Expo 2020, a grand event or Universal Exposition, to be hosted by Dubai, will be inagurated on October 20, 2020. Expo 2020 will be a grand celebration of human innovation, enterprise, and ambition. As Dubai seeks to welcome 200 participants and many millions of visitors in 2020, let us examine what Expo 2020 is all about, and what one can look forward to.
The universal feeling of being human, celebrating human enterprise, and collaborating on a multiplicity of platforms- that is what Expo is all about. It is organised every five years and lasts for six months.
The first World Expo was held in 1851 at London's Crystal Palace and was known as The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. There were some 100,000 objects, displayed along more than ten miles, by over 15,000 contributors.
Some of the amazing inventions which were first brought to the world at an expo include the telegraph in London in 1851, the typewriter in Philadelphia in 1876, the diesel engine in Paris in 1900, the colour TV in New York in 1964, IMAX film in Osaka in 1970, and wireless trams in Yeosu in 2012.
The most recent expo, which started in 2015, was held in Milan, Italy, under the theme of "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life". Inventions to come out of it include solar trees and energy saving elevators - something which would be useful in the UAE with all of the high-rise buildings.
Dubai went into rapt celebrations when it was announced that it would host Expo 2020. Celebrations and congratulations were ignited in the UAE where residents were waiting for the outcome of the voting of the 164 nation members entitled to vote. Dubai won by a thumping majority with 116 votes, leaving Yekaterinburg, Russia, with only 47.
"Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" is the theme for Expo 2020, with this being expressed into three subthemes: Mobility, Sustainability, and Opportunity. This will be all about looking ahead at the future in a constructive manner, whilst getting the best minds together. It will be all about celebrating eductaion and achievement, and putting human connections at the centre of all activities. Mostly, it will be about creating a space to garner progressive minds together.
Ahmed Al Khatib, vice president of property at Dubai Expo 2020 said, the dome will be 65 metres tall with a diameter of 150m, and will accomodate approximately 10,000 visitors. The dome will be partly open to the sky at the top and will have fountains, waterfalls, parks and palm-lined courtyards.
The Expo site, which will span a total of 438 hectares, is situated in the Dubai South district, near the Al Maktoum International Airport.
According to the official Expo 2020 website, the legacy plans are "wide-ranging and ambitious". "We hope to stimulate the development of a knowledge economy here in Dubai, anchored to the Expo site itself, which will continue, after the event, to be a destination that attracts visitors, students and companies and is home to a combination of organisations including strategic industries, specialised technology companies, social entities and education facilities," it says.
Logos always have a story behind them. A 4,000-year-old archaeological site in the desert of the Al Marmum area of Dubai - that is where the inspiration of the logo originated from.
When Sheikh Mohammed unveiled the winning design, he said these memorable words, "(This logo) represents our message to the world that our civilisation has deep roots. We were and will always be a pot that gathers civilisations and a centre for innovation”.
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