ASP News

( Co-writer Christian Nicolai Støttrup Strange)

Danish EXPO-efforts

The process of creating a Danish concept for the World Expo started in February 2008, when the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, announced a competition with the intent of finding the best possible candidate to build the Danish pavilion as well as developing a good concept for the World Exposition in Shanghai. The judging committee placed special emphasis on the integration between the overall theme of urban living and perceived Danish competencies in the area, and the effort was also seen as a ‘link in the joint-effort for an persistent global marketing and positioning of Denmark, as well as to contribute to the objective of creating a clear and positive image of Denmark’(Danish Expo 2010 Committee). The winning group, a team that consisted of the architectural group ‘Bjarke Ingells Group – BIG’, the branding and communication company ‘2+1 Ideas Agency’, the engineering company ‘Arup AGU’ and the design studio ‘Louise Campbell’, came up with notion of ‘Welfairytales’, a wordplay that integrates the two words Welfare and Fairytales, two things that Denmark is renowned for, which consequently became the theme for the Danish pavilion. The BIG-group has prior experience in China, also in conjunction with the World Expo, as they started the process of designing a conference center in Shanghai in 2005. They have also made plans for a new port in Guangxi Province. The overall design concept integrates concepts that are familiar to the Chinese, namely The Little Mermaid, which arguably is one of the strongest artifacts in Denmark. The winning team also came up with the idea of inviting six contemporary Chinese artists to sketch ideas for a replacing piece of art at Langelinie, whilst the mermaid is gone. Each of the artist will then exhibit their work one month each, and is a great idea for facilitating cultural exchange between the two nations. Another idea that is familiar to both the Chinese and also the Danes, Copenhageners in particular, is the implementation of the city-bike onto the pavilion. In addition, three themes, or chapters in a fairytale to follow the wording used by the group,  will be prevalent in the exhibition. Those are the notions of ‘Tales of how we live’, ‘Tales of what we love’ and ‘Tales of where we are going’; the last segment specifically aimed at the business life, whilst the two others are connected to more soft values.

The process of forming the unique concept for the World Expo is still not entirely over. The choice for the inner and outer design of the pavilion has been made, the final decision as to whether or not the little mermaid is going to travel to Shanghai was agreed upon by the City council of Copenhagen on March 12, 2009 (Wienberg 2009). But current political debate on whether or not the mermaid will go is still pending. Now a further concept has been put on the table by the Danish enterprise and construction authority(Danish enterprise and construction authority). On February 4, 2009, the Minister of Economic and Business Affairs introduced: “ open competition for the design of EXPO collection for the staff in the Danish pavilion at World EXPO 2010 Shanghai”.  This is a new and interesting development for how the Danish organizing committee is trying spread its wings to convey the message of Denmark. The requirements for contestants and the expectations, as put by  DEACA was the following: “ the clothing of personal is a part of the complete experience of the Pavilion. Therefore, the clothing must both meet important requirements of functionality, but also fit in with the narrative of Denmark and Danish design. The EXPO collection is to especially fit into the chapter: “Tales of where we are going”. This chapter is about future cooperation within technology and knowledge, but also within fashion and design. The collection must, in its own way, build upon this theme. This collection is planned to be worn by management, guides and staff in shops and cafes and the final collection will be presented during Copenhagen fashion week in February 2010. The competition was won by the two designers May-Britt Gram and Hanne Larsen. They have used elements from other parts of the expo- design with references to the little mermaid and the bikes.
The notion of welfare and sustainable development were identified by the planning group as being key concepts to the exhibition, as Danish companies such as Vestas, GRUNDFOS and Carlsberg have some experience in these areas, as well as a clear and ambitious plan for China in the coming years. Prior to the competition, a think-tank tried to figure out the best strategy as seen from a Nordic perspective(NIAS, 2007). They identified decision makers and planners in government and public organizations to be the main target segment. Then came the private sector and on third place came the ordinary citizen. The NIAS recommended that the Nordic countries organized themselves jointly, in a way to promote the region as a whole, whilst still promoting their national values. This is because the North is perceived to have stronger brand in the Asian region, than any of the single countries. Even though the Nordic countries have not integrated their exhibitions and formed small subcultures within the EXPO, they do lie in close proximity of each other, forming a small Scandinavia. It is estimated that around 70 million people will visit the Shanghai EXPO, 90% of those will be Chinese(Official EXPO Homepage). One might ask if targeting the citizens should be the least of priorities, as these make up the bulk of the visitors to the EXPO fair, as seen in the analysis made after the 2005 EXPO in Aichi, Japan, where the Nordic countries collaborated on a Nordic pavilion under the theme ‘Oasis the North’

When Denmark officially announced that the country was going to be a part of the Shanghai 2010 EXPO, the Danish state granted the project 75 mill DKK, but the project would require an additional 75 mill DKK, in order to be realized.  These money would need to be raised through private contributions and partnerships. The largest of these donations was from the Realdania Foundation, who is engaged in philanthropic work and supports various projects in Denmark in order ‘to improve quality of life for the common good through the built environment’. The rest of the partners are divided into three categories, depending on the size of their donation. The First group is called the ‘National Partners’ and consist of 6 companies and organizations, that are seeking maximum exposure during the EXPO. These partners also have the opportunity to determine some of the themes of the Pavilion. These partnerships grant approximately 5 mill DKK to the project. The second tier partners also known as Exhibition Partners should be companies that would like to utilize the EXPO as a marketing and branding opportunity. These companies should pay around 1.5 mill DKK in order to be a part of it. The final 3^rd tier partners are the product sponsor, and are mainly companies that would like to be affiliated with the EXPO by providing materials, services or equipment during or before the EXPO 2010. These companies will receive participation privileges based on the size of their contribution.