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29 March 2024

Dubai’s road to Expo 2020, and how you can be a part of it

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

In the years leading up to the Expo 2020, more than Dh90 billion is expected to be spent on the project.

“This is the economic impact of the Expo event between now and 2020,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

Dubai’s Expo 2020 team is currently tasked with filing the Expo dossier; which needs to be submitted in 2015. In this dossier, the planning, execution, and the expected outcome of the event are discussed in length.

Almarri shared some details that have been keeping the Expo team occupied.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure plays a vital role in the preparation for not only the Expo, but also for the legacy that the event is to leave behind. The road infrastructure, the public transportation network, the upcoming rail network and the aviation sector all play a role in making Dubai a smart city, able to cope with the 25 million expected visitors and leaving a legacy for future generations, Almarri said.

The majority of the infrastructure projects will take off in 2015, he revealed.

The Expo being a world event, 70 per cent of the visitors are expected to travel from international locations, and the majority of these people will try to access the site through public transportation.

“As part of our bid, a comprehensive visitor management study was undertaken, including city-wide traffic and movement flow analysis. As a result we have been able to put together a public transport strategy able to sustain vast audiences,” reads the Expo website.

An extension to the Dubai Metro Red Line will be constructed to a dedicated station on the Expo site. Further, the ExpoRider will be launched. This low-emission bus service will transport visitors to and from the Expo from pick-up points throughout the UAE, situated in key hotel and major population areas.

These developments are indicators that the local public need not worry about a negative impact of the event on traffic, believes Almarri.

Logistically, the same logic applies. “The location of the Expo is very strategically placed. It is on the corridor of the strategic ports in the UAE. The impact of the Expo will not be felt because of this logistics corridor,” he noted.

Of course, onsite infrastructure is part of the project too. “The actual site infrastructure projects will see the design and tendering next year,” explained Almarri. “These do not have to be completed until 2019, but the projects need to be ready to go so there will be increased activity in this sector.

Hard and soft assets

It has already been acknowledged that the economic impact of the Expo is great, and employment opportunities will be evident in several sectors. However, these are the hard assets, Almarri noted.

“There are also the soft aspects of the Expo. It is the first time an event of this scale is held in the region. It is the first opportunity for the region to have an equal standing on the global stage. One thing that will remain from this is the build-up of the reputation of the region. This is really a starting point,” he said.

“We are not planning to build assets that are only beneficial for the Expo. If you look at the planning of Expo, it does not stop in 2019-2020. The planning extends to the years after.”

The Expo site itself forms a good example of this. After the event, Expo 2020 site will be transformed into an educational and cultural venue and a key tourist landmark.

Moreover, the innovative solutions and numerous partnerships forged as a result of this event will have a sustained impact on communities all over the world, Almarri said.

Career springboards

A special emphasis of the Expo legacy has been placed on the youth, Almarri added.

“As we move towards the event, some schemes are developed. University graduates are guided to enrol in very real, on-the-job development programmes. These programmes will give people the opportunity to prove themselves as working for the management of the Export. This will give them an experience for the next 5-6 years, and this is a great start of their career.

“Secondly, there is a great deal of volunteerism and people who will participate on the organsing side. Many schools are already participating through various courses, and they really get involved with the event. Now we are still in the early stages, but from 2017 onwards this will be a big thing.”

How to be part of the Expo project?

As the preparations progress, there are many ways to participate in the Expo project. “There is ample room for the top companies to become involved, either competitively or through partnerships,” noted Almarri.

“We are looking for partners that are committed to the region, partners that are committed to the development of the UAE, and partners that are not just looking at the Expo as an event, but are looking at the Expo as a catalyst to create a legacy beyond the Expo.

“We have seen many approaches with innovative ideas. Many companies have experience in organising large events and they have come up with good ideas, which we are studying at the moment.

“There is a common motivation across all participating actors for innovation, a desire to create change. The key message of a company I spoke to recently was that we do not want to do in Dubai what is done in other places in the world. This is a perception that everybody shares. We have learnt here that we have to push the bar further.”