Dubai Wins World Expo 2020! What to Expect from the First Middle Eastern Hosted Event - See more at: http://entertainmentdesigner.com/news/event-design-news/dubai-wins-world-expo-2020-what-to-expect-from-the-first-middle-eastern-hosted-event

The first world exposition was held in London back in 1851 to celebrate culture and technology. Now hosted every five years, millions of visitors frequent the event over its six month run. The upcoming 2015 event will be held in Milan, Italy with the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, but the big news last week was who won the rights to host 2020! Vying for the World Expo is a highly competitive process. In the running for 2020 were Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Ekaterinburg, Russia – Izmir, Turkey and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ultimately, Dubai won the right to host making it the first time this important exhibition will be held in the Middle East.The 2020 theme will be Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. To celebrate Dubai’s win of the prestigious expo, Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – was lit up in blue and then illuminated by fireworks. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Dubai’s constitutional monarch, said on Twitter, “Dubai #Expo2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity. We congratulate the nation, our president & all people in UAE on Dubai’s winning bid to host the greatest exhibition in the world.”Dubai is reportedly prepared to go all out to make Expo 2020 sensational and will invest an estimated $35 billion in hosting the event. This will be the first Expo to run over two years – from October 2020 to February 2021. More than 140 countries and organizations are anticipated to participate. Dubai (and the UAE at large) intends to host a series of Expo themed events to build momentum toward the keynote event in seven years.HOK designed the master plan for Dubai 2020 which will include three main pavilions that represent Opportunity, Sustainability and Mobility. Each of the pavilions will feature innovation pods and best practice areas. Opportunity will explore new paths to economic development. Mobility will present smart systems of logistics and transportation. Sustainability will examine lasting sources of energy and water. The design centers around a main plaza called the Al Wasl which means “the connection” and is a historical reference to Dubai.The overall layout emulates that of a traditional Arabic market with larger pavilions at the edges and smaller ones at the center. To shelter visitors from the sunny days and high temps as well as provide a source of energy, the central structure was designed to be constructed using photovoltaic fabric to generate half of the Expo’s energy requirements. What’s also interesting is that the welcome, innovation and UAE pavilions will be consolidated to create the Museum of the Future after Dubai 2020 shutters.One lingering question is whether the UAE will throw wide its doors and welcome all visitors. Currently, Dubai singles out those from Israel or those who have an Israeli stamp in their passport (regardless of their nationality) for exclusionary treatment. Dubai’s visa requirement page states: “Please note that Israelis and travelers whose passports bear Israeli stamps will be denied a visa.” As this is an event to celebrate the achievements and potential of all the world, we hope Dubai will be expansive in who it invites. Congratulations Dubai! - See more at: http://entertainmentdesigner.com/news/event-design-news/dubai-wins-world-expo-2020-what-to-expect-from-the-first-middle-eastern-hosted-event/#sthash.NmsBLsWY.dpuf