Expo 2017
Expo 2017 Astana was an International Exposition which took place from June 10 to September 10, 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The expo's theme was "Future Energy", and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizations, companies and the general public on the crucial question: "How do we ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions?"
Theme
The theme chosen for the Expo 2017 was "Future Energy". The theme was aimed to concentrate on the future of energy, and on innovative and practical energy solutions and their impacts.The Expo 2017's subtitle was "Solutions for Tackling Humankind’s Greatest Challenge." Therefore, the Expo showcased future energy solutions tackling social, economic and environmental challenges.
Preparation
On November 22, 2012, Astana was chosen by the Bureau International des Expositions as the venue to host Expo 2017. It was the first time that a major international exhibition of this kind was hosted in a country from the former Soviet Union. More than 100 countries and 10 international organizations were expected to participate. Around 2-3 million people were expected to visit the international pavilions from June to September 2017.25 hectares was planned for the pavilions of Expo 2017. The site has a convenient access to Astana's city center, the international airport and the railway station. The Expo Site is also linked with a network of Kazakhstan's inter-city roads to ensure a quick access from all the country. Construction of the pavilions began in April 2014 with 20 companies from Kazakhstan and 49 companies from around the globe.
Nur Alem itself is located in the epicenter of technological innovation, where young investors can develop start-up projects, research scientific inventions and implement their business ideas.
Designs were considered for the grounds of Expo 2017 from architects in the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and China. But the lead design contract was awarded to Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
On April 24, 2014, the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in a capsule-laying ceremony of the Astana Expo 2017 Exhibition Center construction in Astana, which will be located near the Nazarbayev University.
Astana submitted its registration bid to the BIE in December 2013, as planned.
On June 13, 2015, the Chief Executive Officer of Astana Expo 2017 organization committee, Talgat Yermegiyaev, was indicted for corruption. The new CEO is Astana mayor Adilbek Zhaksybekov.
Kazakhstan's largest airline, Air Astana, was named the "Official Air Carrier of Expo 2017”.
In preparation for the Expo 2017 the administration of Astana launched several "smart city" projects. The projects imply introduction of digital technologies in such areas as payment, education and healthcare.
The Energy Best Practices Area Pavilion at Expo 2017 showcased the 17 best energy-generating projects. These projects were selected from 136 submitted from more than 25 countries.
Construction
Over 100 companies, including Zaha Hadid Architects, UNStudio, Snøhetta, HOK, and Coop Himmelbau, participated in a competition to design the grounds of Expo 2017. Chicago firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture won the competition for the design idea. The main project, according to the design was realised by Swiss company IT-Engineering.Several national and international construction companies were awarded contracts to build the grounds. The main contractor Mabetex Group, and Sembol, CC Bazis-A LLC, ABK Kurylys-1 LLC, Turquaz-YDA Stroy LLC, Sredazenergostry LLC have completed the construction part. The financing of project is done by the Kazakhstan Government and some private investor like Plast Invest Production LLP, Sonik Company LLP, PolimerMetal-T LLP and Alyugal LLP.
Participation
The number of countries that confirmed their participation in Expo 2017 by September 2016 reached 101, which is higher than anticipated.U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal announced in November 2016 at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Washington, D.C. that APCO Worldwide, a global communications consultancy, was selected as the chief organizing partner for the at EXPO 2017. The USA Pavilion in Astana was organized and operated by a U.S. private-sector company. However, traditionally it is managed solely by the U.S. Department of State. The official theme of the USA Pavilion is “The Source of Infinite Energy”. The USA Pavilion worked to inspire the next generation of ambassadors.
115 states and 22 international organizations confirmed their participation in EXPO 2017 in Astana. This turnout exceeded the organizing company's expectations of 100 countries and 10 international organizations. Since June 10 through September 9, the EXPO-2017 International Specialized Exhibition was visited by over 3,86 million people. The average daily attendance amounted to 22,840 visits.
Participating countries
The countries who participated in Expo 2017 were:- : France confirmed its participation on 9 April 2015. It had a large pavilion, with a floor area of 1083 m2. France has, in the past, organised eight international exhibitions.
- : Iran confirmed its participation in November 2015.
- : Jordanian Montasser al-Oklahoma confirmed country's participation on 3 November 2015.
- : On 2 December 2015, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Kazakhstan Hans Driesser signed an agreement on participation.
- whose pavilion won a gold medal
Corporate participation
Expo 2017 attracted €125 million in sponsorships from large international companies. The sponsors of Expo 2017 included Samsung, Shell, Chevron and others.
APCO Worldwide won the bid to manage the USA Pavilion that was spirited with the theme "Infinite Energy".
International organizations
Astana Expo 2017 and UN World Tourism Organization signed a memorandum of cooperation. The memorandum envisions organizing a joint conference on “Tourism and the Energy of the Future” in late June during the exposition.International organizations that confirmed their participation in Expo 2017 also include the International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi.
And 2 years after the international exhibition, a new IT university was opened on the territory of EXPO-2017, which was named "Astana IT University". The higher educational institution has occupied one of the EXPO pavilions, where at the moment they train qualified personnel in the field of IT technologies. The language of instruction at the university is English.
The higher educational institution includes 8 educational programs, which were joined in 2020 by the 9th - Digital Journalism. The list of educational programs from 2020 is as follows:
Software Engineering,
Big data analysis,
Computer science,
Industrial automation,
Media technologies,
Cybersecurity,
Telecommunication systems,
IT Management and
Digital journalism.
The state annually provides the university with targeted state grants that are distributed among applicants based on the results of the Unified National Testing. In the state competition grants, it is necessary to select a group of educational programs for an identical combination of core subjects of the Unified National Testing, and for the educational program "Digital Journalism" the results of creative exams and 2 subjects of the Unified National Testing are taken into account. Also, the EXPO 2017 pavilion has allocated a modern residential complex, equipped as a student house for nonresident students.
Ambassador for Expo 2017
In March 2016, unified middleweight boxing world champion Gennady Golovkin became an official ambassador for Astana Expo 2017. Gennady Golovkin is originally from Karaganda, Kazakhstan.Post-Expo use
The Expo 2017 grounds and pavilion space have been converted into commercial space for corporate, startups, education and research entities. The anchor tenant of the converted Expo grounds is the Astana International Financial Centre. The AIFC governor has suggested the facilities could be home to blockchain and concurrency technology companies and startups.Host selection
On 1 July 2010, during the 147th session of the General Assembly of the BIE, held in Paris, Kazakhstan announced its intention to participate in the bidding process to host the International Specialized Exhibition at Astana in 2017, hence giving cities with counter-bids six months to respond. One other candidate city applied: Liège in Belgium. The winning candidate was selected by the BIE on 22 November 2012 in Paris.Candidate cities
The following cities bid to host Expo 2017:| City | Country | Theme | |||
| Astana |  Cities that did not bidThe following cities had considered bidding to host Expo 2017:
|
Serbia