Vicente Gonzáles Loscertales, Secretary General of the B.I.E, wrote an article about Public Diplomacy and Expos in a journal of the University of South California; which is among the Universities specializing in studies about Expos. Few people can be so legitimate as Vicente to talk about this subject, given that besides leading the Organization that rules the Expos, he also was Director of International Participation at Seville ’92; which by the way,  remains as one of the most successful Expos in history.

He mentions some of Shanghai’s highlights as water sheds in Expo history. Like Expo Online, which represents the first time an Expo will be fully integrated with cyberspace. Or UBPA, in the sense that it is the first time there is an emphasis on “Best Practices”, so that concrete solutions for certain problems are presented to the visitors and shared with the global community.

Here there are some excerpts of the article:

Expos provide a snapshot of the state of the world at a particular time in order to help the general public understand future perspectives. Therefore it is not a coincidence that the various themes of Expos, in this new century, all make reference to the top priorities established by the international community. Since the year 2000, the main UN agendas have guided the selection of Expo themes.

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By linking different eras of urban life, Expos can be thought of as the rite of passage chosen by a city to enact a vision for its future layout, for the mobility within its walls and for the social, economic and cultural activities it will support. The role of Expos as instruments for urban renewal has remained constant throughout the years, although it is amplified today with the focus on quality of life.

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Expos are all-inclusive. Not only do they offer a place for dialogue amongst diverse institutions, but countries can have equal opportunities to be present. In particular, developing countries increasingly value their presence in the Expos as an opportunity to show their achievements beyond the stereotypes. At the same time, organizers value the presence of developing countries as a testimony of the universality of the values that they are trying to promote.

You can read the whole article here.