Minnesota World’s Fair Bid Committee urges US to rejoin the BIE

For more than 30 years, the U.S. was a member of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), a treaty organization that regulates and schedules world expositions. The U.S. withdrew from the BIE in 2001, raising a significant barrier for U.S. cities that wish to host a world’s fair of their own.

The Minnesota World’s Fair Bid Committee (MN-2023) is preparing a bid to host a three-month long world’s fair in 2023. To support MN-2023’s bid, this report examines how and why the U.S. withdrew from the BIE and its impact on hosting future expos in the US. This report also proposes a political strategy for rejoining the BIE.

Click to access a PDF of the full report: Case for Rejoining the BIE_June2015

Prepared for: Mark Ritchie, Minnesota World’s Fair Bid Committee

Prepared by: Toumil Reza Samonte Allen, Master of Public Policy Candidate, The Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

Faculty Adviser: Bruce Jentleson, Ph.D.

Want to know more about US involvement at world expos? See “Tales from the Expo” by James Ogul.