Charlotte World's Fair

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Last year's Fair in Korea attracted 18 million visitors (vs. 15 million projected). World Fair's frequently leave a legacy of design innovations...in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning.

In many places, the Fairs are used to revitalize an area of the host city - they often leave behind public works projects that would / should be built anyway...like arenas, parks, museums, mass transit lines.

Many World's Fair have lost money but they are also exciting events and give a city international recognition. Do the pros outweigh the cons?

The World Fairs official site is: BEI - Official World Fairs Site

[AuLukey]

How about the already built mass convention center of Charlotte: Lowes Motor Speedway? There are not enough amnemities as of right now, but at the mention of the World Fair coming, the Concord Mills/LMS area would explode. And then the issue of LRT to Concord would be solved.

[monsoon]

Honestly when you consider all of the theme parks, and other attractions that we have now, I kinda think the Worlds Fairs have been played out in this country. When they had the one in Knoxville, Tn in 1982, that took all of the allure out of them.

The last great World's Fair in the USA was the 1964 Expo in Flushing Meadows. I would have liked to have attended that one.

[Dwight Shroot]

Agreed. Ever since the Simpson's episode when the Sun Sphere in Knoxville ended up as a wig showroom, the World's Fair seems played-out.

[cinco]

is the worlds fair the same thing as the world expo? i attended EXPO '86 in VANCOUVER. i still have amazing memories of that week... what an impact. anyways, it may not be the same as it once was, but i would be interested in something like. one potential drawback is hotel rooms... not enough. but @ EXPO '86 we rented the top level of a victorian house a guy lived in. people were opening their doors and making some money off of spare sq. footage... and god knows charlotte has that. the public transit in VANCOUVER was great, and maybe if charlotte landed something like this, it would be a great incentive to moving faster on transit development.

A2, maybe landing this would get you some lights on the roads... nah.

[A2]

A2, maybe landing this would get you some lights on the roads... nah.

Nothing short of a a miracle is going to turn those damn lights on cinco. I am so upset by this. Mark my words, if I do become a billionaire, I will personally fix the problem myself. (that is after I get finished with my 1600 foot HQ bldg in Uptown )

A2

[Richhamleigh, DC]

I believe that "Expos" and "World Fairs" are sanctioned by the same organization. I knew someone was going to mention Knoxville, TN or arguably the biggest flop ~ The Louisana World's Fair back in the 1980's. Nevertheless, the few badly run, badly managed, badly conceived, fairs are overshadowed by the rest.

[suburban george3]

Honestly when you consider all of the theme parks, and other attractions that we have now, I kinda think the Worlds Fairs have been played out in this country. When they had the one in Knoxville, Tn in 1982, that took all of the allure out of them.

I was 10 years old when the Knoxville World's Fair came around and it was all I wanted to do!! I begged and begged my parents to take me. So we loaded up the car and went and it was a major disspointment (the fact we went on the last weekend probably had a bearing on that.)

I think Charlotte can find better ways to display itself to the global community than hosting a "World's" fair.

[Charlotteman]

It's a big risk for sure.......immediately upon announcement, Charlotte's bid would be compared to Knoxville's failed experience.

[Richhamleigh, DC]

It's a big risk for sure.......immediately upon announcement, Charlotte's bid would be compared to Knoxville's failed experience.

It would, unfortunately...but nothing ever happens that isn't dreamed and then doggedly pursued. I can imagine that the other bids deal with comparisons to "bad" fairs or expos by pointing out the successes and by being specific about what makes a great fair different from the rest.

[AuLukey]

It would, unfortunately...but nothing ever happens that isn't dreamed and then doggedly pursued. I can imagine that the other bids deal with comparisons to "bad" fairs or expos by pointing out the successes and by being specific about what makes a great fair different from the rest.

If we're talking about 2018, that's well over a decade away. By then Charlotte will be more than Knoxville, it will be along the lines of a larger version of modern-day Atlanta (that is, if real estate keeps up its post-2004 trend.) Charlotte will be able to hold a huge World Fair comparable to some of the best. If we planned ahead (and a decade is more than some cities get for the Olympics,) there wouldn't be an issue. I can't imagine how that kind of announcement would spark Charlotte's urban growth.

As skeptical as I normally am about this sort of thing, I think this would be a great opportunity for Charlotte to pursue.

[Plasticman]

If we're talking about 2018, that's well over a decade away. By then Charlotte will be more than Knoxville, it will be along the lines of a larger version of modern-day Atlanta (that is, if real estate keeps up its post-2004 trend.) Charlotte will be able to hold a huge World Fair comparable to some of the best. If we planned ahead (and a decade is more than some cities get for the Olympics,) there wouldn't be an issue. I can't imagine how that kind of announcement would spark Charlotte's urban growth.

As skeptical as I normally am about this sort of thing, I think this would be a great opportunity for Charlotte to pursue.

I agree. Charlotte would be good choice. But just remember to be careful what you wish for. The Atlanta Olympics were successful as far as venue and the events themselves but the underlying corruption was overwhelming and a lot of people lost everything. I realize Olympics and World's Fairs are two different things but they are EASILY ruined with bad planning and greed.

[monsoon]

One of the reasons that I think the World's Fairs or Expos have disappeared in the USA, because, at least in the 20th century, they were basically huge advertisements on how we should trust the corporations to decide our future. People no longer trust corporate behavior as they once did. One notible example of this at the 1939 world's fair. There was a fascinating dynorama of a city of the 1960s where there only mode of transportation were huge numbers of automobiles traveling on elevated roadways through out a city of towers. There was no pedestrian activity at at and in fact people basically did not even go outside. Unfortunately this horrific vision of the future was adopted in many places and the resultant urban clearing to build elevated roads destroyed the cities in the process. The Boston Big Dig corrects that earlier mistake there.

Charlotte would be better served by holding a world event that was more progressive than a Worlds Fair, say something like the World Solar Power expo where a solar powered city was built, or something similar.

Very true about the Olympics in Atlanta. However I think the Charlotte government is better run than the one down there.

[Richhamleigh, DC]

I wonder if a Charlotte Fair couldn't take on a theme of "transportation and energy" in the 21st century and show how these things don't have to rely on hydrocarbons like oil, natural gas, and coal. It would interesting to tie this theme into the Charlotte area's nuclear and automotive technology, and our region's emerging mass transit system.

If you visited the Expo site I listed at the beginning of the thread you'll notice that Atlanta is bidding for an Expo in 2012...

[charlotte_bon_vivant]

If you visited the Expo site I listed at the beginning of the thread you'll notice that Atlanta is bidding for an Expo in 2012...

Are you sure about that? The site linked showing the Atlanta "proposal" was created by one of our fellow forumners at UP. I don't believe there is an official bid submitted by Atlanta.

World's Fairs have declined in popularity mainly due to advances in communications. TV and the internet make seeing the world, culture and new technology easier. The thrill is gone.

(Ironic that one of the very technologies showcased at a world's fair -- TV -- has contributed to WF's decline in popularity.)

[BUILDIT]

hmm so whats the update on this

[Raintree21]

According to their website, the only US cities that have bid for future World's Fairs are Houston, New York, and San Francisco in 2020.

[Spartan]

I didnt even know they did these anymore. Wasn't the last US city to host one Knoxville?

[Raintree21]

Actually, New Orleans was the last U.S. city. It hosted the fair in 1984. Knoxville hosted in 1982.

[Dukeis#1]

I'm a little late for this thread, but I have to agree that its too risky...just look at the New Orleans Worlds Fair in 1984. It was a financial disaster, and hardly anyone even remembers there was a Worlds Fair there.

The '82 Fair in Knoxville only made a profit of $57, despite the fact that the total attendance was around 12 million.