The “World Achievements Exhibition of Young Inventors” was held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from November 4 to 30, 1985. A specialized exhibition on the theme of inventions, it was organized by the government of Bulgaria together with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which presented it as "Bulgaria '85." The site covered 5.8 hectares. The International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE) records one million visits, while WIPO's contemporary report counted more than 500,000 visitors.

The Expo was held under the patronage of Todor Zhivkov, President of Bulgaria's State Council, and Arpad Bogsch, Director General of WIPO, with Deputy Prime Minister Choudomir Alexandrov as commissioner. More than 1,000 people attended the opening ceremony. A WIPO stand explained the aims, structure and work of the organization, and on November 9 inventors from 15 African countries met in Plovdiv.

According to WIPO, more than 4,200 inventions from over 70 countries were exhibited, including entries from about 50 developing countries; the BIE lists 54 official participants. Inventors from 39 countries received a total of 239 special awards, prizes and gold medals, and a WIPO Gold Medal went to a Bulgarian research team led by Ivan Tagavov.

From November 12 to 15, Bulgaria and WIPO held an International Seminar on "Inventiveness for Development Purposes" within the framework of the Expo. Chaired by Professor Dimitar Shopov, Vice-President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, it drew about 300 participants from 27 countries.

The BIE describes Expo 1985 Plovdiv as the first World Exhibition of Young Inventors. Plovdiv, which had hosted Expo 1981 Plovdiv on the same grounds, returned to the subject with Expo 1991 Plovdiv, again organized with WIPO. Expo 1985 Plovdiv brought the protection and promotion of invention into the family of Expos.