World Expos: US Congress Favors USA Pavilion at Shanghai

Monday, June 08, 2009 World Expos: US Congress Favors USA Pavilion at Shanghai The following was received today from Ruder Finn Public Relations , which represents the USA Pavilion group headed by Nick Winslow and Ellen Eliasoph. Winslow's group, which also includes BRC Imagination Arts and Norm Elder, has the official nod from the US Federal government...

(including a letter of support from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ) to develop the official US presence for the 2010 Shanghai world's fair which opens next April. What does this mean, exactly? The USA Pavilion group has made significant fundraising progress - sponsors include 3M and Yum! Brands - but still lacks the full amount needed to go forward. It's a huge challenge to raise the entire $61 million needed to build the pavilion entirely from sponsorships. A financial contribution from the Fed would really grease the wheels and be consistent with what most countries do when they participate in a world expo. However, while not delivering actual money, the Congressional resolution detailed below should give a boost to the situation. On a larger scale, the news is also encouraging because it signals a major, positive shift of attitude on the part of the US government towards expos. Hopefully the US will now also decide to rejoin the International Bureau of Expositions, which membership was allowed to lapse in recent years . “We are pleased to share with you the latest sign of support for the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo: a resolution from the United States Congress, 'Encouraging the United States to Fully Participate in the Shanghai Expo in 2010.' Commenting on the Resolution, Frank Lavin, Chairman of the Steering Committee for the USAP stated, 'We are delighted with the strong support from the U.S. House of Representatives. This resolution reminds us that as Americans learn more about the Shanghai Expo, they tend to support it. We are grateful that the U.S. Congress has adopted this resolution and we believe it will be an important boost to our efforts.' In the Resolution, The House of Representatives-- (1) expresses its support for a full United States participation in the Shanghai 2010 Expo, including the construction of a national pavilion to showcase United States innovations and culture; (2) expresses its sense that United States participation is an important application of `soft power', affording other nations and millions of citizens an opportunity to appreciate United States technological innovations, cultural traditions, participation in peaceful and beneficial global events, and national respect for other nations and cultures; and (3) encourages relevant stakeholders, including private companies, individuals, and the United States Government, to work together to ensure full United States participation in the Shanghai 2010 Expo For full Resolution, please see: Text of H. Res. 509: Encouraging the United States to fully participate in the Shanghai Expo in 2010 See also: US Government Supports 2010 World Expo USA Pavilion Initiative Good prognosis for US pavilion at Shanghai 2010 World Expo: YUM! Brands Inc. To Sponsor USA National Pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo Chinese-American Community Group to Sponsor The USA National Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo
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Categories Attractions Business, Expos Tags Expo, Shanghai, winslow
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I'm pleased to read that there is support from Congress for the USA Pavilion at Shanghai next year. The more we learn about each others lives and cultures the better for the world in general. We all share the same pleasures and problems wherever we live, despite our differing environments. The more we know about each other, the less suspicious we are and that can only be a good thing!

Comment By Lucy Bolton At 6/11/2009 3:35 PM

'We are grateful that the U.S. Congress has adopted this resolution and we believe it will be an important boost to our efforts.''

Actually, the US Congress never adopted this resolution. It only has a handful of co-sponsors, and Lavin was dressed-down by high State Dept officials for issuing this FALSE statement. He's lucky to be associated with the US pavilion anymore. Ruder Finn removed this press release from the official site; you should remove it from here.

Comment By Shanghai Ren At 8/24/2009 7:56 PM