ARTICLE 35 of the Convention of Paris, 22nd November 1928

«This Convention shall be open for accession by any State which is a member of the United Nations, or any State which is not a member of the United Nations but which is a Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice or any State which is a member of one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency and also by any State whose application for accession is approved by a two-thirds majority of the Contracting Parties which have the right to vote in the General Assembly of the Bureau. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Government of the French Republic and shall become effective on the date they are so deposited. »

ADVANTAGES OF MEMBERSHIP

A country’s membership in the International Exhibitions Bureau enables that country to take part in all Bureau deliberations and to play a determining role in the development of exhibition policies and principles.

In addition, member countries participate from the outset in discussions with the organisers of exhibitions and they are in a position to win acceptance for their viewpoints on the organisation of the exhibitions in which they intend to participate. For example, member governments of the International Exhibitions Bureau have in the past been able to bring down excessively high charges set by exhibition organisers.

Moreover, membership in the Bureau offers a certain number of material advantages. A member country wishing to organise an exhibition for a certain date is given priority if an application for the same date is received from a non-member country.

Furthermore, when applying for registration of an exhibition, a member country of the International Exhibitions Bureau is required to pay only half the regular cost of having the application examined.

The International Exhibitions Bureau is an international organisation, which enables governments of member states to cut costs due to very strict controls imposed upon exhibition organisers.

It is certain that the more members which comprise the BIE, the more effective its authority and the greater are the possibilities for reducing the costs of its members. It is therefore in the interest of all governments of countries who may eventually organise exhibitions, or those who are simply concerned in participating in international exhibition, to accede to the Convention of 1928 revised by the Protocol of 1972 and in so doing become members of the International Exhibitions Bureau.