At Expo 2020 Dubai and beyond

The region of Rome inaugurated Lazio at Expo 2020 Dubai with the aim to increase foreign investment opportunities and sustain international partnerships

Lazio, the Region of Rome, was the first Italian region to join the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and months before the start of the exhibition, Lazio offered companies from its territory the opportunity to arrive in the UAE prepared thanks to its busy programme of meetings and preparatory activities, such as the cycle of ‘Information and Training’ appointments attended by over 1,000 companies from Lazio.

Since mid-September, the Lazio Region has activated the 'Lazio Region Business Hub' in Dubai, which will continue its work until July 2022: a gateway to the Gulf Area and business support for Lazio SMEs and start-ups.

The Hub is an internationalisation tool that selects the companies most suited to the reality of the Arab countries and assists them free of charge on international and export paths. It is hosted at the headquarters of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE, Advisor to the Lazio Region, with Secretarial and Representation Services, Marketing Office, Legal, Fiscal and Customs support, but also offers the advantages of online services. At the hub, selected companies can meet the right interlocutors for their business through virtual or in-person matching. Its actions are aimed primarily at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Lazio operating in the life sciences, culture — tourism, creative and digital industries, ai cybersecurity, agri-food, textile/fashion, plastic/rubber, green and circular economy — energy, aerospace and space economy, engineering, blue growth, design — interior design — furniture and automotive sectors. The hub supported over 100 Lazio companies in six months. More than 60 companies underwent the first level assessment for accessing the market here and over 500 brokerage meetings led to 50 B2B meetings. Moreover, 16 companies were selected to participate in the Italian Home and Infrastructure project.In addition, 33 companies from Lazio took part in the international fairs held in parallel with Expo, such as Downtown Design, in which Lazio Region participated together with ADI Lazio and Arab Health with approximately 120 Italian companies, 18 of which within the space made available by ITA Agency, with 13 B2B meetings organised by the Lazio Bioscience Technological District.

During Expo 2020 Dubai, the Lazio Region organised 10 international forums dedicated to excellence such as aerospace, tourism, agroindustry, culture and the educational system, e-health, and the blue economy, with the participation of 150 multinationals and large companies, and 13 international cultural events representing Made in Italy with more than 1,000 participants.

In the last few months, three MoUs have been signed that will involve 23 important players in joint international activities. These are the agreements between the Chamber of Commerce of Dubai and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome; between Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park and Lazio Innova (Lazio Region's innovation support company) and between CRUL and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). A permanent showcase for the Lazio System will be set up within the ‘Italian Yellow Directory in the Gulf’.

However, the activities of Lazio Region in the Gulf do not end with the expo. Lazio has opened a privileged channel with the aim of increasing and consolidating available opportunities, in a dialogue of open friendship and mutual exchange.