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"The Rise and Fall of Worlds Fairs" ... in America. The worlds fair seems as big as it has ever been. The Dubai Expo 2020, which concluded last month saw over
by wodenokoto 5y ago
"The Rise and Fall of Worlds Fairs" ... in America.
The worlds fair seems as big as it has ever been. The Dubai Expo 2020, which concluded last month saw over 20 million visitors in 6 month. This is twice of what any Disney theme park can perform.
I don't think Al Wasl dome will be the new Eiffel Tower, but I am pretty sure it will become a permanent landmark to Dubai.
The article even says so much:
> Outside of the U.S., particularly in Europe and Asia, world’s fairs remain popular. In cities like Milan, Dubai and Shanghai, host nations have used these grand expositions to express their guiding values and show off the very best of their countries to the rest of the world. Today, this mission is more vital than ever
...
> Despite their diminishing popularity in the U.S., world’s fairs continue to take place across the globe. They remain popular for the same reasons they were in 1851: Simply put, fairs act as powerful affirmations of national identity that reassure host countries and dazzle international audiences. In 2010, an expo in Shanghai welcomed over 73 million visitors to the largest world’s fairgrounds ever, spanning a staggering 2.5 square miles. Delayed due to Covid-19, Expo 2020, in Dubai, concluded less than a month ago with a spectacular closing ceremony. The fair hosted more than 24 million visitors over its six-month run.
- devoutsalsa 5y agoAt the Expo 2020 Dubai, I was amused to learn that the USA pavilion cost 60 million USD and it was paid for by the UAE. It’s illegal for the USA to pay for it’s own pavilion at an expo like this. [1] [1] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-appointed-dubai-expo-boss-lobby-congress-end-world-fair-funding-ban-2021-10-05/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-appointed-dubai-expo-...
- johnsanders 5y agoI'd thought that too, but the law in question only bars the State department from spending its budget on a pavilion. Nothing blocks congress from appropriating whatever it wants for that purpose. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2452b https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2452b As the documentary I linked in another comment points out, this has been misunderstood for so long, even people in the State department think it's an outright ban on use of any public funds.
- wodenokoto 5y ago> … was speaking to reporters at the U.S. pavilion which features a replica Space X Falcon 9 rocket … After visiting the pavilion I left with the distinct impression that they had brought a real rocket.
- teruakohatu 5y agoMy little country of 5 million people spent a whopping $40 million USD on this expo. I hope we got our money's worth [1] [1] https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/128187098/how-nz-has-put-itself-back-in-front-of-the-world-at-dubais-expo https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/128187098/ho....
- yanderekko 5y agoCan't speak directly to ROI, but the New Zealand exhibit was pretty memorable.
- technothrasher 5y agoYes, but did it feature the toothbrush fence?
- yanderekko 5y agoThat's surprising to learn. The US exhibit at Expo 2020 was pretty terrible though. Literally just stand on a treadmill and watch various videos on how awesome America is (and I'm sure there's some snide jokes to be made about the only treadmill-based exhibit being America..) And then afterwards look at some of the cool space stuff we're trying to do. A lot of countries used their exhibits to jerk themselves off - China was guilty of this too. Ironically, the Russian one was pretty cool.
- erie 5y agoI remember being very impressed upon visiting the US stand in the 70s, the cold war was good in showcasing the space rivalry, moon rock box and other artifacts. The USSR pavilion was nearby, and it was the 1970 at the Damascus fair, I was a 10 year old kid then, my dream was to go to the US, but when I visited Silicone Valley in the 2000s I was depressed after meeting some former WIMAX experts who were homeless, asking me for cigarettes, in San Jose. https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/pavilion-at-the-damascus-international-fairgrounds-in-syria-news-photo/514978428 https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/pavilion-at-the...
- devoutsalsa 5y agoI'll be impressed when the USA pavilion shows how we solved affordable housing & healthcare!
- Sporktacular 5y agoTo see what half of the others already have. That should get them queueing!
- Stevvo 5y agoI was at expo 2010; in one day you saw more people than you usually see in a year amongst architecture rivaled only by Dubai.
- chrismcb 5y agoDisney World draws almost 60 million visits a year. Which is more than that expo.