Expo 2031 USA Design Delegation to Osaka Expo 2025

U.S. Business Leaders Travel to Japan for Expo 2025 Osaka Design Delegation Ahead of Expo 2031 USA

MINNEAPOLIS, MN October 6, 2025 – A delegation of U.S. business and design leaders traveled to Japan from September 23–25, 2025 to participate in a design study tour of Expo 2025 Osaka, hosted under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” The delegation is part of the planning process for Expo 2031 USA, the first-ever International Horticultural Exposition to be held in the United States.

Led by Wendy Meadley, CEO of Expo 2031 USA, the Business Leader Design Delegation will visit key pavilions, meet with international counterparts, and document design innovations that will inform the U.S. exposition’s themes of Health & Wellbeing, Sustainable Food, Future Technology, and Human–Nature Connections.

“This is a historic moment for Expo 2031 USA,” said Wendy Meadley, CEO of Expo 2031 USA. “By visiting Expo 2025 Osaka, our business leaders are learning directly from Japan’s innovation in pavilion design and are bringing that inspiration home to build the first-ever International Horticultural Exposition on U.S. soil.”

The Osaka visit will include tours of the Signature Pavilions including Earth Mart and the Healthcare Pavilion, and a short list national pavilions that are featuring Horticulture and other thematic elements of interest to our design team, Some include: Germany, Singapore, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and, of course, the United States. Each stop will highlight approaches to visitor flow, immersive storytelling, architectural elements and experiential design.

“World Expos are more than cultural showcases — they are platforms for investment, infrastructure, and global cooperation,” Meadley added. “Our delegation is here in Osaka to study how design creates legacy value, and to apply those lessons as we prepare for Expo 2031 in the United States.”

The Business Leader Design Delegation will include representatives from Medical Alley Association, sustainable design firms, horticultural leaders, and U.S. innovation companies. The group is also authoring a forthcoming Expo Design Book, which will feature case studies of pavilions visited in Osaka.

Expo 2031 USA is expected to attract over 4 million visitors and create a lasting economic and cultural legacy through its emphasis on sustainability, horticulture, and international collaboration.

About Expo 2031 USA

Expo 2031 Minnesota, USA is an International Horticultural Exposition, approved by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). Scheduled from May 1 to October 15, 2031, it will be hosted in Dakota County, Minnesota, on a 67-hectare core site along the Mississippi River. Expo 2031 will welcome over 4 million visitors over six months, showcasing horticultural innovation, sustainable design, immersive ecology, and global cultural exchange.

The event is organized by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. It brings together founding partners from government, industry, academia, and the horticultural sector. Highlights include five ecological/climate-adapted zones (Tropical, Arid, Temperate, Continental, and the “North Star” climate identity), award-worthy architecture, permanent green legacy infrastructure, and programs in health & wellbeing, sustainable food systems, public greenspace, and future technologies.

Expo 2031 Minnesota, USA's theme is Human / Nature — where humanity, horticulture, and innovation meet. It is both a global gathering and a long-term legacy project intended to enrich Minnesota and the broader region economically, culturally, and environmentally.