The expo, said representatives hosting a Wednesday-morning press conference at Mipim Asia here, will "Serve as a catalyst for urban development and investment, and influence the planning practices of the world's major cities." In fact, the event is expected to draw an estimated 10 million people and 200 city governments.

The purpose will be two-fold as the target audience of global developers, investors and capital players arrive on the scene to test the wares of various city development projects and gauge the progress of New Songdo and Incheon as a model for master-planned development. New Songo, the Gale International/Posco Construction project set for completion in 2020, currently has some 30 IT tenants and 24 global logistics companies resident on its acreage. When the construction dust clear, some 250,000 people will be at work there.

In addition to exhibits intended to highlight the various developments, the three months in '09 will also feature a full range of events, festivals and conferences designed, in the parlance of the promoters, to bring "city to city, city to company and city to persons."