Visas in hand, business etiquette in mind and an itinerary that leaves little room for more than four hours sleep per night -Mayor Greg Gardner and planning director Cameron Chalmers are ready to help Squamish make its mark at the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.
"I am really excited for the community - I think it's a great opportunity," said Chalmers.
"We've spent a lot of time trying to position this place over the years to attract different types of business and different forms of economic development and now we're at the point where we're actually taking action instead of just talk."
In July, Squamish council decided to get onboard the Whistler Forum for Dialogue and Leadership's trip, which they called Harmony Tour II following a successful educational tour of China two years ago.
It was decided Gardner and one staff member would go to represent Squamish and meet Canadian consul general Nadir Patel, trade commissioner Jordan Reeves and East China British Columbia trade and investment managing director John MacDonald, to name a few.
This week, Chalmers and Gardner are ready to depart for their eight-day tour from Sept. 12 to 18, which is chalk full of meetings, most notably with businesses interested in establishing bases in Canada and ideally, Squamish.
"I was at a very interesting meeting with the MLA [Joan McIntyre] and with the federal trade commissioners where they gave us the heads-up on some of the issues and opportunities that we should be alive to when travelling to China," said Gardner.
Both Squamish representatives have been reading up on proper Chinese business etiquette and speaking to locals with experience in Chinese or international business.
"I've never been to China before so it's my first trip and a big learning experience for me," said Gardner.
He said one significant difference is the common Chinese practice of government partnerships with businesses, a method not as typical in Canada.
"We have to start analyzing if we're prepared to go along that role," said Gardner.
Gardner and Chalmers have also been in contact with the consulate office in Shanghai so they could begin setting up meetings with businesses, but not before taking into account the lengthy and detailed knowledge-based industry strategy from 2008.
"We started looking at what have we already done that indicates a relationship with China, and one of the keys would be the knowledge-based industry strategy that was finished in 2008," said Chalmers.
"Part of that strategy actually identifies specific individual companies that fit our four sectors of knowledge based industry we're trying to target.
"For example, there's a firm in Shanghai that would be doing animation in a way that would probably be very attractive to this area, or at least would be worth making a connection."
Chalmers said the district has already initiated contact with several companies in Shanghai and the surrounding area.
"We're inviting them to a day that we have at Canada Place at Expo 'Sea to Sky Corridor Day,'" said Chalmers.
"We're hosting a reception for them there and it's an opportunity for them to see what we're all about, what opportunities might exist and just get to know a little bit more about the Sea to Sky Corridor."
Chalmers and Gardner also met with Tourism Squamish, the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses wanting to make an impact - Ecoflex Solutions, Sunsational Vacations, Squamish Terminals and Quest University were among the interested organizations.
Plenty of Squamish paraphernalia will be in tow, including photo images, Tourism Squamish videos, Oceanfront videos, an updated community profile and brochures on what the community is all about, which Chalmers and Gardner will showcase in various situations and locations.
Despite the exposure, the district's expectations are nonetheless modest, said Chalmers.
"We're not expecting this trip is going to change everything at once, but this is the beginning of a new approach to economic development and promotion of our community that we've never paid attention to before."
