experience from various World Expos we boast far-reaching expertise and guarantee a successful presentation of the state capital Düsseldorf.”  

The METRO Group is a partner of the City of Düsseldorf in Shanghai: The retail group is the official and exclusive sponsor of the EXPO representation of the capital city of Nordrhein-Westfalen in China. With this partnership the METRO Group not only wants to display its close ties to the City of Düsseldorf, but also set a clear signal with this commitment to the EXPO that China and the dynamically growing region of Asia have great significance for the economic success of the METRO Group as a whole. The company, which has a presence in 33 countries with over 2,100 sites, thus also shows the positive synergies between globalisation and a strengthening of its home market.

The Group entered the Chinese market in 1996 with its Metro Cash & Carry business. Market entry for Media Markt is planned for 2010. As sole sponsor, the METRO Group will contribute to the design and use of the City of Düsseldorf’s EXPO pavilion, spanning 400 square meters and two stories. The METRO Group will mainly showcase its Metro Cash & Carry and Media Markt retail chains. The central theme of the display will be customer service and quality assurance. The company would like to show that sustainable urban development without retail is not possible: retail businesses supply high quality products to the local market and create a distinct leisure experience for consumers. Moreover, they are significant employers, tax contributors and an engine for growth in the local economy.

More in the Internet unter: www.duesseldorf-expo2010.de/

6,243 characters (incl. spaces)

Contact for Queries:

Specifier: NRW Capital Düsseldorf

Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf Wirtschaftsförderungsamt
Martin Beckers
Burgplatz 1
D-40213 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)211 89 9 76 80
Fax: +49 (0)211 89 3 76 80
E-Mail: martin.beckers@duesseldorf.de
Internet: http://www.duesseldorf.com/

Subcontractor: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Monika Kissing
Stockumer Kirchstr. 61
D-40474 Düsseldorf
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)211-4560 543
Fax: +49 (0)211-4560 87 543
E-Mail: kissingm@messe-duesseldorf.de
Internet: http://www.messe-duesseldorf.com/

Further information