International Bureau of Expositions

The International Bureau of Expositions (also simply known as BIE - Bureau International des Expositions, in french) is the international body that regulates and supervises the organization of international exhibitions (also known as World's Fairs or Expos). It counts 168 member States and its headquarter is placed in Paris, France.

The BIE aim is to guarantee the quality of Expos and protect the rights of their organizers and participants. It regulates the following types of exhibitions: Horticultural Producers (AIPH)
 * Registered Exhibitions
 * Recognized Exhibitions
 * Horticultural Exhibitions of A1 grade, approved by the International Association of
 * The Triennale di Milano, the only one that is always organised in the same city

History
The BIE was founded in Paris on 22nd of November, 1928 when 31 countries signed the first convention regarding common rules to organize international expos. The document entered into force in 1931; it applied (and still applies) to all the exhibitions with the following characteristics: The 1928 Protocol was subsequently supplemented by additional protocols in 1948, 1966, 1972, 1982 and 1988. The most important amendments are the 1972 and 1988 ones, since they substantially changed the classification and organization of Expos. Over the decades their being showcases of industrial innovation, changed into becoming global discussion platforms aimed at finding solutions to the biggest challenges of humanity.
 * they are international, meaning different Countries are invited to participate
 * their aim was to show the progresses made by the Countries in one or more branches of Industry
 * they are of non recurring nature
 * they are not lasting less than 3 weeks, not exhibitions about fine Arts, not of the commercial nature and not scientific expositions organized during congresses

Members
As of October 2015, 168 Countries are members of the Bureau.

Any Country can join the BIE, provided that:
 * it is a member of the United Nations, or
 * it is not a member of the United Nations but which adheres to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, or
 * it is a member of one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations, or
 * it is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or
 * its application for accession is approved by a two-thirds majority of the members