The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) has received candidature dossiers from the Republic of Korea (Busan), Italy (Rome), Ukraine (Odesa) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) to organise World Expo 2030. Submitting this candidature, dossiers, and comprehensive documents detailing each Expo project is a key and compulsory step for each candidate country to enter the project examination phase of the candidature process.

Candidature dossiers outline each candidate’s vision for the Expo, including details on the planned Expo site and experience, the theme, and the planned legacy. They also lay out projections on visit numbers, financing and costs. The contents of the candidature dossiers will notably serve as the basis for the work of BIE Enquiry Missions. The BIE Member States will use them to evaluate the interest of each Expo project, alongside the reports of the BIE Enquiry Missions and candidate presentations.

In October, the BIE’s Executive Committee had a meeting to discuss the evaluation of projects for World Expo 2030, including the organisation of Enquiry Missions, which are set to take place between January and March 2023. In late November, candidates can present their Expo projects to the Member States during the 171st General Assembly of the BIE.

The Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri S Kerkentzes: “We will study each candidate dossier closely to evaluate compliance with Expo rules. The theme development, site plans and participant and visitor forecasts outlined in each dossier also provide the BIE Member States with a detailed vision for each World Expo project.”

The Republic of Korea’s candidature is for a World Expo in Busan between 1 May and 31 October 2030 under the theme “Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future.”

At the end of the project examination phase, BIE Member States, on the principle of one country, one vote, will elect the World Expo 2030 host country by secret ballot during the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE, set to take place in November 2023.

World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings of nations addressing universal challenges of our time. These unparalleled global events offer a journey inside a chosen theme through engaging and immersive activities. Every five years lasting up to six months, World Expos welcome tens of millions of visitors, allow countries to build extraordinary pavilions, and transform the host city for years. The most recent World Expo, Expo 2020 Dubai, took place under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and received over 24 million visits between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022.

The next World Expo will take place in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, in 2025, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”