A press conference on the second Global Ningbo Community and Development Partnership Conference is held in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang province on April 3. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

The second Global Ningbo Community and Development Partnership Conference is scheduled to open on Oct 18 in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, as announced by the organizing committee at a press conference on April 3.

It will include an opening ceremony, promotional activities on the city's investment climate and projects, a seminar on high-quality development, a music concert, and a special exhibition detailing the contributions that Ningbo Bang has made to the city. 

Ningbo Bang refers to businessmen who were born in Ningbo but lived outside the city. Usually they achieved success after starting a business from scratch. 

The promotional activities will focus on the overall investment climate of Ningbo, the integration of the Yangtze River Delta, and some key projects taking place in Ningbo this year. The seminar will include speeches delivered by Ningbo scholars on industry, opening-up and ports. The concert will feature Ningbo characteristics and the exhibition will display some of the remarkable achievements Ningbo Bang has made over the past seven decades. 

The conference will invite 1,000 guests from outside the city, 27 percent more than last year. Guests will have backgrounds in everything from economy, technology, and education to culture, sanitation and social science. 

Some activities before and during the conference will be open to the public to increase local engagement, instead of just having people learn about the conference through media.