25 Years of Vancouver Success From Expo 86 to 2010 Olympics. What’s Next In 2011 & Beyond?
BC Premier Bill Bennett invited the world to visit Vancouver and BC for Expo 86 on May 02, 1985, one year before the fair was to open. [Photos by Ray Van Eng]
It was a shining political moment for then BC Premier Bill Bennett on Expo Centre opening day (May 02, 1985), a full year before the 1986 World Exposition actually allowed guests to enter through the turnstiles. The premier made the announcement to invite the whole world to come visit Vancouver and British Columbia at Expo 86.
Behind him is (left to right) Patrick Reid, Ambassador and Commissioner General, Don Mazankowski, Federal Transport Minister, Vancouver Mayor Mike Harcourt and Mike Bartlett, president of Expo 86 (who was later dismissed before the fair even opened.) Not in the picture are Mrs. Bennett, Grace McCarthy and last but certainly not least, Jimmy Pattison, Expo 86 Chairman and CEO.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, British Columbia was going through some very tough economic times, and the Bennett government decided that a large-scale exposition might help stimulate the economy and hopefully secure a better future. The year 1986 was chosen for the fair and to celebrate the city’s 100 centennial as well. It was a very expensive gamble and everyone involved knew it at the time.
When the exposition was first approved by the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris, it was called Transpo 86. Later, Patrick Reid changed the name to Expo 86 to eliminate any connotation of a trade convention. Reid was a highly decorated Canadian e.g. Officer, Order of Canada, Military Cross, Canadian Decoration, Community Leadership Award of Vancouver; Board of Trade, 1990 etc.
The actual opening of the world’s fair was on May 02, 1986 with Prince Charles and Princess Diana or the Prince and Princess of Wales in attendance. Expo 86 drew hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and logged more than 20 million visits to the fairgrounds.
The Vancouver’s world fair had a theme of transportation and communication and was hosted on the former railyard and industrial site at the north and east shore of False Creek from May 02 to October 13, 1986. There was also the Canada Pavilion (or Canada Place) located at the waterfront of Coal Harbor in the Burrard Inlet. The off-site Canada Place and the main site at False Creek was joined together by the Skytrain, an Advanced Light Rapid Transit (ALRT) system. The Expo Centre with a geodesic dome and a 500-seat OMNIMAX theatre, Canada Place, BC Pavilion and the ALTR were all legacy buildings and facilities specially constructed for the exposition.
The fair was originally budgeted for a modest $78 million. As usual with this kind of high-dollar ventures, the cost ballooned to over $1.5 billion with a reported deficit of $311 million. However, the economic benefits of Expo 86 is not limited to the False Creek fairgrounds. The fair did wonders for many local businesses, especially in the hospitality sectors like hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs. It extended to others parts of Canada as well. It is estimated that the Canadian economy received an extra $3.7 billion as a result of Expo 86. Even for the amount of money that was supposedly lost, no one could buy the opportunities, the long term windfalls and world class recognition that the city has gotten since then.
Since Expo 86, Vancouver kept building on its success and continued on almost half and century later with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today, Vancouver is possibly one of the most well-known (if not the most well-known) medium-size cities in the world.
So what’s next in 2011 and beyond?
Vancouver is now a well-known brand with many appealing attributes. The world has been responding well to this commercial property. So what does the future hold for this city? Vancouver will likely maintain its status and may become even more famous. This will in turn create more opportunities and growth potentials for businesses operating in tourism, convention, international trade, hospitality and in the particular the entertainment industries e.g. clubs, bars, arts and performances, cultural activities, fashions shows, special events, friendship tours, media productions etc.
Due to the city’s beautiful surrounding, high quality of life and industry-setting environmental and sustainability practices, Vancouver will attract more people to come to live and work. That means the construction industry and the building trade will continue to thrive. High tech and the green business sectors will also expand. Being increasingly recognized as the shortest destination city to Asia and the most effective and quickest way to the North American market, Vancouver will be viewed as an even more important focal point in Asia Pacific trade.
Festivities on the steps of the Expo Centre during the ‘invite the world’ ceremony on May 02, 1985.
2010 Olympic rings lit up at night at Vancouver’s Coal Harbor during the Games
Expo Centre (Science World) 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver BC
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