Participants at the Portugal Pavilion in Expo 2020 on Wednesday.

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Business Editor

The Portugal Pavilion, in partnership with AORP (Portuguese Jewellery and Watchmaking Association), launched Portuguese Jewellery Week at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Under the name ‘Crossings’, the exhibition is inspired by the “Sea”, featuring an eclectic collection of jewellery demonstrating the rich culture and tradition of Portugal.

This event coincides with the launch of ‘Travessia’, a new global campaign by the AORP. It was launched in partnership with the AICEP (Portugal Global – Trade & Investment Agency) at the Portugal Pavilion to introduce the Middle East and Asia to Portuguese Jewellery.

Commneting on this, Nuno Marinho, President of AORP, said, “We are so proud to unveil the exhibition of the exclusive jewellery collection at the Portugal pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai. It was created especially for Portuguese Jewellery Week.”

“The collection includes five speciality pieces that were created by five Portuguese manufacturers collaborating with five different popular Portuguese personalities in the areas of art, culture and sports,” he added.

Nuno Marinho further said, “The Portuguese Jewellery Week aims to push the Portuguese jewellery industry towards international affirmation. Our goal is to cross the bridge that separates its essence and tradition from the need to adapt and innovate to the new dynamics of the global markets.”

According to him, the Travessia is a way for AORP to make use of Dubai and the Middle East as a gateway to the Asian market, bringing the best of this national sector to the world. In five years, we expect to achieve an export growth rate of 10% in this geographic area, and we aim for this Travessia (Crossing) to be a way of bringing those expectations closer.

Fátima Santos, Secretary-General of AORP, explained, “Travessia (Crossings) aims for an accelerated transition of the jewellery sector to the digital environment, without dissolving the human factor. The campaign connects the industry with technology and nature through water, as a guiding thread of the narrative.”

“We translate the steps of creating a jewel through video mapping. The whole campaign parallels the history of Portugal, filled with courage and ambition to explore new paths filled with opportunities,” she added.

The goal of the thematic week at the Portugal Pavilion is to support Portuguese companies in transitioning to the digital environment and Industry 4.0. without losing their traditional qualities.

The Portuguese Jewellery Week at the Portugal Pavilion in Expo 2020 will conclude on February 25th, 2022.

Coimbra Region:  From the sea to the mountains, the Inter municipality Community (CIM) of Coimbra Region presented its diversity to companies and stakeholders from the Middle East at Expo Dubai 2020 at the Pavilion of Portugal, aiming to attract investment to the Portuguese territory. The event was organised by Portuguese Association of Tourism for the Middle East.

The event was dedicated to business and investment, as well as sustainable food, with the presentation of the European project “Food Corridors” to representatives of the partner countries: Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary and Romania.

In the institutional committee of the Coimbra Region, composed by the President of the municipalities, have been also intervening entrepreneurs of these municipalities, to familiarise themselves to the Eastern market and conquer new territories outside Europe.

Expo Dubai is an excellent “showcase” to attract partnerships and investors and that is the main goal of this delegation: to give visibility to the existing potential of the Coimbra Region and attract investment, opening the doors of this promising market to SMEs in this area.

“We wanted to show the strength and diversity of our territory and the excellence and competitiveness of our SMEs. We had many investment opportunities which were showcased during the day, in various strategic sectors such as real estate, textiles, biotechnology, health, design, construction, renewable energy, among others,” highlights Emílio Torrão, President of the municipalities.

The presence of Coimbra Region in this world exhibition will draw the attention of the Middle East to the reality of the Region, creating a new opportunity for communication and promotion of the destination on a major world stage. Coimbra remains one of the few regions in Portugal which still allows Golden Visa to foreign investors.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of Portuguese companies operating in the UAE in the industry, services, trade, infrastructure, etc. Portugal also attracts UAE and international investors, not only because of its strategic location between Latin America, Africa and Europe, but also for having a workforce The international companies have recently contributed to supporting the vital sectors of the Portuguese economy, such as transport, industry, hospitality, banking and technology, with companies such as Google, BMW, Volkswagen and BNP Paribas opening branches in different regions Portugal.

Portugal, which received 20 million tourists, is looking forward to welcoming more tourists from the UAE and the Gulf countries.

Meanwhile, the timing is a big blessing on Dubai to have a grand for hosting the mega event. The Expo 2020 is going to be a grand event. The whole world will have now a reason to visit Dubai. The world is now hailing the vision and courage demonstrated by the leadership of Dubai and the UAE at this special time facing all the challenges and turning the challenges as blessings. About 3 to 5 percent of people visiting Expo 2020 is expected revisiting Dubai or planning to make Dubai their residence post the Expo.

In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition – the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, were combined to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.

World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation. Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.