Dubai Expo 2020: everything you need to know about the (1 year delayed) event
Only held once every 5 years, and already a year delayed due to the pandemic, we’re thrilled to see Dubai finally gearing up to host the world-famed Expo event.
For the sake of branding and marketing, the logo has stayed the same, but Dubai Expo 2020 is now expected to take place for 6 months starting on the 1st October 2021 and ending on the 31st March 2022.
And with less than a month before the doors are thrown open on the most innovative, exciting global happening in recent times, we’re unpacking everything you need to know if you’re planning a visit.
Where is the Dubai Expo 2020 located?
Nestled between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the main Expo site is a sprawling 1083 acre architectural masterpiece. According to the official Expo website, you’ll be able to access the site by metro, bus, taxi and car.
Mobility is one of the key sub-themes for the Expo (more on themes later), so once you’re on-site and ready to explore, you’ll also be able to get around on foot, by bus, in golf buggies and onboard a specially designed Expo Explorer train.
What’s the theme?
The Bureau International des Expositions has been in charge of the organization and regulation of Expo events since it was first established back in 1928.
Every single World Expo is developed around a theme that pushes humankind. Encouraging economic transformation, technological innovation, social progress and cutting-edge science.
The main theme for Dubai Expo 2020 is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. The sub-themes are Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity.
Each theme is unpacked across the Expo pavilions and programming, and over 200 participants, partners and millions of visitors are expected to take part in the conversations, challenges and future-shaping ideas posed by the themes.
What’s the impact of the Dubai Expo 2020?
As a privileged World Expo host, Dubai and the UAE at large can expect to benefit from a legacy that’ll last long after the doors close on the 6-month event.
Expos differ from sporting events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup because even though they all represent phenomenal global impact, Expos are specifically designed to be visited, walked and enjoyed by visitors exploring them in-person. Taking in the ideas they propose, and the future visions they paint.
Sporting events are primarily focused on digital and televised viewing, and they don’t hold the same cultural and economic potential for the host country. The UAE has long been a hub for tourism, and Google shows the country as the “most searched destination for tourism in 2021”. The Expo only serves to double-up on Dubai’s reputation as a tourism paradise!
The landmarks left behind by the Expo will become part of the leisure and tourism of Dubai, and another worthy pin on the map of places to visit when you land in the desert playground.
And when you turn the economic and cultural impact of the Dubai Expo 2020 into dollars and cents, the numbers aren’t too shabby either. Analysts predict the event is likely to generate about $23 billion. “This figure takes into account Dubai government, participants, visitors and general commercial activity related to the event.”
In the same number-crunching article, Jones Day predicts Dubai Expo 2020 will pull in upwards of 25 million visitors, with over 70% of those visiting coming from outside the UAE, and the Dubai government have floated numbers like 45,000 when considering the additional hotel rooms that may be required to meet the demands of the global spectacle.
If you’re not in hospitality, how do you benefit?
Though the numbers tell a story of global travel and leisure, the impact of Dubai Expo 2020 greatly exceeds tourism alone.
The Expo is a platform for businesses just like yours, and part of the event also includes the opportunity for businesses to connect on a global scale, form collaborations, investments and promote international trade.
Localization and translation play a central role in the development of the world-class business events the Expo plans to host, and you can expect multi-lingual conferences, launches, ceremonies and more. This is another reason why e-Arabization recently made the strategic decision to take our world-class expertise from our 16-year-old home in Amman, Jordan, and transplant part of our team to a new office in Dubai.
Dubai is our second home on the global map, but events like Dubai Expo 2020 symbolize the work we love to do, and the potential we see in the Middle East as a thriving business hub.
How you can get involved
Over 190 participating nations will be present at the World Expo event, and each country will have its own unique pavilion based on the themes of Mobility, Opportunity and Sustainability.
The 10 weeks of the Expo each have a distinct theme under the umbrella themes. An easy way to participate in the Expo is to find a theme that best aligns with your business mission, values and product, and register for an activity that speaks to your business and field of interest.
The theme weeks include:
- Food, Agriculture & Livelihoods
To find out more about the programming for each week, and the opportunities available to engage and connect, we recommend visiting the Expo 2020 Dubai website and checking out the Programme for People and Planet.
B2B community building
If you’re like us, and you’re a B2B company, then you can also make Expo business opportunities happen on your phone via the Expo 2020 B2B app. For a small fee, you can access thousands of business visitors, network and even schedule meetings together.
An impressive technological add-on to the in-person event, Dubai have taken the “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” theme and applied it to every single touchpoint and visitor moment in the Dubai Expo 2020 experience, and we can’t wait to visit.
If you’re in the business of connecting minds for a better future, we’d like to hear from you too. We’re always on the lookout for language projects we can support with human-first, tech-supported, intelligent language solutions. And we’d love to help you too.