What is it?

"The Theme Makes the Expo" Columns is a series of columns dedicated to presenting and discussing the themes of upcoming Expos:

EXPO Shanghai 2010
Better City, Better Life
70 million visitors expected*

EXPO Milano 2015
Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life
21 million visitors expected*

The goal is to provide you, the readers, with a perspective on why these themes are of a real concern to all of us and to foster a dialogue around them. We hope that they will help you better understand the aims and messages of each upcoming Expo.

Why the title?

The series is titled, "The Theme Makes the Expo," to underscore the importance of the theme selection for the success of today's Expos. How much the theme can resonate with the Expo participants and the public can make or break the Expo. A successful Expo must have as its foundation a theme whose treatment is a priority for the whole of the international community.

This is why the BIE, as the intergovernmental organization in charge of supervising and ensuring the quality of Expos, places great emphasis on the theme selection and theme development.

We hope you will accompany us as we explore the themes of these upcoming Expos—each promising to be one of the most memorable and important events dedicated to its theme.

* According to estimations of Expo organizers