157th Bureau International des Expositions General Assembly

On 9 June, the same date as Monaco Day at Expo Milano 2015, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held its 157th General Assembly in Paris. At the meeting, the many delegates who attended learned about the progress being made with regard to current and forthcoming expositions.

The Expo Milano 2015 “Feeding the Planet – Energy for Life”, which opened on 1 May, has been a huge success. According to the organisers’ data, 2.7 million people visited the site during the exposition’s first 31 days. Fifteen million visitors are expected by 31 October.

The Kazakh delegation provided an update on construction work for Expo Astana 2017, which is continuing at a brisk pace. The organisers are also focusing on developing the theme, “Future Energy”. Twenty-seven countries have now officially confirmed that they will participate in the exposition.

The report from Expo Dubai 2020, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, provided the BIE General Assembly with a detailed overview of the registration dossier which will be submitted for approval in November.

Representatives from the Antalya 2016 Horticultural Exposition “Flowers and Children” explained the progress that had been made in building structures including the Congress Centre, amphitheatres, logistics buildings and indoor gardens.

At the end of the meeting, the organisers of the 21st Triennale of Milan, “21st Century. Design after Design”, noted that official invitation letters had been sent by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to all members of the BIE.