The UK at Milan Expo 2015

The UK’s presence at Milan Expo 2015 will show how our creativity, technological expertise and innovation can improve the quality of life of the world’s population.

Feeding the world requires more creative thinking, smarter logistics, technology and increased international collaboration. The UK is a world leader in contributing to solutions across all these areas.

Milan Expo will host 145 nations, in addition to the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), 13 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 5 corporate pavilions. It will run for 184 days on a giant exhibition site covering 1 million square meters. Milan Expo is expected to welcome over 20 million visitors, with millions more being reached online globally.

A central feature of the World Expo is that many countries build a distinctive pavilion to showcase their architectural and design strengths.

The UK Pavilion

The UK is creating a stand-out Pavilion designed by Nottingham based artist Wolfgang Buttress and Manchester based architectural practice BDP. It is constructed and manufactured by York based company Stage One. All represent internationally renowned and award winning British talent.

Inspired by scientific research and ground-breaking UK technology which monitors the health of beehives, the UK Pavilion is a great example of how UK creativity, business and science can be combined to solve a global challenge. The UK is a hive of activity where solutions to some of today’s greatest challenges are developed and shared with the world.

The UK Pavilion showcases the crucial role of pollination in the global ecosystem, our food supply and it highlights the global need to protect pollinators.

The technology behind the hive can be used commercially to monitor the health of bees in turn making a tangible contribution to addressing global food issues.

The visitor follows the dance of a bee, travelling through a series of landscapes. The experience starts with a journey through an orchard, followed by a wildflower meadow and on to a giant aluminium beehive. Within the hive the visitor experience is further compounded by audio and visual effects, responding to movements within a real UK beehive.

The richness of the British food and drink sector will also be showcased from the UK Pavilion restaurant and bar, operated by Royal Warrant holder and internationally renowned caterer Mosimann’s.

Above all, the hive represents the UK’s leading creative and innovative position in the global business ecosystem and encapsulates some of the qualities the UK brings to the global food challenge.

UK Pavilion facts and figures:

  • site is 100m x 20m
  • 14m3 aluminium lattice hive sphere weighs 50 tonnes
  • 169,300 individual structural components
  • 891 LED lights illuminated within the hive relaying information transmitted from a real beehive located 870 miles away in Nottingham, UK
  • meadow is planted with 44 traditional British plant species including heathers, buttercups and sorrel
  • Diageo is the exclusive spirits provider
  • Mosimann’s is the official caterer and will use the finest seasonal produce to showcase the best of British food and drink
  • includes a conference suite, board room, dining room and a business club

Grown in Britain and Northern Ireland

The UK’s activities at Milan Expo 2015 come under the theme Grown in Britain and Northern Ireland to form a programme of UK business and cultural events and activities supported by a global communications campaign.

The campaign’s objective is to highlight how the UK is helping to provide the solutions needed to meet the challenge of feeding the planet and specifically to increase positive perceptions in target markets of British creativity, innovation and global leadership in the important areas of:

  • agricultural technology
  • creative industries
  • food and drink
  • healthcare
  • international development (aid-funded business, sustainability)
  • life sciences
  • technology

The campaign offers exciting opportunities for the UK to engage with global leaders and thinkers around issues of nutrition, food security and international development. It aims to convey how the UK:

  • is a hive of innovation and creativity helping to feed the planet
  • is welcoming, diverse and open for business
  • takes the lead in overcoming global challenges

Global Business Programme

To maximise the UK’s participation at Milan Expo 2015 the UK is delivering a comprehensive Grown in Britain and Northern Ireland Global Business Programme to:

  • harness the global interest in Milan Expo
  • deliver help to UK companies to win business
  • promote the UK as the foreign direct investment destination of choice

The Global Business Programme will facilitate business deals for UK companies that will not only drive benefits for the UK economy, but also demonstrate how we can work in partnership with other global players.

The Global Business Programme will focus on 6 high-impact GREAT Weeks. These sector-focused business events bring together leaders from industry, opinion formers, buyers and decision makers from across the globe – based at Palazzo Giroconsulti and Villa Necchi in Milan. The GREAT Weeks are linked to the monthly themes of Milan Expo and to the business audiences that will be coalescing in Milan.

Through this and a wider global events programme the ambition is to deliver £1 billion in economic benefit over time, with a significant boost to industries and sectors which relate to the Milan Expo theme of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

The UK is also offering unrivalled business and networking opportunities for UK and international companies at Milan Expo though the UK Business Club.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

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