About Us
The Department of State is responsible for U.S. participation in international exhibitions. The Department’s Expo Unit in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, created in 2017, manages U.S. engagement with the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) , organizes U.S. participation at overseas Expos (also known as World’s Fairs), and mobilizes international support for U.S. candidacies to host Expos. The United States rejoined the BIE in 2017 following passage of bipartisan legislation H.R. 534 (U.S. Wants to Compete for a World Expo Act) signed into law by President Trump (P.L. 115-32).
Expos are an excellent, cost-effective platform to promote commercial and public diplomacy objectives reaching millions of people in-person and millions more through traditional and social media. Deputy Secretary Sullivan spoke about Expos and World’s Fairs at the 2017 BIE General Assembly in support of the Minnesota Expo 2023 bid.
The United States has had national pavilions at every overseas Expo since 1851 with the exception of two, and hosted a dozen World’s Fairs (the last was New Orleans in 1984).
Contact Us
The Expo Unit Director is Jim Core and the Senior Expo Coordinator for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is Kara Snesko. You may contact the Expo Unit at expo@state.gov. The head of U.S. Consulate Dubai’s Expo Unit is Matthew Asada, who is also serving as the Deputy Commissioner General of the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
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