“Today, precisely 400 days until Expo 2015 begins, we received the good news that America has signed the participation contract. Once again, thanks to the Italian Government and the President of the Board of Ministers for their extraordinary work in view of 2015’s big event,” declared Commissioner Giuseppe Sala.
The Pavilion has been designed to look like a granary in keeping with the exhibit concept, ‘American Food 2.0,’ and will offer an innovative exploration of the Expo theme of ‘Feeding the planet, Energy for Life.’ See the Milan Expo 2015 statement here.
InPark contributor and US expo specialist James Ogul commented, “The United States signed a Participation Contract with the Expo Organizers for Milan Expo 2015 on March 27. This is a major milestone as this contract officially commits the U.S. to participation. I can recall the excitement on past projects when we reached this milestone.”
Why didn’t it happen sooner?
James Ogul: “Some people will ask why it didn’t happen sooner. In earlier times when we had a Federal appropriation we could sign these contracts early on because the money was in the bank. But when we started funding these from the private sector, the equation changed because the money commitments came much later in the project and we could not sign until we were sure we had adequate funds to complete the pavilion.”
Do we have enough time?
James Ogul: “With approximately 400 days to go to opening this is a timely event and bodes well for a successful U.S. Pavilion Project.”
Related stories:
World’s fair consultant James Ogul talks about Milan 2015, and the history of US expo participation
James Ogul: Looking back on a career in US expos and expo pavilions
Tales from the Expo: Role of the Commissioner General in US pavilions
Tales from the Expo: Student Ambassadors – The Heart and Soul of a US Pavilion
Will the US participate in Milan Expo 2015? State Dept files RFP.