Zaim Jee
It was 27th of November 2013 when the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris had awarded Dubai as the host of Expo2020. I remember the whole nation was celebrating this great news.
Just going back couple of years when in the end of 2011, I started observing huge banners on the streets about Expo2020 stating Dubai as Candidate City. It was the first time when many people like me came to know about Expo. I still remember to whomever I spoke about it, they didn’t know the history of Expo.
Let’s have a quick look over the history of Expo. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was formed back on 22nd of November 1928 head quartered in Paris, France to overlook the International Exhibitions. BIE is an intergovernmental body with its 170 members. It is responsible for the bidding and selection of World Expositions.
In 2011, BIE opened the bid for Expo2020 and Dubai made last minute entry. Four final cities were selected to bid.
Izmir – Turkey
Yekaterinburg – Russia
Sao Paulo – Brazil
Dubai – United Arab Emirates
There were total 3 stages for the voting. Sao Paulo and Izmir were out from first and second stage respectively. Final round was between Yekaterinburg and Dubai. BIE voted and selected Dubai as the host city and announcement was made on 27th of November 2013.
After following up all these news between 2011 and 2013, I was very eager to know the background of Expo. The history started back in 1967 when first Expo was organized in Montreal, Canada. Now the most interesting part of these Expositions is the theme linked to them. The Exposition goes to maximum of six months length and serves the theme which applies to all humanity. Some of the examples like First Expo held in Montreal had the theme “Man and His World” and last Expo was held in Milan, Italy under the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy of Life”
Hence I decided to attend Expo 2015 to understand more about Expo. Since Emirates is my all-time favorite airlines but it was expensive to fly to Milan during those dates so traveled from Rome and went by train to Milan. It was Milan second time to host. First was in 1906.
I had wonderful experience of Expo 2015 Milano. Over this visit, I can write many pages but overall the knowledge I got was great with unforgettable memories of the huge place where my 3 days were very less. Each pavilion was theme based with its beautiful structure. The Open Air Theater, Lake Arena and Mediterranean Hill were worth visiting as well.
Expo Milano 2015 passes the baton to the next Universal Exhibition to be held in Dubai in 2021 from October 2021 to April 2022. UAE selected the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. Through this theme the Universal Exposition will be catalyst, connecting the minds to the entire world and inspiring the participants to take action to meet shared challenges.
Expo 2020 Dubai has identified three sub-themes around which the global community will gather to sign new collaborations, in order to find solutions to essential matters and to leave the mark of a strong social and economic collaboration around the world.
These are:
Sustainability: Progress and prosperity without compromising the needs of future generations
Mobility: Unblocking new possibilities for people and communities, contributing successfully to the future
Opportunity: Creating more intelligent and productive connections.
After attending Expo Milano 2015, it will be my great pleasure to experience the innovation of Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE.
I always call Dubai as the best marketers in the world. During my 18 years in Dubai, I have experienced the enormous growth of the city with my own eyes. The way positive image of the city has been developed with the passage of time is quite amazing. All this is because of One Personality, a great visionary leader His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of The United Arab Emirates to whom I admire a lot from the core of my heart. For his futuristic approach and enchanting personality, HH has huge fan club all over the world and people show respect and gratitude by following him over social media.
