WHAT will the Shanghai World Expo 2010 be like?"It's still a mystery," answered Ole Philipson, honourary president of the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE).

"Actually, nobody can exactly foresee it now," he said in a recent interview with the Shanghai Star."A successful Expo looks into the future."

Philipson, the former BIE president and now the chief international adviser for the Shanghai World Expo 2010, visited Shanghai last week.

World Expos have been transforming their focuses from new products and technological innovations to ideas, solutions, theories and culture, according to Philipson.

Increasingly, the World Expo is differentiating itself from traditional commercial exhibitions by demonstrating cultural diversity and representing global interests.

"It's more like a dialogue between cultures now," he said.

To stimulate the interest of exhibitors, organizers need to pay more efforts on the preparation of the Expo contents, he noted.

Construction work is no doubt essential and arduous but the content preparation proves to be "even more challenging," said Philipson.

"And what really makes an Expo win or lose is the content," he pointed out.

Shanghai has already chosen a wonderful theme for its Expo - "Better City, Better Life" - representing a universal challenge and concern for the entire international community.

Shanghai organizers need to develop the theme and work out feasible plans to demonstrate it in various aspects at the Expo, according to Philipson.

"That requires enormous creative efforts," he said.

Philipson suggested Shanghai should not rely too much on the experiences of the previous World Expos but rather "invent a new Expo."

In the beginning, Shanghai needs to bring together the greatest experts, the most innovative thinkers and the most ingenious technicians from all over the world.

"Probably, we may also have to invite some crazy people into the organizing committee, their unique ideas may also be very useful," he said.

The content of the Shanghai Expo will probably be made just one or two years before the opening of the gala, he predicted.

Shanghai promises the BIE it will present a "most successful, wonderful and memorable" World Expo.

Shanghai Vice-Mayor Zhou Yupeng, who directs the newly established Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Co-ordination, the only official executive body for the Expo preparation, elaborated that the Shanghai Expo aims "to help the international community cope with common challenges during its accelerated urbanization process and promote the harmonious development of human kind."

BIE President Vicente Conzalez Loscertales, during his visit to Shanghai last week, highlighted seven factors for a successful Expo:

1) The theme, foundation of success.

2) Participation, the engineer of success.

3) The site and host city, the stage of success.

4) Inter-cultural exchange, the core of success.

5) International communications, the perception of success.

6) An efficient operation, the most basic ingredient of all.

7) The "post-Expo," the final proof of success.