The next General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions, better known by its acronym ‘BIE’, will take place June 20-21 in Paris where its 179 members will vote on the last day of the event to select the winning candidate country for the Specialized Expo 2027/28 on the principle of one country, one vote.
The Specialized Expo program should not be confused with the BIE’s substantially larger World Expo program held every five years. The first World Expo was held in London in 1851; the most recent World Expo was held in Dubai in 2021-2022. The upcoming World Expo will be held in Osaka Japan over the April-October 2025 period.
The 1928 Paris Convention, amended and modified by the different protocols, currently governs the organization of international exhibitions.
Five projects will be considered by the 2023 General Assembly for the election of the next Specialized Expo: the candidatures of the United States (Minnesota), Thailand (Phuket), Serbia (Belgrade), Spain (Malaga), and Argentina (San Carlos de Bariloche).
The Department of State issued the following statement of support for Minnesota’s bid, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with the theme of “Healthy People, Healthy Planet – Wellness and Wellbeing for All.”
In launching the US bid in a Washington meeting, Blinken also noted that the theme aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 3 — Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Blinken said Expo 2027 Minnesota would convene, facilitate and energize conversations about the need to improve health and well-being worldwide.
Blinken’s statement is as follows:
On June 21, in Paris, the United States will present to the member states of the Bureau International des Expositions our bid to bring an international expo to Minnesota ahead of the selection vote. With a projected 14 million visits, it will serve as a gateway to the heartland of America.
The US bid, and theme of “Healthy People, Healthy Planet – Wellness and Wellbeing for All,” has never been more timely. In addition to offering nations of the world an unrivaled forum to expand business, trade, and tourism opportunities, our theme will spur conversations on cutting edge innovations in healthcare, green tech, and agriculture—convening the global community around international health and protecting our planet.
The state of Minnesota is the ideal choice to host, as it is home to the world’s largest health tech cluster, Medical Alley, and the nation’s top-rated hospital, Mayo Clinic. The region boasts one of the country’s most diverse economies and ranks first per capita among the 30 largest US metro areas in concentration of Fortune 500 companies. The proposed US site is “expo ready” with world-class and environmentally sustainable infrastructure, and easily accessible by nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The United States is eager to host Expo 2027 in Minnesota to convene international partners to work together in pursuit of innovative solutions to some of our most pressing shared challenges for our people and our planet.
I encourage all BIE member states to vote for the US bid to host the Specialized World Expo in 2027 in Minnesota.
After four tense rounds of voting, the BIE announced June 21 that the winner for Expo 2027 is Belgrade, Serbia. Belgrade’s theme will be “Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All,” and will be scheduled to run from 15 May – 15 August 2027.