The Conference of Great Business Partners, held in Shandong from Friday to Sunday, attracted about 1,200 "distinguished guests" from China and abroad.

They were all influential figures from the business, technology, education, culture, healthcare and finance communities - as well as from overseas groups and young entrepreneurs - with nearly 70 percent of them from outside Shandong, according to Ren Airong, vice-governor of the province.

A group of Global Fortune 500 companies, large State-owned enterprises and top 500 Chinese businesses participated in the event, seeking business opportunities in the province.

Those in attendance also included Nobel laureates, nearly 30 Chinese and foreign academicians and winners of Changjiang Scholar awards - a program issued by the Ministry of Education to award individuals with extraordinary academic contributions - as well as more than 80 leaders of overseas groups from five continents and representatives of overseas Chinese.

The business and academic heavyweights also shared their insights into industrial trends with another 4,500 attendees, including local entrepreneurs, members of think tanks and representatives of trade associations, at 12 forums held during the conference.

The forums focused on new-generation information technology, advanced manufacturing, new energy and materials, maritime business, healthcare, modern agriculture, culture and creativity, tourism, finance and economic reforms.

During the conference, a website named "Select Shandong" officially went online.

The online platform publicizes information on investment projects, employment opportunities and capital flows, involving more than 180 industrial parks in 17 cities across the province.

Using cloud computing and big data technologies, the portal - which also has access to WeChat and mobile terminals such as cellphones and tablets - can provide select information in both Chinese and English, according to visitors' personal preferences, profession, investment intentions and employment needs.

The conference's organizers have established a database of high-level human resources and key positions.

The database offers information on more than 2,200 high-level professionals in higher learning schools, research institutes and companies across Shandong. It also publicized over 1,500 openings in the province, which need some 3,200 professionals, Ren said.

Li Boping, an official at the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Shandong, said the guests invited to the Conference of Great Business Partners had also been added to the province's talent pool.

The authorities will make regular contact with the top experts, who have developed core technologies and own intellectual property, and encourage cooperation with the local business community in commercializing and industrializing their research achievements, Li said.

Famed as the home of the philosopher Confucius, Shandong has a tradition of valuing education and respecting professionals.

The province is home to nearly 150 colleges and universities, which accommodate a total of 2 million students, as well as 166 technical high schools and 77 vocational schools.

Among them are Shandong University in Jinan, with a history going back more than a century, and Ocean University of China in Qingdao. Both have made the list of the World University Rankings released annually by the Times in the United Kingdom.