Ukraine decided to join the competition for hosting the universal exhibition: Expo in 2030 in Odessa. On the 15th of December, the project was presented to the 169th General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau in Paris.

The project was described by the Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko, the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov and a 16-year-old student of the Odessa Theater and Art College, musician, dancer and polyglot Karina Kardash. Due to the pandemic, the meeting was held via videoconference.

The application for holding a world exhibition in our city was approved on October 6 by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The other competitors fighting for Expo-2030 are: Italy (Rome), Russia (Moscow), South Korea (Busan) and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh).

The theme of Expo-2030, disclosed to the Bureau for Odessa is: “Renaissance. Technologies. Future". The presentation was focused on the e-governance service "Diia", which is the pride Ukrainian state because it is considerered a real breakthrough, a unique experience in Europe.

Few days before a public council "Expo-2030 Odessa" was organised in the city, including representatives of business, non-governmental organisations, specialists in various fields, At the meeting were present the two main private sponsors of the candidacy: Oleg Nevzorov of KUB Corporazia and Vadim Morokhovsky founder of Vostok Bank, together with other well-known Odessans like Peter Obukhov, founder of Taxi Bond and member of the Odessa City Council, the lawyer Grigoriy Tripulsky, Alexandr Vernik, coordinator of ZMIST Art & Design space and the Director of D-Group Expo-2030 Galina Butova. Victoria Melnichenko was elected as the coordinator of the group.

A website on the project is already online: EXPO 2030 ODESSA

Now, there is time until May 2022 for Odessa to submit a registration dossier for Expo 2030.

World exhibitions (expo) have been held since 1851. The first took place in London's Hyde Park. The famous universal expo of 1889 in Paris left the Eiffel Tower as a landmark. These events are the most prestigious and largest exhibitions on the planet, where the participating countries demonstrate the uniqueness of their cultures and national identity, their economic, scientific and technical potential. Each 5 years a city hosts a universal expo for 6 months. In last most successful editions of Milan and Dubai, over 20 millions of visitors were reported, with huge amount of local and international investments.

The private sponsors of the candidacy of Odessa, alongside the main public institutions (Ukrainian Government, Odessa Region and Odessa City Council) are so far Vostok Bank, a prestigious local bank, and KUB Korporazia, a network of real estate developers in Odessa.