Expo 2020: How Does The Bidding Process Work?

This Wednesday, 27th November, Dubai and the UAE will find out if it has won the right to host the 2020 World Expo.

But how has the bidding process got to this point, and who gets to cast an all-important vote to help decide the winner?

Consisting of 168 member counties, the Bureau Internatioal des Expositions (BIE) is the intergovernmental organisation in charge of the calendar, bidding process, selection and the organization of World Expos.

Based in Paris, where the announcement will be made this week, the BIE’s mission is to: “maintain the integrity and quality of Expos so that they may continue to educate the public and promote innovation in the service of human progress”.

So how does the bidding process work, and what will happen on the 27th?

– The bidding process for the rights to host the World Expo begins six years before the proposed date of exhibition.

– The national government of a candidate city is required to place the bid on the behalf of the contestant. Once a candidate city places a bid to host the expo, all the other countries should place their bids within the next six months.

– In the period between the bid and final vote by the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE), the candidate cities will further develop their bid by proposing a theme, site and a plan.

– On the day of final voting process, all member-nations of the BIE are required to vote for the city of their choice.

– The winning city has to earn around 50 per cent of the member votes. If none of the cities get a 50 per cent vote, then lowest scoring candidates are eliminated until one of them garners around 50 per cent of the votes.

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