The first world exhibition (EXPO) took place in London's Hyde Park in 1851. The main exhibit was the Crystal Palace, built by Joseph Paxton from iron and glass. The famous Eiffel Tower in Paris was also built for one such exhibition held in 1889.
In 1928, the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE, Bureau International des Expositions) was created, which still coordinates the holding of EXPO. Universal universal exhibitions are held once every 5 years and last at least 6 months.
The concept of EXPO underwent changes in 1988, when the participating countries began to use exhibitions to present their own countries, independently building their own pavilions. In Hanover in 2000, the cost of a country's pavilion averaged 12 million euros. Such expenses are justified. The Dutch conducted research and found out that the cost of building their pavilion at EXPO 2000, in the amount of 35 million euros, generated, as a result, 350 million euros of potential profit for the country's economy.
Ukraine claims to host the World EXPO in 2030. This is a great opportunity to develop and present the potential of our country to the whole world. But whether Ukraine will get the right to host EXPO 2030, how the preparations are going, and who is responsible for everything, ElitExpert found out.
On September 7, 2022, Ukraine submitted an official registration dossier to the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris (BIE), which will determine the winning country. In addition to us, South Korea, Italy and Saudi Arabia are applying to host EXPO-2030.
The Ukrainian delegation in Paris was headed by the director of the department of Odesa Regional State — Roman Hrygoryshyn, which manages the process of preparation and possible holding of EXPO-2030 in Odesa.
According to Hrygoryshyn, candidate file for holding EXPO-2030, which was submitted by Ukraine to the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris (BIE), outlines a large-scale vision for holding the exhibition, including details about the venue, themes and forecasts for the number of visitors, sources of funding, costs and investment amounts.
Work on Ukraine's participation as a candidate for holding EXPO-2030 began a year ago. On October 6, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers made a decision on submitting an application to the International Bureau of Exhibitions for Ukraine's participation in the selection of a candidate country for holding the EXPO-2030 World Exhibition in Odesa. It was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on August 23 of this year the coordination committee for preparation, which was headed by the first vice-prime minister, the minister of economy Yulia Svyridenko.
The announcement of the winner of the EXPO-2030 contest will take place next year, after the work of the executive commission of the International Bureau is completed. The commission will meet on October 21, 2022 to discuss the applications and organization of BIE reconnaissance missions to the candidate countries, whose work is planned for the period from January to March 2023.
The very idea of holding EXPO-2030 in Ukraine is undeniably ambitious and very important for our country. However, it is still not possible to analyze it professionally, because on website of the upcoming event the registration dossier submitted by Ukraine in Paris is missing.
At the same time, the public information available today about the preparation of the event and the members of the working group raises questions.
FIRST QUESTION: THE COMPANY-INITIATOR
As stated on the website EXPO-2030 Odesa, the initiator of EXPO-2030 in Ukraine is the private company "D Group Expo-2030" (D-GROUP EXPO-2030). November 4, 2021 year, this company has already paid the first 10% of the registration fee, in the amount of 105 thousand euros, for Odessa's participation in the competition.
"D Group Expo-2030" (D-GROUP EXPO-2030) was established in April 2021 and has only one permitted type of activity - "organization of conferences and trade exhibitions". However, on the site EXPO-2030 Odesa it is stated that the company "D Group" has rich experience in the field of finance, construction, architecture and marketing. It is unclear how the company intends to prove this to the competition commission.
SECOND QUESTION: PLANS AND PROSPECTS
The organizers of EXPO-2030 expect to receive in Odesa representatives of 130 participating countries, 30 million visitors and plan to attract 2,5 billion dollars of investments.
How exactly it will be done and how much money will be spent - on the website EXPO-2030 Odesa not specified
Among the advantages of holding EXPO 2030 for Ukraine the organizers noted: ensuring rapid economic growth; strengthening international relations at the highest level; creation of new jobs; creation of infrastructure to reveal the scientific and technical potential of Ukrainians and creation of IT clusters and powerful data centers. Of course, it is desirable to attach a description of how exactly it is planned to be done to each point, but so far we see only general theses.
In order to understand the scale of similar events, we analyzed three EXPOs held in recent years around the world:
EXPO 2020 in Dubai (UAE). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition was postponed and took place from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The organization was organized by the state. The number of visitors is 11 million. According to some data, the UAE's expenses for the organization amounted to 18, and according to others, 44 billion US dollars. Investments - 4 billion dollars.
EXPO 2015 took place in the city Milan, Italy, from May 1 to October 31, 2015. The exhibition was organized by Expo 2015 SpA, a joint-stock company owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (40%), the Lombardy Region (20%), the City of Milan (20%), the Province of Milan (10%) and the Milan Chamber of Commerce (10%). ). Total expenses – 92 million euros. Investments - more than 3 billion dollars.
Specialized exhibition EXPO 2012 took place in the city Yeosu, South Korea. The event took place from May 12 to August 12, 2012. The organization was organized by the state. This event was visited by 8 million people, and the total cost of creating the EXPO 2012 infrastructure was 2 billion US dollars. The cumulative economic effect for the economy of South Korea is about 11 billion dollars.
Looking at the main indicators of these three measures, it is possible to see large differences in the size of the investments involved and the costs of the organization. However, in all cases, the main issue of distribution of finances and organization was in the hands of the state, not private or public institutions. It is obvious that Ukraine should use this experience.
COMPETITORS OF UKRAINE FOR EXPO-2030
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, SA Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense noted that humanity is living in an era of change and faces an unprecedented need for collective action. "It is clear that the whole world as a collective must work together to anticipate the future and use their brightest minds to solve the problems arising from these changes."
The Crown Prince emphasized that the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh will coincide with the culmination of the Kingdom 2030 concept, which is a strategic plan aimed at reducing Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversifying the economy and developing public service sectors such as health care, education , infrastructure, recreation and tourism. This vision outlines the Kingdom's ambitions for the future and aims to harness the boundless energy of its youth to create a sustainable future in which all citizens realize their dreams.
"World Expo 2030 will provide a unique opportunity to share with the world our lessons from this unprecedented transformation"- stressed Prince Mohammed.
Rome, Italy.
On the site EXPO 2030 Rome is a unique opportunity for Italy to focus on people and their ability to rethink their own habitat, to balance development and environmental sustainability.
"By 2050, two-thirds of the world's population will live in metropolitan areas, and the relationship between people and territories is becoming one of the greatest challenges of our time. Rome aims to become the center of this new model of urban life: inclusive, interconnected, sustainable and shared.
EXPO 2030 is the perfect opportunity to transform Rome from the cradle of civilization, which spread the model of the city par excellence throughout the world, to a smart city, able to combine the invaluable riches of the past with an energetic drive towards the future and the challenges it brings.”
Busan, South Korea
The main emphasis EXPO 2030 Busan — the global challenges of the climate crisis, the pandemic and the digital divide, which require dramatic and fundamental changes to solve. Humanity needs to move towards a better future by eliminating various forms of inequality between nations and within nations, creating a global social safety net.
"Korea sees in EXPO 2030 an opportunity to share with other countries its unprecedented history of transformation from a donor to a recipient in just half a century. For developing countries, we promise help in building pavilions, organizing preliminary events, ensuring communication and covering transportation and living expenses."
THIRD QUESTION: THE DEVELOPERS OF THE ODESSA DOSSIER
In the press release and on the website EXPO-2030 Odesa there is a list of contractors who developed a draft of the 600-page registration dossier presented by Odesa in Paris. But apart from the names, there is no description or link to the websites of these companies and people to familiarize yourself with their experience and activities. Their selection procedure is also opaque.
FOURTH QUESTION: TEAM
Online EXPO-2030 Odesa it is indicated who is part of the team for the preparation of the event. However, apart from the photo, full name, position and link to the Facebook page, there is no other information. In its current state, the initiative group of organizers of the Ukrainian EXPO looks like a "team" of random people, with a completely opaque functionality.
The list is present Victoria Melnychenko, head of the public organization "Public Council EXPO-2030 Odesa" and Galina Butova — the head of the private company "D Group Expo-2030" (D-GROUP EXPO-2030), which, as stated on the website, is the initiator of the event, and paid 10% of the main registration fee.
The data of the organization is registered at one legal address.
In addition, the founders of the D-GROUP EXPO-2030 company, Galina Butova and Dmytro Starovoitov, are also on the list of founders of the public organization "Public Council EXPO-2030 Odesa", headed by Victoria Melnychenko.
In case of our victory in the competition, a huge (given the current situation of Ukraine) flow of funds necessary for the preparation and holding of the event will pass through the organizing companies.
In this regard, such affiliation of companies can become a serious reason for refusing us, as it contradicts the rules of fair competition adopted in the European community.
FIFTH QUESTION: CONTENT
In the era of digital technologies, visualization and information presentation play a major role in any ambitious project. An example of this is the recent EXPO in Dubai.
If we want to compete, and even more so, win among such innovations, we must at least not give in to them.
Unfortunately, the content (sites, videos, presentations) developed by the Ukrainian side during the year is far from perfect.
The theme of EXPO-2030 in Odesa declared by the organizers is "Renaissance. Technologies. Future".
However, in the presented video presentation, as always, the emphasis is only on history and architecture. However, we have, among other things, smart and hard-working people who know how to run a business, inventors and scientists, outstanding doctors and athletes, an IT field that the whole world knows. We have great opportunities that can interest investors - that's what EXPO expects from us.
CHANCE FOR UKRAINE
EXPO-2030. It is still unknown whether this important event for Ukraine will actually take place. The war makes its adjustments every day, and it is difficult to plan new important and difficult projects. But if you are going to do it, then to the maximum.
Today's position of the state regarding the EXPO demonstrates its lack of interest in the project. Yes, there is a war, but it must be clearly understood that Ukraine may not have a second such chance to present itself on the world technological arena. It is necessary to deal with such a project at the highest level, and not to sell it to the Odesa regional authorities or private companies.
We would like to see Ukraine as the winner in everything, in particular, in the competition to host the EXPO, but we must admit that for this we need to change the approach - and very quickly.
