A Fair to Remember: World Expo Roundup

For over a hundred years, World Expos have provided a way for countries to present themselves to the rest of the world, both to showcase their progress and achievements as well as to share aspects of their culture. CPD has provided in-depth coverage of two of the most recent World Expos, the 2020 Dubai Expo and the 2015 Milan Expo, as well as exclusive content related to these mega-events. 

 All About Expos

• Local Action, Global Impact. CPD explores the significance of the World Expo and its transformation by digital technology. 
• Why Dubai World Expo Matters. CPD Director Jay Wang on human-to-human connections through the enduring practice of participating in World Expos. 
• Things You Might Not Know about World Expos. In Brussels, 1935, crowds watched Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in color for the first time. Learn more about it, and other World Expo fun facts.
• World’s Fairs Today: A Visit to Milan, Lessons for Dubai. CPD Senior Fellow Matthew Asada tracks the evolution of the world’s fair for The Foreign Service Journal.
• Five Top Book Picks on World Expos. CPD highlights 5 of the most significant books on World Expos.
• America's Student Ambassadors at the World Expo. CPD Highlights the American Student Ambassadors at past World Expos in preparation for Dubai Expo 2020.
• CPD Director on Public Diplomacy in Dubai. Jay Wang was one of a group of academic experts invited to speak at the Dubai Expo 2020 Theme Symposium.
• Expo Diplomacy 2020: Why the U.S. Needs to Go Back to the Future. CPD Faculty Fellow Nicholas Cull emphasizes the importance of the U.S. presence at the upcoming Dubai Expo 2020. 
• Interview with Secretary General of BIE. Secretary General of the International Exhibitions Bureau, Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, discussed the Expo as a platform for public diplomacy.
• The Diplomatic Component of Expos by César Corona. Read about the importance of these international mega-events.
• Advancing Public Diplomacy Through World Expos by Vicente González Loscertales. Read this World Expo Museum article highlighting the PD component of expos. Originally published in Public Diplomacy Magazine.

Dubai 2020

• An Inter-Event Comparison of Two Historic Global Mega Events: FIFA 2022 and Expo 2020.  Matthew Asada compares two global mega-events that occurred within a 17-month period between July 2021 and December 2022: the FIFA 2022 World Cup and Expo 2020 Dubai.
• The Journey to Expo 2020 Dubai and its Legacy.  Matthew Asada reflects on U.S. participation at the Expo for The Foreign Service Journal
• Photo Essay: Expo 2020 Dubai. CPD spotlights the Expo’s significance, historical context, public diplomacy, and participants Germany, Morocco, Japan, and the USA.
• Looking for God at the Dubai Expo. CPD Faculty Fellow Nicholas J. Cull on the treatment God of at the Expo.
• Mexico’s Public Diplomacy at Expo 2020 Dubai. Mexico excelled in cultural diplomacy at the Expo, writes Yadira Ixchel Martínez Pantoja.
• Q&A with CPD: Dimitri S. Kerkentzes. The Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE)'s Secretary General explores the enduring value of World Expos, their PD power and more.
• New Zealand’s Promotion through Public Diplomacy. New Zealand shined at the Expo, but the country has more to offer, writes Yadira Ixchel Martínez Pantoja.
• Global Mega-Events: From Expo Dubai to World Cup Qatar. CPD hosted a discussion on global mega events featuring Visiting Senior Fellow Matthew Asada and LA Times sportswriter Kevin Baxter
• My Journey to the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Matthew Asada shares his 30-year journey to the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, beginning in Taejon, South Korea and ending in Dubai. 

 Milan 2015

• Experience World Expo Milan in 360° Virtual Reality. See our interactive map of the 2015 World Expo in Milan.
• Sights from Expo Milan 2015. Visual highlights from the 2015 Milan Expo.
• Looking for God at the Milan Expo by Nicholas Cull. Part I of Cull's thoughts on the role of religion at the 2015 Milan Expo. Read Part II.
• Expo Milan 2015: The Good, The Bad, and the Hungry by Paul Rockower. The MPD alumnus surveyed and sampled the pavilions in Milan.

 Shanghai 2010

• EXPOnential Diplomacy for the Public at Expo 2010 Shanghai. Check out César Corona's e-book in the PD Hub library.
• Experiencing Nation Brands: A Comparative Analysis of Eight National Pavilions at Expo Shanghai 2010 by Jay Wang. The second issue of the 2012 CPD Perspectives series looked at how countries represented themselves at the Expo.
• Expo at Night. A view of various illuminated pavilions after dark at the 2010 Shanghai Expo.
• Expo Shanghai 2010—Flaunting Nations' Beauty Through the Practice of Nation Branding by Wen Chen. "The Shanghai Expo not only reaffirmed China’s national image...but it also provided a stage for participant countries to promote national brands through nation branding," said the author.
• The 2010 Shanghai Expo, Cultural Diplomacy, and a Tale of Three States: China, North Korea and the U.S. by Neal M. Rosendorf. A look at the continued importance of expos for three states.

Angola

• The Angola Pavilion: A Journal of Food and Culture. As part of a two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how Angola defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: Angola. Images from the Angola Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.

Brazil

• The Brazil Pavilion: Beyond Soccer. Pavilion Director Pedro Wendler discussed the country’s positioning and communication at Shanghai Expo.
• The Brazil Pavilion: Experience the Net. Christine Garcia-Concheso explained why Brazil took a non-traditional approach in Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: Brazil. Images from the Brazil Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.

Canada

• Canadian Public Diplomacy and Nation-Building: Expo 67 and the World Festival of Arts and Entertainment by Kailey Hansson. The third issue of the 2016 CPD Perspectives series examined the historical importance of the 1967 Expo in Montreal.

China

• The Chinese Pavilion. Take a look around China's pavilion at Expo Shanghai 2010 in this video. 
• Chinese Public Diplomacy: Winning Hearts and Minds Abroad or At Home? by Nicholas Dynon. The author asked, "Is it possible that international audiences just don’t matter to Beijing, relative to the domestic audience? Does Chinese public diplomacy focus more on the domestic audience than international?"
• Shanghai Expo: Not Just a Site for China's Image-Construction by Jay Wang. To characterize the Shanghai Expo as mainly China’s showcasing of its soft power misses an important point.

France

• The French Pavilion: Culture as a Nation-Branding Platform. Listen as the French Pavilion director discussed how culture is presented to the Chinese public and the Chinese perception of France.

Germany

• The German Pavilion: Ideas in Action. As part of a two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how Germany defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: Germany. Images from the German Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.

Israel

• The Israel Pavilion: Spotlighting Innovations. As part of the two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how Israel defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: Israel. Photos of Israeli contributions to agricultural engineering from the Milan Expo.
• The Israel Pavilion: Broadening the Discourse About Israel. Deputy Commissioner General of the Israel Pavilion discussed how Israel presents itself as a place of innovation and creativity at Shanghai Expo.

Italy

• Video Highlights from Expo Milan 2015: Italy. The host country of Expo Milan 2015, presented the global relevance of its culture and traditions to Italian and foreign visitors.
• Milan's Expo Bid: Personal Reflections. Roberto Daneo, Managing Director of the Bidding Committee for Expo Milan, shared his personal reflections about the process of bringing a mega-event to Italy.
• Expo Milan 2015: Milan's City Diplomacy by Jay Wang. The 2015 world’s fair, with the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” shined a bright light on its host Milan.

Japan

• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: Japan. Images from Japan's Pavilion at the World Expo in Milan.
• The Japan Pavilion: Globalizing Japanese Cuisine. Hiroto Kobayashi on how the Japan Pavilion at Expo Milan 2015 contributed to the globalization of Japanese cuisine.
• A Tale of Two Pavilions. Discover how Japan crafted its brand identity at two world expos.

Kazakhstan

• The Kazakhstan Pavilion: Introducing Expo 2017. Kazakhstan's participation in Expo Milan 2015 was strategically important to promote international participation in Expo Astana 2017.
• Re-Imagining the World Expo by Jay Wang. The Director of CPD looked ahead to the 2017 World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Mexico

• Mexico’s Public Diplomacy at Expo 2020 Dubai – Mexico excelled in cultural diplomacy, partnerships and more at the Expo, writes Yadira Ixchel Martínez Pantoja.
• Video Highlights from Expo Milan 2015. CPD takes you inside Mexico's lively Pavilion at the Milan World Expo in this video from our archives.

 North Korea

• North Korea on Display. Rare footage of North Korea's cultural showcase at the DPRK's pavilion, which was part of the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

 Saudi Arabia

• The Saudi Arabian Pavilion: The Ultimate IMAX Experience. Pavilion Director Abdulhamid Hasan discussed an innovative use of the conventional medium of film to present his country.

 South Africa

• The South African Pavilion: Co-Branding with FIFA World Cup. South Africa's Consul General in Shanghai discussed the country's brand and its co-branding with the World Cup at the Expo.

 South Korea

• The South Korea Pavilion: Branding Hansik. As part of a two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how South Korea defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: South Korea. Images from the South Korea Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.
• The South Korean Pavilion: Nation Branding Through Pop Culture. As part of its global pursuit of soft power, South Korea presented its country brand at the Shanghai Expo by employing the instrument of pop culture.

 Spain

• The Spain Pavilion: Branding Innovation and Tradition. One of the highlights from CPD's Expo Milan 2015 video series.
• The Spanish Pavilion: A Brand Story of Continuity. Pavilion Communication Director Pedro Molina discussed how Spain tells the story of “From the City of Our Parents to the City of Our Children” in three scenes.

 Sweden

• The Swedish Pavilion: Public-Private Partnership for Nation Branding. Swedish Pavilion Director Annika Rembe discusses the Swedish approach at the Shanghai Expo.

 Taiwan

• A Tale of Two Pavilions by Paul Rockower. "While the global community has been busy parading at the Shanghai Expo 2010, for Taiwan, simply taking part in the world’s fair is meaningful," said the author.

 UAE

• Sustainable Solutions: An Interview with Peter Vine. CPD spoke with the Milan Expo UAE Pavilion's Project Director.
• Milan Expo: United Arab Emirates. As part of the two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how the UAE defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: UAE. Images from the UAE Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.

 USA

• Bringing the Largest Public Diplomacy Event Back to the U.S. CPD's César Corona analyzed the lessons the U.S. should learn from its failure to host the Expo 2027.
• The USA Pavilion: Innovation and Diversity. As part of a two-month series produced by CPD, we examined how the United States defined, communicated and managed their national identity at Expo Milan 2015.
• Sights from Milan Expo 2015: USA. Images from the USA Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan.
• U.S. Student Ambassadors on Expo Milan 2015 (Videos). CPD interviewed two American student ambassadors at the Expo Milan 2015.
• From "Kitchen Debate" to "Feeding the World"  by Anne Chermak Dillen. A tried and true public diplomacy method came back to life.
• Welcome to the U.S. Pavilion: We're Here to Disappoint by Kenya Davis-Hayes. An APDS blogger looked at what went wrong for the U.S. at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai.

 Vietnam

• The Vietnam Pavilion at Expo 2015: Implications for Public Diplomacy by Nguyen Lee. A look at how Vietnam presented itself at the 2015 Expo in Milan.

Photo courtesy of César Corona; Icons are courtesy of Flat Icon Basic License and are attributed to the user Freepik.