facts and fiction, a creative agency specialising in experiential spaces, will be involved in two national presentations at the 2027 expo in the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
The agency, which has more than 25 years of expo experience, is developing the concept and design for the German and Austrian pavilions and will oversee overall planning and implementation.
The upcoming international expo is scheduled from 15 May to 15 August 2027. Titled ‘Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All’, this will be the first expo in Southeast Europe, focusing on how games, sport, and music can unite people.
Germany! Out of the Box
The German Pavilion at Expo 2027, named ‘Germany! Out of the Box’, reflects the main theme ‘Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All’ through a distinct German perspective. It emphasises how games serve as both a cultural technology and a catalyst for innovation.
New ideas arise through free play, fostering curiosity, experimentation, and new perspectives, leading to solutions by questioning rules. Thus, ‘thinking out of the box’ is central to the German presentation.
The pavilion embodies the concept spatially, appearing as a solid body with elements in Germany’s colours. Inside, it becomes a ‘playground of innovation,' featuring box-themed displays of German innovations in sport and music, allowing visitors to experience through play.
facts and ficion's design for Germany! Out of the Box reflects the main theme ‘Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All’ Image courtesy of facts and fiction
Each architectural box focuses on an innovation, theme, and interaction, with content provided by German companies, start-ups, or research institutions. Ambassadors from sport, music, or science make themes more accessible.
The pavilion shows how innovation can emerge from play, imagination, and new perspectives.
“A specialised expo is always focused more on a specific theme. In the case of the German Pavilion, this means that we are not looking at Germany in general but rather from the perspective of sport and music," says Marco Hückel, managing partner at facts and fiction.
"The challenge here is to design a self-contained visitor experience that feels like an invitation to go on a voyage of discovery. With ‘Germany! Out of the Box.’, our aim is very much to paint a modern, dynamic picture of Germany.
"We are showing a country that dares to explore new perspectives and that makes people look forward to the future – in a way that is open, approachable and fun.”
Join the Flow: Austria
The Austrian pavilion embodies the core concept, ‘Österreich schafft Spielraum’—a pun that suggests both ‘Austria creates space to play’ and ‘Austria provides room to manoeuvre’—through a spatial, theme-oriented experience.
It begins with the Danube River, connecting Austria and Serbia, symbolising a shared cultural and economic region and illustrating the free movement of people, knowledge, ideas, and collaborations.
The 'Join the Flow’ narrative motif guides visitors through the pavilion. A digital river visual connects various exhibition zones, enabling immersive experiences of Austria from multiple viewpoints at interactive stations.
Austria showcases itself as a future-focused hub of commerce, industry, innovation, and culture, merging technological expertise with creativity, education, sustainability, and a high quality of life.
The pavilion serves as an open platform for human interaction, dialogue, and collaboration, rather than simply showcasing Austrian achievements. It demonstrates how diverse perspectives can generate new ideas and how Austria and its partners are addressing future economic, social, and technological challenges.
In facts and fiction's design for the Austria pavilion, the 'Join the Flow’ narrative motif guides visitors through the experience
The flexible InnoLab offers space for projects from business, industry, research, and innovation, and on certain days, functions as a teaching, art, or sustainability lab.
This allows Austrian companies, research, educational institutions, and artists to showcase their ideas internationally and foster new collaborations.
Austria’s contribution establishes it as a reliable neighbor and bridge builder between Central Europe, the Danube region, and Southeast Europe. Expo 2027 in Belgrade will serve as a key platform to strengthen Serbia's economic, cultural, and social links with the region.
“Austria is not going to the Belgrade Expo just to show what our country can do – above all, it wants to show what can be achieved by working together," says Alf Netek, project manager of Austria’s expo presentation.
"Our pavilion combines business, industry, innovation and culture with Austria’s partnership with Serbia and the region. The Danube is the ideal symbol for this – it brings people and ideas together rather than dividing them and provides a space for thinking about the future.”
Expo experience
These projects build on the recent successes of facts and fiction.
The German Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka won the Grand Prix in the Spatial Experience category at the 2026 Art Directors Club Competition. It ranked among the Top 10 submissions and was second overall. facts and fiction received seven ADC Nails for the German Pavilion.
Additionally, the Austrian Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka earned three Nails at the same competition.
The Expo works have garnered numerous awards, including the BrandEx Award, the German Design Award, the iF Communication Design Award, the Exhibit Design Award, the World Expo Awards, the World Expolympics Awards, the BIE Awards, and the ICONIC AWARDS.
The German Pavilion specifically has received over 20 awards so far. This international recognition of the Austrian presentation also offers a strong basis for the ongoing conceptual development of the pavilion in Belgrade.
facts and fiction created its first pavilion for the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) at Expo 2000 in Hanover.
Since then, it has participated in many international expos, including the German Pavilion at Expo 2012 in Yeosu; pavilions for Monaco and Kazakhstan at Expo 2015 in Milan, France, and Azerbaijan at Expo 2017 in Astana; and national presentations for Germany, Monaco, Belgium, and Jordan at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
It participated in three countries at Expo 2025 in Osaka, working on pavilions for Germany, Austria, and the European Union.
“After 25 years in the expo business, we know full well that a pavilion is always the result of teamwork, with people from a wide range of disciplines putting their heart and soul into the project," says Dietmar Jähn, managing partner at facts and fiction.
"When the doors open on the first day and you can see the idea coming to life and wowing people from all over the world – that is the moment that makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Earlier this year, facts and fiction presented a new film, FULL CIRCLE – Creating the German Pavilion, showing how the intricate idea of a circular economy was transformed into spatial experiences within the German Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.
