EXPO has been bringing together the world’s innovators for over 150 years, to demonstrate science and technology developments for the public to be inspired and for businesses to be discovered. EXPO is a global event that aims at educating the public, promoting progress and fostering cooperation through interactive exhibitions, live shows, workshops, conferences and more. It is the world’s largest meeting place of countries, the private sector, the civil society and the general public.
World EXPO: The Origins
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is the intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating World EXPOs, also known as World’s Fairs since 1931. World EXPOs welcome tens of millions of visitors and allow countries to build extraordinary pavilions. EXPOs have the potential to transform the landscape of a city for years to come. In recent times, World EXPOs no longer solely showcase industrial progress and national prestige. Increasingly, they are discussion platforms aimed at finding solutions to universal challenges of our time, such as urbanism (EXPO Shanghai 2010) or nutrition (EXPO Milan 2015). They take place every 5 years and last up to 6 months.
Specialised Expos: A Breakdown
Established by the BIE in 1988, Specialised EXPOs are global events dedicated to finding solutions to precise challenges of humanity, such as ocean protection (EXPO Yeosu 2012) or the future of energy (EXPO Astana 2017). While their entertainment and intellectual ambition is on par with World EXPOs, the event is smaller in size.