Shanghai gears up for 7th CIIE with enhanced media center

The China International Import Expo Media Center opened on Sunday as a hub for global media coverage as the 7th edition of the import expo prepares to kick off in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10.

Located at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the 13,000-square-meter facility will serve as the operational center for nearly 3,800 registered domestic and international journalists during the expo.

To better facilitate the needs of reporters, the media center opened a day earlier than previous editions and will remain operational until the expo's conclusion.

The Media Center features functional areas including an information desk, public and exclusive media workspace, radio and television services area, press conference rooms, interview room, as well as a catering and refreshment area.

Beyond hosting over 10 press conferences with authoritative expo information, the media hub has also curated themed press tours covering National Exhibitions, Enterprise Exhibitions and other major exhibition areas.

A series of executive interviews like "Face-to Face with Overseas CEOs" and academic salons will be organized enabling exchanges between domestic and foreign reporters and exhibitor representatives.

In a new initiative, over 10 exhibiting companies from sectors like intelligent manufacturing and green environmental protection have been invited to the media center, adding three exhibition events daily.

This year's media center has also introduced several new highlights, including robots, an AI music station to create personalized expo songs, as well as immersive experiences like naked-eye 3D, AR, and digital painting.

"We aim to spotlight the feature of internationalization," said Qian Fei, an official from the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality. Artists from nearly 10 countries and regions were invited to showcase paintings, photography, and more depicting Shanghai's urban image at the center, and AR technology is also used to provide a sense of immersion.

Three new "friends" also debuted, with two intelligent bilingual robots greet journalists daily at the consultation desk while helping volunteers answer questions from journalists. A robotic dog nicknamed "Tie Dan" carries selected books and newspapers each day to deliver news updates to journalists, according to Qian.