June 2009: Working group to explore potential of Dubai hosting Expo 2020 set up by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai
November 2011: UAE sends letter naming Dubai as a candidate city for Expo 2020 to Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
Sheikh Mohammed tweets: “Today we launched our campaign to host the World Expo 2020 in UAE.”
Other candidates are Yekaterinburg in Russia, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Izmir in Turkey and Ayutthaya in Thailand
February 2012: Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020 formed
National and international campaign launched to promote Dubaiʼs bid, which has the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future
March: Dubai's candidature backed by other Arab countries at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Egypt.
July – October: Some of UAE's biggest companies support bid by becoming premier partners
November: Bid team unveils masterplan for proposed Expo site, Dubai Trade Centre – Jebel Ali
December: UAE's 623-page bid dossier, setting out detailed plans for Expo 2020, submitted to BIE
January 2013: Bid showcased at annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
February: BIE delegation visits Dubai to conduct enquiry mission assessing feasibility of hosting Expo in the UAE
Report by UK-based consultancy Oxford Economics says Dubai Expo 2020 would boost the emirate’s economy by 28.8 billion euros (Dh143bn) and create more than 277,000 jobs
June: Enquiry mission reports presented to BIE general assembly. Dubai, Ekaterinburg, Sao Paulo and Izmir remain in race, but Ayutthaya is disqualified because of lack of government support
November: Dubai named as host city for Expo 2020 at BIE general assembly in Paris, triggering massive celebrations across the emirate
October 2020 – April 2021: Provisional dates for Dubai Expo 2020
