The second public diplomacy best practice worth highlighting is continuity. But if you are trying to design a pavilion that follows a storyline from start to finish, accommodating sponsors’ interests is more likely to be counterproductive. Private-sector investors in projects or events want to be able to have a say in the approach taken. Sponsoring is not used to finance the pavilion-with good reason. The participation was funded entirely by the German federal government, believing that private sponsorships could be detrimental.Īs explained on the German Pavilion's website: The national section of Germany was initially allocated €50 million but increased to €58 million because of the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai. Understanding its audience helped Germany delineate its funding scheme. Some national pavilions have special areas for business meetings or conferences, but the German Pavilion has been designed primarily with those visitors in mind who simply plan to enjoy an engrossing day of Expo experiences. But visitors with, for example, a professional interest in the Expo theme and the subthemes will also find a wealth of information and ideas. The Expo is meant for everyone-families with children, young couples, schoolchildren, students and senior citizens. The German Pavilion's communications team shared the following: Germany understands that Expos are for the public in general, with different needs in terms of information complexity and depth. As explained in part 2 of this series, the nature of Expos is educational, not commercial. The first one is Germany’s clarity about its audience. The participation of Germany at Expo 2020 Dubai offers examples of public diplomacy best practices that other countries can adopt for future Expos. Germany was one of the 11 founding countries of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and has hosted two Special Expos (1957 Berlin and 1965 Munich) and one Universal Expo (2000 Hannover).įamily using an Energy Lab exhibit of the Germany Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. While the Convention of Berlin was never ratified, it set the foundation for the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions. Germany also hosted the first diplomatic conference to regulate Expos in 1912. Germany was the birthplace of Prince Consort Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and leading sponsor of London's Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations of 1851. Germany has an understated history with Expos. I particularly remember the Seed Board at Expo 2015 Milan, which a colleague described as “a functioning iPad made of cardboard that you get to take home.” The Germany Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai contains multiple inventions to solve sustainability issues. Germany has consistently presented strong exhibitions and memorable innovations in recent Expos. We begin with Germany, the country that I believe shows the most profound understanding of the nature of Expos and the most maturity in terms of participation continuity. The questions included cost of participation, funding scheme, participation goals, target audience, evaluation tools, etc. In preparation for this series, I sent a questionnaire to all five countries to be featured. I believe official participants in Expos are successful or unsuccessful depending on whether they bring benefits to their country’s population in the long term. These choices are by no means a selection of the best pavilions. This photo essay series will feature five pavilions from different regions to highlight best practices for public diplomacy at World Expos. Read part 1, part 2 and part 3.īetween November 1 and 12, 2021, I visited about 50% of all pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. Note from the CPD Blog Manager: This is part 4 of a photo essay series exploring Expo 2020 Dubai through historical context, individual country participation and public diplomacy opportunities through World Expos.
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