Ekaterinburg World EXPO 2020

Official site

We are pleased to share with you our plans to bring the World Expo to Ekaterinburg in 2020.

We believe the choice of Ekaterinburg as the host for World Expo 2020 will open up a unique opportunity for the world community to rediscover the city which was laid down by Peter the Great in 1723 as Russia’s industrial center. Today, Ekaterinburg is one of Russia’s fastest growing cities with well-developed and diverse economy. It has attracted more investments than any other Russian city. While still a major industrial center, the city is gradually turning into a focal point of “human intellectual capital” thanks to its educational and science resources. The city is also striving to play a pivotal role in innovative development.

Thanks to World Expo 2020 Ekaterinburg may become a venue for intellectual discussions, with its development getting a significant boost, which is fully in line with the goals and objectives of the World Expo movement.
The Expo 2020 theme Global Mind proposed by Russia is an ambitious attempt to explore one of the world’s most impressive phenomena: globalization, its consequences, threats and challenges.

This theme is important for the global community. We all live on the same planet, and promoting human progress for resolving global issues is in everyone’s interests.
A polyethnic, multiconfessional and rapidly developing modern country, rich in cultural traditions, Russia is an ideal venue for exchanging opinions and ideas.
On one hand, Expo 2020 will offer its participants the opportunity to express themselves highlighting the advantages of global diversity, and on the other hand it will become a venue for showcasing how various countries’ leading-edge technological breakthroughs are implemented on a global scale.

Russia’s drive to host Expo 2020 is a part of its long term plan to strengthen its partnership ties with the global community. It is also a part of Russia’s economic development plan leading up to 2020 because it opens additional investment and innovation opportunities both for the country as a whole and for the region and city.
In terms of its economy, industry, transport infrastructure and science resources Ekaterinburg is one of Russia’s largest cities showing record-fast growth in all the key sectors.

Over the last five years the city has seen a record influx of direct foreign investments. The city has been serving on a regular basis as a venue for major international events and summits. Among Russian cities Ekaterinburg ranks third after Moscow and Saint Petersburg by the number of diplomatic missions.

Ekaterinburg is one of Russia’s major scientific and educational centers. Russia’s leading specialists in mathematics, physics, chemistry, microbiology and nanotechnology from academic, research and engineering institutions have been involved in a wide range of scientific research projects within the region.
Thanks to the powerful industrial complex, intense business activity and good investment climate Ekaterinburg has already become a direct partner in trade and economy to some of the major countries.

For ages Ekaterinburg has been (and still is) a major transportation hub between Europe and Asia with the principal federal highways and railroad mainlines passing through it. The city is also served by the Koltsovo International Airport, which is third largest in the country after the ones located in the two capitals.
The city has built a modern business infrastructure, and in terms of the number and diversity of museums, theaters and art galleries it is at par with any other metropolis elsewhere in the world.

At the same time, it is a unique and polyethnic city which is home to members of over 100 ethnic groups and all the global confessions.
Ekaterinburg is an ideal venue for discussing the future and showcasing human achievements as part of the Expo 2020 Global Mind exhibition.
And finally, our bid has much in common with the motto of the very first great exhibition held in London in 1851: “The progress of the human race resulting from the common labor of all men”.
Since then, the World Expo has been held 53 times, 30 in Europe and 5 in Asia.
Russia, a country which spans the Earth’s largest continent, Eurasia, has never hosted a world expo.
It seems symbolic that Expo 2020 will be hosted by Russia’s Ekaterinburg, a city on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains which bridge Europe and Asia.
We hope for your support and we will be happy to welcome you in Ekaterinburg.

Eric Ruslanovich Bugulov,
CEO of Ekaterinburg Expo 2020 Bid Committee