Representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) assessing the United States’ bid for Specialised Expo 2022/23 have completed the Enquiry Mission after visiting Minneapolis, the candidate city, and Washington D.C.

Members of the Enquiry Mission spent three days in Minneapolis to meet with organisers of the bid, led by Mark Ritchie, President and CEO, Minnesota World’s Fair Bid Committee, as well as State officials including Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith. They received detailed presentations of the bid project and visited the proposed site of the Expo, which is located near the University of Minnesota within the Towerside Innovation District.

Meetings were also held with business and civil society supporters of the bid project and members of Minnesota’s philanthropic community.

With regard to the proposed health and well-being theme for the Expo, delegates met with representatives from Minnesota-based healthcare organisation Mayo Clinic and manufacturing group 3M. They also held meetings with the organisers of major events in the State, including the Minnesota Super Bowl LII Host Committee.

The BIE delegation arrived in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, 22 March, where Members of the Enquiry Mission met with Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation in the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill. The following day, the delegation was received by representatives of the United States’ Federal Government, meeting officials at the Department of State and the Department of Commerce. As well as technical aspects, the delegation discussed the United States re-joining the BIE, as it is not currently a member of the organisation.

The Secretary General of the BIE stated that he is “pleased to be in Minnesota following the United States’ bid to organise this Specialised Expo, which if selected would be the first Expo to take place in North America since the 1980s.”