World Expos are among the largest and most influential cultural events on the planet; global gatherings where nations come together to share ideas, showcase innovation and shape collective futures. Since the Bureau International des Expositions first formalized them in the UK, World Expos have evolved into powerful platforms for national storytelling at scale, attracting tens of millions of visitors and placing cities firmly on the world stage.
They are moments where architecture becomes narrative, technology becomes experience, and countries are given the rare opportunity to express who they are and what they stand for in front of a truly global audience.
But beyond spectacle, Expos matter because of what they enable. They act as catalysts for collaboration, cultural exchange and long term impact, often shaping new ways of thinking about design, experience and human connection.
It is within this context that Journey approaches Expo design, as a chance to craft enduring, multidimensional stories that live on long beyond their temporary lifespan.
Rethinking the role of Expos
One year on from Expo 2025 in Osaka and our work on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion, we are reflecting on what these global stages really represent.
Years of thinking, making and collaboration distilled into a single, unforgettable experience across six months, with 29 million visitors.
For Journey, Expos are opportunities to redefine how stories are told at an epic architectural scale, where narrative, technology and experience converge to create something that lives far beyond the event itself.
From Milan to Osaka, our work has focused on creating Expo experiences where story, design and technology feel inseparable.
From idea to experience
Milan Expo 2015
Our initial Expo work on the UK Pavilion at 2015’s Milan Expo, in collaboration with Wolfang Buttress, focused on translating a complex environmental message into a sensory, emotionally resonant visitor experience. Journey developed a suite of immersive and interpretive moments that guided visitors through a nature-themed narrative, based around bees, from orchard to hive. From tactile materials and embedded audiovisual content to bespoke interfaces, each element was designed to make the Pavilion’s scientific themes intuitive, human and felt.
That same philosophy carried through to Osaka, 10 years later.
A living, breathing pavilion
Osaka Expo 2025
At Expo Osaka, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pavilion pushed this thinking further. Rather than layering media onto architecture, storytelling was embedded into the fabric of the building from day one.
Working alongside architects Foster + Partners, we shaped an experience where live performance, immersive media and spatial design operated as one system. The constantly evolving cultural platform brought real voices, real people and real time content into the heart of the experience.
From early concept through to media production and on-site programming, the pavilion demonstrated what happens when disciplines are not siloed, but designed together.
The Evolving Cities Gallery at The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion at World Expo 2025, Osaka
And crucially, the work continues beyond the Expo. Innovative 3D printed coral structures created within the pavilion’s ‘Sustainable Seas’ gallery are now being planted into the ocean off Okinawa by the University of the Ryukyus and Kansai University, transforming what could have been a one off exhibition moment into an active, evolving contribution to marine restoration.
End to end, by design
Expos demand delivery at scale, under pressure, with no room for disconnect between vision and execution.
That’s where Journey comes in. By operating end to end, from concept and narrative through to experience strategy, spatial and media design, all the way through to technical development, fabrication and build, we ensure continuity and that what is imagined is what is delivered, without dilution.
In an Expo context where timelines are fixed and expectations are global, we believe this joined up approach is essential.
Delivering a multidimensional Expo
Looking ahead, the question should not be ‘what does an Expo look like’, rather ‘what does it feel like’?
We design for the emotional curation of a place, considering everything from what a visitor sees and hears, to what they feel as they move through a space. It is about shaping atmosphere, rhythm and memory, creating environments that resonate on a human level rather than simply impress on a visual one.
This means creating an Expo where the intrinsically consistent theme never breaks, where technology, people and place feel inherently connected, where the masterplan operates as a living ecosystem, and where communities and ideas continue long after the last visitor has passed through the gates.
But this requires a shift from designing individual moments, to designing continuity.
Every moment matters
The challenge is clear. The themes of an Expo should guide the entire visitor journey, beyond a pavilion. Story, design and atmosphere must operate together across the full site so every moment feels part of the same experience. Whether you’re strolling between pavilions, queueing for a drink or taking a break in the shade, a visitor deserves to experience that same level of narrative thinking. These transitional spaces are also part of the story.
Beyond Expo
With over 29 million visitors attending Expo Osaka, and millions more engaging with its legacy, the real measure of success is what endures beyond an Expo.
The best pavilions evolve, relocate, or continue to influence how nations, brands and institutions tell their stories. They are platforms to the world, and when approached in the right way, can become a powerful and lasting expression of identity, ambition and human connection, long after the closing party.
