Expo site to transform into a holistic ecosystem after 2020

dubai - The buildings and infrastructure will be transitioned into a combination of commercial, social, educational, hospitality and residential development

The fate of the magnificent Expo site post World Expo 2020 is a question asked by many.

Indeed, the future use and enduring legacy of the site has been an important consideration in the design and construction efforts.

After the mega event comes to a close, there is a strategy in place to transition the Expo site into an economically attractive and sustainable ecosystem. There are further, less tangible elements to legacy planning that include knowledge creation, youth empowerment, global and political reputation and social and perception change.

According to Expo 2020 officials, the strategy for the physical legacy involved detailed research and analysis on future trends and the identification of drivers of industry growth. Social development analysis also took place to identify the type of commercial and social organisations that could be located on the site, in addition to real estate demand analysis to determine the site requirements.

Extensive benchmarking of past mega-events was conducted in order to gather insights and explore different approaches related to legacy planning.

The main objective of the site will be to bring together large corporates, small medium enterprises (SMEs) and social institutions in a holistic ecosystem, that would enable multiple solutions across industries and provide strong value-add by combining the identified technology concepts.

The site buildings and infrastructure will be transitioned into a combination of commercial, social, educational, hospitality and residential development, creating a destination that will serve to carry on the spirit of the Expo and continue to inspire businesses, entrepreneurs, youth, residents and visitors to connect, explore synergies and innovate.

Collaboration is a key part of what the Expo 2020 Dubai's teams do. Expo has engaged with a cross-section of audiences, including multinational businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups, government officials and multilateral organisations, as well as young people across the region.

Expo 2020 Dubai is working to deliver a first-of-its-kind effort in the Gulf to nurture synergies between established corporations and start-ups.
In May 2016, more than 400 regional business representatives gathered at the Collaborative Entrepreneurship Summit. The attendees included 181 start-ups, 89 corporates and 63 entrepreneurship ecosystem supporters, as well as multinationals and government entities. It provided the attendees with the opportunity to explore how collaborative entrepreneurship works, as well as enabling participants to network with one another.

The second phase of collaborative entrepreneurship will see SMEs working with governmental bodies. Expo 2020 and Wamda have launched a collaborative entrepreneurship website (http://coentrepreneurship.com/) and a tool-kit for corporates to assist participation in the initiative.

"We aim to create dozens of new networking opportunities between corporate executives and start-ups, and to gain a understanding of how collaborative entrepreneurship can help scale-up smaller businesses and re-energise larger ones. By bringing the concept of collaborative entrepreneurship to the region, we are demonstrating how powerful Expo 2020 Dubai can be in convening diverse audiences to tackle the challenges of tomorrow," Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General, Bureau Expo Dubai 2020, said.

- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai