The World Expo, an international event occurring only twice every 10 years and attended by millions around the globe, could be coming to the Bay Area in 2020. California’s bid for the Expo may greatly impact Palo Alto and the greater Bay Area.
A proposal from the Bay Area Council, which represents the region’s nine counties, is currently in the works to bring the Expo to Moffett Field, a 1000-acre civil military airport between Sunnyvale and Mountain View.
The Expo’s benefits to Palo Alto would include an estimated $6.1 billion revenue over its six-month duration.
“Having the visitors would lead to spending on hotels, transportation, commerce and generally lead to more spending,” said Thomas Fehrenbach, economic development manager for Palo Alto.
Fehrenbach said that having the Expo in the midst of the technological advancement of Silicon Valley would highlight innovation and ingenuity. Other supporters say that the Bay Area would be able to put a new spin on the World Expo.
If the Bay Area bid wins, the Expo would conveniently be placed near important companies.
“If you look at the location, you can see that it is right in the heart of Silicon Valley,” said John Grubb, senior vice president for external affairs for the Bay Area Council. “Google is on the north side, Yahoo is close as well and Microsoft, Facebook and LinkedIn are all close by. All these companies that are connecting the world together, which is what the World Expo is all about.”
“The Bay Area is definitely the center of innovation in the U.S. if not the world,” Fehrenbach added. “There is so much to offer in terms of technology and innovation.”
Excitement over the prospects of having the World Expo so close to Palo Alto has also spread on campus.
Natalie Cheng ’14 is particularly enthusiastic about the 2020 Expo, after having seen the Expos in Shanghai, Germany and Italy.
“The Expo embodies so many different cultures [and] it always uses cutting-edge technology to display history and culture,” Cheng said. “Having the World Expo in the Bay Area would be great for people who want to get a taste of countries all around the world without having to travel as much. It’s like bringing the world to America.”
Still, despite the enthusiasm, there are a few roadblocks slowing the progress of the Bay Area’s bid. According to Grubb, one key barrier is the fact that the U.S. is not a member of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), the organization responsible for choosing World Expo locations.
Local congresswoman Anna Eshoo has been leading the efforts for the U.S. bid.
“To bid for the World Expo, the U.S. needs to rejoin the BIE…A U.S.-hosted World Expo has the potential to create jobs, enhance diplomatic relationships and showcase the innovative strength of our country,” Eshoo wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
According to Fehrenbach, there is also the question of financing the World Expo. Because of the economic recession, Palo Alto has found it “difficult to squeeze money out of the expenditures.”
“Having said that, I think it is worth the costs; it has a potential upside that is worth exploring,” he added.
City officials, after all, are expecting the World Expo to leave a lasting mark on Silicon Valley.
“When you think of Silicon Valley, the image you get is nondescript offices or buildings,” Grubb said. “When you think of Paris, you get the image of the Eiffel Tower or the Space Needle for Seattle. All of these landmarks have been the result of past World Expos—this is the Silicon Valley’s chance.”
The BIE is expected to make its final decision regarding the 2020 World Expo location in 2013.