Dubai Expo 2020 – Connecting Minds Creating The Future

Dubai Expo 2020 – Why is it so important – to Dubai, to Active PR, to me? 

The UAE is bidding to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

Dubai 2013 – Just under 2 weeks to go and the excitement in this city is building….there is a sense of expectation and rightly so!

I have lived in the United Arab Emirates for 26 years now and it is home to me, it has given me so much that is wonderful and even the not so good experiences have taught me valuable lessons about people, life and how to always be positive.

So for me this is quite “personal” – I always love it when I see Dubai and the UAE in sports, business and in social programmes that they drive and I am also slightly embarrassed about the “…bigger, better, faster, higher and more expensive…” claims that the country and Dubai are guilty of making but the point is I feel it almost as if it’s a reflection of me.

So to see that Dubai has come so far and is competing for what is one of the most prestigious and probably tangibly real global events that really does raise the profile of any host country for over some years.

I will be so proud if Dubai wins this and appreciative of all the hard work that a huge team of people including His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, and constitutional monarch of Dubai have put in to get Dubai so well positioned to be a favourite and I will be celebrating in style if Dubai wins this bid!

On a more subjective level of course Dubai is extremely well positioned on several fronts to win this prestigious global recognition.

The fact that the Emirate has spent the last 10 years plus developing and enhancing their infrastructure already makes this a city that is admired around the world for its architecture, its bold plans and projects and the introduction – successfully – of initiatives like the rail and Metro systems, the tramway and the town planning that is delivering space for people rather than cars to enjoy this city and – in the winter – the multitude of healthy pursuits that visitors and residents alike can enjoy.

The road system is one of the best in the world and time spent in London, New York, Singapore or Tokyo will tell you that its still a pleasurable experience to travel the Emirate in a car and that whilst traffic is still present it does not have the same economic impact that these cities can have.

A recent visitor to Dubai from Brazil said to me that she was surprised that there was so much space in Dubai, that there still seemed to be a great deal of land upon which to build and develop but yet the feeling of being in a tightly packed urban centre where it can be a challenge to even see the sun and sky from offices and apartments is something that Dubai does not have and as a resident an element that we don’t realize until you hear the perspectives of people like my friend whose country is hosting the World Cup in 2014!

I sincerely believe that the endorsements that are coming in from politicians, statesmen, celebrities and key players in the global business community are well considered and based on the experiences that these key influencers have had from their different experiences of this city

As an entrepreneur the Dubai Expo 2020 would be a huge boost to the already reviving economy of the Emirate and the region as  whole and represents an opportunity for growth and development of the business and the realization of new challenges and opportunities also and this is an area that I think all business people in the city that have are established are keen to exploit also

The countdown continues and as we get closer and closer to the final decision I feel more and more positive that Dubai will be a winner and in doing so will succeed with the Expo and long after in connecting minds and helping to create and shape the future not only of this great city but also of the global community in which we live!