DELIVERING THE VISION
Huge international events can leave a lasting imprint on a city—think Barcelona since the '92 Olympics—and Dubai hopes Expo will be a springboard into the future.
Since the beginning, we have been planning for what happens after Expo 2020 Dubai closes its doors. Thus, our vision for District 2020, Dubai's mixed-use innovation district, will keep the history of Expo 2020 alive for countless generations to come. Some 80% of the incredible assets and physical and digital infrastructure that will be built for Expo 2020 will be retained and re-purposed at District 2020, creating a space that will ultimately bring together businesses big and small, in addition to educational, social, and cultural platforms and entertainment. The District 2020 masterplan was designed specifically to cater to the needs of the community and meet the requirements of the market in order to generate long-term value, hence our drive to offer everything a business needs to propel their industry and support the UAE economy. Ultimately, it will be a holistic community in which to live and work where one can explore the next 'big idea' during the day and enjoy a cinema under the stars with their family at night.
Expo 2020 is an event of unprecedented scale and requires an unprecedented amount of manpower. The need to recruit more than 30,000 people has never happened in the UAE before and is a huge challenge. The Expo 2020 Volunteers Program is inclusive, and we welcome anyone who lives in the UAE and is interested in volunteering with us; people from all nationalities and skillsets, from university students and retirees, to homemakers and people of determination. Dubai is home to over 200 nationalities, and we want to show the world through our volunteers that this is an event for us all. Volunteers will help demonstrate authentic Emirati hospitality and the values of respect, tolerance, compassion, and humility. Dedicating more than 16 million volunteer hours spread across 173 days, they will take on various tasks including welcoming and guiding visitors. We have created meaningful roles that will lead to work-ready skills, as well as an exceptional experience that will remain with volunteers for life.
When designing the Expo 2020 Dubai master plan, we wanted to make sure there was meaning behind every part of the built environment. This includes everything from the park benches and on-site signage to the nods to traditional Arabic design that you will see in our thematic districts, right up to the incredible architecture of the thematic pavilions and the huge central dome of Al Wasl Plaza, which, as well as using the Expo logo in its design, also has a deeper meaning behind its name (Al Wasl means 'connection' in Arabic and is the old name for Dubai). We are also working with some of the best names in architecture in the world to ensure we create buildings that amaze our visitors. For example, Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill designed Al Wasl Plaza, the jewel of Expo 2020; Grimshaw designed the Sustainability Pavilion; Foster + Partners designed the Mobility Pavilion; and Asif Khan designed the majestic carbon fiber entry portals that act as the gateways to the site.
It is fair to say Expo 2020 Dubai will be very different from any other World Expo. At previous expos, approximately 80% of visitors were from the home market, the most prominent example being China, where 95% were domestic. The people attending Expo 2020 Dubai will come from all over the world, with 70% expected to be international, the highest proportion in expo history. The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, or South Asia, Expo 2020 Dubai will also be the largest event ever staged in the Arab world, giving the region access to the greatest inventions and collaborations from around the globe as 192 participating countries and millions of visitors come together to build a brighter future. It will also help elevate the tourism industry in the UAE to a new level, and we are working closely with tourism authorities across the nation to meet our targets.
DELIVERING THE VISION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Hatem Sleiman, Regional Vice-President, Head of Network, Middle East and South Asia, Western Union
Technology, globalization, and migration will ensure that no matter the nationalization policies carried out by regional governments, the remittance spout is unlikely to dry up any time soon.
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Hamdan AlShamsi, Senior Partner, Hamdan AlShamsi Lawyers & Legal Consultants
With the expected increase of business in the region, Hamdan AlShamsi Lawyers & Legal Consultants stands ready to assist new or current businesses with the implementation of ideas and the protection of IP.
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Marwan Bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
Through its digital arm, DEWA seeks to disrupt the entire business of public utilities by becoming the world's first digital utility to use autonomous systems for renewable energy and storage.
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Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Dubai Duty Free (DDF)
One of the leading airport retailers in the world, DDF currently operates some 40,000sqm of retail space at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport, reporting sales over USD2.029 billion in 2019.
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Will Goodwin, Managing Director, The Priory Group
Social media can lead to living a virtual life, with limited face-to-face interaction, avoidance, and often misconstrued reality. This may lead to mental health-related issues such as depression, loss of individual value, low confidence, and anxiety.
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Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Former Minister of Economy,
The ministry's way forward is to spur more international collaboration, whether inside the country through FDI flows and encouraging foreign entrepeneurship or outside the country through China's highly-valued Belt and Road Initiative.
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Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General, Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA)
In addition to pursuing an aggressively innovative trade and industrial policy, DAFZA is working behind the scenes to boost Dubai's role as the world's most dynamic hub for global halal services.
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