There is always a massive buzz around world expo, but the excitement surrounding Expo 2020 Dubai is taking things to a new level. And you’d expect nothing more from this fantastic city and emirate.
How to get the most from Expo 2020 Dubai? The more you put in, the more you will get out, so think ahead about what you want to learn and what the theme and values of this expo mean to you. To give you a sense of scale of Expo 2020 Dubai and the drive of this ambitious project, here are some important and grounding ideas to consider in 20 essential facts.
1. While expos are descended from the French tradition of creating national expositions to show off agricultural and industrial advances, the world expo was inspired by Britain’s incredibly successful World’s Fair in 1851.
2. Expo 2020 Dubai will be the third largest event after the Olympics and the soccer World Cup.
3. Dubai is the first place in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asian region to host an expo.
4. The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.” Sub-themes are threefold: Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability.
The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”
5. Expo 2020 Dubai will last for 6 months. It will start on 20 October 2020 and go on until 10 April 2021.
6. Serendipitously, Expo 2020 Dubai coincides with Dubai’s Golden Jubilee celebration, celebrating 50 years of Dubai.
Expo 2020 Dubai coincides with Dubai’s Golden Jubilee
7. The Expo 2020 logo was inspired by a ring discovered at a 4000-year-old archaeological site and the ancient civilization to which the ring belonged, reminding the world of UAE’s deep roots.
8. Visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai will be able to enjoy great food in over 200 restaurants.
9. Hotel rooms in the emirate will have gone from around 65,000 rooms to 100,000 rooms by the start of the Expo.
10. 25 million people are expected to visit Expo 2020 Dubai. That’s roughly the same number of people as the population of Australia.
11. 70 per cent of guests will be international visitors.
12. Expo 2020 Dubai site is more than 1000 acres. That’s about 750 soccer fields.
13. The expo will cost $7 billion. It is expected to increase the emirate’s GDP.
14. From Algeria to Yemen, 190 countries have confirmed their participation.
15. Dubai has introduced the world’s largest solar power project that will run alongside Expo 2020 Dubai.
16. The Russian bid (which would have resulted in Yekaterinburg 2020) was the closest runner-up behind Dubai;’s winning bid. Russia’s theme would have been “The Global Mind” and they would have asked the world seven universal questions.
17. Living up to Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of sustainability, 90 percent of the material used to construct the permanent areas of the site will be reused or re-purposed after the event.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of sustainability
18. Economists are divided about whether there will be a real estate bubble due to too much property after the Expo or a continued boost for Dubai tourism and foreign investment.
19. The world’s tallest commercial tower is named Burj 2020, in honour of Expo 2020.
And last but not least:
20. Dubai aims to make the city the happiest by 2020.
Dubai aims to make the city the happiest by 2020
Dubai’s spirit of innovation and growth make it a fantastic venue for the world expo. And Expo 2020 Dubai is already leading the world by living its themes: creating the future, nurturing opportunity, mobility, and sustainability.
