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ISIE’s Annual Online Symposium Best Practices in International Exposition Designs: Legacy!

Type: Calls For Papers [View all]
Posted by: The Institute for the Study of International Exposition
Deadline: Mon, November 30th, 2026

The Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE: https://www.isie-global.org/) invites abstracts for Day One of its upcoming two-day online symposium Best Practices in International Exposition Designs: Legacy! to be held online 18-19 March 2027.

 

 

The Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE) is an established global interdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners focused on the design, promotion, reception, and legacy of the world’s fairs and expositions held since 1851. Rooted in the history of architecture, science, diplomacy, art, and technology, our members hail from many disciplines and we welcome all those interested in exploring the many intersecting aspects of international expositions. ISIE aims to facilitate both scholarly and popular understanding of the significance of these global events that serve as mirrors of concurrent (both real and visionary) political, cultural, and technological conditions of the times in which they are held.

 

Since the first World Exposition — the Great Exhibition of 1851 — these events have had one unexpected, even fatal, flaw: organizational amnesia. Once an expo turns out its lights and closes the gates to its fairgrounds for the last time, few participating countries hold onto their commissioners, designers, and staff. In short, they wipe their collective and institutional memory clean. When these countries begin planning pavilions and exhibits for the next World Expos, they often find themselves reinventing the proverbial wheel. This frequently results in designs that are ambitious in concept, sumptuous on paper — but lackluster in execution.

 

The 2027 ISIE symposium will bring scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts together to learn from the past and to generate new ideas and practices relating to the design of future international expositions.

 

Day One of the two-day symposium will present three sessions of academic explorations focused on expo legacies, ranging from the visible to the less or non-visible that might offer lessons to

designers today. Examples of potential topics include successful (or not-so-successful) instances of the reuse of fair pavilions, materials, and sites; later developments in building materials and advances in display techniques highlighted at world’s fairs; the legacies of innovative systems for moving people and goods into and throughout various exposition grounds; as well as less-obvious legacies, such as the broader economic, cultural, social, inclusivity, and technological impacts of expos.

 

Day Two will feature presentations from invited participants and explore potential lessons learned from the most recent fairs, including Expo 2020 in Dubai and Expo 2025 in Osaka. Another panel will highlight the work of experts in fields and methods related to expo design in the 21st century, such as messaging and the incorporations of themes, wayfaring practices, design security and crowd control, and inclusivity. We will then delve into insights from representatives of Expo 2027 Belgrade, Expo 2030 Riyadh, and Expo 2031 Minnesota.

 

ISIE’s aim is for participants to leave the symposium with new insights and understandings related to best practices in exposition design that can then be applied to future research explorations and events. Accordingly, the symposium will include roundtable sessions focused on the topic of exposition design and offer opportunities to informally socialize and meet others with related interests. We also invite those interested in the study of world’s fairs to become involved in the future development of ISIE and help create a seed bank of ideas related to exposition history and design.

 

Deadline for paper proposals: 30 November 2026.

Notification of acceptance: 11 January 2027.

Symposium registration deadline for participants: 12 February 2027.

 

 

Graduate students and emerging scholars are especially encouraged to apply. To submit a proposal, please send a 250-300-word abstract and a 2-page CV to info@ISIE-global.org

 

Registration for the symposium will open on 11 January 2027. [You must be registered for the symposium by 12 February 2027 to be eligible to present at the event.]

 

Participant registration before 12 February 2027: US$100

Student participant registration before 12 February 2027: US$50

(Note that a copy of your valid student ID is required with registration to qualify. Scholarships will be made available for students and postgraduate presenters based on need. Please submit a letter expressing need no later than 5 February 2027.)

Regular registration before 16 March 2027: US$100

Late registration between 17-19 March 2027: US$150

 

The activities of ISIE, including this symposium, have been made possible thanks to the generous support from the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture, the University of Arizona, the Centre for Transformative Media Technologies, Swinburne University, Australia, Expomuseum, and BRC Imagination Arts.

Posted on Fri, October 23rd, 2026
Expires on Mon, November 30th, 2026

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