How Dubai pulled off a mega Expo 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Marjan Faraidooni, Expo’s chief experience officer, wraps up the journey from the 2013 bid to the gates closing

Air show display on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Nearly 23 million visits had been made to Expo by the start of this week after the more than one million visits recorded from Friday to Sunday. Pawan Singh / The National

The Expo has hosted 30,000 events, including government summits and 5,000 sporting fixtures. Pawan Singh / The National

A spectacular closing ceremony will be 'end of a beautiful journey' for Expo 2020 Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

Green spaces and architecture at day of Expo 2020. Antonie Robertson/The National

Green spaces and architecture at day of Expo 2020. Antonie Robertson/The National

Green spaces and architecture at day of Expo 2020. Antonie Robertson/The National

It's a party atmosphere for the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Some funky costumes to mark the end of the hugely successful event in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Big screens put up on the last day of the world's fair in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

People flock to the merchandise outlet on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Kids enjoying the dance class at the Sustainability pavilion as Expo 2020 Dubai nears its conclusion. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai could watch the closing ceremony on more than 20 giant screens across the site, including at the Jubilee Stage, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre and Festival Garden. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors enjoy the water feature on the last day. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors arrive for the expo's final day. Antonie Robertson / The National

Crowds on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Visitors arrive at the world's fair for the last time. Antonie Robertson / The National

Preparations going on for the closing ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza. Pawan Singh / The National

Reem Al Hashimy, centre, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai, on the final day of the Expo. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Ms Al Hashimy opens the Sustainability Portal on the Expo's final day. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Visitors queue to enter the site on the final day. Pawan Singh / The National

Expo staff at the site entrances faced a busy start to the final day. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors queue at the security gate. Pawan Singh / The National

Early arrivals on the final day of the world fair. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors taking selfies to record their presence on the final day of Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai police prepare for the final day at the world's fair. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors approach Al Wasl Plaza. Pawan Singh / The National

A rare opportunity to capture a quiet moment at Expo 2020 Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Visitors on the last day at the EXPO 2020 site in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

When an Emirati woman driving a buggy gave a ride to the elderly and families with children at Expo 2020 Dubai, they did not know the person driving them around was a senior Expo official.

As they chatted about their day, Expo’s chief experience officer listened in.

These rides across a site twice the size of Monaco helped Marjan Faraidooni tune in to what people were saying, what they enjoyed and measure the impact of the Expo.

It took this exceptional level of engagement and groundwork to make the site come alive and adapt to the needs of millions streaming in through the gates over six months.

To operate during a pandemic and constantly changing variants and breakouts, it was very nerve-racking

Marjan Faraidooni,
Expo 2020 Dubai chief experience officer

Ms Faraidooni, who also handled human resources, told The National about the Herculean task of staying nimble as Covid-19 protocols were constantly updated.

She gives a unique glimpse into the running of a global event with a 35,000 workforce including tens of thousands of volunteers to stage the first world’s fair not just in the Middle East but in a wider region including North Africa and South Asia.

A behind-the-scenes look at the nervous days of handling the Omicron breakout and keeping the site safe until gates closed on April 1.

Being nimble

When the coronavirus pandemic began, the Expo set up a task force responsible for testing on site, running the vaccination programme and providing booster doses to staff, their families and country participants.

“We reached a point of time where we had many testing facilities across the site, and that was done to control the number of people who had Covid,” she said.

“We worked very closely with our Covid task force in making sure we were providing all support.”

Closing fireworks at Expo 2020 Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

Stunning fireworks display brought the curtain down on the world's fair on Thursday night. Ruel Pableo for The National

Actress Mira Singh and dancers perform at the closing ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai. EPA

Musician Yo-Yo Ma performs during the Expo 2020 Dubai closing ceremony. AP

Artists perform during the closing ceremony of Expo 2020. AFP

Artists perform during the Expo 2020 Dubai closing ceremony. AP

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, arrives at the closing ceremony of Expo 2020. AFP

Artists perform during the closing ceremony in Dubai. AP

A visitor take photos during the closing ceremony. EPA

Artists perform during the closing ceremony. Reuters

Dancers perform during the official closing ceremony. EPA

Artists perform during the closing ceremony of Expo Dubai 2020. Reuters

Fireworks and lightshow at the closing of Expo 2020 Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

Fireworks and lightshow at the closing of Expo 2020 Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

Fireworks and lightshow at the closing of Expo 2020 Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

Norah Jones performs during the Expo 2020 Dubai closing ceremony on Thursday night. Getty Images

An artist performs in the spectacular Al Wasl Dome during the ceremony. Reuters

Christina Aguilera was among several international artists who performed on Thursday night. Getty Images

Christina Aguilera lights up Al Wasl Dome. Getty Images

Artists perform during the ceremony. Reuters

A spectacular show featuring hundreds of performers brought the curtain down on the world's fair. Reuters

A full orchestra was among the performers in Al Wasl Dome. Reuters

The stunning stage for the closing ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai is set. Antonie Robertson / The National

Thousands of visitors enjoyed Expo's farewell night. Antonie Robertson / The National

Organisers pulled out all the stops for a memorable finale. Antonie Robertson / The National

The show could be seen from around the Expo site. Antonie Robertson / The National

A big screen showed the spectacle to visitors around the site. Antonie Robertson / The National

Musicians perform before the closing ceremony. Reuters

People visit the Saudi Arabia pavilion on the last day of Expo 2020 Dubai. AP

The interactive floor at the Saudi Arabia pavilion. AP

The Expo worked with the Dubai Health Authority and the UAE Ministry of Health to constantly update safety guidelines.

“From the very start, we were very bold, in announcing that anybody who wanted to visit the Expo had to be vaccinated or show PCR that was valid for 72 hours or 48 hours before they visited,” Ms Faraidooni said.

“We monitored the situation with updates and changes, particularly in the Omicron breakout. Being nimble and always having our ear to the ground was very important.”

The leadership team met every morning throughout the 182 days to discuss the previous day and the challenges moving forward.

“We were responsible for not only the people part of our team making this a reality, but for visitors — making sure they felt safe coming to our doors. So of course, we were very nervous,” she said.

“We were operating under very difficult circumstances to pull off the event. But to do it during a pandemic and constantly changing variants and breakouts, it was very nerve-racking.”

Mental health support

Motivating people and constant communication was key when the Expo was delayed by a year due to safety considerations amid the spread of Covid-19 worldwide.

The message to be open, communicate and discuss the plan ahead came from the top from Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo.

Health bands were given to all staff to track fitness levels and mental health support was offered.

“Wellness was important because we wanted to make sure our staff were prepared physically and mentally for the journey ahead,” Ms Faraidooni said.

“We recognised our staff did not have family with them here so they were struggling during the pandemic.”

A weekly wellness newsletter was introduced with health tips.

As chief of human resources, Ms Faraidooni ran sessions with experts with information on how to identify stress and take care of staff.

Listening to visitors

Ms Faraidooni made sure to observe visitors, whether by giving them a ride or joining people who sat under the giant Al Wasl dome

“I spent a lot of time driving buggies and picking up visitors myself just to understand what the feelings were on the ground and what we needed to improve,” she said.

One of her favourite spots was Al Wasl Plaza, that came alive during the maghrib sunset prayers.

There she watched people’s reactions during the first show when images of thousands of doves fluttered across the trusses within the arched interior.

“This always gives me goosebumps when I listened to the people around me go ‘wow’,” she said.

“People of all ages, the child in the pushchair, the senior citizen with the orange lanyard, to the tourists — they are absolutely in awe of the beauty they are seeing.

“For me that puts everything into perspective and that will be the moment I will miss the most.”

Changing perceptions about the Arab world

The depiction of Arab legends from navigators to mathematicians in the Alif or Mobility pavilion was well received.

Low seating areas across the outdoors that creatively used calligraphy to spell out messages of love and tolerance caught people's attention.

“We do get people telling us they were proud to see how we depicted the Arab world and international visitors told us they learnt more about our people,” she said.

Reyaansh Pai and his mother, Tanmayi Kamath, have been regular visitors every weekend since January and will miss their favourite haunts at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Tanmayi Kamath

Mother and son have filled up their weekends by exploring the world at Expo. Photo: Tanmayi Kamath

The final day celebrations will be an emotional experience for Tanmayi Kamath, who has relished the opportunity to learn about the cultures and traditions of dozens of nations. Photo: Tanmayi Kamath

Mohamdi Sidi Mohamed, fourth from left, a high school pupil from Sharjah with his school friends at Al Wasl dome at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Mohamdi Sidi Mohamed

The numbers

More than 900,000 schoolchildren visited the Expo — the first destination for school outings during the Omicron outbreak.

The theme pavilions that anchor the site captured their imagination.

Ms Faraidooni and her team were integral to the delivery of the pavilions, from the draft stage eight years ago to the execution.

“Our thematic pavilions have seen more than 1 million visitors. And that for us are 1 million opportunities to inspire people to be agents of change,” she said.

Visitors pledged to change how they live. More than 95 per cent of people who visited the Terra pavilion committed to take up a task to save the environment.

More than half the visitors to the Mobility pavilion recognised technology must be used for the common good.

“These are very big outcomes and impact people from the opportunities we have created,” she said.

“This brings pride to me and my team who brought this to life. You can’t help feel emotional to see people being inspired.”

What now?

The Expo was closed to the public in the early hours of Friday and will open later this year as District 2020.

After the high pressure time spent working together, the team is emotional. Tears were spilt during the last week of the world's fair.

“It's a very special moment of time where we got 192 nations together to really connect,” Ms Faraidooni said.

“It's really touching to hear people say their visits to Expo connected them as families, and to people from different cultures and people around the world.”

Several structures will remain. These include Al Wasl Plaza, the Sustainability, Mobility, Vision and Women's pavilions.

“The Expo will be in memory,” Ms Faraidooni said.

“You will see reminders that this was the place that hosted the World Expo in October 2021.

“It's not going to be the same place. So if you came through our doors, we hope that you have great memories at this Expo.”

10 attractions that will stay as part of District 2020 — in pictures

Al Wasl Plaza has been Expo’s main staging area and the venue of unforgettable concerts featuring bands such as Coldplay. Pawan Singh / The National

The Sustainability Pavilion will live on as a children's and science centre. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Alif - The Mobility Pavilion will host temporary exhibitions to attract tourists and residents. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

The UAE pavilion will be used as a visitor attraction and a cultural meeting place. Victor Besa / The National

The Saudi Arabia pavilion will continue to showcase green energy innovations in Dubai and the rest of the region. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Expo water feature will continue to be a big attraction even after Expo ends. Victor Besa / The National

The Garden in the Sky is a rotating observation tower that soars 55 metres above the ground for a bird’s eye view of the site. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai Exhibition Centre will be used by companies across the logistics, tourism, education and technology spectrum. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman will be a special element of the Expo’s legacy as it aspires to attract musical and artistic talent. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Cycling tracks at Expo. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai