Dubai Expo 2020, one of the most talked about world expos held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has concluded with a grand closing ceremony this week after a successful 6-month run. In terms of scale, duration, and visitor count, it is the first mega global event to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region and the first to be organized by an Arab country. It is a celebration and a venue that has attracted people from all over the world since it opened on the 1st of October 2021.
The aim of Expo 2020 was to increase awareness about the global issues that humankind faces. The event brought massive networking opportunities and the promotion of international connections and businesses. Individual pavilions were arranged at Expo 2020, with countries displaying their unique cultures and technical inventions. A total of 190 nations participated in the event, with a mind-blowing number of 25 million tourists present globally. During the entire event, tourists experienced Emirati hospitality as well as the UAE’s principles of inclusiveness, tolerance, and collaboration.
Dubai Expo 2020 goals achieved
The Expo 2020 served its grand purpose to bring nations together for collaborative initiatives that boost and promote visions that improve people’s lives while conserving the ecosystem. Moreover, the expo attracted millions of people from all over the world, allowing nations to pitch stunning pavilions and alter the host city for years.
The Dubai 2020 Expo was beyond comparison among global events in terms of size, scope, time, and tourist numbers in the current situation. It presented a large-scale academic and growth platform that connected governments, companies, global organizations, and individuals.
Three core themes seen at Dubai Expo 2020
The theme for the mega event was “Connecting Minds, Creating The Future,” with Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity being the sub-themes.
1. Sustainability District
At the Sustainability District, the sustainability pavilion ‘Terra’ was designed by Grimshaw Architects. Terra promotes visitors to explore the depths of the ocean, deep woods, and creative renditions of the world’s natural gems.
The pavilion’s aim was to encourage tourists to take little and large efforts toward a more endurable future in order to battle climate change.
2. Mobility District
In the mobility district, ‘Alif’ , a pavilion devoted to future travel opportunities, space exploration, and how digital advancements will initiate a change, encourages visitors to explore new horizons.
The pavilion included a 330-meter circuit named the Mobility Track, which demonstrated advanced mobility technologies.
3. Opportunity District
‘Mission Possible’, the opportunity pavilion, concentrated on building relationships and connecting guests to social creators who have brought a change in people’s lives worldwide.
Visitors also experienced a youth empowerment initiative in the pavilion, which strives to promote young innovators.
Key highlights presented at the Dubai Expo 2020
One particular highlight of the event was the Women’s Pavilion. For the first time in the past 50 years, a World Expo had a standalone pavilion reserved for women. In collaboration with Cartier, expo 2020 Dubai’s Women’s Pavilion showcased women’s assistance to the planet and presented women’s full and equal participation to achieve the path to peace, fortune, and sustainability.
The pavilion successfully showcased the roles played by women throughout history, believing that society thrives when they thrive. Hind Alowais, Vice President of Participants Management at Dubai Expo 2020 shared:
“We believe that women and girls are essential to the resolution of humanity’s most pressing challenges, which is why we have placed them at the heart of everything we do. By placing women in key positions at Expo 2020, we will deliver an experience that not only surpasses expectations, but that is also truly inclusive and speaks to policymakers as well as the public’s hearts and minds.”
The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet was also one of the highlights of the event. It was a mesmeric three-course dining experience where you are set on a multisensory voyage through the very act of eating. The brainchild of UK design studio Bompas & Parr, the experience carried diners on a two-hour culinary trip as envisioned in the year 2320, motivated by microbiology, space, and AI, encouraging all those who visit to explore how AI will influence the future of dining.
Art displayed in Expo 2020 is something that also connected the tourists who visited the event with the culture and vibe of local Emiratis. The Public Art Program, organized by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, was encouraged by the 11th-century Arab mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Ibn al-Haytham’s seminal work, ‘Book of Optics.’ The program invited visitors to re-examine relevant concepts and theories, with Abou El Fetouh sharing: “Ibn al-Haytham argued that perception is never complete without prior knowledge, comparative measures, memory, and imagination.“
The event also featured the Chimera, a massive, oil drill-shaped enduring sculpture by Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri, followed by ten commissioned artworks by local, regional, and global artists, including Hamra Abbas, Afra Al Dhaheri, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Abdullah Al Saadi, Asma Belhamar, Olafur Eliasson, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Khalil Rabah, Yinka Shonibare, and Haegue Yang. The power of imagination is depicted by the presence of such immensely talented artists participating in the event.
Another highlight of the event was the outdoor night-time light carnival Kaleidoscope, which brought the entire event space to life and light for 182 nights, the totality of its six-month time period. Thanks to the beauty of photography and fantastic lighting effects, tourists enjoyed the stunning architecture and design of stars such as Asif Khan, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, and Hopkins Architects, throughout the expo’s landscaped public spaces. In addition, Kaleidoscope connected tourists with a pack of multicultural holidays, including Diwali and Christmas, telling their tales through exhibitions of architecture, light, and design.
Impact of Expo 2020 on UAE’s economy
The UAE economy is anticipated to boom after the Expo 2020 event. The event and its legacy are envisioned to contribute 33$ billion of gross value added to the UAE’s thrift from 2013 to 2031. It will contribute around 1.5% of the UAE’s yearly forecast gross domestic product (GDP).
Expo 2020 Dubai is deemed as a vital long-term investment for the UAE because of its asset to the future vision of UAE as well as its role in promoting extensive sustainable evolution, the way to an innovation-driven economy, and building a promising domain for significant departments such as logistics, conveyance, tourism, real estate, education, healthcare, the labor market, information technology, knowledge, culture, AI, environmental activities and green energy.
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