If Shanghai expects to make a profit from World Expo 2010, it will have to do a far better job of market research than the research has been done at recent expos, international Expo experts said yesterday during the ongoing World Expo 2010 Shanghai Forum.

　　Before the two-day forum began yesterday morning, the Chinese Communist Party Shanghai Committee Secretary Chen Liangyu and Mayor Han Zheng attended an inaugural ceremony of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

　　"The establishment of the Expo bureau marks a brand-new stage for the preparatory work of World Expo 2010," Han said.

　　The bureau, headed by Vice Mayor Zhou Yupeng, is an executive organization in charge of various affairs to prepare for the World Expo 2010.

　　Its key tasks are to carry out the Expo-related policies set by the city and the central governments, to coordinate with the Bureau of International Expositions and its member countries, to invite businesses to take part in the event, and to give guidance for the planning and business management of Expo.

　　During the daylong discussion, more than 300 senior government officials, entrepreneurs and experts from home and abroad provided extensive suggestions.

　　Arno Brandt, a representative of the German city of Hanover, which hosted the World Expo in 2000, said that it's normal for a city which is organizing Expo to post a deficit because the event is the investment for the future of a city and a nation."It's like a big party: you invite guests and you will make some deficits by your own. But the crucial part is how to reduce the costs," he added.

　　Hanover estimated that 40 million people would take in the expo, but was only able to attract 18 million visitors.

　　Although Brandt thinks it will be much easier for Shanghai to reach its target of 70 million visitors, the city should not underestimate the importance of market investigation and should carry it out as early as possible.

　　"I also hope Shanghai will have much more sponsorships (than Hanover) from private companies to balance the different interests," he added.

　　In addition to businesses, Brandt also suggested the city government promote public understanding of the event, as most people have no idea of what the World Expo is following its massive decline in visibility over the past few decades.

　　Richard Wooldridge, president of International Herald Tribune, told the forum he would like to see the city work with international media to use the expo as a way of spreading the word about China's rapid changes.

　　"The city should work with the international press to make sure that they will come to report faithfully the huge changes undergoing here," he told Shanghai Daily.