World Expo Museum to participate in Expo 2027 Belgrade

The World Expo Museum (WEM) will participate in Specialised Expo 2027 Belgrade and contribute to preserving its legacy, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Shanghai.

The agreement lays the groundwork for the creation of a dedicated World Expo Museum pavilion at the next Specialised Expo, and opens the possibility for a wide range of Expo exhibits and memories to be collected for future use. Located on the former site of Expo 2010 Shanghai, the World Expo Museum is the world's only official museum and documentation centre dedicated to Expos and authorised by the BIE.

The signing of the MoU brought together key stakeholders including the BIE Secretary General Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, the Director of the World Expo Museum, Liu Wentao, as well as Expo 2027 Belgrade CEO Danilo Jerinic and Advisor, Dusan Borovcanin. Representatives from Serbia's Consulate in Shanghai and the Shanghai Municipal Administration also attended the signing ceremony, which took place in the Cloud Hall of the World Expo Museum.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, the BIE, WEM and Expo 2027 Belgrade officials discussed ways to integrate the rich legacy and history of Expos into the content and programming of next year's event. Its theme, "Play for Humanity - Sport and Music for All", was identified as having strong potential to create new connections and experiences that will be important to document for future generations. The World Expo Museum's participation will therefore support efforts to record the Expo's unique contents and lived experience.

The Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes stated: "Inspired by the success of its participation in Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, the World Expo Museum is now poised to contribute to Expo 2027 Belgrade's vision of a more inclusive and connected world. Alongside the BIE, the Organiser and Participants, it will ensure that the stories, innovations and experiences of Expo 2027 Belgrade are not only lived but remembered, studied and shared. In doing so, the World Expo Museum connects each Expo to those that came before, while helping to shape the legacy of those yet to come."

The BIE and Expo 2027 Belgrade delegation will pursue their visit to Shanghai with meetings with officials from the Shanghai Municipal People's Government as well as teams managing the transition and development of the former site of Expo 2010 Shanghai. The delegation will notably visit the Urban Best Practices Area as well as cultural institutions that have emerged from former Expo pavilions, including the China Art Museum (located in the former China pavilion).

Taking place on a 25-hectare site in Surcin, Expo 2027 Belgrade is set to welcome over 130 countries between 15 May and 15 August 2027.