The hours and minutes are passing slowly today, Tuesday, in Paris, where anticipation is high to learn which city the members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will choose to host "Expo 2030." The competition is fierce among three cities: Riyadh, Rome, and Busan. The BIE will give delegations from the participating countries the opportunity to present the details of their bids for the last time before the General Assembly, convening for its 173rd session, as the Saudis, Italians, and Koreans await the results of the vote.
The BIE will select the winning city through an electronic ballot among its 180 member countries, applying the principle of one vote per country. Amidst the competition of the three bids, Saudi Arabia’s chances of hosting Expo 2030 are strengthened by several factors. The BIE stipulates that no country can host the same expo within 15 years; Italy hosted the expo in 2015, and Korea won the bid in 2012, which significantly enhances Riyadh's chance of a standout victory.
Since the morning, the "Palais des Congrès," located in the heart of Issy-les-Moulineaux just south of Paris, has transformed into a fortress teeming with official black cars carrying delegations amidst notable security and an unprecedented media presence. To manage this, the BIE restricted media access to a designated press area in the basement of the conference venue, with a limited list of journalists and photographers submitted by each delegation in advance for accreditation.
Despite withholding details about what to expect later this afternoon, the Saudi side appears "optimistic" about winning, relying on the strength of Riyadh’s proposal as well as the fact that the Saudi capital has never hosted any expos overseen by the BIE, unlike Italy and South Korea.
If BIE members aim for objectivity and neutrality by focusing solely on the content of the bids, the chances for Saudi Arabia, according to an insider source from the bureau, are deemed "high." The BIE wants to give the three competing parties a final opportunity to present their arguments and emphasize the main points they consider "winning." However, this "last opportunity" feels different from previous ones, especially from the one granted to the parties in June during the BIE General Assembly, where the time allocated for each party was long enough for numerous officials to speak comfortably without time pressure.
The BIE’s internal rules state the principle of "one vote per country" and another key principle of "equality between votes." The competition to host international exhibitions is intense because holding a major international event like "Expo 2030" offers the winning side the opportunity to showcase its past, present, and future aspirations. In addition to cultural heritage, the expo allows the host country to highlight its rich history and, most importantly, to showcase its present, culture, economic and social growth, and future plans.
For Saudi Arabia, "Expo 2030" is significant as it aligns with "Vision 2030," which aims to be a gateway for a promising future.
On this Tuesday, a prayer for Saudi Arabia's victory is voiced: "Oh God, grant us victory today."
