Everybody I Know: Hey Marcos . . . What did you do for your summer vacation?
Marcos: I went to Expo 2012 in Yeosu, Korea.
Everybody I Know: What’s that?
Marcos: Expo?! It’s the World’s Fair.
Everybody I Know: They still have those?
Marcos: (Sigh).
This summer I traveled to Yeosu, South Korea to visit Expo 2012. Expo, commonly known as the World’s Fair, is something that I have become increasingly obsessed with. It all started when I worked at the New York Hall of Science which conveniently sits on the grounds of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. After giving countless tours to World’s Fair enthusiasts who would visit the Great Hall (1964) on a pilgrimage, I started looking into these international celebrations and was mesmerized. So far I’ve been to two other Expos (Zaragoza 2008 and Shanghai 2010) and I was born and raised in Orlando which has EPCOT- considered a year-round World’s Fair (Walt Disney was a major artistic contributor to the ’64 WF).
EPCOT is the easiest way to imagine the Expo. There are theme areas that center on world issues or technology, some corporate areas with educational media, and a World Showcase. The Expo is structured the same way, except it’s gigantic (104 countries participated in this year’s Expo- I visited 102!).
The Expo isn’t as big of a deal in the U.S.A. as it is in the rest of the world because we haven’t dedicated funds to participate in the last 25 years. We’ve participated in the last two Expos, but it’s been through some crafty corporate sponsorship.
What I get out of attending these world celebrations is a sense of global spirit and enthusiasm. Where else can I see pavilions dedicated to each of the countries in the Himalayas plus super high-end cutting edge technologies?
The technology and media displays are the best part. This trip I decided to make a short movie of all of my favorite experiences (completely filmed and edited on the iPhone 4S). I was intrigued by the use of projection mapping, transparent LCD displays, immersive media environments, and the most amazing water spectacular called the Big O Show (like the Bellagio but horizontal and vertical).
If you’re interested in my Expo 2012 information, I highly suggest visiting Exhibitor Magazine’s Expo 2012 microsite. There are great videos of pavilions and terrific articles about the history of the great World’s Fairs. See you at Expo Milano in 2015. Ciao!