German hosts in Expo go orange and green

With the prospect of living and working in the metropolis of Shanghai for over six months, jobs as hosts at the German Expo Pavilion were extremely coveted. But it's a job that not everyone is suitable for, says Florian Segelken. He is one of the senior hosts of the German Pavilion.

"The team of hosts that we have is certainly hand-picked," says Segelken. "200 hosts were selected from 3,500 candidates. All of them have come to Shanghai extremely dedicated to their work, they are all smart and also highly motivated."

The team is motivated by their affinity to Chinese culture and language. Most of them have either visited, studied in or even lived in China. About one third of the staff is comprised of ethnic Chinese who grew up or were even born in Germany. Fluency in Chinese, besides English and German, was a prerequisite.

Multicultural pavilion

The selection of the pavilion hosts also reflects modern German society – a society with multicultural roots. Germany will profit from this, especially when it comes to huge global events such as the Expo, says Florian Segelken.

"We have a lot of staff with international backgrounds. They are fluent in different languages: French, Russian, Mongolian, Arabic and so on. But also Korean and Japanese which are very important in China."

No matter what question, no matter what language – the German hosts will try to help all the visitors as best they can. And they are easy to identify in their bright orange uniforms. Even from far away, they are still catch the eye.

Orange for a change

Opinions are divided among the hosts, who will have to wear the uniform all day long. Some fear that they will be mistaken for Dutch instead of German hosts because of the orange color.

But others appreciate the innovative design of their clothes. One female host even says that their uniforms look like they are from another galaxy.

"Well, I think that the uniform looks very futuristic," she says. "You have to get used to the color. But from far distance – a bunch of Germans – looks like from a Star Trek movie. Somehow I like it!"

Biodegradable costume

And it’s not only the design that is futuristic. The material from which the lucent orange uniform is made, seems also to be from a science fiction-movie. Parts of the uniform are totally compostable. Visitors can observe different stages of the biodegradation of the clothes inside the exhibition. After a year, they will turn to soil.

After the end of the World Expo in Shanghai the German uniforms will be buried on the EXPO site and will be returned to the earth. But until then the German hosts will have to face millions of visitors. They won't able to hide from the crowd. Because their uniforms are simply too flashy.

Author: Chi Viet Giang (Shanghai)
Editor: Grahame Lucas