With the opening of the new base tunnels through the Gotthard and Monte Ceneri, two of the strongest economic regions in Europe – Zurich and Milan – have moved together to three hours of travel time. The World Exhibition in Milan was a good opportunity to present Zurich's qualities to a broad Italian audience and to strengthen relations with the Milanese government, business and universities. Together with Zürich Tourism, the city and canton showed under the motto "Un Sorso di Zurigo – Energia per la Vita" in the Swiss Pavilion what effects clean water has on the innovative strength and quality of life of a region.

The Zurich exhibition attracted around 500,000 visitors for three months. In particular, the recyclable glass objects, the innovative DrinkPure water filter from the ETH spin-off Novamem and Aquaponic, a combined fish and vegetable farm that was further developed at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), were able to inspire the audience. Musical contributions from jazz to electro gave the Zurich performance a cultural dimension and the Swiss pavilion an urban touch.