Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. announced that the Shanghai International Parking Equipment & Intelligent System Expo 2004 ("INTERPARKING 2004") and China Intelligent Building 2004 will be held from November 24 to 26 at the INTEX Shanghai. Over 70 manufacturers from China, Japan, Germany and other countries and regions are expected to be present at the exhibition, showcasing numerous advanced intelligent building systems and products, car parking facilities, control tools and software products.

It is understood that the municipal government aims to turn Shanghai into a digital city as a part of its bid to host the 2010 World Expo. To this end, a large number of digital buildings and more intelligent Expo facilities will be built.

Around 70 million people from all over the world are anticipated to visit the 2010 World Expo. A total area of 60 hectares, representing about 20,000 standard parking lots, will be needed for the construction of supporting car parks and major public transportation within the Expo facilities. Outside the facilities, 600 parking lots for public transportation and large passenger buses, 8,000 lots for privately owned cars, 200 taxi stands and 6,000 bicycle parking stands will be needed, representing an additional 11,000 standard parking lots. In order to relieve traffic pressure during the World Expo, the local government will also step up efforts to promote the development of IT-based and intelligent car parking systems. These will include the construction of parking guide systems and introducing automatic tolling stands on street parking lots.

These exhibitions will create a platform of product showcases and information exchanges to assist preparation work for the 2010 World Expo. Products suppliers and system integration vendors will be able to learn more about the mobilization progress of this world event, and will have opportunities to participate in the construction of entire Expo buildings, hotels and transportation facilities. During the exhibition, Intelligent City and the 2010 World Expo Construction Forum will be convened. Shanghai's top 20 engineering design and construction firms for intelligent buildings will also be selected, and workshops will be conducted on the city's intelligent transportation and car park solutions.