Series GR-3442 - Expo 86 slides

The idea for a World's Fair for Vancouver was first presented in 1978. It was considered an exceptional way to celebrate two centenaries: that of the City of Vancouver, and the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway's trans-Canada line, both in 1886. By December 13, 1978, plans had begun to be made for a proposal to the Bureau International des Expositions (B.I.E.) in Paris. A formal application to the B.I.E. was made on June 10, 1979. Final approval for the fair was made November 26, 1980. The B.I.E. sanctions two types of expositions: the universal and the specialized fair. The only other world exposition to be held in Canada, Montreal 1967, was a universal fair. This type occurs only once a decade. The specialized fair is much more frequent, and is the type of Expo '86. This level of fair is smaller than the universal sort, and is dedicated to a specific theme. The 1986 World Exposition had a theme of transportation, and facilities were ready for five and a half months of operation. In order to produce the fair, the Provincial Government set up the Expo 86 Corporation. By the time of the fair, the corporation was organized into the following divisions: Commissioner General’s Suite, Board of Director’s, Executive Division, Communications and Marketing Division, Construction Division, Corporate Sponsorship Division, Entertainment Division, Finance and Administration Division, Operations Division and Participant’s Division. The 1986 World Exposition was the most successful specialized exposition that had been held. The response to the invitation to participate was unprecedented - 54 international participants, seven provinces, two territories, three states and nine corporate exhibitors. There were more than 43,000 live performances on the site. The fair had a staggering 22,111,578 visitors. Expo '86 created such an atmosphere and quality of production that it has set the standard by which all future specialized fairs will be compared.