Expo 2020 Dubai workers plan for life after world's fair

Pavilion staff will miss hustle and bustle of life on site

A child plays at a fountain by the UK Pavilion. All Photos: Expo 2020 Dubai

Visitors inside Al Wasl Plaza during events held in the run up to UAE Rare Disease Day. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

The Expo has reported record visitors numbers in recent days, as school trips resume and more countries ease travel restrictions. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Visitors on Ghaf Avenue at the Expo site. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

People take photos at Surreal - The Water Feature.

Visitors take in the scenes at the world's fair.

Some of the exhibits inside the Bahrain Pavilion.

Al Wasl Plaza is considered a must-see for many visitors.

Visitors outside the Switzerland Pavilion. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

People wait to enter the Saudi Arabia Pavilion.

After years of anticipation and planning and six months of hard work on the ground, thousands of staff at Expo 2020 Dubai are preparing for life once the world’s fair ends.

While some will stay in Dubai, many will return home to the nations whose pavilions they have represented since the exhibition opened its gates on October 1.

Most have collected souvenirs to remind them of their time in Dubai, while others have made new connections and found job opportunities in the months ahead.

Glen Grixti at the Malta pavilion worked with Emirates for 16 years before joining the exhibition, and will take a government role developing new businesses when he returns home next month.

Expo has helped establish an amazing network for people like me, from all over the world

Tuzcu Munirgalip,
UK Pavilion

“I will make a map with all the badges I have collected at Expo when I go home to Malta,” said Mr Grixti, 40.

“Dubai is like my second home, I’ve lived here for 16 years, so Expo was a great opportunity for me to come back but now I am looking forward to going home to Malta.

“I have missed the food, and my family, of course.”

Pastizzi, a pastry filled with ricotta and peas, is a traditional snack in Malta that Mr Grixti has missed most of all.

As a kitesurfer who has competed around the world, he is also looking forward to the reliable Mediterranean Gregale winds to resume his sporting passion.

Visitors to his pavilion have been most surprised by the Maltese language, he said, with its Semitic origin written in the Latin script.

“Malta has a great history going back 8,000 years, so we have a lot to offer and people are fascinated by our language,” he said.

“Our dishes are mainly Sicilian based, with a little Arabic fusion, so I have missed our food.

Glen Grixti at the Malta Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 is one of the thousands of staff preparing for new opportunities once the exhibition closes this month. Photo: Nick Webster / The National

“Anyone coming for the first time to Expo this month should try to visit in the evening to see the Al Wasl dome. It is special at night.

“The Saudi Arabia, UAE, German and Japanese pavilions are all really worth queuing for too.”

At the UK Pavilion, Turkish national Tuzcu Munirgalip has been serving fish and chips to visitors since October.

Mr Munirgalip has carved a career for himself around Expo events around the world, and hopes that can continue.

Contacts and future job prospects

“I have worked at other Expos since 2013 and it was through those contacts that helped get me this position in Dubai,” he said.

“It has helped establish an amazing network for people like me, from all over the world.

“So far, I have been to more than 70 per cent of the pavilions. Japan, Germany and South Korea were the highlights.

“There were great interactions inside, and they each told the story of how they were created.

“It felt like you were living the culture while learning about the building itself.”

Interest remains strong in visiting the exhibition, with more than a million visits registered in the last week of February, and 16 million in total.

Mr Munirgalip said there was still time for first-time visitors to make the most of the events and live music concerts still to come before March 31.

“There are more than a hundred events taking place most days, so if people still haven’t been and want to come, they need to plan ahead,” said Mr Munirgalip.

“Music events and smaller concerts have been great, and there is still plenty to catch.”

At the Samoan Pavilion, volunteer Satheesh Kuttan has taken days off work to give up his time for free during the exhibition and will miss the hustle and bustle of everyday life on site.

“The last six months have gone by so quickly,” said Mr Kuttan, from India.

“If anyone wants to come in the last few weeks, I would suggest coming early in the morning before the crowds get too busy.

“I will be going back to my administration and accounting job, and I will miss coming here.

“I have taken annual leave from my job to work.

“I’ve collected 127 badges so far from the different pavilions — I have just three weeks to collect the rest.”

Expo 2020 Dubai passports – in pictures

Expo 2020 Dubai has launched a special limited-edition white passport for superfans of the world's fair. Expo 2020 Dubai

Visitors with a minimum of 100 stamps in their yellow passport can present it at an Expo visitor centre to receive the white passport for free. Expo 2020 Dubai

The Expo 2020 passport is a must-have for visitors.

One million Expo 2020 passports were sold between October and December.

Muhammad Asim Durrani, a Dubai Customs employee, got pavilion stamps inked on his t-shirt, scarf and a small kandora. Pawan Singh/The National.

Fazil Ummer visited every Expo pavilion in just two days. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Expo 2020 Dubai visitors from Saudi Arabia get their passports stamped at the Spain pavilion. Victor Besa / The Nationa

Visitors get their passports stamped at the Italy pavilion. Victor Besa/The National.

The Nieto children from Spain with their Expo 2020 Dubai passports. Victor Besa/The National.

Jhaequan Stewart shows the stamp he collected at the Jamaica pavilion. Victor Besa / The National