An open letter to the Philippines Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

To the Philippine Pavilion Team,

Thank you we have significant participation in this Expo, and to be fair, it’s a decent one.

But I have to say, I was disappointed with the content inside the pavilion. I visited it on two occasions to confirm what I really feel about it.

As a designer, I am the one to appreciate art first. As a UX designer, I am also someone to know if a design is useful or not.

Bangkota may look intriguingly beautiful on the outside, but lacking substance inside.

We missed a lot on the message. What takeaway do we expect people to bring with them after visiting?

We missed a lot on aesthetics and ergonomics when it comes to visitor experience. I’m sure we have gone through a thorough design thinking process. But have we empathized enough with a typical Expo visitor persona?

Let me share my thoughts based on my personal experience:

• It was too dark. TOO DARK. There weren’t even a few dim lights to guide you and let you settle when you enter. For daytime visitors, the shift from a very bright sunny light into complete darkness is a pain in the eye. (It may be different in the evening. But we cannot say, come only at night to see its real beauty.)
• The message is lost in the abstract. Yes, there were writings on each installation, but an audio-visual crowd won’t appreciate long reading, especially when the visuals are too overpowering for a conducive reading. You could have used better typography to emphasize keywords.
• There were no tour guides on my 2 visits. The lady who opened the door for us just said, “Welcome to the Philippines,” nothing else. No one’s showing the visitors to the exit. Without a guide, everything feels just like abyss.
• The elevator was not working. The guard told us it is only for staff and not for guests. That’s not very Filipino. While the other pavilions provided very creative designs of their elevators, walkalators and escalators for visitors to use, we opted to limit ours.
• It was hot during daytime and there weren’t any outdoor cooling fans. I know weather gets better come December to February. But how about during the launching month? Not very hospitable.

To our dismay, we skipped the restaurant.

It felt like the pavilion was built only for a select audience.

You know, if Bangkota was in a museum or in an architectural show, I wouldn’t dare say a word. But we are in a world Expo – an experiential expo – more importantly, a futuristic one with a theme revolving around opportunity, sustainability, and mobility.

Our theme

Four thousand years ago, I’m sure we are not the only people on earth who traveled.

Our gift to the world is (still) our people? We’re already doing this for decades (okay, millenium). And guess what, Expo is in Dubai, the very home of about 200 nationalities having the same movement mindset. It’s not something unique to celebrate.

Okay, “people” is actually not a bad subject. But where is the content that would underscore that? Where are our solar power champions, the exemplary robotics students, the AR-VR enablers, the Filipino developing a ‘flying car’ prototype? Where are the innovators who aim to solve key societal problems like traffic, housing, energy, agriculture, and the environment? The startups advocating on diverse social enterprises?

We are looking for such relevance.

If you want a piece of history, you could have featured exemplary scientists and technologists we had in the past. Where’s the part for our national artists?

(I wouldn’t even go mention Baybayin, or perhaps a feature about our rich literature, because the theme was built around ‘movement using a coral concept.’)

These would have become good highlights of our people’s excellence. Abroad, Filipinos are hired not because we are Filipinos. Just like any other nationality, we get hired because of our talents and skills, and character being human, not for being Filipino.

You see, these are the things we, Filipinos working abroad, want to tell our international friends. Not that we need more justification for why we migrate.

Of all that’s on our DNA, we chose to showcase something that many OFWs today only do because they were left without a choice in the homeland.

I felt like the message was intended mainly for Filipinos because we would probably be the most curious about this unpopular part of our history dating 4,000 years back.

What is Expo 2020 Dubai again?

Expo 2020 is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region, hosted in a city of the future, in one of the world’s most inclusive, ambitious, and future-focused nations, in the year of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.

In a spirit of optimism, Expo 2020 will gather more than 200 participants – including 191 countries, as well as multilateral organizations, businesses, and educational establishments – for a visually striking and emotionally inspiring 182 days.

Visitors from all over the planet are invited to join the making of a new world as they explore new frontiers, embrace the opportunities of tomorrow, and discover life-changing innovations that can have meaningful, positive impacts on our planet and its people.

The event’s theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ is about forging new connections and new partnerships across sectors and geographies, inspiring solutions, and ultimately shaping the future.

So, can we still do something about our pavilion?

Though Expo is not a competition, visitors would still pick their best and worst experiences. No, I don’t suggest that we go to the same level with the grandest pavilions. We just need to make ours more meaningful.

There are 165 more days to go. There’s a lot more time left to make adjustments to the interior. Here are my suggestions, if I may:

• Add more to the content. If you want to keep the theme about people, then do more content beyond the abstract. An iMax size screen to show a dance? It’s a good ambiance, but it doesn’t connect. At the end of the day, visitors would be interested to see what output our people has created. (Go back to my suggestions above.)
• Or, why not consider a holistic theme? I’ve seen other pavilions who take a more inclusive approach when it comes to themes. We can still tell a linear story about our people while tapping on their excellence in many sectors of the society.
• Heritage is absolutely important, and so is the future. Why not explore a theme around fusion of the past and the vision of the future?
• Why not create smaller segments within the pavilion? After all, this 1,386 sqm on a 3,163.25 sqm lot is the biggest the Philippines has ever showcased in the Expo history. That’s a huge space design. Won’t you consider using this opportunity to entice the world to come visit or invest in the Philippines?
• Install dim lights within the flooring, or spotlights upon entry, or sparkling lights to complement the coral theme. My daughter has trauma in complete darkness. And there was no warnings about it. So the experience was already ruined the moment she stepped in. We went to other dark exhibits and it wasn’t completely dark at the get go.
• Be more inclusive with regards to aesthetics.
• Design a short tour. Come on!
• Hire competitive tour guide hosts. (I’m sorry to say, but the tour guides who were interviewed by a few media lack the right personality.) Watch this.
• Please train the staff. I’ve been to other country pavilions with Filipino ushers and hosts and they do very well. They were given ample training, (and probably good pay too).
• Let the guests use that elevator.
• Use our Tagalog words in welcoming guests, “Mabuhay” or “Salamat po!”

These suggestions are not far-fetched. I mean, look at the smaller African pavilions. They don’t have much on the outside, but a lot of attractive content inside. It’s really the inside that matters.

If only a proper landscape assessment and user testing has been done, these issues could have been addressed earlier on.

Why am I writing this?

I am just a mere part of the Filipino community and I am not entitled to lobby an opinion. But you launch a campaign, #IAmBangkota, that encourages the public to express our support and be proud of Bangkota.

I would really love to, but how can I be proud, if my own experience doesn’t give me enough reasons to be proud?

I am writing to suggest that adjustments be made. 165 days more to go. That means 20+ million visitors can still have a better experience if we do the needed remedy. I believe we can do better. We don’t need to be top-notch, we just need to be more substantial.

Let’s maximize the opportunity of great global exposure within that huge space.

Critique is part of the design process. And I know what it’s like to be critiqued. So dear Bangkota team, please revisit the purpose. Please ask yourselves again, what is the primary call to action for this participation in Expo?

What experience would you want guests to have inside Bangkota? Enchanted? Educated? Or, disappointed?

What benefits are we giving the 700,000+ Filipinos in the UAE as far as reputation is concerned?

What value will people get when they exit the pavilion?

Many times, it’s not about being beautiful, it’s more about being useful.

I am hopeful that we can turn things around.

Sincerely,

Ion Gonzaga
Digital Transformation Consultant | UX Architect | Blogger

Back story

I was ecstatic about our country pavilion prior to the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai. I love the prototype the first time I saw it. The series of introductory events I attended since 2019 has given me a lot of reasons to get excited.

I was curious about the concept of showcasing that untold part of our history; at the same time, I was also curious how it will blend into the overarching theme of the Expo.

I am not the guy who complains a lot. In fact, I like your campaigns towards the opening – the theme song, the vibrant Tiktok group, even the mobile app idea (for Filipinos) – put altogether, they’re a great way to build curiosity.

A visit to our pavilion is on top of my list. I even compiled and shared 11 things you need to know about the pavilion, few days before the opening. And I’ve written a few articles about it.

The press releases were very encouraging, yet they were lacking. I thought, maybe just didn’t give away everything in press releases. Otherwise, what else is there to surprise the guests?

Apparently, we’ve read and seen it all in the news and social media.

Can you blame me if I expected much?