EXPO and the CR

Hanover 2000

From the aspect of exhibition evolution, EXPO 2000 in Hanover was a groundbreaking event that set itself the task of introducing a new concept in world exhibitions for the 21st century, as implied by the theme: Humankind - Nature - Technology. The idea was, theoretically, very easy to grasp, but problems emerged in the practical manifestation of this theme in individual national expositions. Only a handful of exhibitors (mainly Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, and Switzerland) fulfilled the organizers' requirements; other states, including the Czech Republic, offered basic presentations of their culture and history, in which they more (Germany) or less (Hungary) managed to embody the central idea. The result was a sort of 'World Jubilee', although visitors did not view this as a disaster - in fact the opposite. However, it must be said that world exhibitions remain a festival of tourism and a showcase for the exhibiting countries; each country tries to present the best it has, irrespective of the given theme. In conclusion, it is worth noting that EXPO ended up with a huge financial loss (instead of the trumpeted 'Big Zero', the loss was a huge DEM 2.4 billion), and there were only 18 million visitors (compared with the forecast 40 million).

Source: Světové výstavy - Od Londýna 1851 po Hannover 2000. Jaroslav Halada and Milan Hlavačka. Nakladatelství Libri, 2000.

backtop

print