Written by Dai Qian
Photographed by Xu Jiechen

The Expo Aichi adopted the“producer”system to better run the exhibition gala. There were three chief producers responsible for the overall construction, operation and design of the World Expo. Mr. Masafumi Makimura was one of the three, appointed to be in charge of the operation of the undertaking. He has been working in the exhibition sector for over two decades, having participated in the preparatory work for the previous three professional exhibition events. Earlier this year, the Shanghai World Expo Human Resources Development Center invited him to act as the chief advisor for the center in consideration of his rich experience and reputations in running previous World Expos and other large-scale events, with the appointment ceremony being held on March 9.

Mr. Makimura speaks with our reporter shortly after the ceremony, saying that the pivotal factors for the successful operation and management of the World Expo in the 21st century lie in the assurance of“safety, enjoyment and comfort”for visitors, which can only be achieved via the intensified training for the organizers, service providers in the World Expo park.

Expo 2010 Shanghai: Does your appointment as the chief advisor to the Shanghai World Expo Human Resources Development Center indicate that the training of human resources should be, in your eyes, regarded as an important factor in the successful hosting of the World Expo?

Makimura: From now on to the year of 2010, the training of talents and the overall development of human resources are of significant import to the success of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It is quite important to launch training programs for people ranging from the chief organizers at the highest level to the general public at the grass-root level in order to host a successful World Expo. Visitors to the Expo Aichi all hailed it as a huge success, which is due to the good training programs for all stakeholders.

Expo 2010 Shanghai: When did the human resources training for the Aichi Expo kick off?

Makimura: The HR training programs were launched relatively late in consideration of the sound infrastructure in running the Aichi Expo. Our training programs were conducted through a multi-tiered system, which resembles very much to your‘pyramid’structure for the World Expo HR training initiative proposed by the Shanghai World Expo Human Resources Training Center.

The earliest training was for those organizers at the highest level, consisting of around 400 people. The training they received is very important, as they were expected to have a sound understanding of the theme. The training of philosophy for these at the highest level should not only be conducted in classrooms, but also teach them experiences and lessons provided by other countries in hosting the event, for instance, field investigation, visiting veteran organizers of other countries and adopting suggestions from World Expo experts. This type of professional training should be launched in an early period.

Next, it is the training for the staff responsible for preparing and running the World Expo, including some travel guides and fire fighters, which is also very important. After the training of officials at the highest levels, they should possess firm belief and clear understanding of the World Expo, which will play a guiding role in training staff below their positions. Apart from the set of training standards formulated by your own country, it is also necessary to refer to and learn from international standards. Around ten thousand staff should receive this type of training, which usually takes one year to finish as many of them have already received various professional training. For that experienced staffs that have participated in previous Expos, it will take only about half a year to finish the training in Japan.

The training of volunteers is also very important. Their free services for the World Expo come out of love and their own willingness, and they all have high calibers, but they may exhibit certain flaws in professional knowledge and services. Therefore, first of all, we let them know the philosophy, size, objective, and the exhibits of the Aichi Expo, and we also taught them the requirements of the BIE. The training of volunteers was mainly conducted via long-distance learning or the Internet, taking about two years.

Expo 2010 Shanghai: As the chief advisor to the Shanghai World Expo Human Resources Training Center, what, in your opinion, should the center do first in HR training?

Makimura: First of all, the center should have an all-round planning. From this year to 2010, the annual plans should be carefully formulated, and their contents should be different from each other. The planning featuring the pyramid structure mentioned just now is of much value, and can be used as a basis for the overall training.