What the Expo is

Expo — once World's Fair — is the generic name used for any of various large exhibitions held since the mid-19th century. The official international body which sets the frequency and sees to the quality and organization of Expos is the Bureau of International Expositions (usually abbreviated BIE), set up under a 1928 international convention signed in Paris: 98 countries belong to the BIE at present.

BIE-regulated events are all international exhibitions of a non-commercial nature with a duration of more than three weeks, which are officially organised by a nation and to which invitations to other nations are issued through diplomatic channels.

The first International Exhibition is generally considered to have been the one held in London in 1851.

The success of that event stimulated other countries to hold similar events, such as the Paris Exhibition of 1889, widely remembered for the building of the Eiffel Tower.

From the start, the BIE has distinguished between two categories of exhibition: universal expos and specialized expos.

Universal Expos and International Expos

Here are the main features of these two categories of exhibition:

International Registered Exhibition (or World Exhibition). Usually known as “Universal Expo”

Frequency: every five years

Duration: 6 months at most

Size (area): no limit

Theme: general (involving the whole range of human experience)

International Recognised Exhibition Usually known as “International Exhibition”

Frequency: during the interval between two International Registered Exhibitions

Duration: 3 months at most

Size (area): no more than 25 hectares

Theme: specialized