COLUMN The Tradeshow Times
people attended World Fairs in the United States (U.S.). In the first 90 years, from 1851 to 1940, there were 25 Fairs in the U.S. In the past 84 years, only six Fairs have happened in the states—and of those six, five lost money. In fact, the last World’s Fair in the U.S., New Orleans 1984, was the only World’s Fair to declare bankruptcy during the run of the show. Not surprisingly, there have been no World’s Fairs in the U.S. since that time, 41 years ago.
Are World’s Fairs Dead?
B
efore social media, comed revenue. Host cities gained puters, and the internet, recognition. Attendees had before television and fun. Businesses sold products. even commercial aviation, one Countries showcased their way people learned about culture. Entrepreneurs the world around them displayed inventions. was to attend large inMany of the innoternational events. Devations showcased at pending on the region World’s Fairs changed of the world, they’ve the way we live today. By Bob McGlincy been called expos, Examples include: exhibitions, and fairs. But by the elevator, the telegraph, the whatever name, over a billion telephone, the phonograph, people visited these events: 1.2 the television, the computer, billion, to be more exact. as well as movies, munitions, So, why did individuals from medicines, medical devices, all over the globe pay to travel pharmaceuticals, farm devices, to and attend these events? and electric lights. In the 19th What was the attraction? and 20th centuries, World’s Fairs were the place to see, to Fun, Excitement, & Money. be seen, and to experience. These fairs were cultural phenomena and entertainment Are they still happening? meccas. They created jobs, In the past 175 years attracted tourists and generatapproximately 300 million
42 Jul/Aug/Sept 2025 Exhibit City News
So, are World’s Fairs dead? No, but it may be a question of semantics. “World’s Fair” is a term mostly used in the U.S. Since the New Orleans World’s Fair, there have been 16 “International Recognized Exhibitions” worldwide. Shanghai in 2010 attracted 73 million visitors. Before this year, the most recent World Expo was in Dubai. It was scheduled for 2020, but due to Covid, it did not start until October 2021. It hosted 192 participating countries and attracted 25 million visitors. Bidding on the 2025 Expo started in the beginning of 2017. Paris initially bid on the event but withdrew that September after being awarded the 2024 Olympics. Osaka was awarded the event in November 2018. Expo 2025 opened on April 13th with 158 participating countries. A total of 40 countries, including the U.S., erected architecturally stunning national pavilions. Mitsubishi, Nintendo, Panasonic, and Sumitomo are four of the 14 private sector pavilions on site. The Expo
will run through October 13, 2025. Prior to show opening, the Japan Association projected attendance at 28.2 million. That number is optimistic: a more likely number is 22 million people, and even that number will be reduced if it is an exceedingly hot summer, or if any unexpected problems occur. Still, it is a lot of people. Like host countries for World’s Fairs in the past, Japan hopes to promote its economy, its technology, and its culture. The theme of Expo 2025 is: “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” One attraction displayed and demonstrated on opening day was a flying car. The future. Today, these expos are more about countries and themes than they are about inventions, brands, or corporations. They look to promote progress and foster cooperation. The official governing body for World’s Fairs is Paris’ Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). According to the BIE, there are three primary categories of Expos: Universal, Specialized, and Horticultural. After this year, the next Universal Expo, the largest type, will be 2030 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Belgrade, Serbia will host a Specialized Expo in 2027. Yokohama, Japan will host the Horticultural Expo in 2027, with Minneapolis, U.S. is tentatively scheduled for one in 2031. Bob McGlincy is the co-author of “The Invisible Industry—The Evolution of Trade Shows” and can be reached at bobm@exhibitcitynews.com