A world's fair, world fair, universal exposition, or world expo (expo short for exposition) is a large public exhibition. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in varying parts of the world.

The main attractions at world's fairs are the national pavilions, created by participating countries. At Expo 2000 Hanover, where countries created their own architecture, the average pavilion investment was about 13 million. Given these costs, governments are sometimes hesitant to participate, because benefits are often assumed not to outweigh the costs. Tangible effects are difficult to measure, but an independent study for the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2000 estimated that the pavilion (which cost around 35 million) generated around 350 million of potential revenues for the Dutch economy. It also identified several key success factors for world-exposition pavilions in general.

Since the entering into force of the 1928 Convention Relating to International Exhibitions, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE; English: International Exhibitions Bureau) has served as an international sanctioning body for world's fairs. BIE-approved fairs are of three types: universal, international, and specialized. They usually last from three weeks to six months.

History

World's fairs originated in the French tradition of national exhibitions, a tradition that culminated with the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 held in Paris. This fair was soon followed by other national exhibitions in continental Europe, and eventually the United Kingdom.

The best-known 'first World Expo' was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations". The Great Exhibition, as it is often called, was an idea of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and is usually considered as the first international exhibition of manufactured products. It influenced the development of several aspects of society, including art-and-design education, international trade and relations, and tourism. These events have resulted in a remarkable form of Prince Albert's life history, one that continues to be reflected in London architecture in a number of ways, including in the Albert Memorial later erected to the Prince. This expo was the most obvious precedent for the many international exhibitions, later called world's fairs, that have continued to be held to the present time.

Since their inception in 1851, the character of world expositions has evolved. Three eras can be distinguished: the era of industrialization, the era of cultural exchange, and the era of nation branding.

Industrialization (1851-1938)

The first era could be called the era of "industrialization" and covered, roughly, the period from 1800 to 1938. In these days, world expositions were especially focused on trade, and were famous for the display of technological inventions and advancements. World expositions were the platforms where the state-of-the-art in science and technology from around the world was brought together. The world expositions of 1851 London, 1853 New York, 1862 London, Philadelphia (1876), 1889 Paris, 1893 Chicago, 1900 Paris, 1901 Buffalo, 1904 St. Louis and 1915 San Francisco were landmarks in this respect. Inventions such as the telephone were first presented during this era. An important part of the image of world's fairs stems from this first era.

Cultural exchange (1939-1987)

The international exhibition in New York City in 1939-1940 presented a departure from the original focus of the expositions. From then on, world's fairs became more strongly based on a specific theme of cultural significance, and began to address issues of humankind. They became more future oriented and utopian in scope. Technology and inventions remained important, but no longer were the principal subjects of fairs. "Building The World of Tomorrow" (New York, 1939-40), "Peace Through Understanding" (New York, 1964-65) and "Man and His World" (Montreal, 1967) are examples of these themes. Cross-cultural dialogue and the exchange of solutions became defining elements of the expos. The dominant fair of this era arguably^{[by whom?]} is Montreal's Expo '67. It was also during Expo '67 that organizers started calling world's fairs "expos". (Montreal's Major League Baseball team, which played from 1969 until it moved to Washington, D.C. in December 2004, was named the Expos, in honor of the 1967 fair).

Nation branding (1988-present)

From Expo '88 in Brisbane onwards, countries started to use world expositions more widely and more strongly as a platform to improve their national images through their pavilions. Finland, Japan, Canada, France and Spain are cases in point. A large study by Tjaco Walvis called "Expo 2000 Hanover in Numbers" showed that improving national image was the primary participation goal for 73% of the countries at Expo 2000. In a world where a strong national image is a key asset, pavilions became advertising campaigns, and the Expo a vehicle for 'nation branding'. Apart from cultural and symbolic reasons, organizing countries (and the cities and regions hosting them) also utilize the world exposition to brand themselves. According to branding expert Wally Olins, Spain used Expo '92 and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona in the same year to underline its new position as a modern and democratic country and present itself as a prominent member of the European Union and the global community.

Today's world expositions embody elements of all three eras. They present new inventions, facilitate cultural exchange based on a theme, and are used for city, region and nation branding.

Types

Presently, there are two types of world expositions: registered and recognized (sometimes unofficially known as "major" and "minor" fairs, respectively). Registered exhibitions are the biggest category events. Previously, registered expositions were called "Universal Expositions". Even though this name lingers on in public memory, it is no longer in use as an official term. At registered exhibitions, participants generally build their own pavilions. They are therefore the most extravagant and most expensive expos. Their duration may be between six weeks and six months. Since 1995, the interval between two registered expositions has been at least five years. Most recently, the registered exposition Expo 2010 in Shanghai was held from May 1 through November 1, 2010.

Recognized expositions are smaller in scope and investments and generally shorter in duration; between three weeks and three months. Previously, these expositions were called "International or Specialized Expositions" but these terms are no longer used officially. Their total surface area must not exceed 25 ha and organizers must build pavilions for the participating states, free of rent, charges, taxes and expenses. The largest country pavilions may not exceed 1,000 m². Only one recognized exhibition can be held between two registered exhibitions.

There are also two types of auxiliary expositions: the horticultural exhibitions, which are joint BIE and AIPH-sanctioned 'garden' fair in which participants present gardens and garden pavilions; and the Milan Triennial Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Architecture.

"Registered Expositions" or Universal Expositions

Universal expositions encompass universal themes that affect the full gamut of human experience, and international and corporate participants are required to adhere to the theme in their representations. Universal expositions are usually held less frequently than specialized or international expositions because they are more expensive as they require total design of pavilion buildings from the ground up. As a result, nations compete for the most outstanding or memorable structure—recent examples include Japan, France, Morocco & Spain at Expo '92. Recent Universal Expositions include Brussels Expo '58, Montreal Expo 67, Osaka Expo '70, and Seville Expo '92. Sometimes prefabricated structures are also used to minimize costs for developing countries or for countries from a geographical block to share space (i.e. Plaza of the Americas at Seville '92).

The only universal exposition to be held without BIE approval was the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. The sanctioning organization at Paris denied them "official" status because its president, Robert Moses, did not comply with BIE rules in place at the time, namely the one limiting the duration for universal expositions to six months only. Both World's Fairs in New York (1939-40 and 1964-65) have the distinction of being the only two-year world expositions in history. The Fair proceeded without BIE approval and turned to tourism and trade organizations to host national pavilions in lieu of official government sponsorship. However, a large number of countries did participate in the world's fair including several newly independent African and Asian states. Frederick Pittera, a producer of international fairs and exhibitions and author of the history of world's fairs in the Encyclopædia Britannica and Compton Encyclopedia), was commissioned by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. of New York City in 1959 to prepare the first feasibility studies for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Pittera was joined in his study by Austrian architect Victor Gruen (Inventor of the 'Shopping Mall'). The Eisenhower Commission ultimately awarded the world's fair bid to New York City against several major U.S. cities.

Since the turn of the 21st century the BIE has moved to sanction expos only every five years; following the numerous expos of the 1980s and 1990s, some see this as a means to cut down potential expenditure by participating nations. The move was also seen by some as an attempt to avoid conflicting with the Summer Olympics. The rule may apply to all expos, or it may end up that universal expositions will be restricted to every five years or so, with international or specialized expositions in the in-between years for countries wishing to celebrate a special event. The most recent universal expo was Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

"Recognized Expositions" or International or Specialized Expositions

International expositions are usually united by a common theme—such as 'Transportation' (Vancouver Expo 86), or, 'Leisure in the Age of Technology' (Brisbane, Expo '88). Such themes are narrower than the wider scope of universal expositions.

The International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan, popularly known as Expo '85 was held in the city of Tsukuba located near Tokyo. This Exposition is more formerly known as "The International Science Technology Exposition".

Specialized and international expositions are usually smaller in scale and cheaper to run for the host committee and participants because the architectural fees are lower and they only have to rent the space from the host committee, usually with the prefabricated structure already completed. Countries then have the option of 'adding' their own colours, design etc. to the outside of the prefabricated structure and filling in the inside with their own content. One example of this is China, which has often chosen to add a Chinese archway in the front of its prefabricated pavilions to symbolize the nation (Expo '88, Expo '92, Expo '93).

The 2008 International Exhibition was hosted by the Spanish city of Zaragoza with the theme "Water and the Sustainable Development".

Expo 2012 is being held^{[dated info]} in Yeosu, South Korea, with the theme "The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities".

List of expositions

List of hitherto official world expositions (Universal, International/Specialised, Horticultural) according to the Bureau International des Expositions and ExpoMuseum: International Registered Exhibitions now held every five years are in bold. Upcoming world expositions are in italics.

1851 London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) 1855 Paris (France) 1862 London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) 1867 Paris (France) 1873 Vienna (Austria-Hungary) 1876 Philadelphia (United States) 1878 Paris (France) 1879 Sydney (New South Wales, British Australia) 1880 Melbourne (Victoria, British Australia) 1884 New Orleans (United States) 1885 Antwerp (Belgium) 1888 Barcelona (Spain) 1889 Paris (France) 1893 Chicago (United States) 1897 Brussels (Belgium) 1898 Omaha (United States) 1900 Paris (France) 1901 Buffalo (United States) 1904 St. Louis (United States) 1905 Liège (Belgium) 1906 Milan (Italy) 1907 Dublin (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland)

1907 Norfolk (United States) 1909 Seattle (United States) 1910 Brussels (Belgium) 1911 Turin (Italy) 1913 Ghent (Belgium) 1915 San Francisco (United States) 1915 San Diego (United States) 1922-23 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) 1929 Seville (Spain) 1929 Barcelona (Spain) 1930 Liège (Belgium) 1930 Antwerp (Belgium) 1933-1934 Chicago (United States) 1935 Brussels (Belgium) 1937 Paris (France) 1939 New York City (United States) 1939 Liège (Belgium) 1939-1940 San Francisco (United States) 1958 Brussels (Belgium) 1962 Seattle (United States) 1964/65 New York (United States) (not BIE sanctioned) 1967 Montreal (Canada) 1968 San Antonio (United States) 1970 Osaka (Japan)

1974 Spokane (United States) 1975 Naha (Japan) 1982 Knoxville (United States) 1984 New Orleans (United States) 1985 Tsukuba (Japan) 1986 Vancouver (Canada) 1988 Brisbane (Australia) 1992 Seville (Spain) 1992 Genoa (Italy) 1993 Daejeon (South Korea) 1998 Lisbon (Portugal) 2000 Hannover (Germany) 2005 Aichi (Japan) 2008 Zaragoza (Spain) 2010 Shanghai (China) 2012 Yeosu (South Korea) 2015 Milan (Italy) Expo 2017 yet to be designated Expo 2020 yet to be designated

International Horticultural Exhibition

The BIE, since 1960, grants recognition to the International Horticultural Exhibitions approved by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).

And a list of these International Horticultural Exhibitions (upcoming in italics):

1960 Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1963 Hamburg (Germany) 1964 Vienna (Austria) 1969 Paris (France) 1972 Amsterdam (Netherlands) 1973 Hamburg (Germany) 1974 Vienna (Austria) 1980 Montreal (Canada) 1982 Amsterdam (Netherlands) 1983 Munich (Germany)

1984 International Garden Festival Liverpool (United Kingdom) 1990 Osaka (Japan) 1992 The Hague (Netherlands) 1993 Stuttgart (Germany) 1999 Kunming (China) 2002 Haarlemmermeer (Netherlands) 2003 Rostock (Germany) 2006-7 Chiang Mai (Thailand) 2010 Flora Expo in Taipei (Taiwan) 2012 Floriade in Venlo (Netherlands) 2016 Antalya (Turkey)

Aftermath

The majority of the structures are temporary, and are dismantled at the end of the expo. Towers from several of these fairs are notable exceptions. By far the most famous of these is the Eiffel Tower, built for the Exposition Universelle (1889), which is now the most recognized symbol of its host city Paris. Some critics of the time wanted the tower dismantled after the fair's conclusion.

Other major structures that were held over from these fairs:

• The Crystal Palace, from the first World's Fair in London in 1851, chosen because it could be recycled to recoup losses, was such a success that it was moved and intended to be permanent, only to be destroyed by a fire (of its contents) in 1936.
• The 1876 Centennial Exposition's main building is still in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, and serving as the new home for the Please Touch Museum
• The World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, constructed for the Melbourne International Exhibition (1880).
• The Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago), originally the Beaux-Arts Building for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, remains one of the most famous buildings of Chicago architecture today.
• The New York State pavilion at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition remains today as the home of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, and is set in grounds originally laid out by Frederick Law Olmstead. Across the man made lake on the Scajaquada Creek is the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, originally intended as the Beaux Arts Exhibition Hall, but not completed in time for the exhibition.
• The St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park was originally the Palace of the Fine Arts and Brookings Hall at Washington University, are remnants of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition also known as the 1904 St. Louis Worlds Fair. The aviary in Forest Park gave root to the St. Louis Zoo.
• The landscaping (by the Olmsted brothers) from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle still forms much of the University of Washington campus. The only major building left from the AYPE, Architecture Hall, is used by the UW architecture school.
• The famous Plaza de España in Sevilla, Spain, used as the Spanish pavilion using the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. Most of the Expo pavilions have survived, and have been adapted for other uses, with many of them becoming consulates-general for the respective countries that built them.
• The famous German pavilion designed by Mies van der Rohe for the 1929 Barcelona expo was destroyed, but later recreated on the original site
• In Brussels, the Atomium still stands at the site of the 1958 exposition. It is a 165-billion-times enlarged Iron-crystal shaped building.
• The Space Needle in Seattle was the symbol of the 1962 World's Fair, and the US pavilion from that fair became the Pacific Science Center. The Seattle Center Monorail still operates daily.
• The Unisphere in Queens New York still remains from the 1964 World's Fair
• In Vancouver, many Expo 86 projects were designed as legacy projects, of note are the Skytrain, Science World and Canada Place.
• The main buildings of Expo '98, in Lisbon, were completely integrated in the city itself and many of the art exhibition pieces still remain.
• San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts and the Japanese Tea Garden (San Francisco, California).

Other outstanding exceptions:

• The remains of Expo '29 in Seville where the 'Plaza de España' forms part of a large park and forecourt, and many of the pavilions have become offices for Consulate-Generals.
• An elevated railway with trains running at short intervals was built for the Milan 1906 expo. It linked the fair to the city centre. It was dismantled in the 1920s.
• The aquarium of Milan Expo of (1906) was built for the fair and after 100 years is still open and was recently renovated.
• The ICOH (International Commission on Occupational Health), was settled in Milan during the Expo '06 and had the first congress in the Expo pavilions. In June 2006 the ICOH celebrated the first century of life in Milan.
• The pavilions of Expo '92 in Seville had been reconverted into a technological square and a theme park.
• The M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was a survivor of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition until it was replaced with a larger building.
• The rebuilt Palace of Fine Arts is all that remains from the 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This can be seen on the fair grounds near the Golden Gate Bridge.
• San Antonio kept the Tower of the Americas, the Institute of Texan Cultures and the Convention Center from HemisFair '68.
• Among the structures still standing from Expo 67 in Montreal are Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, Buckminster Fuller's American pavilion, and the French pavilion (now the Montreal Casino).
• The Sunsphere remains as a figure in the Knoxville skyline, left from the 1982 World's Fair.
• The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is housed in one of the last remaining buildings of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, which had been the Palace of Fine Arts. The intent or hope was to make all Columbian structures permanent, but most of the structures burned, possibly the result of arson during the Pullman Strike. Another survivor is the Norway pavilion, a small house located at a museum in Wisconsin. However, the foundation of the world's first Ferris wheel, which operated at the Exposition, was unearthed on the Chicago Midway during a construction project by the University of Chicago, whose campus now surrounds the Midway. Finally, a third remaining building is the Maine State Building, now housed at the Poland Springs Resort, in Poland Springs, Maine.
• The Skyneedle, the symbol tower of Brisbane's World Expo '88, as well as the Nepal Peace Pagoda of the Nepalese representation, now at the transformed World Expo '88 site South Bank Parklands, and the Japan Pond and Garden from the Japanese representation, now at the Brisbane Mount Cooth-tha Botanic Gardens remain from Expo '88 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• A particular case is the EUR quarter in Rome, built for a World's Fair planned for 1942, was never used for its intended purpose, because of World War II, and today hosts various offices, governmental or private, and some museums.
• The "American Theatre" on the Brussels Expo in 1958 was until June 2012 frequently used as a television studio by the VRT.
• The home of Satsuki & Mei Kusakabe, built for the 2005 Expo in Aichi, remains operating at its original site in Morikoro Park and is a popular tourist attraction.

Some World's Fair sites became (or reverted to) parks incorporating some of the expo elements, such as:

• Audubon Park, New Orleans: Site of New Orleans's World Cotton Centennial in 1884
• Jackson Park, Chicago and the Chicago Midway: Site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition
• Nashville: Tennessee Centennial Expo
• Forest Park, Saint Louis: Home of the Saint Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904
• San Diego: Panama-California Exposition (1915) & California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
• Seattle: Century 21 Exposition
• Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City: Site of both the 1939/1940 and 1964/1965 New York World's Fairs
• Montreal: Expo 67
• San Antonio: HemisFair '68
• Expo Commemoration Park, Osaka: Expo '70
• Spokane: Expo '74
• World's Fair Park, Knoxville: 1982 World's Fair
• Vancouver: Expo 86
• Brisbane: Expo '88: now represented with the South Bank Parklands
• Seville: Expo '92
• Daejeon (Taejo(n): Expo '93
• Lisbon: Expo '98 which was divided in several structures, namely Pavilhão Atlântico, Casino Lisboa, Oceanário and Pavilhão da Ciência.

Some pavilions have been moved overseas intact:

• The Argentinian Pavilion from the 1889 Paris was relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina until its demolition in 1932.
• The Chilean Pavilion from 1889 Paris is now in Santiago, Chile and following significant refurbishment in 1992 functions as the Museo Artequin
• The Peruvian Pavilion from 1900 Paris is now in Lima, as home to the Military Academy of History.
• The Japanese Tower of the 1900 World's Fair in Paris was relocated to Laken (Brussels) on request of King Leopold II of Belgium.
• The Belgium Pavilion from the 1939 New York World's Fair was relocated to Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia.
• The USSR Pavilion from Expo 67 is now in Moscow.
• The Sanyo Pavilion from Expo '70 is the Asian Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
• The Portugal Pavilion from Expo 2000 is now in Coimbra, Portugal.

The Brussels Expo '58 relocated many pavilions within Belgium: the pavilion of Jacques Chocolats moved to the town of Diest to house the new town swimming pool. Another pavilion was relocated to Willebroek and has been used as dance hall Carré ever since. One smaller pavilion still stands on the impressive boulevard towards the Atomium: the restaurant "Salon 58" in the pavilion of Comptoir Tuilier.

Many exhibitions and rides created by Walt Disney and his WED Enterprises company for the 1964 New York World's Fair (which was held over into 1965) were moved to Disneyland after the closing of the Fair. Many of the rides, including "it's a small world", "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln", and "Carousel of Progress" (since moved to the Walt Disney World Resort and updated), are still in operation.

Disney had contributed so many exhibits to the New York fair in part because the corporation had originally envisioned a "permanent World's Fair" at the Flushing site. That concept instead came to fruition with the Disney theme park Epcot, an extension of the Walt Disney World Resort, near Orlando, Florida. Epcot has many of the characteristics of a typical universal exposition: national pavilions, as well as exhibits concerning technology and/or the future, along with more typical amusement park rides. Meanwhile, several of the 1964 attractions, relocated to Disneyland, have been duplicated at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Occasionally other bits and pieces of the Fairs remain. In the New York subway system, signs directing people to Flushing Meadows, Queens remain from the 1964-65 event. In the Montreal subway at least one tile artwork of its theme, "Man and His World", remains. Also, a seemingly endless supply of souvenir items from Fair visits can be found, and in the United States, at least, can often be bought at garage or estate sales. Many of these events also produced postage stamps and commemorative coins. The 1904 Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, were held in conjunction with the 1904 St. Louis Fair, although no particular tie-in seems to have been made. (The 1900 Paris Exposition was also loosely tied to the Olympic Games.)

Future potential expositions

2017

2017 will see a recognized exposition and two cities bid by the cut-off date for bidding: Liége, Belgium and Astana, Kazakhstan

Several Canadian cities had been interested in 2017 as it is the year of Canada's 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial. In 2007, a Vancouver, British Columbia based group (Expo 17 Inc) publicly unveiled a 51-page proposal to stage a sustainable "hybrid" expo in Montreal, consisting of a BIE approved recognized expo, a horticultural expo, and a housing expo. Following a recent decision by Canadian Heritage which allows only the city of Edmonton, Alberta to bid for an expo, however, the group is now pursuing alternative events to mark Canada's sesquicentennial. Meanwhile, Edmonton had been actively developing a bid for Edmonton EXPO 2017 since 2008, but failed to receive Federal funding in support of it. In May 2009, Calgary, announced to Canadian Heritage it would begin to develop a bid for 2017 as well, but withdrew in November 2009. Ottawa, Canada's capital city, had also considered bidding for 2017. As of November 2009, Edmonton was the only Canadian bidder.

Thessaloniki unsuccessfully bid for the 2008 World EXPO, this time won by Zaragoza in Spain, but another planned bid for 2017 was announced in September 2006 and was in full development. but they did not make a bid.

2020

2020 will see a registered exposition. Bidding began in 2011 for this larger sized exposition with five cities bidding before the bid window closed.

São Paulo, Brazil's largest city is bidding for the 2020 World Expo.

And Yekaterinburg, the Russian capital of the Urals region, is also bidding for the 2020 Expo.

Ayutthaya is Thailand's official bid city to host World Expo 2020. The province was chosen and approved as Thailand's bid city for World Expo 2020 by Thai cabinet. after the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva announced in Shanghai World Expo 2010. Ayutthaya will propose the "Redefine Globalisation - Balanced Life, Sustainable Living" concept when bidding on behalf of Thailand to be the host country.

The United Arab Emirates is also bidding to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai under the theme ‘"Connecting Minds, Creating the Future".

Reportedly, a national competition between Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and I.zmir had proceeded for granting the Expo 2020. Seemingly, the capital will cut-out I.zmir's efforts and become victorious in the national bidding process in couple of months. Izmir is bidding

Other places had considered bids, but did not do so:

Although the United States is not a member of the Bureau of International Expositions, there are citizen efforts with the intention of bringing a World's Fair to the United States:

• Houston - "Inspired Innovation"
• New York - "Showcasing the World"
• San Francisco - "Interculture: Celebrating the World's Cultures while Creating New Ones through Interaction and Exchange."
• Los Angeles - "Pacific Rim and Gateway to the World", according to Jonathan Beutler
• Las Vegas - "The future of my future," according to the Wall Street Journal

The Philippines did not bid for the Expo 2020 although Manila had been considered a possible contender

• Manila - "Manila, Celebrating Light and Life"

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia also proposed to host an Exposition in 2020 but did not bid.

Media reports also suggested that Sydney, New South Wales, Australia may have bid for the Australian 2020 time slot.

Copenhagen, Denmark, had considered whether to bid for the Expo 2020.

External links

• ExpoBids.com, information about bids for future world's fairs
• Expo '85, Tsukuba 1985
• ExpoMuseum, The Online World's Fair Museum
• ExpoMedals, Award medals of American World's Fairs and Expos
• Expo FAQs foundationexpo88.org
• Fairs and Exhibitions in Malta
• The International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan, written in Japanese but equipped with a lot of pictures of representative pavilions.
• A lot of World's Fairs presented by a lot of photographs
• Oliveira, Elida (04/01/2010). "Deu na Imprensa—Disputa acirrada" (in Portuguese). Portal da Prefeitura da Cidade de São Paulo. http://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/secretarias/relacoes_internacionais/noticias/?p=13802. 
• "Spin City". CNBC Business. April 2009. http://www.cnbcmagazine.com/story/spin-city/934/. 
• "Exposition Posters". Paintings and Drawings. Victoria and Albert Museum. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/prints_books/object_stories/posters/index.html. Retrieved 2007-11-19. 
• "A Treasury of World's Fair Art and Architecture: A Digital Archive, 1851-1986". essays, images, virtual exhibits, postcards and ephemera. University of Maryland Libraries, Digital Collections. http://www.lib.umd.edu/digital/worldsfairs/. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
• Burnham, Beaux-Arts, Plan of Chicago, & Fairs: Ryerson & Burnham Libraries: Archives Collection
• Alexander C.T. Geppert, Jean Coffey, Tammy Lau: International Exhibitions, Expositions Universelles and World's Fairs, 1851-1951. A Bibliography.
• Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, from the website of California State University, Fresno
• World's Fairs and the Landscapes of the Modern Metropolis Posters, photographs, pamphlets, commemorative books, maps, government reports, and ephemera from the collection of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University