For more than 150 years, world fairs have been one of the greatest attractions ever devised by man. And if Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, is any example, the biggest and best are yet to come.

China is thinking Big. Expectations are that Expo 2010, scheduled to open in Shanghai, China, in May, will be the biggest world exposition ever. A total of 228 countries and international organizations have announced their participation, and the arrangers are forecasting that some 70 million people will visit the 2010 event during its six-month run; 95 percent of these will be Chinese. And the final bill for the Expo 2010, in a city that is already spending heavily on infrastructure and regeneration, should be somewhere upwards of the announced 2 billion euros.

Perhaps the key reason for the huge interest shown in Expo 2010 is the growing status of China and its importance in the world’s economy. Coming shortly after a very successful 2008 Summer Olympic Games, this is China’s opportunity to stand on the world stage and say “We’re here.”

Every nation that has ever hosted a Universal Exposition, Expo, World Fair or World’s Fair – call it what you want – has hopes for a similar effect. Although the idea of a world fair is for all nations to gather together and demonstrate and share their technologies, arts and cultures, the real spotlight falls on the host city and its ability to put on a show that will dazzle the world.

There is a long tradition for such extravaganzas. The first of these events was The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, more commonly known as The Great Exhibition, which was held in the purpose-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, in 1851. This was Great Britain at its most powerful, at the height of the industrial revolution, showing the world its technological supremacy in manufacturing and the arts and sciences. The Crystal Palace itself was an architectural marvel: a huge iron-framed glass house, bigger than anything the world had seen to date (and designed to be recyclable to offset any possible losses to the organizers). The Great Exhibition drew 6 million visitors and made a modest profit.

Paris was next to try hosting such events, organizing exhibitions that left their mark on the world – or at least France. The Eiffel Tower was actually built for the 1889 exhibition and continues today as a symbol of Paris.

From 1851 to 1938, world expositions focused on trade and technology, giving visitors their first brush with such inventions and advancements as the telephone, the Ferris wheel (named after the inventor, George W Ferris), steam engines and the Colt revolver, along with new manufacturing techniques and materials. They could also witness such oddities as a throne carved out of coal for Queen Victoria and the questionable “Living Museum” – essentially a human zoo that featured native peoples from around the world.

The focus changed with the 1939 New York World’s Fair and the 1949 Universal Sport Exhibition (a type of world fair) in Stockholm. Inventions and technologies were still import-ant, but there were new issue-based themes, such as “Building the World of Tomorrow” (New York’s theme) and “Man and his World” (the theme of the defining fair of this era, Expo 67 in Montreal).

Countries started to use world fairs as a platform to build their national images through their pavilions in the 1990s. In a world where a strong national image could be an asset, pavilions became advertising campaigns. Spain hosted Expo 92 in Seville and also held the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. These were used to underline Spain’s position as a modern, democratic country and a prominent member of the European Union and the global community.

Shanghai is carrying on these traditions. The city has chosen the theme “Better City, Better Life”, which will be supported by various sub-themes that explore the qualities of city life, such as integration, economic prosperity, science and technology innovations, community spirit and interaction between urban and rural areas.

It’s a winning combination, and Expo 2010 Shanghai China looks set to deliver what could be the greatest fair on earth.

Who’s behind the show?

The Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was formed in 1928 by 31 nations with the intention of regulating the type and frequency of world fairs. The BIE “registers” international expos or world fairs, or “recognizes” them. A registered expo may occur once every five years, and a recognized expo may occur once in the interval between the registered expos. Sometimes official recognition is denied, but the expo goes ahead anyway, as was the case with the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair.

Are Expos worth the money?

For host cities it is difficult to put a tangible monetary value on world fairs. London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 made a profit for the organizers, as did many others after that. Moscow was originally awarded the venue for Expo 67 but pulled out because of the perceived cost implications. Expo 67 cost Canada 283 million Canadian dollars (178 million euros) to stage, yet the increase in tourist revenues for Canada during that year was calculated at 480 million Canadian dollars (303 million euros). The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition went bankrupt. But a study for the Dutch Pavilion at Expo 2000 estimated that it generated around 350 million euros for the Dutch economy – 10 times the value of the cost of the country’s pavilion. And despite the 2 billion euro initial investment of Shanghai’s Expo 2010, the Expo will be a very public embodiment of China’s economic strength – and all the world will be watching. The brand value in that will likely cancel out the expense.

Where and when?

1851 London (UK) 1855 Paris (France) 1862 London (UK) 1867 Paris (France) 1873 Vienna (Austria) 1876 Philadelphia (US) 1878 Paris (France) 1879 Sydney (Australia) 1880 Melbourne (Australia) 1881 Milan (Italy) 1884 New Orleans (USA) 1888 Barcelona (Spain) 1889 Paris (France) 1893 Chicago (USA) 1896 Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) 1896 Budapest (Hungary)1897 Brussels (Belgium) 1897 Stockholm (Sweden) 1898 Omaha (USA) 1900 Paris (France) 1901 Buffalo (USA) 1901 Charleston (USA) 1904 St Louis (USA) 1905 Liège (Belgium) 1906 Milan (Italy) 1910 Brussels (Belgium) 1911 Turin (Italy) 1913 Ghent (Belgium) 1914 Lyon (France) 1915 San Francisco (USA) 1915 San Diego (USA) 1929 Barcelona (Spain) 1933 Chicago (USA) 1935 Brussels (Belgium) 1937 Paris (France) 1939 New York City (USA) 1939–1940 San Francisco (USA) 1949 Stockholm (Sweden) 1958 Brussels (Belgium) 1962 Seattle (USA) 1964 New York (USA) 1967 Montreal (Canada) 1968 San Antonio (USA) 1970 Osaka (Japan) 1974 Spokane (USA) 1982 Knoxville (USA) 1984 New Orleans (USA) 1985 Tsukuba (Japan) 1986 Vancouver (Canada) 1988 Brisbane (Australia) 1990 Osaka (Japan) 1992 Seville (Spain) 1993 Daejeon (South Korea) 1998 Lisbon (Portugal) 1999 Kunming (China) 2000 Hanover (Germany) 2005 Aichi (Japan) 2006 Chiang Mai (Thailand) 2008 Zaragoza (Spain) 2010 Shanghai (China) 2012 Yeosu (South Korea) 2015 Milan (Italy)