Expo 2020: highlights this week
Workers’ Monument unveiled, paying tribute to Expo 2020’s 200,000-strong workforce
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General for Expo 2020 Dubai, has unveiled the Expo 2020 Workers’ Monument and paid tribute to the workforce responsible for building the first World Expo held in the Arab world.
Her Excellency unveiled the striking and emotive structure, which is an expression of the incredible achievement and spirit of more than 200,000 workers from around the world.
Praising the contribution, dedication and achievement of Expo’s workforce, HE Reem Al Hashimy said: “We wanted to honour the incredible work of more than 200,000 workers and their contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai. Each and every one deserves to be known, with our sincere thanks and praise, for their tremendous efforts.
“Their dedication to their work has been integral to creating this historic event, the most inclusive World Expo ever. Thanks to your efforts, the planet is able to come together, at a time when international cooperation is most needed, with the collective aim of achieving a better future for us and for future generations.”
The Workers’ Monument, designed by renowned London-based architect Asif Khan, features every worker’s name carved into stone structures. Inspired by the Moon’s metamorphosis in eclipse, the cylindrical columns also reference the traditional science of cartography and the fine engineering seen in astrolabes from the Islamic world.
The colonnade, comprising columns cut from a single monolithic block, is located along the main walkway of Expo’s Jubilee Park, and will be visited by millions from across the world. It reflects a spirit of collaboration that is deeply rooted in the UAE and underpins the vision and ethos of Expo 2020 – the first global event of this size and scale to be held since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saudi Arabia inaugurated its state-of-the-art pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Saudi Arabia inaugurated its state-of-the-art pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on the first day of its official opening, kicking off a six-month World Expo experience that will take visitors from across the world on a journey through the Kingdom’s rich past, vibrant present, and promising future.
The Saudi pavilion, the second largest after the UAE’s, is one of the most sustainable structures at Expo 2020 Dubai. It has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) version 4 Platinum rating by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the highest internationally recognized sustainability rating. The Pavilion has earned also garnered three Guinness World Records for the largest interactive lighting floor, the longest interactive water feature, and the largest LED interactive digital mirror screen.
The idea of “seeing is believing” is at the heart of the experiences at the Saudi Pavilion. The journey showcases a future-forward Saudi Arabia and the business opportunity across tourism, culture and nature throughout its 13 regions, including five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai is anchored by four key pillars: People, Opportunity, Heritage, and Nature. The Pavilion will showcase how the state-of-the-art building fuses architecture with digital technology.
France kicked off Expo 2020 Dubai’s National Day celebrations
Leading the way for the 192 countries participating in the six-month celebration, France is the first to host its National Day, celebrating the country’s people, places, businesses, innovations and cultures, and helping to inspire new ways of thinking and international collaboration.
During the celebration, the country hosted a series of activities, including a video message from astronaut Thomas Pesquet beamed from the International Space Station (ISS) and an awe-inspiring aerobatic display by the French Air Force’s renowned Patrouille de France.
A delegation from France, including its Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and Minister Delegate of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness Franck Riester, attended the festivities.
Panasonic are hosting the experience zones for Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai visitors.
A leading provider of innovative solutions for past World Expos, including the Expo Milano 2015, Panasonic is creating an real immersive entertainment experience for visitors through its partnership as one of the strategic sponsors at the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The company is providing immersive projection mapping and mist solutions and a remote maintenance system that will showcase the country’s strides in technological innovation, centuries-old wisdom and skills.
Upholding the theme of Expo ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and in line with the Japan pavilion’s theme ‘Where ideas meet’, the brand will unveil a slew of firsts in the region. Panasonic’s exhibits during the Expo 2020 themed ‘Quality Air for Life’, will include the new nanoeTM X technology-powered air purifiers and air conditioners, and the portable nanoeTM X generator, as well as ziainoTM professional air sterilization that will be showcased at the Japan pavilion for a period of 6 months.
Emphasizing its motto ‘A Better Life, A Better World’, Panasonic will also unveil (for the first time in the region) its MirAIe IoT enabled connected living solution.
