Though the next seven years will be seeing four (already widely publicized) universal exhibitions, not many know that the successful tradition of the “expo” goes back a long time: the first Expo was held in London in 1851.

In those days Great Britain was the most advanced country and the event was also designed as an emblem of British supremacy in trade and industry. It’s said that the organizers invited many foreign countries – including many colonies and protectorates – so as to highlight, somewhat complacently, Britain’s technological superiority.

The most famous Expo, however, was held in Paris in 1889, the centenary of the French Revolution and with the “Belle Epoque” in full swing, as symbolized by the building of the Eiffel tower, undoubtedly the most representative work of modern architecture.

In the less recent past, expos had several purposes, the main one being to publicize new technological developments but also, as already mentioned, to enjoy the prestige and visibility that an Expo inevitably brings to the organizing country. So important was this aspect that in 1928, by which time international fairs and expos were proliferating, some 30 nations signed a Convention fixing rules of organization. Despite the relatively wide spread of signatory countries, the West (Europe and the USA) continued to dominate and be assigned most of the official expositions.
Today the climate is very different, with themes and locations that reflect current preoccupations and globalization, though the business generated by an Expo is still key, especially for the host country. From here to 2015, in fact, we’ll be seeing four Expos, (two in Asia and two in Europe), all dedicated in some way to the theme of environmental sustainability. You could almost say that the expo phenomenon, as understood through the various themes it explores, gives us insights into the challenges facing the world at a given time: yesterday it was technological progress, today it’s the quest for a sustainable way of life, and of production.

2008 will see an Expo in Zaragoza, dedicated to water and sustainable development (http://www.expozaragoza2008.es), while 2010 will be the year of the Shanghai Expo, significantly entitled “Better City, Better life” (http://www.expo2010china.com). In 2012, the Expo fever will spread to Yeosu in South Korea (http://www.expo2012.or.kr/eng/), it too focusing on environmental themes, as will be the case in 2015 in Milan, where the theme is “Nourishing the Planet: Energy for Life” (http://www.milanoexpo-2015.com/)