Expo 2017

Expo 2017 Astana was a big international event that happened from June 10 to September 10, 2017, in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was called an International Exposition and had a very important theme: "Future Energy." The main goal was to bring together people from many countries, groups, companies, and everyday folks to talk about a big question: How can we make sure everyone has safe and clean energy without hurting our planet by putting too much carbon dioxide into the air? This event gave everyone a chance to share ideas and think about how to take care of our world’s energy needs in a smart and safe way.

Theme

The Expo 2017 had a theme called "Future Energy." This theme focused on the future of energy and showed new and practical ways to solve energy problems.

The Expo’s subtitle was "Solutions for Tackling Humankind’s Greatest Challenge." It displayed ideas for energy that could help with social, economic, and environmental issues.

Preparation

On November 22, 2012, Astana was chosen to host Expo 2017 by the Bureau International des Expositions. Astana received more votes than another city, Liège in Belgium. This was the first time a big international show like this was held in a country from the former Soviet Union. Over 100 countries and many groups were expected to join, and millions of visitors were expected too.

The Expo site covered 25 hectares and was close to the city center, the airport, and the train station. Building began in April 2014 with help from many companies in Kazakhstan and around the world. The design was chosen from architects in many countries, with the main design by a company based in Chicago. The city also worked on "smart city" projects to use digital technology in areas like education and healthcare.

Construction

Many famous companies joined a contest to design the grounds for Expo 2017. A team from Chicago called Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture won the contest with their idea. A Swiss company helped make the main design real.

Big building companies from around the world got jobs to build the Expo area. One main builder was the Mabetex Group, along with others like Sembol and CC Bazis-A LLC. The government of Kazakhstan and some private businesses helped pay for the project.

Participation

The Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, had many countries and organizations taking part. By September 2016, 101 countries had confirmed they would join, which was more than expected. The USA Pavilion had a special theme called “The Source of Infinite Energy” and aimed to inspire new ambassadors for energy.

In total, 115 countries and 22 international organizations participated, which was more than organizers had hoped for. Over 3.86 million people visited the Expo during its time from June 10 to September 9, 2017.

Participating countries

The countries that took part in Expo 2017 included:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bolivia
• Burkina Faso
• Central African Republic
• Chile
• China
• Comoros
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Republic of the Congo
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Czech Republic
• Djibouti
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France: France confirmed its participation on 9 April 2015. It had a large pavilion, with a floor area of 1083 m². France has, in the past, organised eight international exhibitions.
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary^{[failed verification]}
• India
• Iran: Iran confirmed its participation in November 2015.
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan: Jordanian Montasser al-Oklahoma confirmed country's participation on 3 November 2015.
• Kazakhstan (host)
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madagascar
• Malaysia
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritania
• Mexico
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Nauru
• Netherlands:^{[failed verification]} On 2 December 2015, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Kazakhstan Hans Driesser signed an agreement on participation.
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia whose pavilion won a gold medal
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia^{[failed verification]}
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Suriname
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Tajikistan
• Tonga
• Turkmenistan
• Turkey
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela
• Vietnam
• Yemen

Corporate participation

Big companies like Samsung, Cisco Systems, and Shell helped support Expo 2017. Other sponsors from Kazakhstan included NCOC, Air Astana, JSC Kazkommertsbank, JSC Samruk Energy, and JSC Kazpochta.

Expo 2017 got €125 million from big international companies. Sponsors included Samsung, Shell, Chevron and others.

APCO Worldwide managed the USA Pavilion with the exciting theme “Infinite Energy”.

International organizations

Expo 2017 worked with the UN World Tourism Organization. They planned a conference called “Tourism and the Energy of the Future” during the Expo. Other groups that joined included the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an organization based in Abu Dhabi.

Two years after Expo 2017, a new IT university opened on the Expo grounds. It was named "Astana IT University" and trains students in IT technologies. The university teaches in English and offers many programs like Software Engineering, Big data analysis, and Cybersecurity.

Ambassador for Expo 2017

In March 2016, famous boxer Gennady Golovkin became the official ambassador for Expo 2017. He is from Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

Post-Expo use

The area where Expo 2017 was held has been turned into a special place for businesses, schools, and research groups to work. The main building is now used by the Astana International Financial Centre. Leaders there think the space could also be a good home for new technology companies and startups working with blockchain and other modern tech.

Host selection

On 1 July 2010, during a meeting in Paris, Kazakhstan said it wanted to host a big international show in its capital city, Astana, in 2017. Another city, Liège in Belgium, also wanted to host it. The winner was chosen by an international group on 22 November 2012 in Paris.

Candidate cities

The following cities wanted to host Expo 2017:

Cities that did not bid

The following cities thought about bidding to host Expo 2017:

Astana candidacy

Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, applied to host the big show in 2017. They suggested the topic "Future Energy. Action for global sustainability". To help their bid, they even had bikers travel from Paris to Astana on solar-powered bikes to show how solar energy can work.

Liège candidacy

Liège is a city in Belgium that also wanted to host the Expo. The city has been working hard to improve itself and attract new businesses. They thought hosting the Expo would help show the world what Belgium can do.

Candidates in North America

In North America, several cities in Canada wanted to host an Expo in 2017 to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Edmonton prepared a bid but needed money from the government, which was not given. Without this money, Edmonton could not host the Expo.

Edmonton bid

Main article: Edmonton Expo 2017

Edmonton first thought about bidding in 2007 and visited another Expo in Zaragoza, Spain for ideas. Later, they decided to focus on energy and the environment for their theme. But without government money, Edmonton’s bid ended.