Expo '95: Difference between revisions

 

==Planning==

The Alvan government established the Expo 95 Organization Committee to handle the set up and execution of the event. The Committee was led by Arban Ganbold, the elder brother of the first Khan under the new Constitution, Arban Chuluun. Ganbold was 94 years old at the time he was appointed (Alvan elves can typically expect to live to around the age of 110) and had no experience in event planning, instead having been the president of a manganese mining firm. The committee had a total of 73 members, many of whom were prominent political donors to the Khan's election campaign or leaders of various tribes from across the country. The large number was an attempt to prevent rekindling of tribal rivalries, but in giving so many people representation, it came to be felt that the committee was weakened by constant arguing. Additionally, like Chairman Ganbold, many members of the committee had little or no formal experience in event planning.

 

 

==The Event==

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 Acronis. 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.