In the run up to Expo 2020 Dubai, the organisers were at pains to point out that Expo wasn’t all about business and was certainly not a glorified trade show. Any visitor would understand this now having experienced the smorgasbord of culture, cuisine, history and innovation that we’ve enjoyed over the last five months.
However, it’s also clear that for the participant countries eager to justify the significant budgets and commitments that Expo has entailed (and remember that an additional year’s funding had to be found to cover the 12 month Covid postponement), trade and investment outcomes are essential and provide for the most relatable gauge in terms of Return on Investment. Exchequers, parliaments and electorates are eager to see what came of their taxpayer-funded showcase in Dubai.
Whilst I suspect it will be a few months yet until we see formal debriefs in this regard and certain countries publishing their outcomes, as a regular visitor to Expo since October I think it is possible to highlight certain countries that have hit the mark from a business perspective.
And the thing is, it’s the countries who engage, entice and interest you in general who are the winners here. To do business with; to export to; to invest in a country you need to get to know it, understand it and warm to it in general so it’s not about being hit with a slick film about ABC’s widget manufacturing sector or getting a headache from flashing lights about XYZ’s advances in Artificial Intelligence. These are moot points unless you have an affinity with the country, begin to understand its culture and start to feel familiar with the place and its people.
The winners are therefore the countries who have brought authenticity, depth and a real flavour of the mother country to Expo. Think of the genuine warm welcome you get at the Ireland pavilion; the moules, frites & ales at Belgium; experiencing 3D printing in front of your eyes at the Czech Republic; learning about the millennia-old viticulture of Georgia; the pride with which such diverse talents as Sir Garfield Sobers and Rihanna are showcased in Barbados.
Saudi Arabia is a triumph because it positively enlightens and dispels preconceptions in equal measure. All of these pavilions make you want to find out more about the country and that’s the point, long term, to encourage trade and investment.
And there are some notable misses. France’s old fashioned museum experience leaves most visitors sans intérêt whilst you can only hope that the aliens for whom the UK’s computer-generated poem is intended are able to make more of it than most earthling visitors.
If I had to name the standout from the pavilions I’ve visited, it’s undoubtedly Pakistan. Visitors experience history, culture, religion, geography – you could spend hours marvelling at the soaring Himalayan landscapes in the gallery room – conservation, innovation.
The gift shop is curated with things you actually want to buy and the restaurant also hits the mark. Maybe it’s because, like Saudi, there is a strong element of myth-busting to the experience, but you come away feeling knowledgeable about the country and enormously enthused about it. It has entirely changed my perceptions about Pakistan and therefore I’m altogether more interested in developing business interests and links there.
With the Expo train already charging headlong towards Osaka in 2025, it’s pavilion experiences like these that will encourage tourism, trade and investment outcomes in the long term and ultimately justify the significant costs of participation. Engage and enthral like Pakistan to maximise ROI.
Joe Hepworth, director, OCO Middle East, and founder of the British Centres for Business (BCB).
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