Dubai: The delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organisation overseeing World Expos, on Thursday met with DP World officials and customers to explore the supply chain capabilities of the UAE as it bids to host the World Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Led by Steen Christiansen, Chairman of the BIE Executive Committee, the nine-member delegation, which is on a four-day enquiry mission to the UAE to assess the country’s ability to host Expo 2020 in Dubai, toured the Jebel Ali por, the port operator said in a statement.

It added that the delegation was received by Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Chairman, DP World, Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah, Vice-Chairman, Mohammad Sharaf, Group CEO, DP World; and and Mohammad Al Muallem, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, DP World-UAE Region.

The visit involved the delegates meeting with over 50 of DP World’s customers, interacting directly with them, exchanging views and information about Dubai and its potential to handle the logistics of such an event.

Reiterating DP World’s support as an official partner of the bid campaign, Bin Sulayem said in a statement that with its global portfolio and international family of 30,000 employees, DP World exemplifies the theme of the UAE Expo bid: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

“Here in Dubai, we provide mobility for business and trade through multi-modal access to global markets as a trusted and responsive partner to all those involved in the supply chain — and it’s a model we use in other parts of our global portfolio as well,” he said.

“State of the art facilities coupled with the remarkable and still fast growing infrastructure of Dubai make the city the perfect location for Expo 2020,” added Mohammad Sharaf, Group Chief Executive Officer of DP World.

Among those attending the meeting was Vipen Sethi, CEO of Landmark Group, who said that retailers have witnessed the UAE host some of the best events in the country which has “benefited businesses, residents and visitors”.

Yet another retail company head, Deepak Babani, CEO of Eros Group, said: “The excellent infrastructure built by Dubai, especially its ports, is ideal for trade and supporting world class logistics. Tourism expansion in Dubai has further added to its attraction as a tourist destination.”