A group of key participants raise arms led by Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo at the 4th International Conference held on  Nov. 28 at the Federation of Korean Industries building in Seoul hosted by Busan Metropolitan City in a bid to bring World Expo 2030 to Busan.(Photo: Busan City)

Busan Metropolitan City opened an international conference on Nov. 28 dedicated to bringing the 2030 Busan Expo to Busan at the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) building in Seoul in cooperation with the Pan Citizens Promotion Committee.

The international conference, the 4th to be held this year, addressed various matters related to holding the expo in Busan, such as the effects from the event, matters to be considered for holding the expo and strategies to be referenced in the future.

The list of foreign guests invited to appear at the conference included Deputy Sec.-Gen. Dimitri Kerkentzes of Bureau Internacionale des Expositions (BIE), Professor Alberto Delaqua of Milano SDA Bocconi Management University in Milan, Italy, and Consulting Director Mathew Wilson of the Sports Consultancy. They spoke on the right motives for attracting the Expo 2030 Busan at the conference.

Officials of Busan City said the work addressed at the international conference to bring Expo 2030 to Busan is very important, as the event can contribute to the development of cities and the nation as a whole, which was why those concerned with holding the expo were invited.

Busan City submitted an application to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to attract the Expo 2030 Busan on July 25, last year. Dimitri Kerkentzes joined the Bureau International des Expositions in 2003 and served as the Secretary-General’s Counsellor and Chief of Staff since 2009 before being appointed Deputy Secretary-General in 2015. He served as the BIE representative to Expo 2008 Zaragoza, Expo 2010 Shanghai, Expo 2012 Yeosu and Expo 2015 Milan.

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing the timeline, bidding, selection, and organization of World and International Expos. The BIE provides the regulatory framework for these prestigious global events, in which countries, international organizations, civil society groups, corporations, and citizens participate.

An Expo is a global event that aims at educating the public, sharing innovation, promoting progress and fostering cooperation. It is organized by a host country that invites other countries, companies, international organizations, the private sector, civil society and general public to participate. Due to the diversity of its participants, from top decision makers to children, expos offer a multifaceted event where extraordinary exhibitions, diplomatic encounters, business meetings, public debates An expo is an experience that combines entertainment and education and offers a wide variety of exhibitions, activities and shows. 

With its innovative architecture, the Expo site is an attraction in itself. But the interactive exhibitions, the ground-breaking technologies that are showcased and the Expo's intense cultural program ensure a truly unforgettable experience.

A typical day at an expo involves navigating over the Arctic Ocean thanks to digital technologies (Russian pavilion, Expo Yeosu 2012), seeing a robot play the flute (Expo Aichi 2005) and engaging in a debate on energy efficiency in cities (Expo Astana 2017) during the day, and listening to a concert of Santana (Hanover 2000) or seeing a performance of the Cirque du Soleil (Zaragoza 2008) in the evening.

The success of these events can be expressed in the number of visitors; 19 million people visited Hanover 2000, 22 million went to Aichi 2005 and Expo Shanghai 2010 broke the record with 73 million tickets sold.