WORLD'S FAIRS: A SUMMARY GUIDE brought to you by the committee of EXPO 2020 Houston Contents • What are World’s Fairs • Types of World’s Fairs • What makes a World’s Fair • Recent World’s Fairs • Upcoming Expos • World’s Fairs in Perspective • World’s Fairs and the US • About the BIE Contents A REASON TO BE • What are World’s Fairs In the American psyche, the most common con- signature on society. • Types of World’s Fairs cept of the World’s Fair is synonymous with the Notably, , , , , Ja- turn of the 20th century: American and global ex- pan, and have all persevered pansion, the epoch of innovation and industrializa- through the bid process and have either held an • What makes a World’s Fair tion, the re-birth of Chicago and the aggrandized Exposition in the last few years, or are slated to do accentuation of New York. so within the next five. • Recent World’s Fairs For those of us who may have explored further Ironically, despite being a global leader on many into the World’s Fair movement, there is the unde- fronts, the has not hosted a World’s • Upcoming Expos niable understanding that Expositions, or EXPOs, Fair for nearly three decades (interestingly, the US have a demonstrated ability to permanently alter did host six of the nine World’s Fairs held between the global perception and the physical landscape 1962 and 1984). • World’s Fairs in Perspective of cities and nations. Whether for political, financial or other reasons, Whether or not an individual is aware of an America’s romance with EXPOs began to wane in • World’s Fairs and the US EXPO’s economic, cultural or political impact, the late 1970s and finally ended in the early 1980s. elevated impressions of certain canonized cities During the ensuing hibernation over the last 25 and destinations are the undeniable result of the years, the concept of a World’s Fair has been lost • About the BIE imprint left by a World’s Fair. to American culture. Certainly, ’ renowned Eiffel Tower is the most Notwithstanding this fact, a new American con- obvious example, but Seattle’s Space Needle, the sciousness has begun to emerge: a global aware- Atomium in Brussels, the Museum of Science and ness, propelled by the efficacy of the internet, Industry in Chicago, the Skytrain in Vancouver, the planetary environmentalism, worldwide broad- Unisphere in New York and even San Antonio’s casting and communication, as well as our very Tower of the Americas and expanded Riverwalk own Government’s directive to openly reach out represent enduring marks in our modern culture. internationally. Beyond monuments, EXPOs are magnets for in- This paradigm shift has changed the setting for the spired thought, diplomacy, innovation, and for the US. There exists a newly adopted optimism for the fusion of arts and culture. potential to be the center-point for global innova- They set in motion cultural mythologies and they tion and diplomacy in a World’s Fair setting. help us understand who we are, where we are and While this booklet aims to provide basic informa- what we can be. tion about World’s Fairs, its main goal is far more They have the magical ability to delight and important. We want to plant a seed of possibility. entertain and the power to permanently alter com- We want you to consider that it is time once again merce, science and global perceptions. They are for a World’s Fair in the US. monumental and immeasurable. We believe our nation is ripe for an extraordinary To this day, World’s Fairs forge on. They have American event— an experience that will reso- determinedly operated for nearly 150 consecu- nate beyond our borders and echo into the next tive years, comparably longer than its other (and century. slightly smaller) global event counterpart – the We’re amidst an entire new generation that needs Olympic Games. to be inspired and propelled to create an excep- The honor of winning favor to host a World’s Fair tional future. is an aspiration and ultimate goal that is vigorously We have the ability to the set the stage for a mil- sought after. lennial renaissance—and it can launch from our In the last 10 years alone, scores of countries have very own soil. fervently strived to win the bid; with the endeavor of continuing the World’s Fair legacy, to better their own communities, and to leave their symbolic WHAT ARE WORLD’S FAIRS?

World’s Fairs, or Expos, have been celebrated for over 150 years, and are still celebrated today. World’s Fairs, the Olympic Games and the World’s Soccer Cup are the biggest human events in terms of economic and cultural impact.

Some of the world’s most memorable structures have been built for Expos: from Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Brussels’ Atomium, to Seattle’s Space Needle and San Antonio’s Tower of the Americas. Attendance to Expos is larger than to any other event. Expos have showcased the future, have shaped generations . Almost every Expo’s opening ceremony has been hosted by the country’s head of state (including the US). Each World’s Fair has a theme, that drives all of the content and cultural experiences of the event.

TYPES OF WORLD’S FAIRS

There are two main types of world expositions: Registered and Recognized or “World Expo” (which is a major fair) and “International” (which is a minor fair).

World Expositions Are the largest category events They encompass universal themes that affect the full range of human experience International and corporate participants are required to adhere to the Expo theme in their representations Participants generally build their pavilion buildings from the ground up Nations compete for the most outstanding or memorable structure They are typically the most extravagant expos Their duration may be up to six months Since 2000, the interval between registered expositions is five years

International Expositions Are much smaller in scope and shorter in duration There are no stand-alone pavilions The expo site is limited in size (no more than 62 acres) The theme needs to be narrower

WHAT MAKES A WORLD’S FAIR

A World’s Fair mainly consists of “Pavilions.” If an Expo was an amusement park, each pavilion would be a ride. There are 4 kinds of pavilions:

• Country Pavilions: The main attraction of the Fair. Each country creates a building to house their interpretation of the overall World’s Fair theme. Traditionally pavilions are grouped by region. The country pavilions can be individual (one building, one country) or “joint” (one pavilion for many countries, generally the smaller countries pool together as a way to be economically efficient). • Regional Pavilions: Each region of the host country creates a Pavilion. In Shanghai, all provinces are grouped in a joint pavilion. • Organizational Pavilions: Companies, NGOs, international entities and non-profit organizations interested in having a presence create “organizational” pavilions. Some of the organizations that have pavilions in Shanghai include the UN, Coca-Cola, Cisco and ASEAN. • Thematic Pavilions: Created and managed by the Expo organizing committee, these pavilions further the theme and experience of the Fair.

Beside pavilions, an Expo will have performance venues, public art exhibitions and other attractions. RECENT WORLD’S FAIRS

YEAR EXPO TYPE LOCATION THEME PARTICIPANTS ATTENDANCE

1992 Universal Seville, Spain The Age of Discovery 108 42 Million

1993 International Daejon, South Korea The Challenge of a 141 14 Million New Road of Development

1998 International Lisbon, Portugal The Oceans, 115 11 Million a Heritage for the Future

2000 Universal Hannover, Germany Man, Nature, Technology 187 25 Million

2005 Universal Nagoya, Nature’s Wisdom 121 22 Million

2008 International Zaragoza, Spain Water and sustainable 104 6 Million development

UPCOMING EXPOS Shanghai – May through November 2010 Rebuilt abandoned port and adjacent areas. China leveraging the Expo to further the country’s image, much like they did with the 2008 Olympics.

Korea 2012 Will create commercial center and top-class housing, train system, cruise terminal and touristic areas. Second Expo organized in Korea (after Taejon 1993).

Milan 2015 Will create new district at botanical gardens and productive green space. With the theme, country is promoting its second largest industry.

YEAR EXPO TYPE LOCATION THEME EXPECTED ATTENDANCE

2010 Universal Shanghai, China Better City, Better Life 70 Million

2012 International Yeosu, South Korea The Living and Coast: Di- 8 Million versity of Resources and Sustainable Activities

2015 Universal , Italy The Oceans, Feeding the 30 Million Planet, Energy for Life WORLD’S FAIRS IN PERSPECTIVE

OLYMPIC GAMES WORLD’S FAIR

ORGANIZER City Country

DURACTION 15 days 6 months

FREQUENCY Every 4 years Universal - Every 5 years

FOCUS Sports. Identical Format. Built around a theme. Each one different.

PARTICIPANTS Countries Countries, States, Corporations, Non-profit organizations

Design and build pavilions. PARTICIPANT ROLES Send athletes Contribute to the cultural programming of the Fair.

INVOLVEMENT OF Limited: committee members, Intensive: committee members, VIPs, volunteers, employ- CITY POPULATION event VIPs, volunteers, event ees, event ticket holders, season ticket holders ticket holders

LOGISTICS Complex: Many locations, One centralized location, 2 weeks six months

Expos attract significantly larger number of visitors than other global events, like the Olympic games.

ATTENDANCE COMPARISON OF EXPOS VS OLYMPICS (Visitors in Millions)

EXPOS VISITORS OLYMPICS VISITORS

1992 Seville 41 1992 Barcelona 3.5

1993 Taejon 14 1996 Atlanta 2

2000 Hannover 18 2000 Sydney .5

2005 Aichi 22 2004 Athens 1

2010 Shanghai 70 (est) 2012 London 1 (bid estimate) WORLD’S FAIRS AND THE US WORLD’S FAIRS CELEBRATED IN THE US

• For over a hundred years, the US had a rich 1876 Philadelphia 1909 Seattle tradition of organizing World’s Fairs to cel- 1853 New York 1915 San Diego ebrate significant dates or events. 1884 New Orleans 1915 San Francisco • After the 1960’s the country lost interest in 1893 Chicago 1933 Chicago Expos. 1895 Atlanta 1939 New York • In 1998 the US congress mandated that no 1897 Nashville 1939 San Francisco federal funds were to be used to participate 1898 Omaha 1962 Seattle in World’s Fairs. This led the US to pull out of in Hannover and to withdraw from 1901 Charleston 1964 New York * the BIE. 1901 Buffalo 1968 San Antonio • In 2005, however, the US participated in the 1904 St. Louis 1974 Spokane Expo in Japan using funds raised from spon- 1905 Portland 1982 Knoxville sors, including states, cities and corporations. 1907 Jamestown 1984 New Orleans

* Not endorsed by the BIE

ABOUT THE BIE

• In the same way that the Olympic Games are regulated by the International Olympic Committee, World’s Fairs are regulated and managed by the BIE (Bureau of International Exhibitions). The BIE was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Paris, .

• The general assembly of member nations determine who will host the fairs. There are 157 member nations registered with the BIE.

• The Bureau of International Expositions was established to oversee the calendar, the bidding, the selec- tion and the organization of World Exposition; And to establish a framework allowing countries and organizations to cooperate under the best conditions as

The actions of the BIE are based upon three fundamental values:

Trust: Expo participants commit to create major opportunities for humanity; Expos establish a fraternity between cul- tures; Expos carry out a grand and common project, in a spirit of education and communication

Solidarity: Expos are the intersection of cultural diversity and innovation, where civilizations share their knowledge with the goal to identify, together, the best prospects and the best solution to face the major challenges for humanity

Progress: Participants foster education through experience, cooperation, and development through innovation and Experi- mentation; An Expo’s driving force is the identity of each participants culture and a respect for the environment ABOUT HOUHOUUSSTTONN WORLDLDD’’S’S FAIR,AIRR INC.IINCC. Houston World’s Fair Inc.nc.. is a 501(50 (c)(3)3) non-profitnoon-profit corccocorpora-rpopoora tion created with thet gogoal of bringing a WWoorldorld’’ss FaFairir ttoo Houston in the Year 2020020. FFooror mmormoreore i infnformationormation, andnd to gegett invo iinvolved,nvolvedvolved,d, ppleapleaseeas vivisitsits us at wwww.Expo2020020..us.us

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