Fun facts
Expo’98 Sound bites
From 22nd May to 30th September 1998, Lisbon was the world’s stage. In a real party mood, 160 countries and organisations took part in this great event which promoted the oceans and innovations. There were 132 days of entertainment, discovery, enthusiasm and sharing.
Below are some of the most unforgettable moments, quotes which summed up the atmosphere and left a trail of optimism, and picturesque occasions, … Expo ’98 was all of this. And so much more.
Dix it
“A meeting place for all people of the world.”
Jorge Sampaio, then the President of the Republic
“We left behind the black and white nation of dictators. Now it is the image of a different Portugal which is splashed across the covers and headlines of newspapers all over the world.”
Cáceres Monteiro, a journalist and one of the founders of Visão magazine
“A way for Portugal to tell the world that its work, as big as its dreams, is always, within itself, the imperial time.”
Eduardo Lourenço, Portuguese professor, philosopher and thinker
Expo’98 is a “celebration of the democratic regime.”
“For many Portuguese, experiencing this exposition is to open an encyclopaedia for the first time.”
António Mega Ferreira, the “father” of Expo’98
The Lisbon exposition “is much better than the one in Seville.”
Juan Carlos, then the king of Spain
“You just have to look around at everything to see the intelligence, work and organisation which were required to transform what used to be a decrepit part of the city into this admirable microcosm of the world.”
Ole Philipson, president of the Bureau International des Expósitions
Dress rehearsal
Tickets to the dress rehearsal were distributed chiefly to inhabitants of the neighbourhoods surrounding the construction site at Chelas, as a way of making up for the inconvenience caused during the construction of the exposition venue and infrastructures.
Staying overnight at Expo
What was then the hotel Meliá Confort Oriente – today the hotel Meliá Lisboa Oriente – was the only hotel located in the vicinity of the Exposition. Standing right next to the Oriente Station, the hotel was the perfect place from which to enjoy Expo’98, by day and by night, even after the exposition venue’s doors had closed.
Telephone booths
At a time when mobile phones were cumbersome, heavy and expensive, the company then called Portugal Telecom placed around 3,700 public telephones within the Expo precinct. And guaranteed that only one could be out of order at any one time.
To recall at a later date
The oceans, the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the sea route to India and Lisbon, the capital of the Atlantic, provided the motto for three collections of stamps launched by the post office for Expo’98.
There were 30 postal shops within the Exposition precinct, and any letters sent from these shops bore their own special post code: 1998 Lisboa Expo.
Christening
Right near the end of the Expo, on 21st September, a child was christened within the precinct: Renato José, who was born in Ermesinde. His parents had written a letter to the Commissary of Expo’98 to express their wish. The christening was performed in the Holy See Pavilion.
D’oh!
Quite a few of the 10 million visitors to Expo’98 decided to be “innovative” and come up with their own names for places and attractions. There were some true gems collected by Expo workers, which were made into a booklet entitled “What you never imagined you would hear – the phenomenon of the paranormal visitor”.
Fishodrome/ Fisharium/ Oceanatic = Oceanarium
Stratospheric / Peripheric / Little baskets / Bowls = Cable Car
Toby’s Pavilion / Myopia Pavilion = Utopia Pavilion
Algae and Matrix/ Aqua my Tricks/ Asterix = Acqua Matrix
Sexual Reality Pavilion/ Spiritual Reality / Virtual Virtue = Virtual Reality Pavilion
Sonia Plaza = Sony Plaza
Where are the swimming babies?/Where’s the baby aquarium? = question often asked as a result of the Expo’98 promotional advertisement featuring babies swimming
Let’s get stamping
It was like child’s play, but in fact both adults and children would visit the different pavilions of the Lisbon Exposition passport in hand: everyone wanted to collect as many stamps as possible. A very special passport, brimming with memories.
This passport was the inspiration for the hotel Meliá Lisboa Oriente which, in tribute to Expo’98, created a giant panel with stamps placed in the hotel restaurant area. A journey in time. And around the world.
Visitor no. 1
Tomas Ko, from Timor and at the time having lived in Portugal for 22 years, was the first visitor let into the Expo’98 precinct.
Survey
At the end of the Exposition, the weekly newspaper Expresso revealed the results of a survey of Portuguese regarding Expo’98:
51.3% visited Expo
Most popular pavilions: Utopia (47.2%), Oceanarium (40%) and Future (35.5%)
89.7% assessed Expo’98 as very good
Just 22.8% would like to live in the former Exposition precinct