The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE; English: International Exhibitions Bureau) is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions (also known as expos, global expos or world expos) falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions.
History
The BIE was established by the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions, signed in Paris on 22 November 1928, with the following goals:
- to oversee the calendar, the bidding, the selection and the organization of World Expositions; and
- to establish a regulatory framework under which Expo organizers and participants may work together under the best conditions.
The Convention stipulated that it would enter into effect one month after it was determined that at least seven countries had ratified it. This condition was met on 17 December 1930, and the first meeting of the Administrative Council of the BIE was held from 17–19 January 1931. At the meeting, it was agreed that the organization would have its headquarters in Paris.
The BIE was inactive during World War II. It was revived with a conference held on 10 May 1948, at which a new protocol was adopted to amend the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions. Further amendments were made in 1966, 1972, 1982, and 1988.
Under the original protocol of the 1928 Paris Convention, the BIE recognised two types of Expos:
- General Exhibitions (also known as World Expos), which were divided into:
- 1st category
- 2nd category
- Special Exhibitions (also known as Specialised Expos)
The Protocol of 30 November 1972 revised the original Convention, entering into force in 1980. Under these new rules, two types of Expos were recognised:
- Universal Exhibitions (also known as World Expos)
- Specialised Exhibitions (also known as Specialised Expos)
A new amendment was adopted in 1988 and ratified in 1996, further distinguishing the two types of Expos:
- International Registered Exhibitions (commonly referred to as World Expos)
- International Recognised Exhibitions (commonly referred to as Specialised Expos)
Expo 2008 in Zaragoza was the first Specialised Expo to be organised under these new rules, which continue to be in force to this day.
The BIE may also grant recognition to A1 Horticultural Exhibitions approved by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) since 1960, and to the Triennale di Milano since 1933.
World Expos
According to the 1988 Amendment of the Convention on International Exhibitions, World Expos (formally known as International Registered Exhibitions) may occur every five years, and may last up to six months. Countries, international organizations, civil societies, and corporations are allowed to participate in World Expos. The themes of World Expos address a universal challenge facing humanity, and international participants may design and build their own pavilions. Participants may also opt to customise a pavilion provided by the Organiser or to participate within a joint pavilion, which has lower participation costs. Examples of themes of recent World Expos include "Man and His World" for Expo '67 in Montreal, and "Age of Discoveries" for Seville Expo '92, and examples of joint pavilion buildings for a Registered Exposition is the Plaza of America at Seville's Expo '92, which was constructed by the Seville Expo Authority to maximize participation at the World Expo by South American nations. The Plaza of Africa at Seville was constructed for the same purpose.
World Expos are also massive in scale, sometimes 300 or 400 hectares in size (Montreal's Expo 67 was 410 hectares, Osaka's Expo 70 was 330 hectares, Seville's Expo '92 was 215 hectares and Shanghai's Expo 2010, 528 hectares). Pavilions participating at a World Expo can also be large, sometimes 5,000 to 10,000 square metres in size, mini city blocks in themselves and sometimes more than several stories in height. (The Australia Pavilion for Shanghai 2010 was 5,000 square metres, the British Pavilion sat on a 6,000 square metres lot, as did the Canadian Pavilion. The flagship Chinese National Pavilion had 20,000 square metres of exhibition space.)
World Expos have been known to average 200,000 persons per day of visitors and some 50 to 70 million visitors during their six-month duration. Montreal's Expo 67 attracted 54 million visitors, Osaka's Expo '70, 64 million visitors, the Seville Expo '92, 41 million visitors and Shanghai's Expo 2010 attracted 70 million visitors.
As a result, transport and other infrastructure at a Registered Exposition is an important concern (Seville's World Expo of 1992 boasted cable car, monorail, boat, and bus) and the overall cost for hosting and being represented at a World Expos is quite high, compared to the smaller-scale Specialised Expos.
Specialised Expos
Specialised Expos (formally known as International Recognised Exhibitions) may occur between World Expos and may have a duration of between three weeks and three months. Countries, international organizations, civil societies, and corporations are allowed to participate but the theme of the Expo must address a precise challenge, e.g. Future Energy (Expo 2017 Astana), or Living Oceans and the Coast (Expo 2012 Yeosu). The pavilions are built by the Organiser and made available to participants who may customise them. The largest pavilion may be no larger than 1,000 square meters, and the Expo site must not exceed an area of twenty-five hectares. For this reason Specialised Expos are cheaper to run than World Expos.
There are blurred lines between Specialized and World Expositions prior to the 1996 amendment of the BIE's constitution. Some Specialized Expos, such as Expo 86 in Vancouver, Expo '85 in Tsukuba, or Hemisfair '68, ran for six months and pulled in greater attendance numbers than their 'World Expo' relatives. Many of these specialized expos also had individual pavilions for their participants or covered a greater exhibition site than other World Expos of the era. According to the new amendment, there were only two World Expos between 1970 and 1992 with over 12 Specialized Expos in that same period. Most of these indeed are smaller exhibitions on a focused theme, but some, such as Expo 86 and Expo 88, were intended as full-fledged World Expos. Others, such as Expo 74, the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, or Expo '85, were specialized exhibitions that were promoted as full World Expos.
Organizational structure
Decisions, such as which city will host a future exposition, are made by the General Assembly of the BIE, which meets twice per year. Each member state has one vote in the General Assembly, and a quorum of two-thirds of the member states must be present for deliberations to begin. The General Assembly elects 12 members each to the Executive Committee, which examines applications from prospective Expo hosts and oversees the progress of Expos that are under construction, and the Rules Committee, which is responsible for establishing regulations that Expos must follow and examining the rules created by each Expo for itself. The BIE's other committees, which have nine members each and are not elected by the General Assembly, are the Administration and Budget Committee, responsible for the BIE's internal budget, and the Information and Communication Committee, which develops communication strategies for the BIE and advises Expo organisers on doing the same. Day-to-day management of the BIE's activities is conducted by the Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General, who is chosen by the General Assembly.
List of General Assembly sessions
Below is a list of sessions of the General Assembly of the BIE. The General Assembly meets twice per year, typically either at BIE headquarters in Paris, in Monaco, or (since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) virtually via teleconferencing.
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ class="nowrap" | List of General Assembly sessions
|-
! No. !! Dates !! Activities
|-
| 1 || 1931 ||
|-
| 2 || 1932 ||
|-
| 3 || 27 October 1932 || Registered Brussels as host of Expo 1935
|-
| 4 || 1933 ||
|-
| 5 || 1934 ||
|-
| 6 || 23 October 1934 || Registered Paris as host of Expo 1937 and Stockholm as host of ILIS 1936
|-
| 7 || May 1935 ||
|-
| 8 || October 1935 ||
|-
| 9 || May 1936 ||
|-
| 10 || 26–27 November 1936 ||
|-
| 11 || 4 May 1937 || Registered New York as host of 1939 World's Fair and Helsinki as host of Expo 1938
|-
| 12 || 28 October 1937 || Registered Liège as host of Exposition internationale de l'eau
|-
| 13 || 4–5 April 1938 || Registered Rome as host of Esposizione universale (1942)
|-
| 14 || 1938 or 1939 ||
|-
| 15 || 6 October 1939 ||
|-
| 16 || May 1940 ||
|-
| 17 || 11 June 1946 || Registered Paris as host of Expo 1947
|-
| 18 || December 1946 ||
|-
| 19 || June 1947 ||
|-
| 20 || December 1947 ||
|-
| 21 || June 1948 ||
|-
| 22 || 5 December 1948 || Registered Port-au-Prince as host of Expo 1949
|-
| 23 || 13 June 1949 || Registered Stockholm as host of Universal Sport Exhibition and Lyon as host of Exhibition of Rural Habitat
|-
| 24 || 1949 ||
|-
| 25 || 1949 or 1950 ||
|-
| 26 || 1950 ||
|-
| 27 || 1950 ||
|-
| 28 || 13 November 1951 || Registered Jerusalem as host of Conquest of the Desert
|-
| 29 || May 1952 ||
|-
| 30 || 4 November 1952 || Registered Rome as host of EA 53
|-
| 31 || 15 May 1953 || Registered Naples as host of The International Exhibition of Navigation
|-
| 32 || 5 November 1953 || Registered Brussels as host of Expo 58
|-
| 33 || 3 June 1954 || Registered Turin as host of The International Expo of Sport (1955)
|-
| 34 || 4 November 1954 || Registered Helsingborg as host of Expo 1955
|-
| 35 || May 1955 ||
|-
| 36 || 8 November 1955 || Registered Beit Dagan as host of Exhibition of citriculture
|-
| 37 || May 1956 ||
|-
| 38 || 13 November 1956 || Registered Berlin as host of Interbau 1957
|-
| 39 || May 1957 ||
|-
| 40 || November 1957 ||
|-
| 41 || May 1958 ||
|-
| 42 || November 1958 ||
|-
| 43 || 5 May 1959 || Registered Turin as host of Expo 61
|-
| 44 || November 1959 ||
|-
| 45 || 1960 ||
|-
| 46 || 1960 ||
|-
| 47 || 8 November 1960 || Registered Seattle as host of Century 21 Exposition and rejected New York as host of 1964 World's Fair
|-
| 48 || May 1961 ||
|-
| 49 || November 1961 ||
|-
| 50 || May 1962 ||
|-
| 51 || 13 November 1962 || Registered Montreal as host of Expo 67 and Munich as host of IVA 65
|-
| 52 || 1963 ||
|-
| 53 || 1963 ||
|-
| 54 || 1963 ||
|-
| 55 || 22 June 1964 ||
|-
| 56 || November 1964 ||
|-
| 57 || 12 May 1965 ||
|-
| 58 || 17 November 1965 || Registered San Antonio as host of HemisFair '68
|-
| 59 || 11 May 1966 || Registered Osaka as host of Expo '70
|-
| 60 || November 1966 ||
|-
| 61 || May 1967 ||
|-
| 62 || November 1967 ||
|-
| 63 || 9 May 1968 || Registered Budapest as host of Expo 71
|-
| 64 || November 1969 ||
|-
| 65 || May 1969 ||
|-
| 66 || November 1969 ||
|-
| 67 || May 1970 ||
|-
| 68 || 18 November 1970 || Conditionally registered Philadelphia as host of the 1976 Bicentennial Exposition
|-
| 69 || May 1971 ||
|-
| 70 || 24 November 1971 || Registered Spokane as host of Expo '74
|-
| 71 || 25 May 1972 || Registered Okinawa as host of Expo '75
|-
| 72 || 29–30 November 1972 || Introduced the Protocol of 1972 amending the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions
|-
| 73 || May 1973 ||
|-
| 74 || 29 November 1973 ||
|-
| 75 || 20 June 1974 ||
|-
| 76 || 4 December 1974 ||
|-
| 77 || 30 April 1975 ||
|-
| 78 || 11 December 1975 ||
|-
| 79 || 28 April 1976 ||
|-
| 80 || 17 November 1976 || Conditionally registered Los Angeles as host of Expo '81
|-
| 81 || 27 April 1977 || Registered Knoxville as host of the 1982 World's Fair
|-
| 82 || 14 December 1977 ||
|-
| 83 || 5 July 1978 ||
|-
| 84 || 14 December 1978 ||
|-
| 85 || June 1979 ||
|-
| 86 || December 1979 ||
|-
| 87 || 12 June 1980 || Registered Plovdiv as host of Expo 81
|-
| 88 || 26 November 1980 || Registered Vancouver as host of Expo 86
|-
| 89 || 22 April 1981 || Registered New Orleans as host of 1984 World's Fair and Tsukuba as host of Expo 85
|-
| 90 || 9 December 1981 ||
|-
| 91 || 24 June 1982 ||
|-
| 92 || 8 December 1982 || Registered Paris as host of Exposition Universelle (1989) and Chicago as host of 1992 World's Fair
|-
| 93 || 15 June 1983 || Registered Seville as host of Expo '92
|-
| 94 || 7 December 1983 || Registered Brisbane as host of World Expo 88
|-
| 95 || 30 May 1984 || Registered Plovdiv as host of Expo 85
|-
| 96 || December 1984 ||
|-
| 97 || June 1985 ||
|-
| 98 || December 1985 ||
|-
| 99 || June 1986 ||
|-
| 100 || December 1986 ||
|-
| 101 || June 1987 ||
|-
| 102 || December 1987 || Registered Genoa as host of Expo '92
|-
| 103 || June 1988 ||
|-
| 104 || 14 December 1988 || Registered Plovdiv as host of Expo 91
|-
| 105 || June 1989 ||
|-
| 106 || December 1989 || Registered Budapest and Vienna as joint hosts of Expo 95
|-
| 107 || 14 June 1990 || Elected Hannover as host of Expo 2000
|-
| 108 || 12 December 1990 || Registered Taejŏn as host of Expo '93
|-
| 109 || June 1991 ||
|-
| 110 || December 1991 ||
|-
| 111 || June 1992 ||
|-
| 112 || 4 December 1992 || Registered Budapest as host of Expo '96
|-
| 113 || June 1993 ||
|-
| 114 || 5 December 1993 ||
|-
| 115 || 8 June 1994 || Registered Lisbon as host of Expo '98
|-
| 116 || December 1994 ||
|-
| 117 || June 1995 ||
|-
| 118 || December 1995 ||
|-
| 119 || 5 June 1996 ||
|-
| 120 || December 1996 ||
|-
| 121 || 12 June 1997 || Elected Aichi as host of Expo 2005
|-
| 122 || December 1997 ||
|-
| 123 || 5 June 1998 || Registered Manila as host of Expo 2002
|-
| 124 || December 1998 ||
|-
| 125 || June 1999 ||
|-
| 126 || 8 December 1999 ||
|-
| 127 || June 2000 ||
|-
| 128 || 15 December 2000 || Registered Aichi as host of Expo 2005
|-
| 129 || 6 June 2001 ||
|-
| 132 || 3 December 2002 || Elected Shanghai as host of Expo 2010
|-
| 133 || June 2003 ||
|-
| 134 || December 2003 ||
|-
| 135 || 23 June 2004 ||
|-
| 136 || 16 December 2004 ||
|-
| 137 || 27 June 2005 ||
|-
| 138 || 1 December 2005 || Registered Shanghai as host of Expo 2010 and Zaragoza as host of Expo 2008
|-
| 139 || 30 June 2006 ||
|-
| 141 || 18–19 June 2007 ||
|-
| 142 || 27 November 2007 ||
|-
| 143 || 31 March 2008 || Elected Milan as host of Expo 2015
|-
| 144 || 2 December 2008 || Elected Yeosu as host of Expo 2012
|-
| 145 || 2 June 2009 ||
|-
| 146 || 24 November 2009 ||
|-
| 147 || 1 July 2010 ||
|-
| 148 || 23 November 2010 || Registered Milan as host of Expo 2015
|-
| 149 || 14 June 2011 ||
|-
| 150 || 22–23 November 2011 ||
|-
| 151 || 11–12 June 2012 ||
|-
| 152 || 22 November 2012 || Elected Astana as host of Expo 2017
|-
| 153 || 11–12 June 2013 ||
|-
| 154 || 26–27 November 2013 || Elected United Arab Emirates as host country of Expo 2020
|-
| 155 || 11 June 2014 || Registered Astana as host of Expo 2017 and Beijing as host of Expo 2019
|-
| 156 || 26 November 2014 ||
|-
| 157 || 9 June 2015 ||
|-
| 158 || 25 November 2015 || Registered Dubai as host of Expo 2020
|-
| 159 || 15 June 2016 ||
|-
| 160 || 23 November 2016 ||
|-
| 161 || 13–14 June 2017 ||
|-
| 162 || 14–15 November 2017 || Elected Buenos Aires as host of Expo 2023 and recognized Almere as host of Floriade 2022
|-
| 163 || 12–13 June 2018 ||
|-
| 164 || 22–23 November 2018 || Elected Osaka as host of Expo 2025 and Doha as host of Horticultural Expo 2021
|-
| 165 || 28 May 2019 ||
|-
| 166 || 27 November 2019 ||
|-
| 167 || 1 December 2020 ||
|-
| 168 || 29 June 2021 ||
|-
| 169 || 14 December 2021 ||
|-
| 170 || 20–21 June 2022 ||
|-
| 171 || 28–29 November 2022 ||
|-
| 172 || 20–21 June 2023 || Elected Belgrade as host of Expo 2027
|-
| 173 || 28 November 2023 || Elected Riyadh as host of Expo 2030
|-
| 174 || 18 June 2024 ||
|-
| 175 || 26 November 2024 ||
|-
| 176 || 17 June 2025 ||
|-
| 177 || 25 November 2025 ||
|-
|}
Member states
As of 2026, 184 countries are member states of the BIE. Membership in the BIE is not required for a country to create a pavilion at an Expo, but only member states can vote to decide where Expos will be hosted, with each country receiving one vote. While membership is not technically required for a country to host an Expo, an event can only be awarded to a non-member state if there are no member states in the running and if the non-member state receives at least two-thirds of votes, making it unlikely in practice.
Before the competitive bidding process for Expo hosting sites was established, the BIE had only a few dozen members. Since then, candidate cities have encouraged most of the world's smaller countries to join the BIE in the hopes of getting their votes. In the weeks leading up to the June 1997 vote on the host city for Expo 2005, for instance, 31 countries joined the BIE for the first time and another four rejoined after previously allowing their memberships to lapse, bringing the total number of member states from 47 to 82.