The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) announced yesterday, Tuesday, November 28, that Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has been chosen to host the 2030 World Expo after obtaining the required two-thirds majority of votes in the first round.
Following Dubai’s Expo 2020 and Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, this five-yearly event attracts millions of tourists and investors. Expo 2030 Riyadh will take place between 1 October 2030 and 31 March 2031, with the theme “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.”
Out of the 182 members of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Riyadh won the bid with 119 votes, followed by South Korea’s port city of Busan with 29 votes and Rome with 17 votes.
Busan’s topic of “Transforming Our World, Navigating Towards a Better Future” and Rome’s theme of “People and Territories: Regeneration, Inclusion, and Innovation” were also examined.
Expo 2020 Dubai, the most recent World Expo, had the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” and it drew over 24 million visitors. Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is set to take place from April 13 to October 13, 2025, with the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
Architect Sou Fujimoto has been named the event’s Expo Site Design Producer, in charge of establishing the master plan and directing the designers from the participating countries.
World Expos have constantly functioned as platforms for the introduction and promotion of new technologies and products, catalysing technological advancement and the birth of novel designs throughout their history.
