DUBAI // Consultants for next year's world fair in Milan and the 2022 Fifa World Cup have outlined how Dubai's 2020 Expo can leave a lasting legacy.
Explaining how strategies they have worked on could help the UAE, experts highlighted their experiences with large-scale events during a conference last week to help companies capitalise on Dubai's 2020 Expo.
Assessing visitors’ needs, and designing programmes to encourage them to visit other regions to help develop the wider economy is a formula in the final stages of being worked out in Milan.
“The main thing about an Expo is that it has to leverage the competencies already in the country to the nations outside,” said Vincenzo Grassi, associate partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Italy.
The global consultancy firm was selected by Italian Expo authorities to support the involvement of businesses and institutions in event and plan management.
Mr Grassi said: “So we are building opportunities for tourists to stay not only in Milan but in the region, and not for a few days but for weeks.
“We are defining tours for different people, so different packages are being created for the Chinese and Russians with tours from Milan to Venice or Milan to Rome or Turin. Some people may be interested in shopping, other people in culture and museums. Tour operators are working on this target set by the Expo.”
The Milan Expo 2015 runs from May until October.
The UAE last year won the bid to host the next world fair, and Dubai estimates the it is likely to attract 25 million visitors.
The emirate has announced plans to add 80,000 hotel rooms by 2020 to handle the influx.
Catering to a large, diverse number of tourists will be a tough task, Mr Grassi said.
“Compared to Dubai, in Milan we’re not building so many hotels to be honest,” he said. “Dubai is well known as a luxury destination, but 25 million people is a mass market.
“Also, unlike the Olympic Games which attracts people passionate about sports, for the Expo there needs to be a lot of promotional activities within the region because no one knows what it’s all about. For a successful Expo, it’s also not just about reaching the target of visitors but leaving a great legacy.”
The world fair has been billed as the third-largest event behind the Olympics and the Fifa World Cup.
Experts said while the Expo would open up opportunities for trade and tourism, it would also put the UAE in the world’s spotlight.
“We will be on the world stage. The whole world will be watching Dubai and looking at how we manage,” said Omur Akay, senior vice president and managing director of CH2M Hill, which helped formulate the programme management strategy for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The engineering, design and consultancy company won the Qatar World Cup contract early last year.
“Other countries will be watching because the global supply chain will like to know more about participating. And of course the press will be watching. It may seem like there is a long time, but you must create a strong partnership with the supply chain.
“The most important thing we have learnt is to start early, do it right the first time and don’t keep repeating mistakes.”
Coordination between various departments such as road, rail, utilities and reporting on progress achieved would also help calm residents’ concerns of rising living costs triggered by big events.
“There will be a period of inflation but it is important to manage resources properly,” Mr Akay said.
“Planning events, sequencing them properly will help you not create unexpected inflationary trends.
“Sure, Dubai will have master plans for different facilities but when you get into an event like this there will be a programme master plan to take one development and connect it to the other master plans and coordinate all this.
“Whatever we do here for Expo, we need to remember this is not a sprint, this is a marathon.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
