In this episode of Plus Forty Nine, we speak with Henning Wehmeyer, Managing Director of EXPO 2035 Berlin GmbH, about the bold idea of bringing the World Expo back to Germany this time to Berlin. From the city’s open-air pianos symbolizing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals to the concept of a multi-centric expo that stretches across neighborhoods rather than staying confined to a single site, Henning shares how Berlin’s story of transformation from division to diversity could become a global stage for cooperation.
We explore how Expo 2035 aims to connect local projects with international dialogue, why civil society is driving the bid, and how Berlin can inspire solutions for sustainability, mobility, health, and peace. Along the way, Henning reflects on music as a universal connector, the lessons of past Expos, and the message he hopes to pass on to his children: that diversity, openness, and small steps can create big change.
