Menu

France Pavilion at Expo 2017 Astana

‘Energy Transition for Green Growth’ is the theme of France’s sprawling pavilion at Expo 2017 Astana. Located in one of 14 U-shaped buildings at the centre of the expo site, the France Pavilion is one of the largest of any national pavilions at the Expo, with 1,083 sq. m. of exhibition space and a further 700 sq. m. of meeting space, including a 200-seat multipurpose room for technical presentations, working meetings and conferences.

Pico provided fit-out service for the pavilion, helping to create this unique showcase for the technological excellence of France and its many forward-looking, eco-friendly companies and start-ups.

deliver

The experience journey

The first experience visitors have with the pavilion is of its colourful external façade and large photos taken by different French artists that illustrate the country’s beauty – allowing them to travel through the landscapes of France and view the country’s bountiful natural resources.

Upon entry, visitors are immediately plunged into the festive and energetic atmosphere of French celebrations and gatherings through a movie projected on a giant screen. While waiting in line, visitors can admire a modern and sensual depiction of ‘Marianne’ realised by the street artist Yann Dalon. A nearby antechamber adorned with mirrors also projects and reflects images of French energy to the sound of French music.

Inside the pavilion, several exhibition zones focus on how French companies outperform their competitors through three broad sub-themes: ‘City of the Future’, showcasing companies with expertise in innovative buildings, intelligent water and air management, recycling and waste optimisation; ‘Renewable Energies’, illustrating the excellence of French technology and expertise in all types of renewable energy; and ‘Eco-friendly Mobility’, highlighting the progress made in emissions and air quality.

A showcase of French companies

Seven corporate partners were selected to create displays inside the pavilion: Total, Vicat, Saint-Gobain, Peugeot, ITER, Syctom, and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, ADEME. Each has about 100 sq. m. of space to showcase their work and achievements in new energy. In a unique fusion of French culture and industrial achievement, each of these partners chose its own historical French personality. Total chose the heroic writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; while Vicat selected famous French engineer Louis Vicat, who invented artificial cement at the beginning of the 19th century. Other famous personalities include Jules Verne, Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur.

Each of the zones explores energy through its own creative lens – from a huge globe with projections of storms and animations describing various energy types, to mock-ups of comfortable and energy efficient homes, to depictions of how science is helping make industry cleaner and greener.

Results

The enormous efforts put into making the France Pavilion a reality paid off handsomely, as the pavilion received recognitions at two prestigious awards:

- Bronze Award for Theme Development of Type A pavilions (more than 700 sq. m.) at the Expo 2017 Astana Official Participant Awards from the Bureau International des Expositions
- Editor’s Choice honour at the Expo 2017 Award from the EXHIBITOR Magazine

Testimonial

“I would like to thank Pico team on behalf of the French Organizing Committee for the works realised on the French pavilion to make this event a real success for us. Build-up of the pavilion and operations on site were perfectly achieved to everyone’s satisfaction.

Thanks to Pico professionalism, experience, discipline and enthusiasm, we were able to show the best image of France during the Expo, and we are delighted to share with you the different awards that we won throughout the event.

We hope we can collaborate again with your company in the near future.” – Dr. Pascal Lorot, Commissariat Général de la France Astana 2017

ACTIVATE YOUR BRAND NOW