Expo 2010 Shanghai is proving to be a boon for successful Chinese entrepreneurs eager to tap into the global market.

The 184-day event, which is predicted to attract an estimated 4 million foreign visitors along with global media coverage, is considered to be a golden opportunity for Chinese companies to raise their brands to an international level and explore business opportunities.

According to survey released last year by the information office of Shanghai Municipal Government, more than a quarter of the respondents were hoping to visit Shanghai during the Expo to seek future business.

The online survey polled 503 foreigners in 44 countries and regions across the world, 30 percent of whom were senior corporate executives.

Of the Expo's 58 partners and official sponsors, 47 are Chinese companies, 25 are from Shanghai, 15 are from Beijing and seven from other parts of the country. They contributed a total of more than 7 billion yuan ($1 billion) in sponsorship fees to the event, averaging more than 100 million each.

While the sums are large, the contributors represent only a small portion of the number Chinese firms that want a slice of the Expo pie. Those who are not qualified to partner an official sponsor have sought other means of gaining brand exposure.

"The Expo is a once-in-a-century opportunity for us to promote our brand on an international scale," said Zhang Yingguang, a public relations manager for Tsingdao Beer, the Chinese industry leader based in Qingdao, Shandong province.

The company launched a flurry of billboard advertisements on the city's busiest streets, as well as in metro stations and commercial areas. The ads targeted foreigners by trying to teach them Chinese phrases about drinking.

It also made a presence in the Zero Carbon Pavilion at the Expo, where it contributed lamps made out of beer bottles and launched a gourmet TV show with a local TV station.

A Fujian-based tea company, Eight House Tea, launched six types of tea for the event, which were available in the Expo Garden.

"One of our products on sale in the United Nations Pavilion, Red of Forbidden City, proved to be a hit among foreigners," said Lin Xirong, general manager.

The company hosted a trade fair on May 18 in Shanghai, where it secured 30 million yuan in orders in three days, Lin said.

"Telephone inquiries continued to pour in after the Expo started," he added, "We primarily export to Japan and Southeast Asia and the event stretched our exports to Europe."

According to statistics from the Chinese search engine Baidu, more than 50 of the 58 Expo partners and official sponsors experienced a significantly increase in their daily search volumes compared to last year.