A soccer match lasts 90 minutes, with an average of 2 to 3 goals scored; a site selection project, on average, takes 2 to 3 months for investment promoters to complete...
On the soccer field, there is only one ball, contested by 22 players; when it comes to corporate site selection, sometimes several or even a dozen regions compete for the same opportunity—from the “mystery” surrounding the location of Xiaomi’s car factory to the recent competition among nine cities vying for Tesla’s second factory…
Seen this way, the World Cup and industrial park investment promotion do indeed share many similarities.
Just as it’s “hard to score a goal” in soccer, it’s “hard to secure a company” in investment promotion.
But just like the players on the soccer field fighting for national honor, investment promoters never give up, no matter what difficulties they face.
Goals that can’t be scored are essentially
A goal that can’t be scored
Just like a project that can’t be secured
A World Cup soccer field is 105 meters long and 68 meters wide, covering an area of 7,140 square meters, while a soccer ball has a diameter of just 68–70 centimeters—a tiny target that is difficult to hit.
During a shot on goal, players may miss the opportunity to score due to unpolished technique, lack of teamwork, or strong opposition.
It’s much like business development: with thousands of companies in the industrial chain, developers must identify targets, break through the competition, guard against threats from all sides, and finally deliver that “final kick.”
However, they may also miss out on a project because they failed to grasp the company’s core needs; competitors may be too aggressive, beating them to the punch; or coordination errors with other departments during the investment promotion process may dishearten the company…
In short, just as a missed goal in soccer is a missed opportunity in investment promotion—there’s always a reason. Investment promotion, like playing soccer, requires giving it your all.
Local investment promotion teams often focus on studying successful case studies, such as Shanghai attracting Tesla, Chongqing attracting HP, and Anhui partnering with NIO. While learning from success stories is certainly important, analyzing the causes of failure is equally crucial.
“Learning from others’ mistakes to gain one’s own wisdom” is one of the keys to rapid growth.
You never know
when the next goal will be scored
Scoring goals in soccer is highly random; research shows that 46% of goals involve some form of random influence.
This means that great plays don’t just happen on command; besides hard work, you also have to wait for opportunities. But highly skilled players don’t just wait—they create opportunities.
Good projects are like scoring opportunities: they don’t come running to you, but top investment attraction specialists always obtain information faster than others, have more meticulous outreach plans, and achieve better results.
In the beginning, projects were secured through the hard work of investment promotion specialists.
Wu Jun reflects on those early days of investment promotion with deep emotion: “In 2006, when I first started in this field, I traveled to Shenzhen almost every day, knocking on the doors of companies one by one.” For the first two years, he commuted daily by car between Dongguan and Shenzhen. Later, he simply rented an apartment in Shenzhen and stayed there for four years.
Back then, he would prepare his daily, weekly, and monthly schedules in advance and even created a map of Shenzhen-based companies—essentially the earliest form of “map-based operations.”
In 2012, the nation began adopting a “business-to-business” approach to investment promotion. “During that period, I literally moved my desk into a cable manufacturing company and became their ‘secretary,’ helping to resolve issues related to their employees’ children’s schooling, housing, and meals,” Wu Jun explained.
“In the years that followed, thanks to this company’s referrals, seven related enterprises settled in Dongguan. The county’s industrial development and investment promotion efforts took a qualitative leap forward.”
Today, with the use of intelligent, targeted, and big-data-driven investment promotion tools, project information may seem easier to access, but the competitive pressure is actually greater. Everyone around Wu Jun is doing their best to expand and gather investment promotion information channels.
Wu Jun is no exception. As a “veteran” of the county’s investment promotion team, he is exploring new online channels: “The Investment Promotion Network is a pretty good channel for uncovering project information that I’ve recently discovered.”
On the Investment Network, he can directly call companies that match his criteria, saving a lot of time that would otherwise be spent traveling and running errands, and allowing him to stay informed about “projects from all over the world” right from home.
Since the World Cup kicked off, Investment Network has also prepared fun activities and useful investment tools for fans in the investment community.
From November 21 to December 17
Predict the World Cup Champion
Form your own investment promotion team
Get the [2023 Investment Promotion Calendar] for free
"A bit too much 'Chinese flavor'"
World Cup
Speaking of the World Cup, this year’s [Qatar World Cup] has captured the attention of soccer fans worldwide since its opening.
This World Cup has a particularly high “China factor.” Simply put, although the Chinese national team isn’t participating, everything is made in China.
From small items like World Cup merchandise—including flags of the 32 participating teams, FIFA World Cup Trophy figurines and pillows, horns, and whistles—to medium-sized elements such as the over-30-square-meter LED screens and dedicated all-electric eco-friendly buses at the final venue; and on to the grand scale of Lusail Stadium, where the opening ceremony was held…
It can be said that at this World Cup, aside from the Chinese men’s national soccer team, everything else that could be there is there.
As the only country in the world with a complete industrial chain, China has rarely been absent from international events. We always manage to “get a piece of the pie” from these globally watched events—and investment promotion requires precisely this spirit.
Wuxi, a city that once declared, “Whatever industry Shanghai develops, Wuxi must have a corresponding supporting industry,” has found its “man-marking” strategy for investment promotion to be highly effective. Leaning on this “big tree” has allowed Wuxi to get a head start on other regions, propelling it onto the fast track of development.
However, Wuxi has never been merely a supporting player; it is also a city with a strong commitment to innovative development. While continuing to strengthen its traditional manufacturing sector, it has also charted new paths in two emerging industries: biopharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
Many regions have remarked, “We understand the logic behind Wuxi and Suzhou’s development, but our cities lack a ‘big brother’ like Shanghai nearby, so we cannot directly replicate their model.”
Of course, each region’s natural resources, geographical location, and industrial foundation differ, and so do their methods, timing, and paths to development. Yet the spirit of actively seeking opportunities and doing everything possible to seize them remains constant.
In the era of rapid internet-driven economic growth, Ningbo remained a “run-of-the-mill” port city. Yet, as the nation has begun to prioritize the development of the real manufacturing sector, Ningbo’s steady and meticulous efforts have gradually come to light.
Zaozhuang, a previously obscure city in Shandong, has gained widespread recognition in recent years due to the rise of its lithium battery industry. Although Zaozhuang lacks abundant lithium ore resources, it seized the opportunity presented by leading enterprises and capitalized on the industry’s growth momentum.
This demonstrates that while a region’s inherent endowments are certainly important, sustained effort and the ability to seize opportunities are even more critical. Economic development is no easy task; every investment promoter must embrace the mindset that “there is always a way to solve the current challenges” to ensure they can conquer every obstacle and emerge victorious in every endeavor.
