Only about a year ago, the U.S. pavilion at Shanghai Expo was struggling to raise money and faced a barrage of criticism for poor leadership and management. Following a key personnel move-- Jose Villarreal was named commissionaire general--the pavilion has pulled itself back from the brink. Heavyweight sponsors such as
Forbes: Why was it so difficult to get the pavilion funded and organized?
Martin Alintuck: In 1994, Congress passed a law so that State Department couldn't spend any money on expos. For example, in Hannover (in Germany) in 2000, the U.S. missed it. Aichi, the last one, was heavily funded by Tokyo's North American unit. The real challenge is that because of this law, we're forced to raise money from private corporations. That's unlike most countries, which have expenditure from their governments.
What was the turning point in getting the Shanghai pavilion turned around?
It was definitely in February '09, when Secretary Clinton became a champion of the project. Her first trip as secretary was to Asia, not Europe, which broke with precedent. She went to Beijing, got fully briefed and said she wanted to help make it happen. Because the secretary of state got involved, a lot of big global companies started to pay attention. If you think about it, everyone in the States knows the Olympics, but World Expos have lost awareness over the years. My parents went to '67 in Montreal. It was a big deal. Hopefully, given that it's in China, people will become a lot more aware.
What's behind that lack of awareness?
In the past few years, I think we've had a lot of challenges in the U.S. When people are focused on the economy, it's hard to say, "Let's focus on an expo." Having said that, we haven't opened yet. Once it opens, there will be media coverage, we will high-level visits, and I think people will be a lot more aware. I have the feeling that future expos are going to benefit a lot from the awareness of China's expo.
How is the U.S. government helping now?
We can't get money but are getting a lot of support. They are supporting the fundraising effort and supporting participation. They're explaining why it's important to join an expo supported by China, but also why it's important to be at an expo where 200 countries are going to be brought together. China is bringing the whole world here.
The first large-scale soft trial run of the Shanghai Expo last week brought criticism of long lines. Is Shanghai ready?
When you have 70 million people in a place, the soft opening is a test-and-adjust phase. We saw a lot of people, and adjusted our lines. The organizer is putting so many resources into this. As far as I can tell, they are doing a really good job.
What will the U.S. exhibitors get from participating?
A. In many ways, it's a corporate social responsibility exercise. Our sponsors recognize the importance of U.S. participation, and it's a benefit to them to be associated with it. It's not like a trade fair, where you set up your booth and sell your products. It's being part of a bigger message. I think there's a patriotic element to it, too. They think this makes a lot of sense for the United States, and want to be part of it.
Six months from now, what will people remember as the highlights of the U.S. effort?
I think national day is going to be really exciting. We have a lot of big people, including Ozomatli from L.A. and Herbie Hancock. We also have the student ambassador program. About 168 will be at the pavilion. They will visit other pavilions and blog about it. The visitors really love these young people. They speak Mandarin. I'd have loved the opportunity when I was 18 to represent my country and interact with 70 million people.
