The Expo Roma 2030 Promoting Committee delivered today in Paris to the Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Dimitri Kerkentzes the candidacy dossier of Rome for Expo 2030.
The document was presented by Committee Chairman Giampiero Massolo, representing the government, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation (MAECI) Manlio Di Stefano and the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri.
The 618 pages volume contains the detailed plan to compete together with 3 other cities (Busan, Odessa and Riyadh) to host the 2030 World Expo. The final vote of the 170 BIE members is expected in November 2023.
The book is divided into 21 chapters, 14 mandatory and 7 additional, and can be summarized into five key parts (BIE rules do not allow the dossier to be released in its entirety yet).
The five parts of the Expo Rome 2030 Dossier.
1.The extensive commitment of institutions to want to host the Expo and the support of civil society;
2. The development of the theme chosen for the Exposition: "People and Territories: Regeneration, Inclusion and Innovation" deepening its universal value and its centrality in the contemporary debate;
3. A third section is dedicated to the city of Rome and its region, an ideal location for Expo 2030, due to its historical and cultural uniqueness, its position as a crossroads between three continents, and for being a crucial hub of multilateralism and international cooperation: home to 337 NGOs and 420 Embassies that make it the world capital of solidarity and diplomacy. This section discusses the accommodation capacities and projects that will be put in place to host participants and visitors.
4. A fourth section represents the heart of the dossier, i.e., the physical project that spans the entire city to the Tor Vergata exposition site, illustrates its thematic pavilions and the ways in which countries are expected to participate, a project that will unravel for the entire city in a constant dialogue between the Expo and its territory. This section details the economic and financial feasibility plan for the entire event.
5. The last part of the volume is related to the crucial post-Expo transition and all the security and organizational aspects that the Capital can and must introduce in view of Expo.
Expo's national and thematic pavilions and the revival of the "Vele"
A tangible manifestation of the theme of Expo 2030 Rome will be the permanent Thematic Pavilions, each of which will celebrate in its own way an aspect of People and Territories. These Pavilions will not only populate the Tor Vergata exhibition site but will also function as a link between the Expo and the City of Rome.
In this sense, the Expo Teaser Pavilion at the Imperial Forum will act as a portal to Expo 2030 Roma, performing an act of urban regeneration in the middle of the city center; the Ecosystem 0.0 Pavilion will have both an expositional and systemic function, making possible the functioning of the event’s ecosystem; the Pale Blue Dot Pavilion will explore the nature of our circumscribed "small world" and the tangible and sustainable forms of our living together in our immediate present; the All together/Alt together Pavilion, placed at the “Vele” by Calatrava, will consist of two large arenas that will gather the dreams and future aspirations of 8 billion people, confronting them on possible scenarios and solutions; the Roomscape Pavilion - 100 rooms for 10,000 years of history - will tell the story of humanity and the interaction between People and Territories through a sequence of rooms, near the ruins.
Expo 2030 Roma will be an Expo that will go beyond the borders of its site and will not be limited in time and space, but will be built Together/With People. The emotional connection of the site with the historic center of the city is envisaged through the Teaser Pavilion at the Imperial Forum, from which an experiential green path will depart through the Appia Antica Park to the Tor Vergata site.
The Exhibition Pavilions are the center and beating heart of the master plan and consist of the National Pavilions, Thematic Pavilions and Unofficial Pavilions dedicated to International Organizations and partner companies. Specially conceived lots have been designed for these Pavilions in such a way as to ensure maximum freedom of design for the participants. The strategy behind the construction of the Pavilions is based on the principle of circularity, to ensure the overall sustainability of the event, designing the Expo and Post-Expo at the same time, with the possibility of leaving one's contribution for future years as well. Among the most significant projects in the dossier is the energy strategy that will be introduced for Expo and its post Expo, offering a decarbonization opportunity to the Tor Vergata context and the Southeast quadrant of the Capital. The large Expo Solar Park will be created with a photovoltaic area of about 150,000 square meters and a peak production capacity of about 36 MWp.
THE NUMBERS OF ROMA EXPO
Participants and expected attendance
- Approximately 150 different nations are estimated to participate in Expo 2030 Roma, plus about thirty local/international organizations and corporate partners.
- Large public participation is expected for Expo 2030 Roma, estimated at around 23.6 million visitors (of whom 55.4 percent are Italian and 44.6 percent foreign). Also taking into account repeated attendance, this turnout is expected to generate more than 30 million attendees (including 59.2 percent Italians and 40.8 foreigners).
The period chosen was selected to have a good chance of being able to reach that target of more than 30 million Expo attendance-with an estimated daily average of 165,000 visitors and a peak day that will see about 275,000 visitors.
Italy is already ranked as one of the most popular tourist destinations to an extent that it is 5th in the world in terms of number of visitors and hotel night stays.
Rome is a city beloved worldwide for its extraordinary historical and cultural attractions and can boast a tourist traffic management capacity that places it among the world's major hubs.
Rome's airport system reached an overall record of 49.4 million annual passengers in 2019 (pre Covid data): the airport of Fiumicino in the past five years has won the title of best European airport four times. Last but not least: the port of Civitavecchia is the second cruise port of call in Europe and first in Italy.
The records of Rome and Latium
Rome's strength lays in its history: a city with nearly 3,000 years of history, which has regenerated itself a thousand times by conquering and being conquered.
But also in its territory: it is Europe's first agricultural municipality and the only European metropolis with access to the sea.
Finally, Rome's uniqueness lays in its people: it was the first city in history to reach one million inhabitants, and today it is the epitome of an eternal regeneration that has turned it into a melting pot, given that 25 percent of Rome's inhabitants are either foreigners or Italians who are whose parents are foreigners.
Lazio is a true knowledge and innovation ecosystem given that it is the second largest GDP region in Italy and ranked second for having the largest concentration of multinationals. In addition, the region hosts the headquarters of excellent centers of research such as CNR, ENEA, ISPR, ISS, AIFA and, recently, the international DTT project for nuclear fusion at the Enea research center in Frascati.
Lazio has a very high manufacturing specialization in high-tech sectors, with 6.6 percent of employment in high-tech manufacturing sectors.
Lazio is the first Italian region in terms of number of universities, with 13 of the 87 national universities, of which, in Rome alone, there are as many as 11.
Finally, a further strength is the European Green food hub: the new Centro Agroalimentare Roma (CAR), which, with new locations in a 200-hectare nature park, will be one of the most important fruit and vegetable markets on par with Paris and Barcelona.
According to UNESCO data, Lazio is home to 50 percent of Italy's historical and artistic heritage. However, Rome is not only culture and monuments but is also home to an extraordinary social ferment, with a multitude of Cultural Associations and 337 Non-Governmental Organizations ranging from solidarity to assistance, from education to the promotion of technological literacy, from the agribusiness sector to the promotion of environmental protection.
Receptivity
By the end of 2021, Rome and its metropolitan area could rely on a total of 11,120 accommodations (counting both hotels and alternative lodgings), accommodating 164,153 overnight stays in the two types of facilities. The hotel sector hosts 53 percent of the overnight stays in 890 hotels, while the alternative accommodation segment covers the remaining 47 percent with its 10,230 facilities.
The years from 2015 to 2020 recorded an increase in tourist flows in the overall accommodation establishments of Roma Capitale, both in terms of arrivals and stays. In that period, in fact, arrivals increased by 39.5 percent and presences by 36.9 percent.
Between 2014 and 2021, the capital's accommodation supply increased steadily over time to stop only in 2021 due to Covid. The CAGR over the period-looking at the number of facilities-was 10%, with a total change in absolute terms of +95%. This growth obviously translated into substantial increases in beds as well, from about 145,000 in 2014 to over 167,000 in 2021, for a compound annual growth of 1.8%.
Thanks to interventions specifically designed for the accommodation sector, the number of beds in the Capital will approach 200,000 in 2030.
Schools and volunteering
Italy has 5.5 million volunteers, an important asset that expresses a strong desire for participation and civic engagement. We can estimate the number of volunteers needed for Expo 2030 Roma, on an assumed total attendance of 30 million people, assuming a linear distribution over the 6 months (183 days / 2 shifts per day/14 days per shift), of about 19,000 volunteer attendance for the entire opening period of the Expo. In contrast, the total requirement of the Medical Services Area is 1,373 volunteers for the entire Expo opening period.
At least 3,000,000 students from Italian and international schools and universities are expected to visit the World Expo in Rome. Students from schools in the Lazio region total 714,540. In contrast, students enrolled in the region's universities number 241,847.
STATEMENTS
"The development of the candidacy dossier is the first major legacy Expo leaves for Rome on its journey to 2030. It has been a collective exercise of the entire country system that has contributed to writing a unique project to achieve an inclusive regeneration that has an immediate impact and lasts over time," said Committee Chairman Giampiero Massolo. "I want to publicly thank all the Institutions, Trade Associations, and civil society actors who collaborated with us in drafting it. The numbers tell us that seven out of ten Italians want the Expo in Rome, but now our goal, is to gain the consensus of the international community. The next steps ahead of us are in November, where the General Assembly will get more into the heart of the projects outlined in the dossier, which will be followed by the Bie's inspection visit to Rome between February and March."
"Today is a very important day for our city," said Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, "We have delivered a very detailed project that I believe cannot be rivaled in terms of quality and vision. Expo 2030 is an extraordinary opportunity for growth for the whole country and Rome, as our dossier shows, is the ideal city to link past and future, history and innovation and offer a new vision inspired by the values of peace, justice, and sustainability. In this framework, our candidacy presents itself as unique because Rome is one of the most beautiful and well-known capitals in the world and is perfectly capable of hosting the tens of millions of tourists expected for this huge planetary event that will fall in the very year of the deadline of the Sustainable Development Goals. In fact, among the projects most dear to our hearts and present in the dossier is precisely the energy strategy that we would introduce in the Tor Vergata area for the Expo and post-Expo as well as an overall widespread involvement of the entire capital, starting with the connection that we will make between the Imperial Forums and the space that will host the Pavilions."
"At the Farnesina we are very clear about the importance of Rome's candidacy to host EXPO 2030 - said Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Manlio Di Stefano. That is why we have activated the entire diplomatic-consular network to support the City Council and the Promoting Committee in an exciting and complex campaign. Our effort is maximum in exploring new partnerships and enhancing traditional ones, in order not only to gain the support of the 170 countries in this highly competitive campaign, but also to affirm Italian-ness in the world. Roma EXPO 2030 will represent a great opportunity for Italy as much as for the entire international community: a great laboratory dedicated to the conception of new development strategies that guarantee a safer, sustainable and fairer future for the new generations. In this context, fundamental will be the role played by the 'Rome System,' which is present here in Paris today and which we intend to continue to enhance within the framework of a 'diplomacy of cities' in which - with its three thousand years of history and its continuous look to the future - our capital cannot but be the leader of a global network.".
STAGES OF THE CANDIDACY
Rome's candidacy was made official by Prime Minister Mario Draghi in September 2021 and officially unveiled on December 14, 2021 at the first General Assembly of the BIE also in the presence of the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri and Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio. On March 3 at the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai, the official logo was presented and the location of Tor vergata as the site for the Exposition was announced. On May 19, the Capitoline Assembly approved the resolution on the establishment of the Committee and the proposed Statute.
Creative Advisor for the strategic vision of Expo 2030 Rome is Carlo Ratti, a professor at MIT, director of the Senseable City Lab, and founder of the design and innovation firm CRA Carlo Ratti Associati. Among his various roles, he represents a leading figure in the relationship between architecture and technology, innovation and sustainability. With extensive experience in international occasions, he played a crucial role in the last two Expos. Among his recent projects in this area is the master plan for MIND (Milano Innovation District), which redefines the former Expo 2015 area by transforming it into an innovative hub for the city. Finally, at Expo 2020 he designed the Italian Pavilion with Italo Rota Building Office, matteogatto&associati and F&M Ingegneria.
FACT SHEET ON THE BIE
The BIE is the Intergovernmental Organization responsible for overseeing and regulating all international trade fairs that last longer than three weeks and are non-commercial in nature ("Expos"). To date, there are four types of Expos: World Expos, Specialized Expos, Horticultural Expos, and the Milan Triennial.
The mission of the BIE is to ensure the quality and success of these world events, and specifically:
- Select the countries that will host future Expos;
- Provide candidate and host countries with support in event management, national branding and public diplomacy;
- Regulating the organization of the event and making sure that the host country and all participants comply with the BIE Convention and Expo rules.
From the 31 countries that created the BIE in 1928, the organization has grown to 170 member states as a result of Expo's success and appeal. BIE member states take part in all BIE decisions and work to continuously improve the quality of Expos.
The BIE General Assembly is the decision-making body and representative entity of the organization. Each member state of the
BIE has one vote, and deliberations are valid only when two-thirds of the countries eligible to vote are present. The General Assembly is held twice a year.
Its main functions are:
- Elect the hosts of future Expos;
- Discuss, adopt and publish regulations on the organizational process of the Expos;
- Approve the Bureau's budget, communication strategy and internal bylaws;
- Choose the members of each committee and elect their chairperson;
- Appoint the Secretary General of the BIE;
- Amend the 1928 Convention when necessary;
- The General Assembly is chaired by the President of the General Assembly, elected by secret ballot for a two-year term from among the delegates of the member states. The President is eligible for re-election for an additional two-year term without interruption.
The current President of the General Assembly is Jai-chul Choi (Republic of Korea).
EXPO TRIVIA
Last Expo was in Dubai; the next one in 2025 will be in Osaka, Japan.
The first in 1851 in London. Milan is the only Italian city to have hosted a world Expo in 1906 and 2015.
