EXPO 2020-DETAILS- KNOW WHT YOU ARE SUPPORTG

The World EXPO
With the announcement of the host of the World Expo 2020 looming, now is a good time to reflect on what the international event has brought the world since its origins as an industrial exhibition in 1798. What began as a culmination of a national French tradition has grown into a global fair attracting the best and brightest inventors from every continent to showcase innovations that could revolutionise the world. In 1904, electricity was unveiled to the world at the St. Louis World’s Fair, a creation that has dramatically changed how we live today. Come the 2020 World Expo, will we be seeing the next revolution in energy that’s going to change the future? And will you know it when you see it? Some of the greatest inventions, which we take for granted today, have come out of past World Expos. From the info graphic (attached), you’ll be surprised how many you use in your everyday life.
Making an Impact: The Power of World Expo Mark Hughes examines the history, legacies and cultural and economic impact of hosting a World Expo The countdown has begun. The United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Russia, Thailand and Turkey have all officially bid to host the World Expo 2020 and no more submissions can now be placed. A decision will be made by the Bureau International des Expositions’ (BIE) member countries at the General Assembly in November 2013. The World Expo is one of the largest global, non-commercial events in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.
But what exactly is an Expo?
Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, Secretary-General of the BIE, sums it up: “An exhibition is a display which, whatever its title, has as its principal purpose the education of the public.” As for the benefits an Expo can deliver both to its host nation and those that choose to exhibit, these range from tangibles such as economic gains to less quantifiable, but no less significant, advances in areas such as cultural relations and soft diplomacy. “The value of hosting an Expo includes reinforcement of good international relations between the host city and participating countries; encouragement of cultural exchange and education; stimulation of economic growth; contribution to environmental protection efforts; urban renewal of the host city and experimentation with the future and technological innovation,” says Loscertales. “Expos serve as a powerful instrument of public and cultural diplomacy.” The 1928 Paris Convention, which created the BIE and established the rights and responsibilities of both organisers and participants of an Expo, applies to all international exhibitions held by governments, except for exhibitions lasting less than three weeks, fine arts shows and exhibitions of an essentially commercial nature.
Most recently Expos are used by countries to showcase new inventions, facilitate cultural exchange based on a chosen theme and to drive city, region and nation-branding.
A Legacy of Success
Expos have also proved pivotal in the infrastructural development of host nations and cities. Expo 67, for example, led to the construction of infrastructures that were essential to host city Montreal’s growth, such as the Décarie autoroute and the Louis- Hippolyte Lafontaine bridge and tunnel. Significantly, Expo 67 contributed enormously to the sense of pride of Montrealers and Canadians in general. However, not all Expos have been regarded as memorable successes. A total of 40 million visitors were expected at Expo 2000 in Hanover, but numbers fell short, leading to a financial deficit of about US$600m. That said, factoring in direct and indirect macro-economic effects, economists at consulting firm Roland Berger concluded that the benefits for Germany actually amounted to €5.47bn (US$7.3bn). Since then, the area around Expo Plaza has been transformed into Hanover’s new centre of technology, design and arts – generating a continuing economic legacy for the city. Elsewhere, the benefits for some of the participating nations were compelling. According to a report by the marketing guru Tjaco Walvis, while the Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2000 cost €35m (US$47m) it potentially generated some €350m (US$470m) for the Dutch economy, with 92 per cent of visitors saying they were now more likely to either visit the Netherlands or look to do business there.
Significance to China
The most recent World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 was of great significance to China. As a showcase of what a modern city Shanghai had become, it was a considerable achievement on the soft diplomacy front for the Chinese as they gained international exposure and reached further out into the world. The Expo involved 192 countries and 50 international organisations and was the most expensive in the history of World’s Fairs. By its end, a record 73 million people had visited. It cost 11.96bn yuan (US$1.89bn) to run the event, but it made a profit of more than 1bn yuan (US$158m). The Chinese have shown that it is possible to build an impressive legacy from an Expo. All eyes are now on Yeosu in South Korea which run until 12 August 2013 (the number of visitors to the Expo 2012 was likely to top 2,200,000), on Milan in 2015 and then on the winner of the 2020 bid to see if they can build on China’s success. The bar has been set high.
World Expo & Dubai
The venue for EXPO 2020 will cost Dubai a total of Dh14.7 billion, and is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors throughout six months. According to Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Managing Director of the Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020, said that she expects the vote for hosting the World EXPO 2020, which will take place in November 2013, will be to the advantage of the UAE, and that the venue will be set up on a total area of 400 hectares. She said that the UAE enjoys high credibility among the international community for previously hosting various sport and economic events and activities on the global level. Al Hashemi told Emirates News Agency (WAM) in an exclusive interview at the UAE’s pavilion that the UAE delegation, which includes over 100 persons in addition to the work team of National Media Council (NMC), had so far managed to promote the state’s bid to host World Expo 2020 in Dubai.
She added that the international voting boosts the international status of the UAE, and this matches the UAE Vision 2012, pointing out that hosting of World Expo 2020 in Dubai for six months, will woo over 25 million tourists and prompt development of the areas adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport. Al Hashimi noted that this area, which covers land area of 400 hectares, is slated to host World Expo. Meanwhile, the cost of Expo venue is expected to be between $2 billion - $4 billion.
Al Hashemi said the project will avail a host of business opportunities such as setting up of small and medium enterprises to serve the Expo. More metro lines, ports, infrastructure services, tourism and entertainment facilities will crop up.
She said the theme of Expo Dubai 2020 “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, is the motto of the world event. “We believe the way to reach a bright future depends on our ability to interact positively and establish constructive partnerships”.
She then noted that UAE is one of the safest countries in the world as a home to over 200 different nationalities that live and work together harmoniously under tolerance policies of the UAE leadership without being discriminated against because of their ethnic background, religions and beliefs.
“Given its growing prominence in regional and global affairs, the United Arab Emirates is the most suitable host for the World Expo. We want to bring the expo to the world and the world to Dubai,” Reem concluded.
2 days until the vote, to decide who will host World Expo 2020.(sources)