With relatively little hullaballoo, Liverpool's delegation to Shanghai in anticipation of the 2010 World Expo have been there, done that and got the t-shirt. If you are like me then you will know little about what a World Exposition actually is, but it is quite illuminating to do a little digging.
Such events are held under the auspices of the International Exhibitions Bureau which was established by International Convention in 1928. It supervises the accreditation and organisation of such events, in particular the World Expositions (which are supposed to be held every 5 years) and the more frequent International Exhibitions (of which Liverpool's Garden Festival is an example). Some interesting facts and figures:
- World Expos or (World Fairs as they have previously been known) have been held since 1851, the first such event was held in London and bequeathed Crystal Palace (the glass building, not the football club)
82 Expos have been held since, most memorably in Paris in 1889 which saw the construction of the "temporary" Eiffel Tower
- visitors to Disneyworld will almost certainly have witnessed the horror that is the ride "It's a small world after all" which was built for the 1964 New York Expo (remarkably, having been dismantled somebody had the nerve to re-mantle it)
- anybody who has been to Epcot in Florida will have witnessed Disney's take on a World Fair
- the last Expo was held in Aichi in Japan, with 122 participating countries and (according to its own publicity and very precisely) attracted 22,049,544 visitors; Shanghai expects 70,000,000 visitors
Shanghai's website says it best, when it succinctly describes its Expo as an event which aims "to promote the exchange of ideas and development of the world economy, culture, science and technology, to allow exhibitors to publicise and display their achievements and improve international relationships... the World Expo with its 150-year history is... the Olympic Games of the economy, science and technology." With its long-standing history, the amount of money that the host city invests, the number of expected visitors, and such lofty aspirations, it makes it a wonder that its profile in the UK is (so far) relatively low.
By being twinned with Shanghai, Liverpool is a city uniquely positioned to participate and must take advantage of this shop window to the World. Those companies who have intensions of doing business in or with China need to start learning about what they can gain from the Expo, how they can help Liverpool gain from the Expo, and ultimately, assist in attracting Chinese investment to flow into the region. With a brand as strong as Liverpool's, this event is perfect to remind people just how high the City stands in the World's perception.
DLA Piper was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in the delegation, and being the only law firm in Liverpool with an office in Shanghai (as well as Beijing and Hong Kong...and a few other places!), it is uniquely positioned amongst local professional firms to take a vested interest, as well help those who are keen to take an interest too. There is massive potential in this event, and with only 570 days (according to its website!) left until it starts time will fast run out to exploit that potential.
Shanghai cannot be allowed to surprise anybody, and the powers that be in Liverpool, the Liverpool-Shanghai Partnership, the local press, business and the broader community need to publicise this event as far as they can, and take an active interest.