The success of the Shanghai World Expo

30 November

UK at Expo - A truly creative vision
Design of the UK Pavilion provided a dramatic demonstration of UK creativity, challenging the Chinese perceptions of the UK and delivering the message of a creative and innovative UK economy. The Seed Cathedral, made up of 60,680 acrylic rods, created enormous buzz among the Chinese public and won a gold award for best Pavilion design.

The objectives behind the design were simple: change Chinese perceptions of the UK and highlight the mutual benefits of cooperation between the two countries.

The Pavilion was at the centre of a wider programme that worked to achieve this goal. An FCO press release showed that: "In an online sample of Chinese people questioned about whether their perceptions of the UK have been changed by the online campaigns, 82% stated that it had, and 99% of them stated it had been a positive change. 92% of those questions said that they had learned new things about the UK."

Time Magazine also named the Seed Cathedral as one of the 50 best inventions of 2010 alongside the iPad and Google's Driverless Car: "A house of worship for biodiversity, the British Pavilion for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai is constructed of 60,000 light-funneling fiber-optic rods, each with one or more seeds implanted at its tip. British designer Thomas Heatherwick worked with the Kew Gardens and the Millennium Seed Bank project, whose mission is to collect seeds from 25% of the world's plant species by 2020. The result was a living structure that embodied the Expo's theme of "Better City, Better Life" and rooted digital dreams in the soil from which all life springs. That combination helped make the Seed Cathedral one of the most popular national pavilions at the Shanghai Expo, where Chinese visitors nicknamed it pu gong ying, the dandelion."

If you did not go to Shanghai to see the UK Pavilion, take a video tour through the Seed Cathedral.

A successful Expo - Insight from CBBC's Shanghai office
During the Expo, CBBC worked to deliver events highlighting UK business strengths to Chinese businesses. CBBC organized 23 trade and investment events, attracting more than 800 attendees, and led four trade missions into China's other regional cities. Key UK sectors represented at the Expo included: creative industries, finance, marine and advanced engineering; all fields where the UK leads the way. Our China team also delivered bespoke market analysis and arranged one to one meetings for UK businesses.

CBBC is constantly working to match UK expertise to China's future development. One specific example is when we worked in conjunction with Maritime London and the Shipping Services Office of Pudong, by staging the first ever bilateral Maritime Conference in Shanghai with over 200 attendees from the sector. The turnout, the reaction, and the media attention all went far beyond expectations.

Thanks to Expo, UK businesses are increasingly perceived as innovative partners in business. Expo was just the start. Now it's time for UK businesses to get out there and take advantage (CBBC & UKTI can help them achieve this!)

Accelerating Chinese investment into the UK
The UK Expo team fully grasped the once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase modern Britain in front of the leaders of Chinese industry. The clearest message to emerge from the vast industry pavilions is that Chinese companies are increasingly looking to "Go Global" by investing in markets outside China and by creating world-class technology and brands.

Successful efforts at the Expo to ensure the UK is a top beneficiary of this investment are outlined in the latest edition of 'China in Britain'. The VIP exchange program with the Chinese Corporate Pavilions and the 'Going Global' seminars, supported by CBBC member PriceWaterhouseCoopers, ensured new connections with captains of Chinese industry were established.

The UK's award-winning Seed Cathedral pavilion put British innovation and creativity at the forefront, helping the UK Trade and Investment's FDI business program triple the number of investment projects in the pipeline to 200. Opportunities will arise across most sectors but especially in design, branding and marketing, as well as financial services and life sciences. The Expo showed that Chinese companies are taking a lead in tackling "green" issues, another area where UK companies can offer their expertise. Go to page 14 of 'China in Britain' to read the full article.

UK Expo - Stats, Awards and the Chinese verdict
Awards won by the UK Pavilion and designer Thomas Heatherwick
• The prestigious RIBA Lubetkin Prize
• Gold Medal for design in the category for the largest pavilions
• Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2010.

Key stats and an overview from the Shanghai Expo UK website:

184 days
8+ Million visitors
200+ Business Events
500+ Senior level business meetings
3000+ Senior business contacts database
10000+ business events participants
120 new inward investment projects
600+ cultural performers
2000+ public performances

The Chinese verdict
The UK Pavilion itself has won many awards and attracted interest from Chinese media for its design and creativity, particularly shining lights on the architect himself and the ripple effect of changing the locals' perceptions about the UK, going beyond David Beckham and The Beatles. The Pavilion itself was top 3 of the most visited pavilions, and the degree to which it was well-received by the Chinese public is most evident when 8,000 acrylic rods with seeds were sold out within 2 minutes of being auctioned. To top it all off, Premier Wen Jiabao and other senior Chinese leaders visited the UK pavilion on the final day of the Expo. Wen praised the UK's contribution to the overall success of the Shanghai Expo, calling the Seed Cathedral "truly creative".