Large, international events have suffered considerably over the course of pandemic. Expo 2020, happening now in Dubai, offers a blueprint for how such gatherings can return in a safe and more sustainable manner.
World expos are typically held every five years, and date back to 1851 when the first one was held in London. Expo 2020 is the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. As the name suggests, the event was expected to begin last year, but it was postponed 12 months due to Covid-19.
The Expo finally opened on Oct. 1, 2021, and will run through March 31, 2022. Despite the initial delay, the event has already racked up more than 6.3 million visitors, which speaks to the pent-up demand for travel and in-person gatherings.
Expo 2020 aims to bring together people from around the world to foster innovation, drive collaboration and tackle global challenges. The main theme for the event is "connecting minds and creating the future," with the three subthemes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. In addition, there are 10 thematic weeks scheduled over the course of the six-month event – each addressing a specific global issue, such as climate and biodiversity, tolerance and inclusivity, health and wellness, and food and agriculture.
"It's never been more apt to bring people together," said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications for Expo 2020. While McGeachin noted that the pandemic is not yet over, she said it's still important that the world come together to "really look at these challenges, some of which maybe took a backward step because everybody was focused on the pandemic."
Setting a High Bar for Safety
Nearly every nation in the world has opted to participate in Expo 2020. In fact, there are 192 country pavilions on-site, as well as a few thematic and organizational pavilions. The event site is so large that it spans twice the size of Monaco, or the equivalent of 600 soccer fields.
Given the size and scope of the audience, ensuring safety is a top priority. All Expo 2020 staff members and volunteers are required to be fully vaccinated. Because vaccination rollouts have varied internationally, visiting guests can either show proof of vaccination or a negative test result taken within 72 hours in order to enter the Expo. An on-site testing facility offers free PCR tests for unvaccinated ticket holders with a one- or multi-day pass.
Once inside, masks and social distancing are required at all times. Venues and common areas are frequently cleaned. In addition, sanitizing stations are positioned throughout the Expo and friendly robots roam the grounds to remind visitors of the health and safety protocols.
According to McGeachin, a number of country representatives were invited to tour the site in May to get a feel for the health and safety protocols planned for the event and ensure they felt comfortable attending. Also of note: The UAE has a very high vaccination rate, with more than 90 percent of its population fully inoculated.
Creating a Sustainable Site
Because sustainability is one of the three event subthemes, it was paramount from the beginning that Expo 2020 be as environmentally friendly as possible. More than 120 pavilions are LEED certified by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. There is also a dedicated sustainability pavilion, which features educational exhibits on climate change and various ways individuals and collective societies can reduce their carbon footprint. The Terra pavilion is LEED platinum certified, and built to be net-zero for both energy and water. It uses a greywater recycling system and has a canopy of 18 energy trees that are outfitted with nearly 5,000 solar panels. The trees are designed to rotate towards the sun, maximizing the amount of solar energy captured.
Perhaps most important is the fact that the Expo 2020 site will be converted into a future city after the event ends in March. More than 80 percent of the buildings will be reused and repurposed into more than 800 residential apartments, as well as corporate office space and an additional hotel. Some pavilions, including Terra and the UAE pavilion, will remain as cultural attractions. All permanent structures have been outfitted with photovoltaic panels and renewable energy systems, to make them sustainable from the get-go. The future city, titled District 2020, is expected to open in Q4 2022.
"We all know that, whether it be an Olympics or World Cup, or any mega event like that, there's often a lot of criticism about the legacy side. That was something that the UAE took very seriously," said McGeachin. "We didn't want to have something that was just built for six months, and then that was it — particularly given one of the event themes is sustainability. So, it was very important right from the start, from the bid and all the way through, that the site was built for the future."
Building a Meetings Mecca
Expo 2020 is a massive event in and of itself, but there's also space on the grounds for other meetings and conventions. Just 900 feet from the heart of the Expo is the Dubai Exhibition Centre, which opened in October and currently offers 484,000 square feet of meeting space.
The venue can be used to host events separately or in conjunction with the Expo. Planners can look at the Expo calendar to coordinate their meeting with a certain thematic week or on-site Expo event. Organizers can also purchase one- or multi-day Expo passes for their attendees. Recent events held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre include the World Conference on Creative Economy, which took place Dec. 7-9. In January, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors will host its World Built Environment Forum at the site.
The venue will continue to host events after Expo ends. In fact, as part of the plans for District 2020, the Dubai Exhibition Centre will be expanded over the next 10 years to offer nearly 2 million square feet of meeting space — making it the largest venue in Dubai, and further positioning the city as a leading market for groups.
