Please see the below press release from “Expo 2020 Dubai” regarding the postponement of Expo by one year. Following this press release, please see additional information from the Business Council about Expo, the U.S. Pavilion, and how U.S. companies can continue to become involved in the World’s Greatest Show.

BIE Member States confirm one-year postponement for Expo 2020
4 May 2020
World Expos governing body’s Member States vote to confirm one-year postponement to Expo 2020
Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all after a two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States voted in favour of postponing the next World Expo by one year.

The global mega event will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, a delay that allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19, and allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said: “We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year. We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed.

“Over the last 50 years, we have sought to build bridges, connections, and partnerships around the world because we believe in genuine collaboration to safeguard the future of all. This swift and overwhelming vote reflects the strength of our international partnerships and truly reflects the positive role the UAE and Dubai play with all countries around the world.

“This affirmation by the international community of Dubai’s offering and its ability to deliver, further strengthens our commitment to matching ambition with achievement to hosting an event that will capture the world’s imagination, when the time is right.”

With a BIE General Assembly impossible to stage due to COVID-19 restrictions, Member States voted remotely on the BIE Executive Committee’s recommendation for a delay as proposed by the UAE Government at the beginning of April and recommended by the BIE Executive Committee on April 21. While the vote remains open until 29 May, the two-thirds threshold was surpassed within a week of voting opening on 24 April.

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, said: “I applaud the swift response by BIE Member States. Their support for the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai – which will be formally approved on 29 May – is a renewed sign of solidarity, and demonstrates the shared will to work together in ‘creating the future’.

“In their support for the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai, Member States of the BIE are giving the world the opportunity to reconvene in 2021, when together, we can address the challenges facing humanity and celebrate the unity and solidarity that strengthen us. With its theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will offer the world a unique platform to share the lessons, solutions and ideas for a better tomorrow.”

Expo 2020 Dubai retains its name and remains committed to hosting an exceptional event that will celebrate humanity’s resilience, creativity, culture and innovation – including major technological advances in the fields of medicine and science.

The first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and largest ever event to take place in the Arab world, Expo 2020 will welcome 192 countries, plus businesses, multilateral organisations and educational establishments.

Visit expo2020dubai.com/en/expo-covid-19 to learn more.

Expo 2020 Dubai

Organized every five years, the World Expo (formerly the World’s Fair) is a global destination for millions of people to share ideas, showcase innovation, encourage collaboration, and celebrate human ingenuity.

The six-month long event will be the first World Exposition to ever be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region and is expected to draw 25 million visitors, the vast majority of whom will come from outside the U.A.E.

Pictured: a rendering of what the Expo site will look like.

The event’s theme is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” and the three subthemes will each have a dedicated pavilion:

• Opportunity: Making meaningful contributions to global development.
• Mobility: Discovering new ways of moving goods and people.
• Sustainability: Exploring the potential for buildings to be self-sustaining in water and energy.

The mega-event will include corporate and country pavilions that feature interactive exhibits, live entertainment, cultural experiences, networking events and VIP receptions, and restaurants. The event’s official partners include Business Council members Accenture, Cisco, DP World, Emirates, Mastercard, and PepsiCo. Moreover, prominent U.S. companies such as Jacobs have played a leading role in building the Expo 2020 site.

Pictured: HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the U.A.E. Armed Forces; HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai; H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai and other U.A.E. leaders inaugurate Expo 2020 Dubai’s Al Wasl Plaza.

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council has championed Expo 2020 Dubai ever since Dubai first announced its intention to bid for Expo 2020 in 2011. The Business Council, its Board of Directors, and its member companies were vocal supporters of this bid, working tirelessly to build awareness and garner support for the World Expo to be hosted in Dubai.

Following the 2013 announcement that Dubai would be the 2020 host, the Business Council became Chair of the Expo 2020 U.S. Standing Committee, which interfaced with U.S. and U.A.E. government authorities on Expo 2020 and advocated for opportunities and partnerships between American and Emirati entities hoping to participate in the Expo. The Business Council helped disseminate timely information about Expo 2020 Dubai and associated commercial opportunities as well as created meaningful engagement opportunities between businesses and Expo leadership in the U.A.E. At the same time, the Business Council helped raise awareness of Expo 2020 and associated commercial opportunities in the United States by hosting a series of Expo 2020 roadshows.

In addition to its collaboration with Expo 2020 leadership, the Business Council worked closely with the U.S. government across two separate Administrations to support the establishment of a U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020. In October of 2017, the U.S. Secretary of State formally signaled the U.S. government’s intent to participate at Expo 2020 Dubai.

As Expo 2020 Dubai approaches, the Business Council continues to work with its member companies, the U.S. Government, and the U.A.E. Government to maximize U.S.-U.A.E. partnerships and U.S. corporate participation at Expo 2020 Dubai and the U.S. Pavilion.

In recent years, the Business Council organized or supported the following Expo-related events:

• Supported the U.S. Department of State’s March 2020 events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to reveal to American companies plans for content and opportunities for partnership at the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020.
• Supported the U.S. Department of State’s July 2019 reception in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Secretary of State Secretary Michael Pompeo for the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
• Supported the U.S. Department of State’s March 2018 Expo 2020 Roadshow across several U.S. cities.
• Hosted a senior delegation from Expo 2020 Dubai for October 2017 roundtable luncheons with local business leaders in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles.
• Hosted senior Expo 2020 Dubai officials for a May 2017 roundtable luncheon with local business leaders in New York City.

U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

The U.S. Pavilion at Expo 2020 will showcase best-in-class American ingenuity and thought leadership to the world. The presence of a U.S. pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is made possible thanks to the generosity of the U.A.E. government. By law, the U.S. Department of State is not permitted to use public funds for international expositions. U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. John Rakolta Jr. will be the Commissioner General for the U.S. Pavilion.

From L to R: Mr. Saud Al Nowais, Commercial Attaché at the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C.; Mr. Danny Sebright, President, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council; Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

The State Department will partner with many organizations and companies to produce the U.S. Pavilion, but it has contracted with two key organizations to help build, outfit, and run it:

• The Thinkwell Group, an international experience design and production agency, will work on the content of the U.S. Pavilion.
• Global Ties U.S., a non-profit public diplomacy organization, will focus on the scheduling and event program for the U.S. Pavilion. Global Ties U.S. will also be leading the Youth Ambassador Recruitment program.

American companies and organizations wanting to learn more about the U.S. Pavilion and how they can potentially get involved can contact the following officials:

• Commercial Engagement – Thomas Bruns at Thomas.Bruns@trade.gov
• US Pavilion Overall Questions – Matthew Asada at asadam@state.gov
• Cultural Programming – Maya Ndao-Fall at Ndao-FallNX@state.gov
• Exhibition Queries – Doug Mossman at MossmanDM2@state.gov
• Sponsorship Opportunities – Kara Snesko at SneskoKJ@state.gov
• Exhibition (Value-In-Kind) – njaffer@thinkwellgroup.com and arashmani@thinkwellgroup.com
• Operation (Value-in-Kind) – harriet.yorston@tvg-global.com and slieberman@thinkwellgroup.com

To contact Global Ties U.S., please click here.

Pictured: U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E John Rakolta Jr. at the groundbreaking ceremony for the U.S. Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai site.

Thematic Focus Weeks at Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai thematic programming weeks include:

• Climate Focus
• Urban Development and Climate Focus
• Travel & Exploration Focus
• Sustainable Development Goals Focus (Last Mile Distribution, Livelihood & Enterprise Development, Women and Girls)
• Health and Wellness Focus
• Innovation Focus
• Agriculture and Livelihood Development Focus
• Women & Girls Focus
• Water Focus