Bureau International des Expositions facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bureau international des expositions
International Bureau of Expositions

Member states as of May 2022
Formation	22 November 1928; 96 years ago (1928-11-22)
Type	International exhibitions
Headquarters	Paris, France
Membership	183 members
President	Alain Berger
Secretary General	Dimitri S. Kerkentzes

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is a special group of governments from different countries. It was created to look after big international events called Expos (also known as World Expos or global expos). These Expos are like huge festivals where countries show off their ideas and inventions.

What the BIE Does

The BIE was started in Paris, France, on November 22, 1928. Its main goals are:

• To manage the schedule, choosing, and planning of World Expos.
• To create rules for how Expo organizers and participants can work together best.

Today, 183 countries are members of the BIE. They follow the rules set by the BIE.

The BIE oversees two main types of Expos:

• Registered Exhibitions, usually called World Expos.
• Recognized Exhibitions, usually called Specialized Expos.

Since 1960, the BIE also recognizes big garden shows called Horticultural Exhibitions. These are regulated by the International Association of Horticultural Producers. The BIE also recognizes the Milan Triennial Exhibition, which is a famous art and design show in Italy.

Types of Expos

How Expo Rules Changed

Since the BIE started in 1928, the rules for Expos have changed over time. These rules decide how long an Expo can last, how often it can happen, how big it can be, and how buildings are made.

At first, the BIE recognized two types of Expos:

• General Exhibitions (World Expos), split into two categories.
• Special Exhibitions (Specialized Expos).

In 1980, new rules came into effect. They simplified the types to:

• World Exhibitions (World Expos).
• Specialized Exhibitions (Specialized Expos).

Even newer rules were made in 1996. They made the difference clearer:

• International Registered Exhibitions (World Expos).
• International Recognized Exhibitions (Specialized Expos).

Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain, was the first Specialized Expo to follow these newest rules. These rules are still used today.

The BIE also recognizes special garden shows and the Milan Triennial Exhibition, as mentioned before.

World Expos

World Expos are also known as International Registered Exhibitions. They can happen every five years and can last up to six months. Countries, international groups, and companies can all take part.

The themes for World Expos are about big challenges facing humanity. For example, "Man and His World" was a theme for Expo '67 in Montreal, Canada. "Age of Discoveries" was the theme for Seville Expo '92 in Spain.

Countries can build their own unique buildings, called pavilions, at World Expos. They can also use buildings provided by the organizers. Building your own pavilion costs more.

World Expos are very, very big. They can cover areas as large as 300 or 400 football fields! For example, Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, was 528 hectares (about 1,300 acres). Pavilions can also be huge, like mini-cities themselves. Some are 5,000 to 10,000 square meters (about 54,000 to 108,000 square feet).

Millions of people visit World Expos. Expo 2010 in Shanghai had 70 million visitors! Because so many people visit, transport and other services are very important. Hosting a World Expo and having a pavilion there can be very expensive.

Specialized Expos

Specialized Expos are also called International Recognized Exhibitions. They happen between World Expos and last from three weeks to three months. Countries and other groups can participate.

The theme of a Specialized Expo is very specific. For example, "Future Energy" was the theme for Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. "Living Oceans and the Coast" was the theme for Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea.

At Specialized Expos, the organizers build the pavilions. Participants then decorate them to fit their needs. The largest pavilion can't be bigger than 1,000 square meters (about 10,700 square feet). The whole Expo site must be smaller than 25 hectares (about 62 acres). This makes Specialized Expos cheaper to run than World Expos.

Before the rules changed in 1996, some Specialized Expos were quite large. For example, Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada, and Expo '85 in Tsukuba, Japan, lasted six months. They also had many visitors, sometimes more than World Expos of that time. Some of these older Specialized Expos even had individual pavilions for countries.

Member Countries

183 countries are members of the BIE:

Former Members

Australia

Australia used to be a member and even hosted the 1988 World Exposition. In 2015, Australia decided to leave the BIE. They felt the yearly cost was too high and didn't offer enough benefits.

Canada

On October 16, 2012, Canada also stopped being a member of the BIE. The Canadian government decided to stop paying the yearly fee to save money.

Rejoined Members

United States (non-member 2001–2017)

The United States hosted several BIE-approved Expos after World War II. These included the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle (1962) and others in San Antonio, Spokane, Washington, Knoxville, Tennessee, and New Orleans. However, the 1964-65 New York World's Fair happened without BIE approval.

The U.S. left the BIE in 2001 because its government didn't provide funds for the membership fee. Even though they weren't members, the U.S. still had pavilions at Expos in Japan (2005), China (2010), South Korea (2012), and Italy (2015). However, not being a member made it hard for U.S. cities to host an Expo.

The U.S. rejoined the BIE on May 10, 2017. This happened after a new law was signed, as Minnesota was hoping to host a Specialized Expo in 2023.

Expo Mascots

Since 1984, Expos have had fun cartoon characters as their official mascots. The first one was Seymore D. Fair for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. His name was a play on words, meaning "see more of the fair."

Other famous mascots include Curro at Seville Expo '92, Twipsy at Expo 2000 in Hanover, and Haibao at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The mascots' names and designs often show something special about the city hosting the Expo.

Symbols

The official song of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is part of the fourth movement of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World".

See also

• List of world expositions – a list of all Expos approved by the BIE.
• List of world's fairs – a bigger list of all world's fairs, including those not approved by the BIE.