San Jose Mercury News – Plans unveiled for bid to put World Expo 2020 at Moffett Field
While still barely a gleam in the governor’s eye, plans to try to bring the World Expo 2020 to Silicon Valley inched forward Saturday, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger formally announced his bid during a visit to the Shanghai World Expo and identified Moffett Field as the host site.
“Shanghai has demonstrated that when you host the World Expo, the world comes to you, and I want the world to come to California,” Schwarzenegger reportedly said before touring the U.S. pavilion. “Our state is a leader in entertainment, agriculture, the environment, high tech, green tech and biotech, and we are ready to showcase our innovation to the world.”
Joined by Jim Wunderman, head of the Bay Area Council who first proposed the idea and has been spearheading the effort, Schwarzenegger called Silicon Valley “the hub of innovation” and said it was “the most natural place to hold the expo, which will promote the international exchange of ideas, create jobs and increase revenues in our state,” according to an advance release.
Typically held every five years, world expos can bring tens of millions of visitors to see hundreds of pavilions hosted by countries and individual corporations. Once described as a platform for “nation branding,” an expo can also cost a ton of money — the council said the Chinese government spent $4.2 billion on the Shanghai event, although much of that went to major improvements to the city’s highways and transit infrastructure.
