Representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) have completed their Enquiry Mission as part of the examination of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s candidature to organise World Expo 2030 in Riyadh under the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow”.

Members of the Enquiry Mission, led by the President of the BIE’s Administration and Budget Committee, Patrick Specht, looked into all aspects of the Expo project submitted by Saudi Arabia and laid out in its candidature dossier. The delegation was composed of Delegates of three BIE Member States, and the Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, and was accompanied by BIE officials.

Members of the Enquiry Mission, led by the President of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, Patrick Specht, meet with H.R.H. Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

Over the course of five days, Members of the Enquiry Mission received detailed presentations of the candidature project, visited the proposed Expo site, and exchanged with national and local officials, as well as representatives of the business community and members of civil society.

Members of the Enquiry Mission, who arrived in Riyadh on 5 March, met with H.R.H. Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, as well as with several government ministers, including the Minister of Finance, H.E. Mohammed Al Jadaan, the Minister of Economy and Planning, H.E. Faisal Al-Ibrahim, the Minister of Investment, H.E. Khalid Al Falih, the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, H.E. Saleh Al Jasser, and the Minister of Tourism, H.E. Ahmed Al Khateeb. The delegation was also received by H.E. Fahd Al-Rasheed, the CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).

Members of the Enquiry Mission received detailed presentations of the candidature project.

The candidature dossier submitted by Saudi Arabia outlines a vision for a World Expo addressing the world’s constant transformation and providing opportunities for exchange to change the trajectory of the planet’s future towards a better tomorrow. The Expo would be held between 1 October 2030 and 31 March 2031 on a 338-hectare site situated north of Riyadh City around the Wadi Al Sulai. The candidature committee forecasts that 196 countries and 29 international organisations would participate in the Expo and that it would receive 40.7 million visits during its six-month opening period.

The Enquiry Mission to Saudi Arabia is the first to be carried out as part of the project evaluation phase for World Expo 2030. Enquiry Missions to the other candidate countries – the Republic of Korea, Ukraine and Italy – are scheduled in the next two months. The findings of the Enquiry Missions will be discussed by the BIE’s Executive Committee in May 2023, which will decide to forward to the General Assembly the candidatures it considers to be feasible and viable. In November 2023, during the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE, the host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected via secret ballot by BIE Member States, on the principle of one country, one vote.

World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings of nations addressing universal challenges of our time. These unparalleled global events offer a journey inside a chosen theme through engaging and immersive activities. Taking place every five years and lasting up to six months, World Expos welcome tens of millions of visitors, allow countries to build extraordinary pavilions, and transform the host city for years to come.

The most recent World Expo, Expo 2020 Dubai, took place under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and received over 24 million. The next World Expo will take place in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, between 13 April and 13 October 2025, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.