THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITIONS WITHIN THE SPHERE OF MAJOR EVENTS

Abstract

Major events are cultural, commercial or sports initiatives of limited duration and high profile. Despite their validity, they are not exclusive to the modern era since they are a very old phenomenon: the first Olympic Games took place in 776 a. C. and the first Catholic Jubilee was celebrated in 1300 AD. Each event has a relatively short life span but the related implications that it entails may have effects that go beyond its days of activity, both in the preparation phase and in the long-term consequences. Without intending to be exhaustive, the article seeks to inform the reader about the nature of International Exhibitions within the sphere of major events, which offer wide channels for the development of possible investigations that should assume them more common an occasion of requalification and valorization urban that an insurmountable challenge in the race of cities to project themselves and be more competitive. Therefore, the article begins with an approach to the Major Events and their different typological connotations. After it, the paper goes on the renowned “Universal Exhibitions” and present the main aspects related to their evolution over time, their current organizational structure, the scope of they impose, according to their characterization, the role they play in the transformation processes of the cities that host them and, in a succinct way, the challenges that their planning demands before and after their materialization.