The Swedish participation in the World Expo 2010 has attracted a great number of sponsors. With over 110 partnering companies, the Swedish participation is at the top of the list.
– We are of course very happy that the interest has been so huge, and we still get inquiries from companies who want to join the cooperation, says Nina Ekstrand, Deputy Commissioner General and responsible for partner relations.
The companies supporting the Swedish pavilion are divided into four groups; partners, sponsors, organizations and suppliers, where the partners are co-financers. With a total budget of 150 MSEK, where 50% comes from the government and 50% from companies, the Swedish participation at is the largest co-financed nation branding project Sweden has ever made.
The Swedish Trade Council is one of the organizations that have chosen to participate in the co-operation. They started out as an official organization but as the Expo has gone along they have evolved into a partner.
– The World Expo is an important platform, and as a partner for Swedish companies in their international expansions we feel that supporting the Swedish pavilion is definitely important to us, says Ulf Berg, CEO at the Swedish Trade Council.
Ericsson is one of the two main partners to the Swedish pavilion, and with their sponsorship they hope to strengthen the Swedish brand, as well as their own, in China.
– We chose to be a partner because we, just like for example Volvo and Atlas Copco, have a long experience about doing business in China. We know that it takes a lot of long term planning and visible signals about a strong engagement and close relations. China is important to us within several aras, and is much more to us that just an export market, says Henry Sténson, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications at Ericsson.
Atlas Copco is another important partner, and with China as their biggest market, it was natural for them to support the Swedish participation.
– It was an easy decision for Atlas Copco to participate in the World Expo in Shanghai. We have used this event to show how the group offers sustainable productivity in and for China and the rest of the world, says Annika Berglund, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Atlas Copco Group.
The World Expo in Shanghai opened May 1 and will be open until October 31. So far almost 50 million people have visited the Expo park, and some 2,3 million persons have been to the Swedish pavilion.
