Thursday, March 28, 2024

US Conference of Mayors calls on US State Dept to bring back US-hosted world’s fairs

A resolution adopted by the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) at its 84th annual meeting urges the US State Department to take the necessary steps to enable the US to host world expos again. The last world’s fair on US soil was the Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans in 1984.

The USCM is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,407 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.

Image at top: President Carter visits the 1984 Louisiana World Expo in New Orleans.

During the Conference’s annual meeting, standing committees recommend policy positions. Those policy positions adopted at the annual meeting collectively represent the views of the nation’s mayors and are distributed to the President of the United States and Congress.

The USCM resolution concerning world expos states:

 

Resolution Bringing World Expos Back to the United States

WHEREAS, for over 150 years World Fairs have been one of the most important opportunities for cities in the United States to attract millions of visitors to explore the cultural, social and economic opportunities of their region; and

WHEREAS, the United States has hosted one or more World Fairs in nearly every decade – from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia through the 1984 Expo in New Orleans; and

WHEREAS, these Expos have been crucial to the expansion of tourism, economic development and infrastructure investment in host cities throughout our country; and

WHEREAS, there are currently a number of U.S. cities and regions where civic leaders have formed private-public partnerships to bid on hosting future World Fairs; and

WHEREAS, in order for our cities and regions to be able to engage in the global competition for hosting World Fairs the U.S. State Department of State needs to re-join the Bureau of International Expositions.

NOW, THEREFORE the United States Conference of Mayors calls on the State Department to take all steps necessary to rejoin the Bureau of International Expositions and to support efforts by U.S. cities to host future World Fairs.

Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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