A Gathering of Global Business Leaders

The 2005 FORTUNE Global Forum will, in fact, be the third held in China, with previous instalments being held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2001 and in Shanghai in 1999. It will be the ninth in the forum series, which began in 1995 in Singapore as a spin-off from FORTUNE's highly successful US FORTUNE 500 Forum in the United States.

So why China? Why now? Why again?

Robert E. Bierman, president of Fortune's Conference Division said, "As we were going through the short-listing process we found that many parties in our company had a lot of things going on in China. Five years after Shanghai, it's an even bigger story for us. It is still about China as a marketplace, and since it's been five years now, it's time to take another look at them.

The only difference is that now China has become a kind of consolidator in the marketplace. If you really think about it, and with the Olympics and all, it's natural for us to be here."

He said FORTUNE was careful about planning the 2005 forum.

We called all around the world and asked people what they thought of the idea. There was great interest. When we contacted State Council Information Office (SCIO) Minister Zhao Qizheng and Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan, they were also very interested. We felt there was a lot of support for this at the central and city government levels and decided this would be a good programme. The SCIO has been a good 'coop' for us."

The cooperation has indeed paid off.

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker for the opening ceremonies for the event, which are being arranged by 30 departments of the Beijing Municipal Government, will be China's President Hu Jintao. Other government leaders expected to address or attend the forum include: Commerce Minister Bo Xilai; Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong; National Development and Reform Commission Minister Ma Kai and Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua, according to SCIO Director-General Jiang Weiqiang. Other major leaders are reportedly considering attending.

This demonstrates the importance of this event," he said.

Bierman said another factor arose at a "brainstorming" conference held in Colorado involving people from all walks of life with the concept of "where do you see the world in 2010-30? Seventy percent of the participants listed China as a major factor in world events.

Somehow, China was playing a big role in the thinking these people."

The forum's organizer said he expects some strong reactions from forum participants, especially from those who haven't been in China for a while. Anyone who was here, say, ten years ago is going to be shocked by all the changes and the progress that has been made. I think they will be especially surprised by how forward-looking the new leadership is and I think they will be surprised at the openness and the successes that have been achieved. They are going to be very impressed with the opening-night gala at the Temple of Heaven."

Forum chief representative Jaime FlorCruz, added, "They're also going to be surprised to learn that Beijing is emerging as a significant high-technology and research and development centre."

FORTUNE Global 500

Bierman, a native of the State of South Carolina in the United States, who now resides in the Manhatten Borough of New York City with his wife, agreed.

He said he is in awe of Beijing's efforts to modernize, while at the same time protecting its ancient landmarks and its sense of history and culture.

He said that culture will be scrutinized at a special forum expected to include as many of four of China's mayors of great metropolises at the St. Regis Hotel on May 16 after registration for the forum begins.

Another major feature of the upcoming forum will be the participation of numerous Chinese enterprises, including Lenovo, TCL, Haier, and perhaps as many as 10 of China's companies now listed on the FORTUNE Global 500 list which was released on April 4.

"They will have a chance to meet with the CEOs of some of the world's greatest companies, influence these companies and engage in a global dialogue. Some people wonder whether this is something Chinese companies really can do."

He said one of the prime values of the FORTUNE Global Forum programme is that it allows people to stop for a moment and think about the changes that are taking place in the world and what they are doing about it.

"The forum is not for speeches, although there will be some. It's a moderated dialogue. But we will also spend a lot of time outside the sessions giving the delegates a chance to get to know each other."

"The forum is not for speeches, although there will be some. It's a moderated dialogue. But we will also spend a lot of time outside the sessions giving the delegates a chance to get to know each other."

When asked if the US$5,000 price tag for participating in the event might be a bit much for some of the Chinese delegates, Bierman agreed that it was, but, he said, "That's the price for everyone. The forum gives people a chance to meet the very top business decision-makers from around the world."

He said that if you compare the price of pursuing foreign business and attending trade fairs, buying plane tickets and paying for hotel rooms, the access a businessperson gets from attending the forum makes it a good value.

"It's one-stop shopping," FlorCruz said.

Bierman is a seasoned professional in the conference business with past experience with Key3Media, as vice-president and general manager of Comdex trade events, as a  BioSecurity conference with Harvard University and as a former partner in the Conference Group, a producer of conferences and events around the world.

He achieved a first when he convinced US President Bill Clinton to speak at the 2000 Comdex event in Chicago.

In addition to the FORTUNE Global Forum, he is responsible for FORTUNE's Boardroom Forum; Most Powerful Women in Business Forum and the FORTUNE Business Innovation Forum.

Bierman, who has resided in Boston, Los Angeles or Mexico City in his career, said he likes to play golf and write short fiction when he has the time.

"And I've been a fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball team for a long time."