From a place to showcase new technologies and inventions to favoring the technology’s value for quality of human life, the World Expo has shaped and been shaped by the world we live in. Originated in the French tradition of national exhibitions, which spread through Europe, the movement later culminated in what we today know as World Expo.

The very first World Expo or, at the time called World’s Fair, took place in 1851 in London, UK, after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort’s idea. The fair, called  The Great Exhibition, was held in The Crystal Palace, specifically built for it. Here the participating nations were offered a place to peacefully compete with their technological advance, and establish important relationships for trade. The fair was soon repeated in Paris and later continued to grow as an important part of international relations, trade and diplomacy. 

In the beginning the World Fair focused on showcasing new technology, as a result of the industrial revolution and its following technological progress. However, the world changes and the world fair with it, and after the second world war the focus shifted to quality of human life and the technologies part in that.

Today World Expo is focused on giving all participating nations a place in the world debate, creating cross-cultural cooperation and building a better future through the exhibition core values; education, innovation and cooperation. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), with its headquarters in Paris, sanctions the Expos and guarantees its quality and success for the participating nations. BIE sanctions three different types of Expos: World Expo, the biggest one, where the entire world comes togehter to showcase their advance and establish important relations and tradin bonds, Specialized Expos, held to face a precise challenge facing humanity, and Horticultural Expos, which addresses “the paramount issues of healthy lifestyles, green economies, sustainable living, education and innovation.” BIE.

As we have seen it grow, the World Expo mirrors the values of our time, and offers us a peek into the future, which its participants shape together.

Since 1988 World Expo is held every fifth year, and may last up to six months.