Expo 2020 Dubai Event

© Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects

EXPO 2020 DUBAI

You’ll probably be hearing a lot more about Expo 2020 Dubai in the coming months. The event is now less than 1,000 days away and organisers are marking this milestone with the first international marketing campaign. Last month, plans for the Expo were showcased during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and Monaco’s participation in the 2020 event was confirmed. The principality is among 170 nations that have already confirmed their participation in the Expo. Laura Nineham takes a look at the ambitions the organisers have for this event.

THE PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO IS THE most recent nation to formally confirm its participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, joining 169 other nations that have already confirmed their involvement. The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa or South Asia will open on 20 October 2020 and is expected to record 25 million visits before its doors close on 10 April 2021.

As befits an event that spawned iconic constructions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Crystal Palace, the Statue of Liberty and the Seattle Space Needle, the home of Expo 2020 will be a brand new, futuristic site.

The plans reveal that Al Wasl Plaza, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architects, will be the central connecting point of Expo 2020 and will include fountains, waterfalls, parks and palmlined courtyards. The plaza will be topped by a 65 metre-high domed trellis, which will double up as a 360-degree screen. Expo 2020 will put sustainability firmly at its heart with the use of innovative techniques, like the way humidity will be condensed to generate water that will irrigate the park. “The Sustainability Pavilion will be entirely self-sustaining, generating electricity and water. On days when it generates more power, it will feed into

the grid,” explained Ahmed Al Khatib, senior vice president of real estate and delivery for Expo 2020 Dubai.

With innovations such as the telegraph, typewriter, colour TV and diesel engine all introduced at previous World Expos, visitors can expect to experience the wildest of innovations come to life. And the news that Uber wants to move people around the Expo in flying cars will make sure the eyes of the UAE - and the rest of the world - remain on Dubai for the six-month event. Just like all previous World Expos, Expo 2020 Dubai has a universal theme that applies to all humanity: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. The programme is built around three sub-themes. The subtheme of Opportunity will explore how new horizons can be opened to individuals and communities to help them meet their current needs and future aspirations. Mobility will consider how people, goods and ideas can be connected and how access to markets, knowledge and innovation can be improved. Sustainability will encourage visitors to think about how we grow opportunity by doing more with less, and at the same time protecting and preserving our environment.

“Expo 2020 Dubai will be a unique platform for collaboration and cooperation that will enable countries to work together to forge a better world,” said Albert Croesi, Commissioner General of section for Monaco.

Monaco’s first involvement in a World Expo was back in 1900, when Prince Albert I agreed to participate at the Universal Exhibition in Paris, and the principality has had a presence ever since.

The Monegasque Pavilion will showcase its world-renowned expertise in the areas of gastronomy, art, hospitality, research, industry, new technologies and luxury lifestyle.

The partnership further cements the close links between the principality and Dubai. In July 2017 His Excellency Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of Economy, visited Monaco to explore how the two countries might cooperate further when it comes to trade and investment.

The Al Wasl Plaza designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill architects will be the central connecting point of Expo 2020 and will include fountains, waterfalls, parks and palm-lined courtyards.