“Ladies and gentlemen, Dubai wins.”

Those words, spoken on November 27, 2013, at the end of a long and meticulous selection process, unleashed a chain reaction of joy, jubilation and general merriment not just in Dubai and the UAE but also in the wider Middle East region and across the world. Minutes after the announcement, the UAE national anthem rang out in Paris at the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organisation responsible for selecting the candidate for the World’s Fair.

“I am proud of our teams who earned this victory for Dubai with two years of hard work, dedication and commitment,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said. “We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020,” he said, giving his trademark three-finger salute, which stands for win, victory, love. A holiday was declared for schools in the UAE on Thursday, November 28, 2013.

In early 2011, five cities bid to host the global event, with Dubai making a last-minute entry. In December 2012, a UAE delegation travelled to Paris to demonstrate to the General Assembly of the BIE why Dubai was the best destination for the high-profile global event.

Reem Al-Hashimi, the UAE’s Minister of State and Chief of Dubai World Expo 2020 Bid Committee, told the meeting: “The UAE stands out, exemplifying excellence, national unity, safety, security, stability, meritocracy — catalysing change, a beacon of harmony and a state of hope. Located at the intersection of three continents, the UAE has one-third of the world within a direct four-hour flight and two-thirds, just an eight-hour flight away. This allows Dubai convenient access to over two billion people with an extended outreach to over 4.5 billion people across continents.”

In April 2013, the UAE’s bid got a shot in the arm when former US president Bill Clinton backed Dubai’s candidature. “The UAE I think is in a strong position to win the bid for Expo 2020 because Dubai’s model of shared prosperity is more important today than ever and an inspiration to several countries in the Middle East,” he said.

In the end, the outcome of the voting of the 164 nation members entitled to vote was hugely in Dubai’s favour, with the UAE winning by a thumping 70 per cent votes against Yekaterinburg, Russia (116 vs 47 votes and 1 abstention in the secret ballot). But two years earlier, when Dubai made a last-minute entry in 2011 as the fifth city to bid for the world event, the outcome was nowhere near a certainty.

Timeline of the triumph

Dubai threw its hat in the ring with four other cities: Ayutthaya (Thailand), Ekaterinburg (Russia), Izmir (Turkey) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). The winner was to be revealed in November 2013 following a vote by the 163 member nations of the BIE. Thailand’s bid was removed from the competition in June 2013.

Of the remaining cities, the winner was sure to be the first in its region to bag the expo. If Dubai or Izmir would win, it would be the first Middle Eastern expo. It would be the first Russian expo if Ekaterinburg won. A Sao Paulo victory would make it the first World’s Fair in South America and Latin America.

The UAE selected the World Expo as its first national bid for a mega-event of this size since 2003, when Dubai hosted the prestigious joint meetings of the World Bank and IMF. “Hosting the World Expo would be a natural progression for us, consistent with our country’s vision for the future,” said Reem Al-Hashimi. “We believe World Expos add meaning and value to society. Host cities are never the same after such a momentous six-month endeavour takes place,” she said.

Dubai began bidding to host the World Expo 2020 in 2011 under the theme, Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. It offered a 438-hectares site in Jebel Ali, next to the Al Maktoum International Airport that had opened its passenger terminal in 2012, to become the 50th city in the world with two international airports under its urban conurbation.

A high-powered Bid Committee under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, was formed. The members of the committee were selected from the Ruler’s Court of Dubai, Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Municipality, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and Dubai Police.

Six of the UAE’s most successful organisations announced their official support for the campaign to host the World Expo in Dubai: Dubai Airports, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD, Etisalat, DP World and Jumeirah Group. Dubai’s Department for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) was named as a Lead Partner to work with the team through a series of ongoing outreach initiatives which include hosting conventions, branding and distribution of informational material across Dubai.

Numerous UAE government entities also pledged their support for the bid and became official partners: Dubai Courts, Dubai Customs, DEWA, Dubai Police and RTA. Expo 2020, it has been argued, would be a catalyst and trigger to superior economic growth in Dubai and the Middle East region. A Citi Bank Middle East Research Report estimated approximately $34 billion in revenue would come were Dubai to host the Expo 2020.

This includes revenue from participants, foreign investment in diverse sectors, visitors, consumption, hospitality sector, travel and tourism. The total cost of hosting Expo 2020 had been estimated at $10 billion. Dubai had an advantage over other bidding cities as it had already established a world-class infrastructure.

Reem Al Hashimy said: “The UAE would not choose to participate in this strong international competition without having solid trust in the capacities, potentials and qualifications that enable it to face countries that have rich histories and good reputations. Dubai has various characteristics that qualify it to host the exposition.” The UAE spelt out the benefits of Expo 2020 in its bid document running into 640 pages and prepared over a 10-month period.

Finally, in the last week of November 2013, the UAE succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of BIE’s member states at a meeting in Paris where Dubai was voted to host the World Expo 2020. The UAE secured 140 votes out of 160 polled in the final tally, endorsing strong global support for Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: “We are ready to host the world in 2020 and we are fully capable of organising the best event ever in the history of this global gathering.”

He earlier remarked: “We have what it takes to achieve as we are blessed with rich resources, capabilities, expertise, positive energy, a thirst for knowledge and dedication. Every peak we reach overlooks the next. This is the recipe for success and advancement.”

A win for the world

Dubai’s selection had a positive global echo. It evoked solid backing from world leaders, both corporate and political – from Microsoft founder Bill Gates to the British Prime Minister David Cameron. In the run-up to the multi-tier selection process, Cameron had argued the case of Dubai very strongly.

He remarked: “There is no better place to do that than in Dubai. Holding Expo 2020 will remind the world that the Middle East is a region with potential and dynamism, a source of innovation for generations past, present and future. Dubai is a great business capital and its success rightly inspires people to see the potential of the region and domains that shape the priorities of each country, in the past, today and for the future: mobility, sustainability and opportunity. It translates the very essence of a World Expo to bring to believe they can change their own countries for the better with vision, conviction and hard work.”

The UAE flag was hoisted by Dubai’s Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower

The announcement came days before the UAE’s 42nd National Day. The entire nation erupted with joy. The UAE flag was hoisted by Dubai’s Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower. “This flag is accustomed to being at the top, and all the summits will belong to it,” he remarked. The 2,717-feet tall tower witnessed spectacular fireworks.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Head of Expo 2020 Higher Committee, remarked: “The benefit will outweigh the cost of hosting the event. The World Expo 2020 would present opportunities and leave a lasting legacy, not only for Dubai and the UAE but for all BIE member-states, the wider region and future generations across the globe. The World Expo in Dubai would present opportunities and leave a lasting legacy, not only for Dubai and the UAE but for the economy and the wider region.”

In comments made during the pre-selection visit of the BIE delegation to Dubai, BIE Secretary-General, Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, said: “The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is not an abstract one. ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ refers to three very concrete together with a variety of different identities and experiences. It will be the driving force in 2020 to help unravel the complexities of our interdependent world, and to help all of us to understand our role within it and the best way in which we can contribute.”

Putting the pieces together

Soon after winning the bid, Dubai began its infrastructural journey for hosting a history-defining Expo at an awe-inspiring venue with a built-up area of 4.38 square kilometres, including a dedicated exhibition zone of two square kilometres.

The emirate unveiled plans to invest extensively to improvise and upgrade the facilities to handle the influx of 25 million visitors over the six-month run of the event. It had been projected to bring in Dh139 billion in revenues to the UAE and create 277,000 jobs during the 2013-2021 period, according to a study by Oxford Economics. Research indicated the event could contribute 24.4 per cent of the emirate’s GDP.

Analysts estimated about 45,000 new hotel rooms were needed, based on the calculation that 70 per cent of the visitors would come from outside the UAE

Analysts estimated about 45,000 new hotel rooms were needed, based on the calculation that 70 per cent of the visitors would come from outside the UAE. The RTA disclosed expediting plans for a $1.4 billion extensions to Dubai Metro, the world’s longest driverless metro, for the Expo needs.

HSBC estimated that the total Expo-related spending, including private sector projects, could reach $18.3 billion. The government estimated it would generate an additional $23 billion in spending by the hosts, participants and visitors between 2015 and 2021.  The Bank of America predicted the Expo could lift Dubai’s GDP growth by around 0.5 percentage point annually in the 2016-2019 period and about two percentage points in 2020/21.

A report by global consultancy EY says the six-month-long event will support over 900,000 jobs and contribute nearly Dh123 billion of Gross Value Added to the country’s economy until 2031.

UAE’s tryst with past expos

The UAE’s history with the expo stretches back half a century when Abu Dhabi participated in the 1970 edition of the world’s fair in the Japanese city of Osaka. Then, the UAE Pavilion in Spain in 2008 won the Golden Award for design and content. The UAE Pavilion in Shanghai in 2010 attracted two million visitors.

The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2012 in Yeosu in South Korea became the cynosure of all eyes. In June that year, the UAE officially launched a massive global campaign to make out its case for Dubai being the ideal venue to host the 2020 edition of the World Expo, the third-largest event in the world after the Olympics and Fifa Football World Cup.

Starting with the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, no World Expo had been staged in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region during its over 160-year-run.