Expo 2020 is set to drive business in Dubai into a new era that will see the city undergo “another big paradigm shift”, a senior executive with Dubai Chamber has said.
Tourist numbers will also see a sharp rise, with Dubai Tourism already seeing “steady growth” in visitors.
While previous world's fairs have been a window to the future, displaying innovations and inventions, many countries see Expo 2020 Dubai as an opportunity to reconnect with the world, post-pandemic.
Nestled among the bright lights of buildings of all shapes and sizes at Expo 2020 lies the Dubai Conference Centre that will be the centre for all things business at the South Dubai site.
We're starting to see a wave really build up
Omar Khan,
Dubai Chamber
It’s the conversations here, and among the myriad pavilions, that will make Expo “the world's largest brainstorming session”, according to Omar Khan, director of international offices at Dubai Chamber.
He said there is a lot of excitement about what the next six months will mean to the local business community.
“We're starting to see a wave really build up very soon. There's going to be a lot happening in Expo and in Dubai and the UAE in general,” Mr Khan said.
“I really do believe that there are going to be some unexpected positive results coming. You know, when you put the best minds together, sometimes it gets very surprising effects and then it snowballs.”
Business confidence growing
Business conditions in Dubai have been improving. The economy is forecast to expand 3.1 per cent in 2021, with Expo singled out as one of the main drivers.
Confidence among businesses in the city is also on the rise.
Dubai Chamber’s own survey this summer found that companies in the city expect business conditions to improve in the third quarter of 2021 as investor confidence grows before Expo 2020.
Mr Khan said the coming months will involve a large amount of Expo-related business activity.
“I believe that when Expo comes, I think there's going to be a big uplift [in business]. There’s going to be deals signed, and negotiations and bargains that would not have happened [without Expo],” he said.
“There's going to be a big mind meld here, and I think the results are going to be very surprising. One success story is going to become five success stories, and it’s going to pick up and there will be more and more.”
The business confidence is reflected in the recruitment drives announced by some of the UAE’s largest employers.
Online retailer Amazon announced plans to create 1,500 jobs in the UAE this year, while Emirates airline said it plans to recruit 3,000 cabin crew and 500 airport services employees in the next six months.
Steady influx of visitors
Emirates, which has headquarters in Dubai, is looking to increase its operations to cater for recovering travel demand.
“We predict large volumes of traffic during the Expo 2020 Dubai period, and forward bookings are looking very encouraging,” an Emirates representative told The National.
“We are responding to increased demand through the ramp up of our operations across the network.”
The airline, which operates 71 direct flights to the 191 countries that have confirmed participation in Expo 2020, expects further growth.
“We expect that the Expo will provide an even bigger boost to visitor numbers, and it is definitely the highlight for destination Dubai for the remainder of 2021 until April 2022,” the representative said.
“The Expo team, Emirates and all travel and tourism stakeholders have worked hard to promote this mega event and make it the focal point for accelerating the world’s post-pandemic recovery.”
Dubai has seen a steady influx of visitors since it reopened to tourists in July 2020.
Figures released this month revealed the emirate welcomed 2.85 million visitors in the first half of 2021, with numbers predicted to rise in the fourth quarter, boosted by both Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Dubai Tourism chief executive, Issam Kazim, said Expo will help reinforce Dubai’s position as an international centre for tourism, retail, events, business and finance as it continues to overcome the pandemic.
“As the host city for this milestone event, which marks a turning point for the post-pandemic world, it is noteworthy that our domestic stakeholders and international network of partners have played a pivotal role in our tourism recovery, leading to the reopening of the city, the restart of the events sector and the city safely welcoming a steady growth in visitors,” Mr Kazim told The National.
“Expo 2020 will help harness and build on this momentum, along with UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, throughout this landmark year and beyond.”
Mr Kazim said the six-month event was an opportunity to demonstrate the best of Dubai.
“Dubai is now presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase to a global audience its multifaceted destination propositions, its unparalleled generosity and true Arabian hospitality that makes it so unique and attractive for people from all over the world,” he said.
Build your brand in Dubai
Suresh Kumar, chairman of Indian Business and Professional Council, estimated that a minimum of three million visitors would come from India to Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The interest levels we’re seeing would suggest at least a few million visitors during the course of Expo from India,” Mr Kumar told The National.
He said he expects Expo to open up more opportunities for Indian businesses in Dubai, which he said would "reach out to other parts of the world to extend their businesses”.
“For instance, many of the Indian businesses from a supply chain perspective find it efficient to domicile their last mile production and last-mile delivery capabilities outside India, in a location which has excellent logistics infrastructure, and Dubai and the UAE qualify by a big margin,” he said.
Adrian Costigan, British Business Group’s lead for Expo, said there was a “large buzz among the British community in Dubai” about Expo.
After the recent announcements by the UK government to ease travel between the countries, he expects a sharp rise in visitors
“We are expecting significant inflows of UK visitors over the coming months for business and winter sun holidays. They will also take in a trip to Expo events and gatherings,” Mr Costigan told The National.
“Expo has a key role to play as a booster for UK inward tourism. All of the UK tourism organisations are well represented across the programme at the British pavilion.
“It will be difficult for visitors experiencing the storytelling of some of the new aspects of the UK’s personality and the visual impact of landscape and emotion not the plan a trip to the UK in the future.”
More than 6,000 UK companies have operations in the UAE, while large number of British own local businesses in the UAE.
Mr Costigan, who is managing director for the Middle East at A-Safe, said Covid, and the subsequent lockdowns in the UK, prompted more British businesspeople to look to expand to the UAE or relocate.
He believes Expo will grow that number even further.
“There has already been an increase in new British business setups here in the past year,” he said.
“Expo will be a catalyst for further meeting of minds, entrepreneurship and investment both in Dubai and the wider region, consequently creating opportunities for British businesses, British ingenuity and British brain power to relocate and base themselves here.”
Post-Expo, Omar Kahn said there would be a “big paradigm shift again in Dubai”, likening it to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
“I think Dubai is going to be much more agile, probably 10 times more cosmopolitan and it’s going to have a lot of young people,” he said.
“We’re looking at bringing in 50 multinationals in the coming few years, ones that have never been here before – and to internationalise at least 200 of our local companies.
“Our message is come to Dubai, build your brand. It’s not an easy place, it’s competitive, but it’s a very good, professional place with the right mentality. And then from here, showcase your success and we will help you make it international.”
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
AT%20A%20GLANCE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWindfall%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAn%20%E2%80%9Cenergy%20profits%20levy%E2%80%9D%20to%20raise%20around%20%C2%A35bn%20in%20a%20year.%20The%20temporary%20one-off%20tax%20will%20hit%20oil%20and%20gas%20firms%20by%2025%20per%20cent%20on%20extraordinary%20profits.%20An%2080%20per%20cent%20investment%20allowance%20should%20calm%20Conservative%20nerves%20that%20the%20move%20will%20dent%20North%20Sea%20firms%E2%80%99%20investment%20to%20save%20them%2091p%20for%20every%20%C2%A31%20they%20spend.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EA%20universal%20grant%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EEnergy%20bills%20discount%2C%20which%20was%20effectively%20a%20%C2%A3200%20loan%2C%20has%20doubled%20to%20a%20%C2%A3400%20discount%20on%20bills%20for%20all%20households%20from%20October%20that%20will%20not%20need%20to%20be%20paid%20back.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETargeted%20measures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMore%20than%20eight%20million%20of%20the%20lowest%20income%20households%20will%20receive%20a%20%C2%A3650%20one-off%20payment.%20It%20will%20apply%20to%20households%20on%20Universal%20Credit%2C%20Tax%20Credits%2C%20Pension%20Credit%20and%20legacy%20benefits.%0D%3Cbr%3ESeparate%20one-off%20payments%20of%20%C2%A3300%20will%20go%20to%20pensioners%20and%20%C2%A3150%20for%20those%20receiving%20disability%20benefits.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
RACECARD
%3Cp%3E5pm%3A%20Al%20Shamkha%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3E5.30pm%3A%20Khalifa%20City%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3E6pm%3A%20Masdar%20City%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E6.30pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E7pm%3A%20Emirates%20Championship%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20Dh1%2C000%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%3A%20Shakbout%20City%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%202%2C400m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Thibaut%20Courtois%2C%20Simon%20Mignolet%2C%20Koen%20Casteels%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Jan%20Vertonghen%2C%20Toby%20Alderweireld%2C%20Leander%20Dendoncker%2C%20Zeno%20Debast%2C%20Arthur%20Theate%2C%20Wout%20Faes%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Hans%20Vanaken%2C%20Axel%20Witsel%2C%20Youri%20Tielemans%2C%20Amadou%20Onana%2C%20Kevin%20De%20Bruyne%2C%20Yannick%20Carrasco%2C%20Thorgan%20Hazard%2C%20Timothy%20Castagne%2C%20Thomas%20Meunier%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Romelu%20Lukaku%2C%20Michy%20Batshuayi%2C%20Lo%C3%AFs%20Openda%2C%20Charles%20De%20Ketelaere%2C%20Eden%20Hazard%2C%20Jeremy%20Doku%2C%20Dries%20Mertens%2C%20Leandro%20Trossard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
No%20Windmills%20in%20Basra
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Diaa%20Jubaili%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20180%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Deep%20Vellum%20Publishing%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
The five pillars of Islam
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
!['I believe that when Expo comes, I think there's going to be a big uplift [in business],' said Omar Khan, director of International Offices at Dubai Chamber. Photo: Dubai Chamber](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/UR5BS5MHONA37IC5OCINDEL3KM.jpg?smart=true&auth=018394096b126f569139bdb2196cfa1e2437e8a6823ee5d6aa2caf7651206e2d&width=800&height=600)
