Pittsburgh Mayor Ravenstahl Invited to Deliver Keynote Address at Prestigious Business Leaders' Council at Shanghai World Expo

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has been invited by the Mayor of Shanghai, China to deliver the keynote address next month at the annual meeting of the International Business Leaders' Advisory Council (IBLAC). The IBLAC advises Mayor Han Zheng on issues and opportunities regarding the city's economic transformation and rise to global prominence.

Ravenstahl will visit Shanghai and Seoul, South Korea from Oct. 6-15. He will travel with Chief of Staff Yarone Zober, Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Dennis Yablonsky and officials from the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a conference affiliate.

The IBLAC has invited Mayor Ravenstahl to share Pittsburgh's story of regional transformation during World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, one of the largest world's fairs in history, according to Bill Flanagan, executive vice president for corporate relations at the Allegheny Conference. The invitation was prompted by the visibility Pittsburgh received through the G-20 summit and arranged at the suggestion of the global chairman of Ernst & Young, he said on the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership website.

In addition to delivering the keynote and meeting privately with government and business leaders, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference, and the PA Department of Community & Economic Development are arranging meetings for the Mayor with prospects for business investment.

After the Shanghai conference the Mayor will travel on to Seoul, South Korea as part of Pittsburgh World Tour 2010, the post-G-20 outreach organized by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. Mayor Ravensthal will meet with the local organizing committee that is preparing to host the G-20 Summit in November. The South Korean government has called Pittsburgh a "global best practice" in conducting an international summit.