Urso Chappell, a graphic designer from the United States who runs ExpoMuseum, a website dedicated to the history of the Shanghai expo, said the Beijing Olympics in 2008 was a chance for the hosts to show the world what China had achieved and had become, but the Shanghai event was about the rest of the world interacting with China while impressing local audiences.

Chappell, who has attended 11 expos, believes the Shanghai event created a "new chapter" for the city where people could see how it had evolved, and it also renewed confidence in its capabilities.