Dubai: Expo 2020 Dubai’s flagship youth event brought together a thousand creative minds in a day-long event soliciting their ideas and opinions on the planning of the mega event.
Aimed at inspiring and empowering the next generation by providing them with opportunities to explore, create, and learn, YouthConnect 2016 began with keynote speeches by Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation and director-general Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai; and Shamma Suhail Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
The event also featured speakers from a range of industries from across the GCC in 33 different sessions.
Introducing the Expo 2020 Youth Labs, the event provided the young participants with the opportunity to explore a range of fields related to Expo 2020 Dubai and its delivery.
The sessions included lively discussions on topics such as the masterplan, the design of the theme pavilions, and the all-important legacy requirements.
“The Expo Youth Labs are incredibly valuable for both the Expo team and young people. For us, it’s a real opportunity to validate our thinking and get fresh insights from the people we are ultimately creating this Expo for, and for young people, the Youth Labs represent a unique chance for them to really make their influence felt. Today we asked young people to share their ideas on creating the official Expo 2020 mascot, which will embody the spirit of our Expo and of the UAE,” said Anita Chandler, director of Licensing and Merchandising, speaking about the Youth Labs
The 1,000 attendees also had the opportunity to take part in informal conversations with industry leaders at the Discussion Corners.
Speakers including Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa and Bahraini social media influencer Omar Farooq shared their experiences and success stories in the areas of technology and business, society, cinema and food.
