Essay: Do host countries reap any economic, social and branding benefits from holding World expositions?

As a communication medium, the world expositions of the past can easily be compared to the present-day world wide web. These gigantic expositions/fairs are considered an arena for showcasing nation-state splendor by communicating messages such as those about nationality, culture, future, innovation and creativity by member nations in the host country. Since its inception in 1851 with the “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations” in London, these world expositions have been periodically hosted in many major cities. However, the aftermath of these fairs has not always been positive for the host nations with many such as Milan plummeting into serious financial and social crisis.
Brief Introduction
As an engineering student, I have always been fascinated with these larger-than-life world expos showcasing a unique amalgam of technology, architecture and art. My eagerness to research the topic in detail has been intrigued further by the fact that next year this mega-event will be held UAE.
In 1851, the World Expositions (World expos) started as an avenue for cultural exchange among participating nations and thereby providing people with an opportunity to travel the world and experience other cultures while staying within the boundaries of their country. With industrial development, World Expos evolved to become places where representatives from various nations would showcase inventions that were symbolic of their obdurate industrial progress. Recently, the World Expos have surfaced as platforms to find groundbreaking solutions for challenges faced by the modern world (Westlund & Mcalvanah, 2017).
Today, most countries bid for World Expos with an anticipation that hosting this prestigious event will revolutionize the landscape of their economies by facilitating urbanization of transportation, development of infrastructure, and portrayal of a stronger national brand. Many bidders expect that these benefits will extend beyond the event and the rebranding will help them create new revenue streams from increase in tourism or foreign direct investments. However, these expectations are not always met for each of the participants. In past, some cities like Milan are left with abandoned infrastructures and a huge debt, while other like Seattle and even Shanghai have benefitted from the rebranding, real-estate boost and some remarkable infrastructural developments. Indeed, this topic provides a lot of past and expected data to evaluate the real value of hosting these larger than life events for the host cities. Therefore, the audience, in this case, my colleagues can benefit from being informed about the political, economic and social consequences of World Expositions such as Expo 2020 that will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Research Question and Methods
Primary Research Question:
Do host countries reap any economic, social and branding benefits from holding World expositions?
Secondary Research Questions:
1. How successful has World Expositions been for the host countries in the past few decades?
2. What are the implications for predicted social and economic impact of World Expositions on the upcoming event in Dubai?
3. How do these expositions change the social and political dynamics of the host countries in the global arena?
For this paper, data will be gathered from several reliable sources including Bureau International des Expositions, scholarly papers, expert opinion, public polls and credible media including Forbes, CNN and national reports on the Expo among other sources. I will be utilizing the literature available on the AUS library database and Google scholar for my research.
Through an analysis of existing data on recent World Expos promises the research paper will determine the expectations that various countries have while bidding for this mega event. Data from various sources will be utilized to identify the costs of developments undertaken for the event by Milan, Shinghai and Hannover and the respective results/benefits/outcomes for each city. This research will also gather data on environmental factors and conditions that possibly contributed to the respective success or failure of the event for these host countries. This analysis will be used to create a framework that will allow us to predict the feasibility of Dubai’s success in hosting World Expo 2020.
2019-2-11-1549855314