Expo 2020 is scheduled to be a World Expo to be hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 – 10 April 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates, the new dates are 1 October 2021 – 31 March 2022.
But before we further discuss Expo 2020, let's learn what an Expo is. It is a global destination for millions of people to share ideas, showcase innovation, encourage collaboration and celebrate human ingenuity. They are organized every five years and last 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. It displayed about 100,000 objects showcasing the inventions from the industrial revolution.
Some 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 color TV in New York in 1964, IMAX film in Osaka in 1970, and wireless trams in Yeosu in 2012.
But how did Dubai earn the right to host this prestigious event? It took two years of hard work and dedicated, planned bidding to pull it off. Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State and managing director of the Dubai World Expo 2020 bid committee, delivered an emotional speech to the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) committee. She received resounding applause for her 20-minute presentation which contained videos on Dubai's strengths of diversity, infrastructure and stability.
As a result of this victory, fireworks filled the Dubai's sky, exploding out of the Burj Khalifa. Sheikh Mohammad, the ruler of Dubai, declared a holiday for all educational institutions across the emirate.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. The exhibition will celebrate innovation and ingenuity in keepingwith the sub-themes of ‘Opportunity’, ‘Mobility’ and ‘Sustainability’ – perhaps the major global challenge of our time. It is expected to attract 25 million visitors during its six-month run, with 70 percent of those coming from outside the Emirates.
Expo 2020 Dubai will welcome representatives from 190 countries to a 4.38sqkm site in Dubai South, next to Al Maktoum International Airport. Getting there will be easy via the Dubai Metro Route 2020, which will carry up to 46,000 passengers per hour on the 16-minute journey from Dubai Marina.
At the heart of the venue will be Al Wasl Plaza, whose translucent dome will house exhibitions among fountains, waterfalls and palm-lined courtyards. Such contemporary architecture is expected to be as big a draw as the event’s major themes, with well-known names such as Foster + Partners and Santiago Calatrava signed up to attend.
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 organizations including strategic industries, specialized technology companies, social entities and education facilities," it says. More than 80 per cent of the site is planned to be reused or repurposed in the legacy phase.
These were some key facts about the upcoming Expo to be held in Dubai. Hope this article was both informative and entertaining!
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