For those who grew up in the country (at least in the English-speaking world), going to the fair has specific meaning. Where I grew up in southeastern New Mexico we had an annual county fair and rodeo in which the fruits of agricultural production were on display (cattle, farm produce, and home cooking) while people gathered to socialize, be entertained at the rodeo and at the arcade or midway.
The notion of a World’s Fair is something I also remembered from childhood, though I never attended one myself. I knew from history about the exhibition of engineering prowess and innovation at these great events (such as the 1851 London exhibition in the Crystal Palace and the Paris fair of 1889 that gave us the Eiffel Tower). I also had an idea that some aspect of cultural exchange and pageantry was a part of these expos, like the one in Montréal in 1967. But the truth is that I had not given much thought to any of this for many years until I started hearing about a certain Expo planned for 2010 in Shanghai.
You could say we live in the third era of World’s Fairs/Expos, that of national branding. The other elements are still there (industrial prowess and innovation, cultural exchange), but the marketing of countries and cultivating their image for the world is clearly in the front. I went to the Expo yesterday (our family of four spent the whole day there) and here is what I observed.
China has spared no expense staging the biggest Expo in history. In terms of land area (over 5 sq km), visitors estimated (around 100 million people total), and money spent in preparation (tens of billions of dollars), this is big. The 500,000 or so people I shared the space with on a scorching July day certainly were enthusiastic about getting a view of it all. Lines at the most popular pavilions faced 4-5 hours waiting times. The vast majority appeared to be Chinese citizens from outside of Shanghai. For this coming out party for Shanghai, it surprised me how few of the locals have been (or even plan to go) to this Expo. Of those who plan to take it in, most confided they are waiting for the cooler months (who could blame them?).
I was less impressed with what was in the pavilions (besides the air conditioning, which was welcome) than I was in meeting people and seeing the display of thoughtful planning and imagining in the architecture. We met people from Mongolia, Iran and from different parts of China. We strolled through corporate pavilions and among many national pavilions on our virtual tour of the world. Strolling the Shanghai Expo grounds really was a microcosm of our world, and it offered some pictures and hints of the world of tomorrow.
Clearly globalization is an economic fact and force that isn’t going away. Increasingly business competition is global in nature and not local, regional or even national. Sourcing of products, services, expertise and talent is also becoming more global in nature. Smart leaders are clued in to the global nature of competition, then they plan and act accordingly.
Another emergent trend is towards networking. The architects of systems, those who can manage knowledge and the flow of communication have a clear advantage in the world that is taking shape. Disruptive, highly available and immersive technologies are changing the game in many markets; smart leaders spot the opportunities and seize them early.
A third theme is a little harder to express, but it is just as real. The hunger for meaning and significance is as strong now as it has ever been. In times of uncertainty, it has an even greater salience. I saw that in the midst of an emerging tomorrow, people still long for a way of making sense of it all; the spirit within seeks to find expression in the outside world. Smart leaders are able to tap into that and channel the creative spark, the hunger for meaning toward constructive ends.
The raw, exuberant energy of half a million people in a small space during one day in July allowed me to sample the possibilities if even a fraction of them grabbed hold of a vision and pursued it with relentless passion. Watch out world!
