Mark Ritchie has masterfully told the Minnesota story and positioned us as a very serious contender for an event that hasn’t been in the U.S. for more than 30 years. This is also in the context of the drought the United States has had in hosting an Olympic Games, as well. 2002 in Salt Lake City was the last Winter Olympic Games held in the U.S. while 1996 in Atlanta was the last summer version.

A Georgia native, Ritchie served as Minnesota’s Secretary of State from 2007-2015 and made the decision not to seek a third term and retire. I'm not sure if Georgians have a different definition of retirement than the rest of the country since his last two years have been spent aggressively turning a long shot into a very real potential opportunity for Minnesota. Expo 2023 will focus on the theme: Wellness and Well-Being for All: Healthy People, Healthy Planet. The three-month event is expected to attract 12 million visitors and generate $4 billion in international tourism expenditures.

To say that the bid is picking up steam is an understatement. The nearly 300-page bid document, including an unprecedented joint letter from Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, Representatives Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, John Kline, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Erik Paulsen and Tom Emmer was sent to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (yes, of the Hyatt Pritzkers). Secretary Pritzker will review the bid submission and make her recommendation to President Obama as to Minnesota’s viability as the 2023 site.

That letter in part states: "Minnesota's Expo 2023 is a strong candidate to host the World's Fair. It will foster an exchange of ideas, encourage new global partnerships and advance innovation in health and wellness that will benefit the state, country and world. We urge full and fair consideration of a recommendation that the bid is in the national interest."

Mark Ritchie says that there have been four key elements to the success of the bid process thus far. According to Ritchie, the first element is the “support and inspiration we have received from colleagues from other cities around the United States who want to host World Fairs in their regions someday.”

Ritchie is thankful for the support of the Houston World’s Fair Committee, led by business leader Manuel Delgado, who both inspired the first conversations here in Minnesota and provided crucial help in Washington D.C. right when we needed it the most. The second key element is the assistance the 2023 Expo group has received from “people around the planet who are excited about the idea of Minnesota hosting an expo.” The third element that Ritchie credits is the generous financial support from a plethora of public and private organizations that believe in this dream. And finally, Ritchie points to “the passionate dedication of the many thousands of individuals” who have been at the heart of the Expo movement.

Dec. 15 is a looming deadline that will tell us whether we will continue on this journey or not. That is the date all of the behind the scenes political wizardry will have hopefully paid off with verification that the United States has officially rejoined the Bureau of International Expositions, the governing body of World’s Fairs. We have become accustomed to big wins in terms of major events. Minnesota Expo 2023 may just be the next one. Stay tuned.

Mark Ritchie has masterfully told the Minnesota story and positioned us as a very serious contender for an event that hasn’t been in the U.S. for more than 30 years. This is also in the context of the drought the United States has had in hosting an Olympic Games, as well. 2002 in Salt Lake City was the last Winter Olympic Games held in the U.S. while 1996 in Atlanta was the last summer version.

A Georgia native, Ritchie served as Minnesota’s Secretary of State from 2007-2015 and made the decision not to seek a third term and retire. I'm not sure if Georgians have a different definition of retirement than the rest of the country since his last two years have been spent aggressively turning a long shot into a very real potential opportunity for Minnesota. Expo 2023 will focus on the theme: Wellness and Well-Being for All: Healthy People, Healthy Planet. The three-month event is expected to attract 12 million visitors and generate $4 billion in international tourism expenditures.

To say that the bid is picking up steam is an understatement. The nearly 300-page bid document, including an unprecedented joint letter from Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, Representatives Collin Peterson, Betty McCollum, John Kline, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Rick Nolan, Erik Paulsen and Tom Emmer was sent to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (yes, of the Hyatt Pritzkers). Secretary Pritzker will review the bid submission and make her recommendation to President Obama as to Minnesota’s viability as the 2023 site.

That letter in part states: "Minnesota's Expo 2023 is a strong candidate to host the World's Fair. It will foster an exchange of ideas, encourage new global partnerships and advance innovation in health and wellness that will benefit the state, country and world. We urge full and fair consideration of a recommendation that the bid is in the national interest."

Mark Ritchie says that there have been four key elements to the success of the bid process thus far. According to Ritchie, the first element is the “support and inspiration we have received from colleagues from other cities around the United States who want to host World Fairs in their regions someday.”

Ritchie is thankful for the support of the Houston World’s Fair Committee, led by business leader Manuel Delgado, who both inspired the first conversations here in Minnesota and provided crucial help in Washington D.C. right when we needed it the most. The second key element is the assistance the 2023 Expo group has received from “people around the planet who are excited about the idea of Minnesota hosting an expo.” The third element that Ritchie credits is the generous financial support from a plethora of public and private organizations that believe in this dream. And finally, Ritchie points to “the passionate dedication of the many thousands of individuals” who have been at the heart of the Expo movement.

Dec. 15 is a looming deadline that will tell us whether we will continue on this journey or not. That is the date all of the behind the scenes political wizardry will have hopefully paid off with verification that the United States has officially rejoined the Bureau of International Expositions, the governing body of World’s Fairs. We have become accustomed to big wins in terms of major events. Minnesota Expo 2023 may just be the next one. Stay tuned.