Dubai: The World Expo 2020 logo is about to get a makeover. The government has launched a new campaign aimed at building awareness of Expo 2020 Dubai, which includes a competition to design a new logo for the event.
The fair, which Dubai won the bid to host on November 2013, will run from October 2020 to April 2021 at Dubai Trade Centre — Jebel Ali in the Dubai World Central area.
“The campaign is designed to allow the UAE public to engage with and learn more about Expo 2020 Dubai and the rich history of the World Expos,” said Reem Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State and Board Representative of the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee and Director General of the Bureau Dubai Expo 2020, at the campaign’s launch event in Dubai on Saturday.
Starting Sunday, the UAE-wide community engagement campaign, called “For Everyone”, will further familiarise the public to Expo 2020 and the history of World Expos through a series of interactive initiatives, as well as platforms where people can discuss the Expo.
The campaign consists of an interactive art showcase that includes 21 sculptures designed by international artists and will be on display across the UAE starting this week. The names of the UAE locations, however, were not disclosed during the launch event.
Measuring three to six metres in height, the sculptures, inspired by the Expo subthemes (opportunity, mobility and sustainability) have interactive screens enabling visitors to learn more about the artwork, the artists behind them, the themes and the impact of World Expos.
The public can also share their thoughts on the Expo on social media networks under the hashtag #expo 2020.
During the week of March 22, the sculptures will be combined to create the Expo 2020 logo for each subtheme and will be put on display.
A design competition to create a new Expo logo will run from late March to April, with the winning logo unveiled on October 20. The competition is open to UAE nationals and residents.
Roadshow
On why the Expo logo will be changed, Reem said: “It is a customary tradition for these well-established and mega events to change the logo from the voting stage to the implementation stage.”
Additional activities will be held in Dubai on April 10, including two travelling experiential roadshow zones that will tour all seven emirates in the following weeks. The roadshow zones will enable visitors to access interactive screens and motion-controlled sensor displays to build awareness of the Expo and learn how it will benefit them and the community.
The six-month Expo is expected to attract 25 million visitors. Site readiness work has already been completed, with full-fledged construction of the infrastructure for the Expo expected to start in November, following an approval of the dossier from the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), the governing body of the Expo.
“We are currently putting forward and establishing the framework to work closely with local national and international institutions in terms of hosting this major event … Also, in this period, we are focusing on the official registration [dossier] which has to be submitted to the BIE. We are focusing on the implementation plans which will be fully implemented in the next few months,” Reem said.
The government will start issuing tenders for the Expo infrastructure in the first quarter of 2015, Reem said in October. Investment in the infrastructure is expected to cost between €5 billion and €7 billion (Dh23 billion-Dh32 billion), she said.
“The UAE is an international hub for business and trade. That is why we hope that this Expo will avail and benefit from this special status of the UAE and thereby we will open horizons for the residents of this region including Africa, India, Pakistan South East Asia and the other regions that have not hosted Expos before,” she said.