World's Fair 2012 Opened - Anyone notice?

[FlyFlyAway]

The international expo immediately preceding Expo 2017 opened a couple of days ago in Korea. Did anyone notice? Can you name the city where it's being held?

Note that this is not a universal exposition, like Montreal, Vancouver, Shanghai (2010), and Milan (2015). This is an international expo, of the same stature that Edmonton wished to bid on. And yes, this is the same Expo that the federal government chose not to exhibit at.

[Dialog]

Originally Posted by FlyFlyAway

The international expo immediately preceding Expo 2017 opened a couple of days ago in Korea. Did anyone notice? Can you name the city where it's being held?

Note that this is not a universal exposition, like Montreal, Vancouver, Shanghai (2010), and Milan (2015). This is an international expo, of the same stature that Edmonton wished to bid on. And yes, this is the same Expo that the federal government chose not to exhibit at.

FWIW Vancouver was a "Class II," or "specialised exhibition".

[moahunter]

I check the news everyday and haven't seen one reference.

Dodged a bullet on this one.

[Dialog]

Won't it be best to evaluate the Korean Expo once it's finished and attendance figures are in?

[edmonton daily photo]

http://www.worldexpo2012.com/

Expo 2012 opens in Yeosu, South Korea
The Expo 2012 international exhibition has opened in the South Korean city of Yeosu. This year’s exposition is named «The living Ocean and Coast». Kazakhstan, as a bidding country for Expo 2017 is enjoying particular interest. Meanwhile, more than 8 million people are to visit the exhibition EXPO during the three months, expert estimates say. Each participating country has presented its own way to preserve depleting water resources. The Korean pavilion is telling how you can produce environmentally friendly cars, clothes, food and drugs from algae, while America and Germany are proposing building a water factory for the protection of marine life. Kazakhstan, concerned about saving the Aral Sea, has expressed its interest in the development of environmentally friendly and cutting-edge technologies for the purification of sea water.

End

I'm sure Canada would have looked great exhibiting at this with the recent changes to the fisheries act.

[Medwards]

Originally Posted by moahunter

Dodged a bullet on this one.

Ya, we sure don't want investment from 3 levels of government in Edmonton... we sure did dodge a bullet.

We might not be hearing much about the 2012 worlds fair because its not in North America?

[moahunter]

Originally Posted by Dialog

Won't it be best to evaluate the Korean Expo once it's finished and attendance figures are in?

Looking at the video, its a much more tourist friendly place to visit with or without the Expo, right on the Ocean. Will be interesting to see though.

[North Guy66]

There was a story last week about a Canadian teenager who invented a concussion helmet. She will now represent Canada at the World's fair. That's the only reason why I know the W.F. is taking place right now.

Did anyone notice? Can you name the city where it's being held?

World's Fair has become more of a regional attraction. I'm sure folks in Asia will be checking it out but hardly anyone else in the world will make a special trip just to see the World's. If it was to be hosted in Edmonton, the city will get a lot of visitors from the western provinces and perhaps the NW states.

A city will get more bang for their buck if they hosted the world's chartered accountants convention.

[Thomas Hinderks]

A city will get more bang for their buck if they hosted the world's chartered accountants convention.

Bingo

[bing in the city]

Interesting that there was no real coverage to this

[FlyFlyAway]

Also interesting was the location in Korea holding the event - it'd be the equivalent of hosting Expo '67 in...White Rock. Or Saint John. Nothing against any of these cities, but if the event were considered high-profile in Korea, wouldn't it have been in a major city? There are large port cities in Korea (keeping w/ the ocean theme), though perhaps none on the mainland as picturesque. Perhaps there's a good reason Yeosu was selected, though.

[RichardS]

^ many things go into a city selection...geography is only one...

...available land to build/produce this expo could be another...

...more than likely it is along the lines of Edmonton...a chance to take another city on your country and give it an event that not only raises the international profile but gives it a leg up in some key infrastructure...so in the end...there are probably some larger policital reasons for the city's selection....

[RichardS]

Originally Posted by North Guy66

(...)

World's Fair has become more of a regional attraction. I'm sure folks in Asia will be checking it out but hardly anyone else in the world will make a special trip just to see the World's. If it was to be hosted in Edmonton, the city will get a lot of visitors from the western provinces and perhaps the NW states.

A city will get more bang for their buck if they hosted the world's chartered accountants convention.

Just to provide some clarity..the economic projection numbers were focused on exactly the demographic you suggest...the Cascadia region and the rest of Canada...no one expected the smaller fair we were bidding on to be Montreal '67...

Originally Posted by Thomas Hinderks

Bingo

No.

I appreciate the attempeted humour and hyperbole...but no.

Even the fact that the negative boo birds will be out in full force on an Expo in Edmonton virtually guarantees that the coverage will be greater than an accountants convention. Now...that is if you subscribe that all press is good press...and you could spin the coverage and actually get people here to find out what the fuss is about...something that has worked in the past...

Seriously though, I can understand the sentiment and had hoped that the Expo would concentrate on bringing several international symposiums here, get a few international accords signed or at least started with negotiations (topics like energy use, renewables, trade, etc), bring the professionals (like accountants) to the city and in the meantime have an opportunity for their family to attend the rest of the fair. So, take your humour and expand it out...and that is more like what I expected...plus some infrastructure gains...

...a couple "Edmonton Accords" or "Edmonton Protocols" wouldn't be a bad thing...and may lead to an annual or some cycle of return engagements...

Now, I'm not defending the failed bid here...just saying what I hoped would come out of the experience once the extremes on either side caught a glimpse of the real scope of Expo. The bad part...I think some institutions got too far ahead of themselves in their expectations...alienated the rest of the supporters...Paula hit some points in her synopsis...

[moahunter]

Originally Posted by RichardS

Even the fact that the negative boo birds will be out in full force on an Expo in Edmonton virtually guarantees that the coverage will be greater than an accountants convention.

But the accountants convention costs nothing, free advertising. For a billion dollars (or whatever the cost was for Expo), how many advertisments of Edmonton could we have ran?

You only have to look at the G20 mess, the Keystone pipeline controversy (although I wouldn't mind if Daryl Hannah visited ) or the crap Montreal is putting up with now with students, to realize this would probably have ended up doing more harm than good for the cities reputation. Every disenfrachnised environmental or anti-capitalist (i.e. occupy crowd) whacko in North America would have been walking the streets protesting the "tar sands", "foreign oil companies", and the "dirty" Edmonton base.

[Medwards]

For a billion dollars? That was the budget for advertising on Expo? Or was that the budget for everything, LRT, pavillions (which would later be used be the uofa south campus) and other infrastructure? A budget that would've been paid for by 3 levels of government? A budget that would've seen much needed investment in Edmonton infrastructure? Investment that would happen right away, not over the next 40 years... Not to mention bring people from all over western North America and further. Not to mention showcase Edmonton and Alberta.

Ya, an accountants convention costs nothing... BECAUSE IT IS NOTHING. Or next to nothing. I'm sure the accountants can figure out where that decimal can go.

[RichardS]

Originally Posted by moahunter

(...)
But the accountants convention costs nothing, free advertising. For a billion dollars (or whatever the cost was for Expo), how many advertisments of Edmonton could we have ran?

You only have to look at the G20 mess, the Keystone pipeline controversy (although I wouldn't mind if Daryl Hannah visited ) or the crap Montreal is putting up with now with students, to realize this would probably have ended up doing more harm than good for the cities reputation. Every disenfrachnised environmental or anti-capitalist (i.e. occupy crowd) whacko in North America would have been walking the streets protesting the "tar sands", "foreign oil companies", and the "dirty" Edmonton base.

...accountants convention would cost and would have to get sponsors and the like to get going. For Edmonton to host a convention of enough size to generate this "free" advertising, you'd need a facility far greater than the Shaw...along the lines of some $400 million dollar arena like project. Again...thanks for the hyperbole...but when you start talking conferences like SAPPHIRE or the old COMDEX..something that attracts thousands of delegates worldwide and fills airplanes...then I'll take this accountant smart alec example a bit more seriously...


...but to do that...you'd have to invest BILLIONS in infrastructure...the arena alone is some $400-500 million in the preliminary estimate stage...then hotels and a Shaw expansion...and the LRT to make this worthwhile to get around the city and to the airport...and maybe some other attractions/amenities that an EXPO could have lured to Edmonton...

Nah...100 CMA's in a dark room gets us all we need..

As for the protesters etc that would more than likely come with this...yup...they'd be there all right...but get a world petroleum conference...say...like Calgary...and "lordie lawd...deys shewed up!"...no EXPO required...so are you saying we shouldn't host a symposium or two on the enviroment because a protest group or two may show up? Heck, I can get people to protest an accountant convention...given some of the lax banking and tax laws accountants are responsible for lobbying to keep in place...job security and all....


....and if properly run, do the math. Even with the odd protester or two...get Edmonton on the news, get delegates here, get accords signed...then extrapolate the advertising cost per 1-2 minute news story...globally...you can get to that billion pretty quickly....


...but it is all moot now anyway...

[Sonic Death Monkey]

Wasn't security the excuse for killing the Expo 2017 bid in the first place? How's the security for Expo 2012 in South Korea?

[RichardS]

It was one...the convenient one...and should Canada host another event like G20...well...we shouldn't since security is such a concern. No Royal Visits...no hosting Heads of State or other foreign dignitaries...no summits...no conferences whatsoever that may raise a security concern...

Paula's article hit more of the reasons...

[moahunter]

Originally Posted by Sonic Death Monkey

Wasn't security the excuse for killing the Expo 2017 bid in the first place? How's the security for Expo 2012 in South Korea?

They don't have "dirty oil", and their industry isn't the root of all capitalist evil in North America.

[RichardS]

...no...but they do have a neat neighbour that likes to shell islands every once in awhile..."fireworks" per se...

[moahunter]

^so you think we could have done this to keep Daryl Hannah out?

[Edmonton PRT]

Only 8 million people attended Expo 2012 in Korea

In comparison, Expo 67 had 50 million attendees when Canada only had 20M people

That was before color TV and the internet

[edmonton daily photo]

Yes and we were expecting something like 6 million visitors... whats your point?

[Edmonton PRT]

I know that both Korea and Edmonton are both small Expos and tend to be regional and yes, people from all over the world will attend there are some interesting stats to consider.

South Korea, population 50M, area 100,210 km2 8 million attendees

Alberta, population 3.65M, area 661,848 km2 6 million attendees projected

If South Korea could only get the equivalent of 16% of their population to attend, how can we have expected to get 6 million to attend, 10 times the attendence ratio. Would we have had a much better marketing program or did Korea screw up?

[Medwards]

I thought expo 2017 idea was dead ...

[expat]

Originally Posted by Medwards

I thought expo 2017 idea was dead ...

For Edmonton yes...

[Edmonton PRT]

Originally Posted by Medwards

I thought expo 2017 idea was dead ...

Just doing a post mortem

Prodding it just to make sure it is dead.



EX-po R.I.P.

Credits:
The shop keeper was played by, EDP

[Dialog]

What—beating a dead horse on Connect2Edmonton?!?!

[Admin]

^ Ok, now THAT was funny.