Finland’s pavilion wins gold medal in Astana Expo

The 2017 World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan was a hectic bundle of visitors, live music exhibitions, cultural shows, press conferences and an award ceremony on Saturday, as the city, expo organisers, and pavilion operators prepared for the closing of the Expo on Sunday.

At a press conference on the penultimate day of the expo, deputy chairman of the Astana Expo 2017 Company, Alisher Pirmatov offered some statistics for the past three months.

The expo saw more than 3.8 million visitors, almost twice what was expected at the expo opening in June.

About 50,000 visitors attended the expo on the penultimate day, and the deputy chairman expects similar results for the final day of the expo.

The future of the expo grounds also came in question, and the deputy chairman stated that while state funds would no longer be used for the grounds, they had been designed with future use in mind.

“Every centimeter will be put to use,” he said. Nur Alem, the giant glass sphere at the center of the expo, which received more than 3 million visitors, will continue as the Museum of Energy.

Dimitri Kerkentzes, Deputy Secretary General of International Exhibitions Bureau, gave only a short statement, but said, “This expo has shown to the world what Astana and what Kazakhstan are capable of.” The design and implementation of the Astana World Expo, he hopes, will be used as a model for future expo planning.

The Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) handed out prizes, medals and awards on Saturday at a special event. As spectators cheered and hung flags from the balcony, Steen Christensen, and the Deputy Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri Kerkentzes awarded a gold medal to the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, which was accepted by the chairman of the Astana Expo 2017 national company, Akhmetzhan Yessimov, for his vision and implementation of the expo. Yessimov himself was also awarded a gold medal for his work in planning and executing the expo for the national company.

Finland’s pavilion -- Sharing Pure Energy won the gold medal for theme development among pavilions less than 400m2. Finnish designer Ateljé Sotamaa designed both the architecture and exhibition content of the Finnish Pavilion. The silver and bronze medals in this category went to Slovakia and Latvia, respectively.

The 2017 World Expo opened on June 10, its theme renewable energy, and according to press materials, presented “the best world practices, new developments and achievements in the field of the use of renewable energy sources,” with a special emphasis on “green energy.” More than 115 countries participated in this year’s world expo, including the USA, China, and Russia, as well as 22 international organisations, including the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Over the summer, there were 40 expositions on the newest innovative technologies and inventions, energy saving technologies, and more. There were 36 agreements signed by Kazakhstan and participating countries in the fields of energy, construction and more. There were 105 official organised events with the participation of foreign countries, including visits by 19 heads of state, 12 prime ministers, and dozens of ministers and vice ministers. On the Expo grounds, 195 countries organised cultural and entertainment events.