Minnesota bid committee making last push for World's Fair
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This rendering shows the proposed host pavilion for Minnesota's 2027 World Fair pitch. Image courtesy of Minnesota USA Expo 2027
Minnesota civic leaders and their allies are in the home stretch of a campaign to lobby international delegates to choose Bloomington as host city for the 2027 World's Fair Specialized Expo.
The latest: Members of the Minnesota USA Expo bid committee were in Paris last week and U.S. State Department officials remain there. They've been making frequent trips and will do so again in two weeks.
- Their mission is to convince as many of the 140 to 160 delegates of other countries to rank Minnesota's bid at or near the top of their ballots on June 21.
Why it matters: Getting selected by Bureau International des Expositions delegates would be a huge win for the state's bid committee.
Yes, but: It would still need to put together a public-private partnership and secure financing, said Ted Johnson, senior advisor for Minnesota USA Expo.
Context: Minnesota's civic and political leaders have been working for a decade to get the Expo here. The state was a finalist for the 2023 specialized expo, but lost out to Argentina in a 2018 vote.
How it works: The U.S. is up against Argentina, Serbia, Spain and Thailand. A country needs to get 2/3 of the votes on the first ballot or else additional balloting will take place, with the lowest vote-getter being knocked out each round.
- Some countries have a policy of keeping their choices private, so it's hard to know who may have the upper hand going into the vote. But Johnson said the U.S. committee already has a "solid block of votes."
What they’re saying: U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar told Axios she's met with representatives from other voting nations to make Minnesota's case and is in the process of calling "dozens" more.
- "It reminds me of an international version of a political convention, keeping track of where everyone is," said Klobuchar, who also traveled to Dubai’s Expo last year to promote the bid. "We’re doing that."
What they did: Johnson said this time around the committee has stronger backing from the State Department, to go along with continued support from Klobuchar, Rep. Tom Emmer, Rep. Dean Phillips and Gov. Tim Walz.
- Walz has written letters to 22 countries, asking for their support.
Catch up fast: At a cost of $1.3 billion-$1.5 billion, the expo would be held in the summer of 2027 near Mall of America. The committee estimates that it would bring 14 million visitors during the 93-day run.
- While organizers say the bulk of expenses would be covered by ticket sales, the Minnesota Legislature just approved a $5 million grant that will be used for planning purposes should the U.S. win the bid, Johnson said.
The bottom line: The U.S. hasn't hosted a World's Fair since New Orleans in 1984. Minnesota has a chance to break a 40-year drought.
- "You learn from experience and it feels we have much more mounting support from other countries [this time]," Klobuchar said. "But you only know when the vote comes in."