ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev chaired a meeting on the preparation and arrangement of the international specialised exhibition EXPO 2017 on Oct. 16. Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov, Minister of Environment Nurlan Kapparov and Chairman of the Board of the National Astana EXPO 2017 Company Talgat Yermegiyaev reported on the progress of the past few months.
Nazarbayev noted that as a year has passed since Astana was elected to host the fair, it is the right time to consider preparations for EXPO 2017, including the development of the registration dossier and other organisational and legal issues.
The president stressed the importance of involving other sources of financing in the expo, including some of the world’s biggest companies, and that this should be a major point for organisers to focus on while preparing for the exhibition. In addition, the president emphasised the need to present new, high-tech developments in the framework of the upcoming exhibition.
“The exhibition shouldn’t be loss making – this is what I have been saying from the start. The most important issue in this context is the subsequent use of the entire infrastructure that is going to be erected. The exhibition should be accessible to every citizen of our country who would like to visit it,” Nazarbayev said.
The president said a creative approach needs to used in EXPO 2017’s public relations and image campaigns and their use of effective and low-cost advertising on the Internet, in social media resources and in print and TV media.
During the meeting, the prime minister reported that the preparations for the exhibition are being carried out in accordance with the president’s instructions and the national plan, and noted that all processes are under the constant control of the government and the National Commission.
The minister of environment added that the total area of the exhibition comes to 173 hectares and will include a variety of infrastructure. According to the minister, the exhibition area will be the first region in the world where the third industrial revolution will take place, giving Astana the status of a leader in sustainable energy development.
At the end of the meeting, Nazarbayev approved the architectural sketch of the exhibition complex developed by American architectural company Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.
