The next Expo will cost about a lot more than the last one

"Better City, Better Life" - smog in Beijing in December 2004 (photo: greenpeace.org)

Prague - The participation of the Czech Republic in the World Expo 2010 in China will cost significantly more than the previous Expo 2005 in Japan, expects the chief commissioner for the preparation of the exhibition, Pavel Stehlík. The last Expo cost about 300 million crowns. Stehlík told reporters today that he would like the government to approve the budget by the end of May. He hopes that private companies will also contribute to the financing of the Czech presentation.
    In March, he wants to present a complete document with the concept and ideological intent of the Czech participation on the theme "Fruits of Civilization." The Czech Republic has already submitted an application to Shanghai, where Expo 2010 will take place.
    The government decided last January for the Czech Republic's involvement in the World Expo, which is set to be the largest in the history of these exhibitions in the world's most populous country. The motto of the exhibition, which will feature 194 countries, will be "Better City, Better Life."
    The Czech theme "Fruits of Civilization" according to Stehlík provides great space for creatives and their teams. They should come up with a way to present the entire country, rather than just individual artistic works.
    "The specific method of processing will be the subject of a public competition, which the office will announce after the budget is approved by the government," said Stehlík, who believes that the several-month delay in preparations has been made up. The office of the chief commissioner intends to announce a selection procedure for a logo by June and launch a website.
    The Czech pavilion will be twice as large as it was at the previous exhibition in Japan. At the Aichi Prefecture at Expo 2005, it was around one thousand square meters. Stehlík chose the module offered by the organizers for the future exhibition, which the Czechs will then adapt to their needs.
    Stehlík added that the pavilion will be located in a busy part of the exhibition in the European section near the exhibition square, with the Irish, Portuguese, and Slovak exhibitors around. Although the program is still being developed, the office of the chief commissioner already knows that it would like to have, for example, Czech Philharmonic musicians at Expo 2010.
    Stehlík would like 2.5 to 3 million people to visit the Czech pavilion in China. About 1.7 million visitors saw the Czech interactive Garden of Music and Fantasy at Expo 2005. The Czech pavilion at that time was a relaxing space with optical and sound objects that visitors could touch and try out.