Expo '95: Difference between revisions

Expo 95 was originally awarded to [[AcronisTavaris]], who had sought to host the expo one hundred years after they hosted [[the Worldwide Exposition of 1895]]. However, in January of 1992, an 8.7 earthquake in the Gulf of Northwest Gondwana near Tovar, AcronisTavaris caused significant damage to the city, including to the ongoing development along the coastline where the Expo was to be held. This, along with political and popular opposition to the Expo and the associated cost overruns that had already exceeded the planned budget by $2 billion SHD, caused the AcronianTavari government to inform the Administrative Board for World Expos that it could not host the event.

The Administrative Board for World Expos held an extraordinary session in February 1992 in which it accepted the AcronianTavari withdrawal and opened bidding for a new host. The bidding was to be open for 90 days. In that 90 day period, only [[Alva]] applied to host the 1995 edition of the Expo. Alva had just ended a civil war that year, and in May of 1992 was still being governed under a temporary cease-fire agreement until a new Constitution could be ratified. Alva centered this fact as a major draw in their bid, stating that the chance to host a World Expo would give the country a chance to come together for a "common purpose of peace." They also emphasized that Urgabom, long the country's wealthiest, most populous, and most cosmopolitan city, had been relatively unscathed by the war and had a functioning metro system and major transit links by land, sea, and air. Additionally, AcronisTavaris pledged to provide administrative assistance in event planning to Alva. The Administrative Board very narrowly awarded the bid to Alva, with a large minority voting instead to cancel the 1995 Expo.

The Expo opened on May 22nd, 1995 - over a month later than originally planned due to delays caused by the transit construction. The New Harbor Gardens themselves were widely lauded as an example of landscape architecture and drew praise from nearly all the participant nations. Along with the Alvan pavilion, the Gardens were home to the halls for Great Morstaybishlia, Asendavia, and AcronisTavaris. However, every other participant was required to set up in the leased warehouses, with some warehouses split between as many as four countries. A significant oversight - perhaps the most visible besides the transit problems - was that the Organization Committee apparently did not consider the need for improved plumbing infrastructure in the areas. There were no public restrooms built in the New Harbor Gardens, and many of the warehouses had only one or two restrooms each. Additionally, all the plumbing infrastructure in the warehouse district was designed for elven use, meaning that members of species of smaller size such as dwarves and vulpines found it more difficult to find facilities that were comfortable for their use. Lines were ever-present the entire time that the pavilions were open, with many people waiting for hours. The Organization Committee and the City of Urgabom would be sued for the plumbing oversight, a suit that would lead to a $708 million SHD settlement in 2000 that, on top of the construction debt, bankrupted the city.

On June 4th, a fire broke out in the warehouse that was home to the exhibitions for Furnifold, Pyrovalia, Shango, and Qumar. The fire was believed to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring. A rumor that the initial spark was caused by someone urinating in a corner of the building near an electrical outlet rather than wait in line has never been proven but remains widely reported. There were 12 injuries reported, and the exhibitions of Shango and Qumar were a total loss. Furnifold and Pyrovalia were able to repair some of the damage and re-opened their exhibitions nearly two months later inside the AcronianTavari exposition hall, after AcronisTavaris offered them space.