DUBAI: Would you like to know how food from a farm in Ecuador ends up on your dinner plate? Or how one set of items moves from one place in the world to another?
The concept of trade and cargo may seem remote from our daily lives but the truth is, we are all inextricably linked to it. It’s all about the things we want, need and use and which sometimes come to us from another country or place and so need to be moved or transported and made available right down to the last-mile stop, which is usually right into your home. How this process works is what makes the world of trade and cargo as complex as it is interesting.
The DP World’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will help visitors understand this complex process in an easy, vibrant, interactive way, and no matter what your age, its endeavour is to help you learn about the latest technologies that make the movement of things across the world possible, and in increasingly speedier ways.
“Through the use of cutting-edge technologies including augmented and virtual reality, visitors will be able to see the real-time movement of cargo across the world, and learn how global trade happens and its impact on every aspect of everyone’s life every day,” says a DP World spokesperson. “Trade is an area that, despite its importance, is not understood very well by the general public and we hope to change that. When they leave, we want visitors to have the sense of satisfaction that comes with gaining something new and valuable.”
As the official Premier Global Trade Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, DP World’s role is to ensure the smooth and steady flow of everything the Expo needs, from the Al Wasl Dome to raw materials needed for construction. And at the heart of this understanding is the DP World Pavilion, one of the largest at the Expo, whose first look was revealed earlier this month. The pavilion, centred around the concept of ‘Making Trade Flow’, is being developed in line with Expo 2020s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability,
“The pavilion will become a permanent feature of Expo 2020 Dubai’s legacy at District 2020, reinforcing the emirate’s reputation as a knowledge-based economy. It will benefit future generations for years to come long after the event has ended by introducing young minds to career opportunities in logistics and trade coupled with insights into their vital role in keeping the world moving,” said DP World Group Chairman & CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
The pavilion will feature many ground-breaking technologies. “One will be DP World Cargospeed, the Hyperloop-powered technology that will allow us to move cargo at phenomenal speeds. For comparison’s sake, it will take Cargospeed just over an hour to travel from Paris to Rome, while it takes two hours by plane,” says a DP World spokesperson. “Our other major initiative is BoxBay, the high-rise container storage system that will revolutionise global supply chains. BoxBay will allow ports to increase their container storage capabilities by up to 200 per cent, and greatly increase efficiency in sorting and retrieving containers.”
The pavilion is also aiming to open the world of trade and logistics to high schoolers to expand their horizons on career choices. “This is an exciting area that plays a vital role in our everyday lives and offers fantastic career opportunities, but is rarely brought up as an option for teenagers trying to figure out what they want to do,” a DP World spokesperson said.
