OLIVER HAYAKAWA is chief Shanghai representative of the Liverpool Shanghai Partnership (LSP).
Oliver, 26, is responsible for developing business, cultural and civic links between LIverpool and Shanghai.
This was his day:
8am: The dawn chorus in Shanghai is traffic noise. I’m out of the flat in a few minutes to take a tube downtown to the LSP office in the heart of the business district. There is no routine in my life. One of the perils of working across time and Continental divides is that I’m often dealing with emails and phone calls from the UK when I really ought to be in bed. That’s seven (and sometimes eight) hours time difference for you.
9.30am: I deal with those dead-of-night emails (mostly from the UK) and attend a meeting at the Expo Bureau to discuss progress on the Liverpool pavilion. The site, next to the Huangpu River, must be one of the biggest building sites in the world. The Chinese authorities regard Liverpool’s participation as significant. I increasingly get the sense that our support will be remembered when they’re making investment decisions in years to come.
11am: It’s another dash across the city – a city of at least 20m, twice as large as London – to attend one of the British Consul General’s consulate briefings where we explore ways of working with the UK pavilion to maximise Liverpool’s presence. The Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive, Ian Crawford, is present. Ian would probably describe himself as an “old China hand” and is more aware than most of the opportunities which the Expo offers to UK companies willing to use it as a platform for business development.
1pm: Meeting with a potential sponsor for Liverpool’s pavilion. The sponsorship packages start at just £7,500, and the people I’m talking to are surprised at the affordability of getting involved with what we are doing. We discuss their objectives from any potential association. Lunch is a coffee & muffin in – yes, you got it – Starbucks.
2.30pm: Visit the Shanghai Foreign Affairs office. As a sister city, we have strong civic links so I keep the Shanghai government updated on what we are doing and they suggest potential government, business, sports, educational and cultural collaborations.
4.30pm: Back in the office. This is when (9.30am, UK time) emails start to flood in. I call LSP’s executive director, Dr Kerry Brown, and Phil Southward, the project director of the Liverpool Expo project. We’re extremely conscious that the World Expo is more than just an event – it’s a six-month long festival, set to attract 70m visitors, open from early in the morning until late at night. We have to produce a Liverpool pavilion which is dynamic, entertaining and enterprising – in other words, a true reflection of the city of Liverpool itself.
7.15pm: Dine in a Sichuan restaurant with contacts – one ex-pat and one Shanghainese. Because I grew up in Beijing and am fluent in Chinese, I move easily between the cultures. Networking in Shanghai is crucial for businesses – just like in Liverpool.
11pm: I’ve been back in the office for the last two hours, planning the itinerary for an up-coming Liverpool delegation. By now it’s 5pm UK time. My back feels like it is about to give in and my brain is definitely about to give in. Must be time for home.
