China (Xian) 2009 Global Sourcing Summit Nov. 10-11

The objectives of this year’s China Outsourcing Tour are to help participants, in particularly SMEs,  forge relationships (Guanxie) with their Chinese peers, discover deep-value business opportunities, and explore emerging trends and major events in industry- all opportunities previously available to multinationals only. Tour participants will be able to evaluate firsthand the operation situations, infrastructure capacities, and resource readiness of various outsourcing bases. They will gain insights into China’s outsourcing industry through numerous round-table discussions with government policymakers and industry leaders.

Tour participants will visit the key outsourcing base cities of Xian, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing over a 10-day period, during which time they will also meet with a broad spectrum of outsourcing professionals, government officials, and business leaders.

The trip will start with a visit to the Shanghai Pudong software base, where the group will meet with park officials and managers of leading IT outsourcing enterprises. In particular, they will be briefed on current IT & BPO projects, as well as opportunities to serve the upcoming World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, a giant event with over 200 participating countries and 70 million projected visitors from around the globe.

Next, the delegation will tour the Hangzhou outsourcing base, which is China’s National Integrated Circuit Design Industry Base as approved by the State Ministry of Science & Technology. The city of Hangzhou itself is one of China’s most famous scenic and historical attractions and has consistently been ranked number one on FORBES magazine’s annual ‘China’s Best Places for Business’ list. The tour group will hold a roundtable discussion with park officials and industry leaders to get a feel for business dynamics in China.

The group will then fly to Xian to attend the 2009 China Global Sourcing Summit. One of the most significant outsourcing events in China, the summit features industry leaders, officials from the Ministry of Commerce & State Government, and leading analysts and scholars from both China and overseas countries. The summit will cover a range of hot outsourcing trends in China, provide opportunities for interaction and networking with Chinese peers, and provide for visits to outsourcing enterprises, universities & training centers.

After Xian, the delegation will travel to Tianjin Software Park, a newly-launched base in the Tianjin Binhai development zone. The central government is planning on investing over 100 billion USD in the next five years in this zone so that it can develop China’s fastest-growing economic sectors, such as aerospace, alternative fuels, biopharmaceuticals, financial services, modern logistics, and service outsourcing. Because many of these industries have themselves a vast range of IT and office processing needs, the Binhai outsourcing base is as unique hub for providers as it is for buyers of outsourcing services. The tour group will be examining various emerging opportunities in the area and will hold another roundtable meeting with park officials and enterprise leaders.

The final stop will be Beijing, the capital of China. The delegation will visit the ZhongGuanChun Software Park in Beijing and meet with ministry officials to learn new policies and future paths for China’s outsourcing industry. Another round-table discussion will be held with officials, industry leaders, and representatives of software and outsourcing associations. The trip will end with a full-day guided tour of Beijing’s famous Great Wall, Forbidden City, and 2008 Olympic landmarks, with a few hours of time for shopping and leisure before returning to the US.

2009 China Outsourcing Tour Tentative Itinerary