Not enough helpers were available, trial runs showed

SHANGHAI - Amid criticisms over the performance of Expo volunteers during last week's trial run of the event, organizers said on Thursday that they will add more hands on site and improve the training of the group.

The green-uniformed on-site volunteers, most of whom are college students, appeared unprepared and failed to ease the flow of visitors, despite long-term training ahead of the soft opening on April 20, tourists said. In crowded areas, such as the square near the popular China Pavilion, not enough volunteers were in place.

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Expo organizers promised at Thursday's press conference to strengthen the on-site training.

Volunteers will be required to undergo a two-day training session before they can officially start work. The location of the volunteers in the Expo Garden will be optimized and more volunteers will be allocated to hot spots.

"We hope they can serve the visitors better and provide more useful information after the Expo opens on May 1," said Xia Kejia, director of the volunteer department of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

Despite the criticisms, the Expo volunteers said they will provide better service in the next half year.

"Some questions are similar, so I think I can get familiar with all possible questions very quickly," said Zhang Guan, who is a volunteer on the Expo Boulevard, one of the busiest areas in the Expo Garden.

Zhang said he has been approached by visitors every 10 seconds during the peak hours.

Visitors are advised to get some knowledge of the site before they start their tour.

Some 27,200 volunteers were sent to serve more than one million visitors in the six days of trial operation from April 20 to April 26.

By April 6 this year, the organizers had recruited 72,000 on-site volunteers who will provide services in the Expo Garden. Meanwhile, around 100,000 volunteers will work at 1,075 service stations in the city to provide language and information services.

Visitors to the Expo Garden will see some foreign green-uniformed volunteers. The number of foreign volunteers is around 200.

"Please do not hesitate to approach me and ask questions, in Chinese or in English," said Zakir Hossain Khan, who is a foreign student at Tongji University.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/30/2010 page6)