Participating countries inspect their sites at Expo 2030 Riyadh as the project moves from the master plan to on-site implementation

Riyadh | BETH

Countries participating in Expo 2030 Riyadh have begun taking their first implementation steps by conducting on-site inspections of the locations allocated for their pavilions within the Expo grounds, in preparation for the design, preparation, and construction phases ahead.

The site inspections mark a turning point in the project, allowing each country to examine the size and location of its pavilion and its relationship to visitor routes, public facilities, and neighbouring pavilions before completing the architectural and operational designs.

This step also precedes the preparation of construction schedules, the identification of technical and logistical requirements, the selection of contractors and suppliers, and the connection of the pavilions to the site’s energy, water, telecommunications, and transport networks.

A City Within Riyadh

The Expo 2030 Riyadh site spans approximately six million square metres, including around two million square metres of gated exhibition and event space. Plans include more than 230 pavilions and over 42 million expected visits. Expo 2030 Riyadh; Bureau International des Expositions

The Expo is scheduled to open on October 1, 2030, and continue until March 31, 2031, under the theme “Foresight for Tomorrow,” with targeted participation from 197 countries, alongside international organisations, institutions, and non-official participants.

By June 2026, 135 countries had confirmed their participation, while the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions approved the legal framework governing the privileges and benefits granted to international participants. Bureau International des Expositions

A Statement for Every Country

The pavilions are not merely exhibition buildings. Countries use them to present their cultural identities, technologies, economic opportunities, and visions for the future, while also hosting meetings, events, and official delegations.

The early inspections give countries sufficient time to build independently designed pavilions and develop interactive content aligned with the Expo’s theme, instead of relying on temporary exhibition spaces prepared shortly before the opening.

The project also allows countries to establish permanent pavilions that will remain among the site’s facilities after the Expo ends, transforming them into lasting platforms for business, investment, and cultural exchange. Public Investment Fund

Implementation Begins Early

Inspecting the pavilion sites more than four years before the opening reveals the scale of the work required ahead of the event.

Each pavilion must undergo design, approval, construction, and technical preparation, followed by testing of its operational, safety, and visitor-management systems. This work will proceed alongside the development of roads, facilities, transport networks, and shared services.

What is taking place today is therefore not an introductory visit, but the beginning of each country’s transition from a decision to participate into an independent implementation project within the larger development.

Beyond the Expo

The significance of Expo 2030 Riyadh extends beyond the six months during which it will receive visitors. The site has been designed to remain part of the capital’s future, with its facilities and permanent pavilions becoming a destination for business, innovation, and culture.

The project and its facilities are expected to contribute approximately SAR 241 billion to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product during the construction phase and create around 171,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to an estimated operational contribution of approximately SAR 21 billion.

The participating countries are therefore not merely beginning to build their pavilions today.

They are beginning to secure their places within a new part of Riyadh that will remain long after the Expo’s visitors have departed.