Since 1851, the World Fairs have presented us with innovations that have had a decisive impact on the world we live in today. We remember the demonstration of the telephone in 1876 in Philadelphia, but also the presentation of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 in Paris.
For the 170th edition, the Dubai World Expo 2020 will not deviate from the rule of innovation by placing itself under the sign of three key words: sustainability, mobility and opportunity.
The iKeys House, which specialises in luxury real estate investment, talks to you today about the Dubai World Expo, which promises to be one of the most important events in the history of World Expos.
How is the Dubai World Expo organised?
Why is the Dubai World Expo so iconic?
How is the Dubai World Expo organised?
Initially scheduled for 2020, the World Expo was postponed by one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Dubai will host more than 190 countries for the World Expo, which has the following theme: "Connecting minds, building the future". 25 million visitors are expected to attend.
The participating countries will have their own pavilions in which they will showcase innovations that relate to the Expo's theme. For the countries, such an event is an essential showcase for their know-how and technological advances. It is also a way for them to show their commitment to the constructions of tomorrow.
The site is an area of more than 400 hectares located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is organised into three "districts", each grouping several pavilions from different countries.
The "Sustainability" district allows visitors to discover the world's most advanced technologies in the field of sustainable development. For example, the Dutch pavilion offers an immersive journey into a miniature world with its own climate system. A vertical farm will harvest water, energy and food.
The "Mobility" district aims to create connections between the physical and the virtual, allowing ideas and goods to be exchanged faster and more fluidly than today. The Republic of Korea Pavilion offers us a mobile-guided journey through a unique and dynamic architecture.
The Opportunity District highlights the importance of the opportunities that lie behind every innovation. The Malawi Pavilion illustrates this particularly well by showing the impact of innovation on communities. It does this by dramatising the life of a young child from a rural area who is given the right tools.
In addition to the various presentations from each country, entertainment, music, dance and sports programmes will enrich the experience of Expo visitors.
In order to accommodate all the visitors, the UAE government has allocated a huge budget to develop the city's real estate and transport infrastructure. In addition, the safety and health of all participants is a priority: the government and the Exhibition organisers have defined guidelines to ensure that the Exhibition is a barrier zone against the Covid-19 virus. Wearing a mask will therefore be compulsory, even outdoors, and all staff will be vaccinated.
Let's take a look at why the 2020 World Expo promises to be particularly iconic.
Why is the Dubai World Expo particularly emblematic?
At a time when our society is facing new environmental and technological challenges, the choice of the city that will host the innovations to meet them is particularly crucial. Dubai, a favourite territory for all kinds of innovations, was an obvious choice to host the World Expo. As Emmanuel Macron pointed out at the 2017 Franco-Emirati forum regarding the World Expo: "2020 will give us the opportunity [...] to show, for example, how new smart cities can contribute".
On the other hand, the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in which the Expo is being held is important. Indeed, this pandemic has highlighted the importance of international cooperation between all states to deal with this crisis. The World Expo Dubai is an opportunity to remind us of this and to illustrate it by the contribution that each nation makes by its advances in different fields. As Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions, pointed out: "World Expos are global platforms for modern multilateralism, bringing together countries, international organisations, companies, NGOs, researchers and citizens, so that together we can work to find solutions and resolve challenges.
Finally, while the United Arab Emirates are experiencing a lull in the pandemic, the World Expo is a guarantee of economic recovery for them by creating many jobs to build and organise the Expo, with the aim of attracting the greatest possible number of visitors. It will also be an opportunity for them to showcase their real estate and new technology prowess, notably through the installation of a solar energy production system that will last throughout the World Expo.