Touching new heights

Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, visited the pavilions of Saudi Arabia and Oman at Expo 2020 Dubai.

During the visit, His Highness toured the pavilions’ exhibits and was briefed on their key themes. The Oman pavilion tells the story of the country’s history through the prism of frankincense, and its impact on food, medicine and cosmetics.

The Saudi Arabia pavilion offers a glimpse into the country’s future, taking the visitor on a journey through its ambitions across four main pillars: people, nature, heritage and opportunities.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s landmark pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai recorded on Thursday its one millionth visit since it opened on October 1st.

The occasion was marked with a special ceremony in the Open Square area of the pavilion, a uniquely designed five-story structure that is the second largest pavilion at Expo. A special video and a countdown to the one million mark were shown on a giant digital screen, amid a shower of colourful confetti, followed by a traditional musical show performed by Saudi artists.

The KSA Pavilion offers rich and varied content anchored in its four core themes - People, Opportunity, Heritage, and Nature - which underpin Saudi Arabia’s participation in this international mega event, the first in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

Hussain Hanbazazah, Commissioner General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Pavilion, said: “I extend a message of appreciation to all our visitors. I am very proud to see Saudi Arabia’s Pavilion attract so many visitors from around the world who have all come to experience the transformation of the Kingdom and learn about our country’s rich heritage, diverse people, vast opportunities, and natural wonders.

“We invite everyone who hasn’t had the chance to visit yet, to come and learn about the real, authentic Saudi Arabia - and I extend an open invitation to visit our country and experience our culture and hospitality firsthand.” The KSA Pavilion is a ‘window’ to the world, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s past and aspiring future, and showcasing its 13 regions through immersive and interactive exhibits on economy and investment, arts and culture, nature, energy, and more.

Over Expo’s six-month course, taking place under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Building the Future’, the Saudi Pavilion is hosting thought leadership panels and symposiums on various topics, along with vibrant, diverse and captivating cultural shows that include dance, poetry, art and music.

Every day, visitors can watch the traditional Saudi Ardah dancers as they deliver dazzling and energetic performances to the beat of folkloric drums and spoken poetry. In addition, visitors can sample traditional Saudi dishes from across the Kingdom’s 13 regions at Sard café, a unique dining experience in the Palm Garden, a zone of the Pavilion that also hosts a sweets and ice cream corner and a souvenir shop.

India’s growth Story: Minister of Industries, Govternment of Maharashtra, Shri Subhash Desai on Friday said that the state’s plans to become a trillion-dollar economy will see it play a bigger role in India’s growth story after attracting strong investments even during the Covid pandemic.

Inaugurating Maharashtra’s presence at the India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai, the minister said, “Maharashtra is the growth engine of the Indian economy, and we are ready to welcome the world from EXPO2020 Dubai. We look forward to signing many MoUs with prospective big corporates and governments”.

“Maharashtra is banking big on the investor fraternity as part of its participation in Dubai Expo. The state is expected to sign some key investment initiatives as well as bi-lateral agreements of economic corporation with strategic investment and country partners and is offering a series of support services through its industry department, where all the clearances and approvals are available at one platform,” he added.

Smt Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Industries and Tourism, Shri Amit V. Deshmukh, Minister for Medical Education & Cultural Affairs of Govt. of Maharashtra, Dr Anbalagan CEO, MIDC and Nodal Officer, Dubai Expo along with Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai & Dy. Commissioner General for India at Expo 2020 Dubai and other officials from the state Govt. were also present during the inauguration.

“The state of Maharashtra didn’t stop during pandemic and continued to attract investments from across the globe. Corporates from various countries have signed agreements with Maharashtra to set up their units even during the COVID19 period,” Shri Desai added.

Maharashtra is the most attractive FDI destination in India and has attracted almost thirty per cent of total FDI flowing in the country from 2000 to 2021. During the pandemic, Maharashtra has attracted investments of around $27.5 billion (October 2019 to June 2021, as per DPIIT). The states’ contribution to India’s GDP is around 15% and it has a significate share in exports and employment generation for the country.

 “We are honoured, proud, and privileged to be a part of Dubai Expo 2020. It provides us with numerous opportunities to promote the state’s tourism from such a global platform. We will have strategic partnerships with Dubai and other International tourism companies to further strengthen and collaborate to promote tourism in our state,” Smt Tatkare said.

In addition to trade and commerce, showcasing Maharashtra’s culture and tourism potential will also be a key part of the state’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Sports industry highlighted: The Australian state of Victoria has co-hosted an event at the Australian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai that brought together some of the leading sports industry figures from Australia and across the Middle East.

In attendance was Nasser Aman Alrahma, Assistant Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council. During the event, Dubai Sports Council announced it has many initiatives and opportunities for Victoria and Australia to engage with the UAE’s sports industry.

The hybrid event, attended by more than 50 people in-person and virtually, involved multiple panel sessions and discussions, including: The critical role played by community sports and major event facilities in generating significant social, health and economic benefits to communities,

The importance education plays in driving an innovative and sustainable sports industry and the key role played by the Victorian Government in establishing the Australian Sport Innovation Centre of Excellence in Melbourne.

Officially launching the event and providing opening remarks virtually was Ms Gönül Serbest, CEO, Global Victoria.

“Expo 2020 provides us with a great opportunity to reconnect with the region and the global economy, creating connections and strategic relationships with our economic partners in the Middle East,” said Ms Serbest.

“By showcasing Victoria’s sport and technology industries, attendees have the opportunity to learn more about our state and we look forward to continuing our strong commitment to the Middle East and North Africa Region.”

Ms Serbest highlighted Victoria’s position as Australia’s sporting capital. The state is home to 9,500 community sport facilities, leisure and recreation centres, more than 16,000 sporting clubs, and more than 52 professional teams playing in national or international competitions.

Melbourne also boasts world-class sporting infrastructure and has a global reputation as a major sporting events capital – hosting among others the Australian Open, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Spring Racing Carnival - featuring Australia’s premier racing event the Melbourne Cup (won by Dubai’s Godolphin for the first time in 2018).

Victoria’s extensive sporting calendar and technology capability means it is the perfect place to develop new sports technology solutions. Victoria is home to more than half of Australia’s sportstech firms and this event showcased some of its best, including Rosterfy, Champion Data, RefBook, InteractSport, FrogBox, EngageRM, and Alerte Equine Science.

Attendees also previewed SportNXT, a new annual global thought leadership summit, that will be held in Melbourne (6-8 April 2022) during the 2022 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The event also included a business networking lunch and included an interview with Cricket Australia CEO, Nick Hockley, who discussed Australia’s win at the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup in the UAE, along with the upcoming Ashes series and famous Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The Victorian Government is the only Platinum Partner of the Australian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and is working in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Austrade to deliver Victoria’s program of events over the six months of Expo.