The Talent Recruitment and Project Matchmaking Event for Innovation and Development in Henan was held in Zhengzhou on October 27 and 28. The event was jointly sponsored by the CPC Henan Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Henan, and the Western Returned Scholars Association (Overseas-educated Scholars). It was organized by the Organizational Department of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee (Office of Leading Group of Provincial Human Resources Work), the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Henan Province, and the People's Government of Zhengzhou. The theme of the event was "Embrace Talents Worldwide to Power the Future of the Central Plains".

The main conference had 51 foreign academics, 89 Chinese academics, 19 Chinese and foreign university presidents, 118 foreign experts, as well as leading innovators from across China, particularly Central China. In total, 1,340 guests attended the conference.

The Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, who is also the President of the Sias Group, and a Global Partner of Plug and Play, attended the conference as part of the delegation of special envoy for talents in Central China. Dr. Chen spoke about his work as a special envoy and his plans for guiding talent at Sias. He also spoke about the development of Sias International University, the 20th anniversary celebrations, and the joint AUAP-IAUP Conference to be held at Sias in 2019. He invited leaders and guests at the conference to attend Sias' 20th anniversary celebrations in May 2019. Dr. Chen was accompanied by the Vice President of Sias, Wu Hua, and the Director of the Human Resources Department, Sun Minghao.

The conference focused on providing a platform for high-quality experienced talents to meet and engage with younger talents. Projects, long-term strategies for talent gathering, on-site recruitment, and networking.