Bureau of International Exhibitions, World's Fair Decision Model by JDP ECON

Bureau of International Exhibitions - Headquartered in Paris, France, the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) was established in 1928 as the international treaty organization to sanction and monitor international exhibitions of long duration (over three weeks) and significant scale. As of the General Assembly meeting on March 31, 2008, the membership of the BIE included 152 signatory nations. The bureau currently handles a schedule of 4 major events per decade; the large scale "registered" world expos on the 0 and 5 year of the decade, whose bidding begins 9 years prior to the date in question, and two smaller scale "recognized" world expos, one held during the 1,2,3, or 4 years of a decade and the 2nd on the 6,7,8, or 9 year of a decade.

The two main criteria that distinguish between registered and recognized events are that recognized events are limited to 3 months in duration and 62 acres (25 hectares) in size. The large scale "registered" event can be on a universal or special theme scale, depending on the wishes of the organizers. The last "registered" exposition was Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan. The last small scale "registered" event was Expo 2008 held in Zaragoaza, Spain. The Bureau also sanctions the highest caliber international garden expositions (those with A1 status) of the Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). The most recent event was Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk 2006-7 held in Chiang Mai, China. Most decades see three events of A1 status recognized by the AIPH and BIE.

Events on the Horizon -

Presently Sanctioned: World Expo 2010 (BIE Registered Event with Universal Characteristics) to be held in Shanghai, China. May 1 to October 31, 2010.
Presently Sanctioned: World Expo 2012 (BIE Recognized Event, Small Scale Exposition, with Special Characteristics) to be held in Yeosu (Yosu), Republic of Korea (South Korea). May 13 to August 12, 2012.
Presently Sanctioned: World Expo 2015 (BIE Registered Event with Special Characteristics). Milan, Italy won the right to host Expo 2015 during a vote on March 31, 2008. This large scale "registered" exposition will be held in Milan, Italy after the the final vote in the 143rd session of the General Assembly saw Milan gain a majority of the votes among 151 voting member nations.

Upcoming Bids -

Expo 2018, Expo 2020: World Expo 2018 (BIE Recognized Event, Small Scale Exposition, with Special Characteristics) and World Expo 2020 (BIE Registered Large Scale Exposition with Universal Characteristics). The bidding process for the next recognized event can begin with candidate cities sending a letter of intention to bid for the event five years prior to their projected opening day with letters of intention for the next large scale registered exhibition, 2020, can be submitted nine years prior to their opening day. Candidates wishing to challenge a bid must do so within one year of the first submission for each event.

Current U.S.A. Status - As of May 2002, the U.S.A. withdrew from the Bureau of International Exhibitions. This does not preclude hosting or participation in B.I.E. events, however, hosting would be difficult to achieve without membership status due to voting procedures, and participation is more costly for non-member states. Currently several cities within the U.S.A. have made inquiries into potential hosting (New York, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco), however, it is imperative for those efforts, if they are to succeed, to change this stance.

If you are interested in joining the effort to change the stance within the United States toward the Bureau of International Exhibitions, please contact your U.S. Representative and Senator. Participation in the Bureau is controlled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; while coordination of a U.S. hosting arrangement is under the auspices of both the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. State Department. Recent staffing changes and the successful participation of the United States at Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan have begun to change minds within some departments of the U.S. government. Currently an effort to find private funding for a large United States pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, which may be the largest and most highly attended world's fair in history, are ongoing.

The expenses incurred to participate in international expositions, are currently prohibited to come from general U.S. treasury revenues and must be fundraised from private sources. Membership for nations in the B.I.E. costs approximately $35,000 per year.

The United States did not participate in Expo 2008 in Zargosa, Spain, and has had intent to participate at Expo 2010 with a privately funded pavilion for Shanghai. However, efforts to mount a pavilion at Expo 2010 have been troubled, and new efforts are underway by expo veterans from the United States to rectify the situation.

U.S. involvement in international expositions began in 1851 with the first world's fair in London, England and continued unabated until our withdrawal from our commitment to participate in Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany.

For links to the BIE and other upcoming Expo sources, visit our links page.