Dubai: Expo 2020 would significantly boost Dubai’s image in the international job market as a destination for talented professionals if the emirate is successful in his bid, Hany Mwafy, Managing Director at Brand Finance Middle East said.

Brand Finance is an independent valuation firm that assesses the value of brands and recently released a study that said the UAE brand value would increase by $8 billion (Dh29.4 billion) if Dubai is successful in its bid later this year.

Mwafy, speaking on the backdrop of The Global Travel Marketing Forum — an event that brings together global travel marketing heads — in Dubai on Wednesday, said a winning bid would “enforce the reality that Dubai is one of the global talent magnets”.

Colin Beaton, Managing Director of Dubai-based retail strategy and design firm Limelight Creative Services, said that branding for countries was one way to boost investment and tourism.

He said that the duration of Expo, an event that takes place over several months, gives the wining country and city a significant amount of time to their implement brand to the international audience.

Leverage

Beaton said that Dubai and the UAE would be able to significantly leverage its global brand through Expo 2020. He said that one of Dubai’s advantages was that it is already looked upon as a symbol of the future and as place for innovation — part of what Expo is about.

“The brand is very important to Dubai, and if you look at the Expo brand it is very much in alignment with Dubai,” he said.

Duncan Alexander, Director of The Travel Marketing Store, said it would be “absolutely fantastic” if Dubai won the bid.

“I think the bid is strong and going back to know a lot of the people apart of the bid from the travel, tourism, hotel, and airport side, they have worked together on this and that’s really unique,” he said.

Dubai is competing against three other cities — Izmir in Turkey, Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Yekaterinburg in Russia. The winning bid is expected to be announced on November 27.

Infrastructure developments

Alexander said he expected that infrastructure developments would significantly increase if Dubai is successful in its bid. However, he does not expect this to be an issue for the people living in the emirate.

“As residents in Dubai we have become use to the incredible growth rate in infrastructure developments,” he said.

Alexander said that Expo would bring significant opportunities for business in Dubai and the Middle East. He said that the event would have a “halo effect” on region.

“Its not just about Dubai, but about Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the region as a whole,” he said.