World-class business and entertainment events to take place at Dubai Exhibition Centre as Expo 2020 teams up with Informa

• Leading international events group also signs up as authorised ticket reseller
• Visitors able to combine DEC events with full suite of Expo 2020 experiences 

DUBAI:– Expo 2020 Dubai’s proposition as the world’s greatest meeting of minds has been further strengthened through a wide-ranging agreement with Informa that will bring some of the region’s major business and entertainment events to Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), co-located at the next World Expo. 

DEC will host a number of events organised by Informa during Expo 2020, including the 20th Cityscape Global (10-12 November 2020), the largest real estate investment and development event for emerging markets globally; Middle East Film and Comic Con (4-6 March 2021), the region’s biggest festival of pop culture and gaming, expected to attract more than 45,000 people; and the inaugural Games Con (4-6 March 2021), dedicated to the growing online gaming community in the region. 

Informa, one of the world’s leading international events, market intelligence and scholarly research groups, was also announced as an authorised ticket reseller, supporting Expo 2020’s goal to attract 25 million visits to The World’s Greatest Show of human brilliance and achievement.  

Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, said: “Informa will be bringing some of the most exciting and popular events in Dubai to the DEC, enabling visitors to enhance their experience with all that Expo 2020 has to offer. 

“This significant agreement builds on DEC’s growing reputation as one of the most innovative and connected event and entertainment venues in the world.” 

Expo 2020 will not only be a spectacular event, but also a time to connect, create and innovate. Visitors, exhibitors and delegates will be able to combine the full suite of Expo 2020 visitor experiences with DEC events, summits, seminars, product launches, networking opportunities and meetings. 

Peter Hall, President of Informa Markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “Informa has been operating in the Middle East, with Dubai as its hub, for over 25 years. Dubai has established itself as a global meeting point for business, and we have enjoyed enormous success thanks in no small part to the Emirate’s drive for world-class infrastructure and experiences, which Expo 2020 is set to build upon.

“As we prepare to attract thousands of guests to the DEC next year, we are excited to be working with the Expo 2020 team in delivering the best possible experience for our participants and visitors.” 

Informa-organised events at DEC include NAJAH (1-2 November 2020), an annual higher education student recruitment fair and exhibition involving international universities; the Seatrade Maritime Middle East exhibition and awards as well as Terminal Operator Conferences during UAE Maritime Week 2020 (6-10 December 2020); and the Leaders in Healthcare conference (dates to be announced next year). 

The agreement with UK-headquartered Informa follows the announcement of other major events to be held at DEC during Expo 2020, including the World Government Summit and the Global Islamic Economy Summit, both of which will take take place in November 2020, as well as the Global Business Forums on Africa, Latin America and ASEAN and World Chambers Congress 2021, all hosted in partnership with Dubai Chamber. 

DEC is also on the doorstep of the Dubai Metro Route 2020 extension and offers 45,000 sqm of customisable space configurable for all types of events, including conferences, exhibitions, seminars, award ceremonies, gala dinners, banquets, product launches, incentive events, indoor concerts and weddings. It will feature the latest developments in technology, including best-in-class audio visual facilities and high-speed 5G connectivity. 

More details on these events and how to participate can be found at Dubai Exhibition Centre and Informa.

-Ends-

About Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai will bring together millions of people for the World’s Greatest Show, celebrating human brilliance and achievement under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

• The six months from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021 will be a moment in time to be part of an unparalleled event. We are extending a warm Emirati welcome to the world:
  • 25 million visits are expected, with many visitors expected to come more than once
  • 70 per cent of visitors anticipated to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 168-year history of World Expos
• An entertaining global celebration with something for everyone, Expo 2020 will wow visitors with 60 daily events across 173 days, showcasing the best of music, technology, creativity and culture, while 200 F&B outlets will feature famous chefs and cuisine from every corner of the world
• Expo 2020 will be an endless journey of discovery. Visitors will have access to the latest innovations and breakthroughs, with more than 200 participants – including 192 nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions – coming together to highlight real-life solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges
• Expo 2020’s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability will inspire visitors to make a conscious effort to think and live differently, and give them renewed optimism that, through collaboration, it is possible to make a lasting change to the world
• The first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) will be located on a 4.38 sqkm site adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

About DEC 

• The Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) will be a world-class venue offering 45,000 sqm of customisable space, housed in a 60,000 sqm site
• Co-located at the Expo 2020 site, it will be a major draw for the MICE industry during the 173 days of Expo and play a key role in Expo’s legacy plans, attracting domestic and international visitors to the heart of District 2020
• Opening to coincide with the start of Expo 2020 on 20 October 2020, DEC will place delegates at the centre of the world’s greatest meeting of minds until Expo closes on 10 April 2021. It will give them potential access to:
  • Trade and investment opportunities, and the latest breakthroughs presented by more than 200 international participants
  • Full suite of visitor experiences on offer at Expo 2020, including more than 200 food and beverage outlets serving global cuisines, and 60-plus live events each day including headline performances
  • Approximately 25,000 local, regional and international news outlets on site over the course of the event
• Located near the Metro 2020 Arrivals Plaza, delivering convenient access for delegates, exhibitors and business visitors 
• Spread across two campuses, DEC will house 14 multi-purpose halls, four suites and 24 meeting rooms – capable of staging immersive event formats
  • 17,000 sqm in the South and 28,000 sqm in the North of uninterrupted programmable space configurable for all types of events, including conferences, exhibitions, seminars, award ceremonies, gala dinners, banquets, product launches, incentive events, indoor concerts and weddings
• Features the latest developments in technology, including best-in-class audio visual facilities and the first high-speed 5G connectivity network in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The immersive content possibilities enabled at DEC will allow the next great shift in the MICE industry: allowing the audience to participate in ongoing discussions in real time with no lag and in high-definition multimedia
• Further demonstrating the truly global opportunity DEC presents, Expo 2020 expects to welcome 25 million visits, with 70 per cent of visitors expected to come from outside UAE
• A number of high-level global events are already confirmed to be staged at DEC, while many more events, of varying scale, will be announced in the coming months as discussions with educational institutions, foundations and large corporations evolve:
  • BlockExpo and World Blockchain Summit 2020 (1-7 November 2020)
  • Al Burda Festival 2020 (2-4 November 2020)
  • World Giftedness Center Biennial International Conference (2-5 November 2020)
  • Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES) (9-10 November 2020)
  • World Government Summit (22-25 November 2020)
  • Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council Summit 2020 (7 December 2020)
  • The World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) in 2020 (8-10 December 2020)
• A cornerstone of the Expo 2020 legacy plan, DEC will help the UAE build on its thriving meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector

About World Expos

In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition – the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, were combined to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.

World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation. Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.

Media are invited to register for access to the Expo 2020 Dubai Media Information System, Tawassul, at https://media.expo2020dubai.com . Tawassul, meaning ‘connect’ in Arabic, is an essential operational tool connecting media to important information and updates on elements such as media accreditation, licences and permits and content assets. If you have not already submitted an expression of interest for media accreditation, please register for Tawassul to access the expression of interest form. For enquiries, email: media.services@expo2020.ae 

Visit: www.expo2020dubai.com 

Follow: Twitter: @expo2020dubai | Facebook: @Expo2020Dubai | Instagram: expo2020dubai

For media enquiries, please contact:
Press Office                                                                                         
On call contact                                                                                    
Email: press.office@expo2020.ae                                                    
Tel: +971 56 688 9509                                                                       
P.O. Box 2020, Dubai, UAE                                                                

Rania Moussly | Nora Feidi
ASDA’A BCW
rania.moussly@bcw-global.com  | nora.feidi@bcw-global.com
+971 50 5670377 | +971 50 1441243
Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE

© Press Release 2019