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By Judith Rubin

Nick Winslow (below left) has been very, very busy for the past two years and four months, creating the USA Pavilion (USAP) that will open as part of Shanghai Expo 2010 (May 1 – Oct 31). At this point, the building is complete and the show and exhibit installations are in final stages.

“The pavilion is for all intents and purposes fully funded and we're going to open on time,” said Winslow, taking a break at home in California. He will head back to Shanghai in early April in company with 80 student ambassadors (the first of two shifts) who will meet and greet the public in the USAP and reside in the Expo Village. The 160 ambassadors were chosen out of 600 college students who applied for the program through a selection process managed by the University of Southern California. “They all speak Chinese, are from a wide range of cities and states and will represent the US really well,” said Winslow, “and it will be the adventure of a lifetime for them.”

A sponsor-funded enterprise

Funds ($61 million) to design, build, staff, operate and ultimately dispose of the 6,000 square meter pavilion have been derived almost entirely from sponsorships of corporations plus some cities and US states – 62 sponsors total - in keeping with current US government policy not to provide federal funding for participation in world's fairs. Most countries that exhibit at world's fairs pay for their exhibits at least in part from government coffers. The US does not. The US presence was less than stellar at Seville Expo 92 and nonexistent at Hanover Expo 2000, but rallied somewhat in 2005 with a pavilion at the expo in Nagoya, Japan that was largely funded by Toyota. Some months prior to Winslow and his partner Ellen Eliasoph (bottom right)’s approaching the US Dept of State in 2008 with their proposal for a pavilion in Shanghai, the US had completed an RFP process that had resulted in at least two unsuccessful bids.

The complexity of satisfying the needs of such a large number of sponsors is in itself an argument for the government to start picking up a chunk of the tab. “The demands for the VIP room at the pavilion are huge, and everybody has to be rationed, including the government,” said Winslow, noting that China's own VIP facility at the expo is “the size of a medium sized convention center.” Expo pavilions in addition to welcoming the public generally incorporate a private area that is used not only for the reception of corporate VIPs but also governmental and diplomatic functions.

The USAP guest experience

The building itself was designed by Clive Grout of Clive Grout Architect, and the guest experience within is designed and produced by BRC Imagination Arts. Both strive to illustrate the expo's theme of “Better Cities, Better Life.” The development includes a large tree arbor, a waterfall and an urban rooftop farm. “I think ours is the only pavilion that really took the opportunity to bring rural elements into an urban setting, which was one of the things the expo bureau wanted exhibitors to do,” says Winslow.

The storyline of the pavilion show has evolved since we last reported on it, and Winslow was sparing in  detail, saying, “We want people to be surprised.” Still we did learn that it will unfold in several acts, beginning with a three-screen “overture” about “how people in a free society of immigrants have the opportunity to make a difference.”

The main show is a 4D experience relating the story of a young girl who sets out to make a difference, and showing the long term benefits of actions taken by people – artists, scientists, businesspeople – whose actions make a difference. The final portion is a series of sponsor-driven walk-through exhibits in several categories including Discover America, Technology, Lifestyle and sustainability.

“It's not a trade show, and we've asked the sponsors to focus their messages on corporate responsibility,” said Winslow. An outdoor stage will provide visitors waiting in line with entertainment, including a Dance America program overseen by Larry Billman, who has run entertainment programs for the Tokyo Disney properties. The US national day celebration at the expo will include the USC marching band, and there are some 40 other performance events already scheduled. A seminar series and other cultural programming are being organized partly in partnership with AmCham, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

Next stages: Operations & disposal

Winslow's team is currently focused on establishing smooth operations and VIP protocol in addition to determining how the building will be disposed of after closing day. It could be moved to another site in or out of China and repurposed, or it could be dismantled and recycled. They will also be producing a white paper about the project and the process that will be shared with the US government along with the obligatory report from Commissioner General Jose Villareal.

“We're certainly going to talk about the expos coming up [notably Milan 2015] and how the process could be improved.” Winslow advocates finding some way to hold a creative competition at the front end to select a design team followed by a design development process. “They understand how important this was,” said Winslow. “These are smart people: they get it.” Secretary Clinton took a strong interest in promoting the USAP and helping to rally fundraisers.

Ogilvy in Washington DC has been brought on board for communications, while Ruder Finn continues to handle public relations out of China. The expo has begun to accumulate some notable coverage in the mainstream American media, but the US public remains for the most part unaware of the world's fair scene, which moved overseas in the late 1980s. Publicity has been lavish in the host country, however, and Winslow himself has been interviewed on Chinese television dozens of times.

The Shanghai world's fair will be the first to have a substantial online component with essentially all exhibits represented, and Winslow reports that the virtual USAP is close to being finished, by China-based CGI house Crystal Graphics.

This career-topping achievement for Winslow has not come without a price. “I've put my life on hold for 2 ½ years,” he commented. His strong motivation was personal as well as professional. He'd been enchanted by the Brussels 1958 expo and the 1962 Seattle “Century 21” expo in his younger days. “I got hooked.” He went on to learn what makes world's fairs tick as a business analyst, writing marketing plans and projections for expos in Knoxville (1982), New Orleans (1984, with Harrison Price Company), Vancouver (1986) and Brisbane, Australia (1988).

“I understood what I was getting into,” he said. “I've attended some of the big expos, and I had researched the differences between the large-scale (Universal) expos and the specialized events.” He also noted a different but meaningful way to categorize fairs: “the ones that have a post-use plan, and the ones that don't.”

There were other motivations. “It was just crazy that the US might not have a pavilion,” said Winslow. “Ellen called me about it first. We'd both been following this thing. I went to Shanghai the first time on my own nickel. I met with expo people and AmCham. They all felt very strongly that the US should be there. I went to Washington where Ellen and I met with the State Department people. They did a thorough vetting process and held our feet to the fire before saying yes.”

Dynamic Shanghai

Added Winslow, “I think world's fairs are relevant, and this one is particularly relevant at this particular time. China is emerging among the leadership of the world. We should acknowledge that and participate in it. Through this pavilion, we Americans can make a statement of who we are in this place that really doesn't know us very well. It is a great opportunity to present America to a very large number of Chinese. And I like going to China. In my days with Warner Brothers, I wanted to build a Warner Bros. park there. And the fact that the expo is in Shanghai also hooked me. I think Shanghai is the most dynamic city in the world now.”

Winslow's passion and activity put one in mind of the young protagonist in the show at the USAP, the person who seeks to make a difference – a difference that could unfold into long-term benefits.

Images:  images 2,3,7 & 9 kind courtesy Expo 2010 Shanghai Chine (www.http://en.expo2010.cn/) .
1. USA Pavilion die struck enamel character pin (kind courtesy www.usapavilion2010store.com) 2. Haibo, the officila mascot of the Expo
3. UBPA Square 4. USA Blue & Red hat (kind courtesy www.usapavilion2010store.com) 5. Nick Winslow 6.US Pavilion
7. Pavilion renditions of Japan, canada, France & Germany 8. Ellen Eliasoph 9. UK pavilion.