The Expo is your oyster
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Prepare properly and you will enjoy the experience of a lifetime, says Expo veteran
Editor's Note: With the soft opening of Shanghai Expo only a week away, enthusiasts and veterans are keen to share their experiences from within the Expo garden and recount their memories from previous World's Fairs. China Daily asked Bob Rogers, founder of BRC Imagination Arts, for his seven golden rules on how to best plan your trip.
Rule 1 : Do your homework
Read everything you can before going. Really study the maps. Know the pavilions. Arrive at the entrance nearest to the things you want to see. Have a plan. It will make a big difference. If you know what you want to see and where you are going, you are more likely to get there and have a good time.
Rule 2 : Allow plenty of time
Expo 2010 is the largest attraction event in the history of the world. It will take many days to see it. Plan to spend from five to eight days or more seeing it. Buy a season pass.
Rule 3 : Pace yourself
Expo 2010 is enormous. The distances are punishing. It is better to spend a day seeing a single area than to run back and forth all over the site. Come back another day to see a different zone. Shanghai's summer is famous for being hot and wet. Drink lots of water! The combination of high heat, sun and walking will cause you to dehydrate quickly. Don't forget your hat and sunscreen. And remember to wear the most comfortable shoes you own. It doesn't matter what they look like.
Rule 4: Get going in May
Sometimes the weather is not as nice in May, but at many Expos the crowds are smaller in May and in early June than at any other time. That means the lines are shorter, so you can see more. And beware the last two weeks. During every Expo, people delay their visits and then in early October they suddenly wake up and say, "Expo will close soon! I haven't seen it!" As a result, the last several weeks usually have the most crowded days of the entire Expo. So start going in May when the crowds are smaller.
Rule 5: Find out what everyone else is doing - and do the opposite
The crowds do very predictable things. If you don't like large crowds and long lines, do the opposite. Here are some examples:
Most people go to an Expo on Saturdays or on holidays, or on days when children are not in school, or when businesses are closed. So avoid Saturdays and holidays. Go on days when children are in school or on a weekday, when most people are at work.
When other people are on a holiday, sometimes they sleep a little later or it takes a little longer to organize the family, so they arrive at Expo at about 10.30 am. By the time they have bought a ticket and entered the site it might be 11 am. That's when the crowds are getting big. You should do the opposite. Get up early and get there early.
There will be fewer people and shorter lines for the first two hours. That's a good time to see one of the most popular pavilions.
On arrival some people will spend their first 30 minutes waiting in line to buy admission tickets. Do the opposite. Buy your tickets ahead of time.
Most people fight the peak crowds, and peak heat, by attempting to see the most popular attractions between 12 pm and 5 pm. That's exactly when you'll see the maximum crowds at any Expo. Instead, avoid the peak crowds. Go early, stay late (or come back late), but between 12 pm and 5 pm, visit less crowded pavilions. Sit on a bench in the shade and people-watch. Go back to the hotel for a nap and return to the Expo at 5 pm, refreshed.
Because they have been fighting the peak lines in the peak heat, many visitors become exhausted by 5 pm or 6 pm. On the verge of collapsing, they quit going on attractions for the day. They look for a place to have a long dinner, after which they go home or head back to the hotel. So you do the opposite. Take it easy all afternoon and eat a very early dinner (finish it before 6 pm) so you can shift into high gear at about 5 pm, after which you don't have to stop to eat.
Move quickly from pavilion to pavilion all the way until closing time. Because the lines are shorter, you can see two to three times as many of the most popular pavilions between 6 pm and closing time if you hurry. The temperature is lower too, so it is more pleasant.
During the fireworks, the crowds will gravitate to the riverfront to see the show. So you do the opposite. Ignore the fireworks and go in the opposite direction, away from the river. You will find pavilions with shorter lines.
Rule 6: Some Expo Don'ts
Don't carry much. An Expo is like a marathon. It is a test of endurance. If you carry too much, you will move slower and become tired sooner. Leave it at home.
Don't buy souvenirs early in the day. You will have to carry your treasures around all day. If it is an Expo souvenir available in many shops, buy it at the end of your day, on your way out. If it is in one of the unique shops, ask if the merchandise can be shipped.
Don't waste hours hanging around in what you think is the perfect spot from which to see the fireworks show. Somehow convince your family to skip the show. See five or six pavilions instead! You will often discover that even if you don't have the perfect spot, you will be able to enjoy the fireworks from wherever you happen to be when they start.
Rule 7: Turn up
Expo 2010 will be the greatest celebration in China's history - an amazing once-in-a-lifetime event that you will tell your grandchildren about. When it is gone, it is gone forever and it will never be seen again. So whatever you do, don't miss it!
And please don't miss the two pavilions I worked on: The USA pavilion and the Information and Telecommunications pavilion, in conjunction with China Mobile. I'll save a place in the line for you.
(China Daily April 12, 2010)
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