The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will be a major shot in the arm for the whole of China's exhibition industry and give Suzhou's nascent exhibition industry a chance to shine, according to Chen Gang, president of the Suzhou International Expo Center.

Reflecting on the opportunities opened up by the high profile 2010 event, Chen said: "The Expo will inevitably spur visitors to tour other cities beside Shanghai, especially those within the Yangtze River Delta region. As the nearest major city to Shanghai, Suzhou is sure to benefit from a huge "knock-on" effect from the event.

"Suzhou exhibition firms need to seize their moment and put the hours in now to ensure they can truly capitalize on the one-off opportunity that the Shanghai Expo will give the city."