Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Dubai Chamber’s representative offices in Latin America recently organised a webinar to promote Expo 2020 Dubai as a platform to doing business in Dubai and educate businesspeople from the region about the competitive advantages that the emirate offers.

The webinar, titled Webinar: Expo 2020: Your Platform for Doing Business in Dubai, attracted over 600 participants from 20 countries, representing a wide range of sectors, including consulting, manufacturing, government, advertising, retail and financial services.

During the webinar, the heads of Dubai Chamber’s offices in Brazil, Panama and Argentina provided an overview on various Latin American countries’ plans and strategies for Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as their expectations for the mega event.  

Addressing participants, Omar Khan, Director of International Offices at Dubai Chamber, said the virtual event offered an ideal platform for Latin American companies to learn about how Expo 2020 Dubai provides businesses a platform to attract investment, forge trade agreements and promote international cooperation.


Image used for illustrative purpose only.

He noted that as an official partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber is focusing its efforts on promoting the mega event in the global arena, engaging with business communities across the region and exploring new avenues of economic cooperation through the Global Business Forum Latin America 2022, which takes place on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai.

The event concluded with video messages from general commissioners of Chile, Argentina, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Costa Rica, who spoke about each country’s preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai and the significance of the event for the region, as well as expanding relations between UAE and Latin American business communities.

Meanwhile,  the newest countdown clock, located at Dubai Mall, is the third of three clocks – along with the Dubai  Frame Countdown Clock and the Dubai International Financial Centre Countdown Clock – ticking down the hours, minutes, and seconds until the grand opening of the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region.

The third Countdown Clock has pride of place outside Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world by total land area (502,000 m2), and is flanked by the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world. Complementing Expo’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, the carefully selected location is particularly worth a visit after sunset, when the clock, the mall and the Burj Khalifa are fully illuminated.

A special occasion calls for a special edition, which is why Swatch released another four watches as part of its Expo 2020 Dubai collection exclusively available in the United Arab Emirates and online.

The new models include HEKMAH (meaning “wis[1]dom” in English), featuring a bio-sourced case, matte black strap with a calligraphic structure and a dial in Arabic font; AL-WASL (which translates to “connection” in English), whose face features the golden Expo 2020 Dubai logo, which is inspired by a 4,000-year-old ring found at an archaeological site in the Dubai desert; and two children’s Flik Flak watches, proudly displaying Expo 2020’s mascots, curious Latifa and brave Rashid.

Along with the Countdown Clocks, Swatch’s presence at Expo 2020 will be further bolstered by four physical stores. Located at the Welcome Plaza and in the Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability districts, each store has a different focus, including Swatch and art, Swatch as a brand, the innovative SwatchPAY! technology, and the brand’s use of bio-innovative materials.

At 80m2, the main store, located at the Welcome Plaza, is the largest in size. Here, visitors can learn more about the brand, design their own Swatch X You watch and even see how it is printed on-site. The other three stores are each 30m2 and share the name of the districts where they are located. Mobility gives visitors the chance to virtually explore the Swatch Art Peace Hotel and Swatch HQ, a landmark in sustainable architecture designed by Shigeru Ban. Opportunity focuses on giving local artists a platform, with the store’s facade regularly changing to display new local artwork. Finally, Sustainability shines a spotlight on bio-innovative materials, and contains interactive tables inviting guests to interact with the materials.

A World Expo event takes place every five years, providing a platform for leading-edge innovation, trailblazing invention, and inspirational thinking for the improvement of the modern world. EXPO 2020 DUBAI is the largest event ever held in the Arab world and the very first World Expo held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.