Israel announces cultural highlight events at the Dubai Expo 2020…reports Asian Lite News
Israel’s pavilion at EXPO2020 announces its series of cultural and entertainment events that will take place during the EXPO2020 in Dubai from 1st October 2021 – 31st March 2022.
Highlights include; January 9th, 2022, which will see the celebration of Israel’s National Day. Israel’s High state officials, will be in attendance to launch celebrations. On the 22nd and 23rd, there will be a special performance by the Jerusalem East and West Orchestra conducted by Israeli Maestro Tom Cohen.
Infected-Mushroom-Image-by-Ohad-Kab.
Israel’s culture and entertainment schedule will include more than 20 events and shows, hosted in the Israeli pavilion, additionally, every Thursday evening, the pavilion will celebrate with a party, Israeli style.
The events will proudly present Israel’s unique culture, which includes a huge amount of cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity. As part of Middle Eastern culture, the ongoing dialogue between East and West and between tradition and innovation will be celebrated and felt by all.
Most events will feature musical performances – as according to Josh Bendit, Israel’s Pavilion Director: “Music, as an international language, overcomes language barriers and brings hearts and senses together. Our music beats to the rhythm of unity between different cultures that come together from all over the world.” In addition, the pavilion will host street theatre performances, culinary events and feature key Israeli art exhibitions.
Among the famous names performing at the Israeli pavilion are:
• Yemen Blues, led by the musician Ravid Kahlani
• The band Anna RF
• Quarter To Africa
• The Gil-Ron Shema Ensemble
• The Paran Ensemble
• The Firkaat-El Nur Orchestra and many more.
Israel’s most renowned music group, Infected Mushrooms, is set to stage its first-ever, large-scale, UAE concert, hosted in the Jubilee Park on December 13th, 2021.
The Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai puts green architecture at the forefront, to help visitors appreciate the benefits and possibilities of integrating nature within our urban environments.
Layered with a showcase of greenery, digital solutions and art, the Pavilion exemplifies Singapore’s vision of becoming a City in Nature, and ethos of sustainable development via innovative and impactful urban solutions.
Yap Lay Bee, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Singapore Pavilion and Group Director, Architecture & Urban Design Group at the Urban Redevelopment Authority, said, “The Singapore Pavilion demonstrates the potential to push the envelope to integrate nature, architecture and technology through various design strategies and digital elements.
“We wish to invite visitors to contemplate their relationship with nature as they explore the Pavilion’s green, digital ecosystem and its artistic representation of the Pavilion’s integrated system of greenery, water and energy management. In doing so, visitors will be able to appreciate the challenges in realising the Singapore Pavilion, and the ways we can co-exist with our natural and built environment, where both people and ecologies are cared for.”
The Pavilion takes into account the local environment within its Rainforest Cone and the Flower Cone areas to sustain rainforest plants. The growth of the multitude of plant varieties despite the ground conditions demonstrates the possibility for such lush landscapes to thrive in different environments around the world while using renewable resources.
The Pavilion also capitalises on technology to augment bold landscaping design. Caring for the varieties of plants within the Pavilion is no easy feat, especially those on the curved green walls of the Pavilion’s iconic cones. To address this challenge, three prototype climbing robots will traverse the green walls around the Flower Cone to inspect the health of the plants, as well as to collect environmental data to monitor the performance of the Pavilion’s systems.
Visitors are invited to participate in a generative artwork at the Galleria that allows them to visualise the performance of the Pavilion’s integrated ecosystem and how it impacts the environment. The customised planting palette and innovative technological applications used in water and energy management are design strategies that enable the Singapore Pavilion to achieve its net-zero energy target.
Preparations for the Singapore Pavilion are at the final phase. Landscaping works have wrapped up and finishing touches are being made to the digital exhibits ahead of its opening on 1st October 2021. Various elements of the Singapore Pavilion experience will also be presented on online platforms, given the current travel restrictions and safe management measures.
Passengers who fly with the airline to Dubai between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, will get one pass for each person for Expo 2020….reports Asian Lite News
Emirates Airline, Dubai’s flagship carrier, is offering complimentary day passes to passengers for Expo 2020 Dubai.
Passengers who fly with the airline to Dubai between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, will get one pass for each person for Expo 2020. Passengers, who are flying through Dubai too can avail the opportunity, if their connection in Dubai is more than six hours, the Khaleej Times reported.
“If you’re flying with us to Dubai between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, we’re giving you one complimentary Expo 2020 day pass for each person in your booking. Use your ticket to enjoy Expo 2020 on any day you choose,” Emirates Airline said on its website.
“Just passing through? If your connection in Dubai is more than six hours, you can still claim a free Expo 2020 day pass. To claim your pass, enter the details for each passenger below and we’ll email the tickets to you. If your flight gets changed or cancelled your day pass will no longer be valid, so simply claim a new one by entering your new flight details. View the full terms and conditions,” the airline added.
In a fresh update on Monday, Emirates also announced free day pass for stranded residents returning to Dubai during Expo 2020 Dubai, the KT reported.
The Opening Ceremony will feature stunning visuals and world-class acts, and will take place at Al Wasl Plaza, an architectural marvel featuring world’s largest 360-degree projection surface….reports Asian Lite News
As tickets to Expo 2020 Dubai are now on sale, among the plethora of reasons to book a Season Pass for the world’s biggest cultural gathering is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the historic, invite-only Opening Ceremony.
All UAE residents aged 18 and above who purchase an Expo 2020 Season Pass or Family Package before 14th August will be entered into a draw for the chance to win a prized place for themselves and a guest at the star-studded Opening Ceremony on 30th September 2021.
Fifty lucky winners will be announced first week of September 2021 via Expo 2020 Dubai’s social-media channels, followed by a personal invitation to attend the ceremony, according to a press release issued by the organisers on Sunday.
The Opening Ceremony will feature stunning visuals and world-class acts, and will take place at Al Wasl Plaza, an architectural marvel featuring world’s largest 360-degree projection surface.
The ceremony draws inspiration directly from Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and its three subthemes, joining humanity’s journey of Opportunity, rising to the highest heights of Mobility and exploring the spectrum of Sustainability.
Sholto Douglas-Home, Chief Sales and Marcomms Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said, “We look forward to welcoming the winners of our draw to join the making of a new world in a dynamic work of unfettered imagination. We are also proud to share our all-encompassing events and entertainment programme that guarantees that no two days will be the same at Expo.”
Expo 2020 Dubai’s stellar global entertainment line-up includes – so far – Oscar-winning AR Rahman’s pioneering women’s ensemble the Firdaus Orchestra; Bollywood sensation Sonam Kapoor; celebrated Emirati singer Ahlam; the famously slick Russian Bolshoi; and the compelling Expo Beats programme – a monthly music festival.
Sports fans will have the opportunity to witness the world’s largest Brazilian jiu-jitsu lesson, get to grips with exciting football-based sport teqball, meet their sporting heroes, and sign up to one of the many complimentary runs, fitness activities and wellness events.
With up to 60 live events a day – including film nights, poetry readings, art activations, musical concerts, cultural tours, parades and interactive journeys for all ages – as well as more than 200 food and beverage options, the site will be alive with sounds, rhythms and flavours from across the globe.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s Season Passes, Family Packages and Multi-Day Passes will ensure visitors make the most of everything the world’s biggest cultural gathering has to offer.
Season Passes, which allow holders unlimited entry for the entire six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, cost AED 495 (US$135), with Mastercard debit and credit holders receiving a 25 percent discount – and also doubling their chances of winning in the Opening Ceremony draw.
Family Packages are priced at AED 950 (US$258), Multi-Day Passes, with unrestricted entry for 30 consecutive days are priced at AED 195 (US$53); and 1-Day Tickets are priced at AED 95 (US$26).
The Family Package includes unlimited access for two parents plus a nanny, with additional benefits in the shape of discounts on food and beverage, a 25 percent discount on five additional tickets, and an advance purchase photograph voucher worth AED 125 to eternalise magical memories.
Children under the age of 18 and students holding a valid student ID from any academic institution in the world will be given free entry; complimentary tickets will be available for people of determination, with their companion receiving a 50 percent discount; and visitors ages 60 years and above can also enter for free.
Tickets are available now at www.expo2020dubai.com and through more than 2,500 authorised ticket resellers, including online travel agents, tour operators, hotel groups and airlines from 100-plus markets around the world, said the press release.
Honeywell’s quantum computing display will feature prominently in the USA Pavilion’s main immersive exhibit…reports Asian Lite News
Global technology leader Honeywell will showcase the power of quantum computing to millions of visitors from around the world at the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai when it opens its doors in October 2021.
Honeywell’s quantum computing display will feature prominently in the USA Pavilion’s main immersive exhibit, exploring the future of America’s technological advances in the current century and beyond.
Honeywell is an official sponsor of the USA Pavilion, which is being organised by the US Department of State through the US Consulate General in Dubai.
“America’s pursuit of prosperity, opportunity, and freedom has been the driving force behind our country’s development,” said Dubai Philip Frayne, Acting Commissioner-General of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will showcase some of the biggest and boldest inventions in America’s history, and we are delighted to partner with Honeywell and incorporate their ground-breaking advances in quantum computing into our exhibit.”
In June 2021 Honeywell announced it will work with UK-based Cambridge Quantum Computing to form the world’s largest standalone quantum computing company and capitalise on what it expects to become a US$1 trillion quantum computing industry over the next three decades.
The USA Pavilion, which will also be equipped with a range of Honeywell’s most advanced security and access control technologies, will take visitors on an immersive tour of American ideals, enterprise and innovation, and highlight the work of American companies like Honeywell that have positively shaped our world, under the theme “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of the Future”.
As part of its role as Official Business Integration Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber is running a series of commerce and trade initiatives throughout the event, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Expo 2020 Dubai, as one of the first global events to be held in the Covid era, creates an exceptional opportunity for people around the world to experience the latest in virtual reality, and connect and collaborate at the hybrid mega-event, Alex Lecanuet, Regional Manager of Accenture Middle East said in a message published as part of the En Route to the Expo video series.
“I would tell them to come – as simple as that,” Lecanuet said. “Come because you have the opportunity to experience the largest post-pandemic hybrid event, combining physical and digital experiences. Come because you will see the world in one incredible destination.”
“This is the first Expo with so many countries represented physically and digitally. Dubai is now the melting pot of the world – this is a unique opportunity to experience the post-pandemic world,” he added.
As part of its role as Official Business Integration Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Chamber is running a series of commerce and trade initiatives throughout the event, including three of its flagship events held as part of its Global Business Forum series, namely GBF Africa, GBF Latin America and the inaugural GBF ASEAN.
During the mega-event, the chamber will also co-organise the 12th World Chambers Congress, which is the largest event of its kind, bringing together chamber leaders and representatives from around the world.
Last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed that the Expo 2020 Dubai will be a global platform for foreseeing a future full of opportunities for generations to come.
The UAE, which has a unique international developmental legacy established by the late Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and continued by its leadership, will welcome the world at the Expo 2020 Dubai, which is an invitation to draft a roadmap for the post-pandemic era, he added.
He made this statement while visiting the expo’s site, where he reviewed the preparations of all relevant authorities to host the largest expo organised in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, and the largest gathering since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will begin in October 2021, with the participation of 192 countries.
Sheikh Abdullah visited the UAE’s national pavilion, which is designed in the shape of a falcon in fly, to promote the rich culture and bright future of the country and be a major attraction at Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The UAE will always be the land of opportunities, a centre of tolerance, coexistence and cultural diversity, and a beacon of knowledge,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
By hosting the Expo 2020 Dubai and through our membership of the UN Security Council from 2022 to 2023, we aim to promote international cooperation and collaborate with countries and multilateral organisations to maintain international stability and development and accelerate the process of recovery from the pandemic,” he added.
Running from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022, under the theme ”Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first and largest to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region in the history of the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) since the first great exhibition, held in London in 1851.
192 countries in addition to UN and other international and multinational organisations and initiatives, as well as international academic institutions will participate in the event, making it the most inclusive and diverse global cultural, economic and human Expo to be organised.
By holding the forum at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Dubai Tourism sought to highlight the enormous significance of Expo 2020 to Dubai’s tourism industry and the gathering pace of recovery in the events sector, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Dubai Tourism held its first bi-annual ‘City Briefing’ for 2021 at the newly built Dubai Exhibition Centre, highlighting the sector’s promising performance since the reopening of the city to international tourists a year ago.
As efforts intensified across the tourism ecosystem to accelerate momentum in this year, the forum featured a detailed presentation on Expo 2020, the multi-faceted mega event which runs from 1 October, 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Presided by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, the forum hosted over 1,000 key executives from leading establishments in the hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors.
In the forum, Dubai Tourism held regular dialogues with key industry leaders to exchange insights and work with them to ensure the industry is seamlessly aligned with tourism growth initiatives and strategies.
By holding the forum at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Dubai Tourism sought to highlight the enormous significance of Expo 2020 to Dubai’s tourism industry and the gathering pace of recovery in the events sector.
“Dubai has continued to lead global tourism recovery and has constantly set new precedents in how to safely yet effectively open internationally and critically stay open,” Helal Almarri commented.
“Dubai has placed us in prime position to drive growth, especially since we see Expo 2020 as a global pivot to pioneer the future of international tourism and business. The emirate’s tourism rebound in the second half of 2020, leading to industry stabilisation in 2021, is also a reflection of the crucial support extended by our stakeholders and partners.”
“As the city prepares to host the region’s first world expo, as well as play a leading role in the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, we look forward to making significant progress in 2021 and beyond,” he added.
Incremental increase in tourist arrivals month on month from markets that are open delivered 3.7 million international overnight visitors in the July 2020 – May 2021 period. Dubai Tourism’s partners and stakeholders expressed their appreciation for the multi-pronged strategy to combat the pandemic, leading to the reopening of the city to global travellers in July 2020.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Dubai’s leadership understood the critical importance of providing a road map for the safe return and revitalisation of the economy through meticulous planning, a coordinated public-private approach and strong partnerships across the travel and tourism sectors.”
Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Airports, said: “Despite the challenges during a period that was the most turbulent time in the history of international air travel, Dubai Airports retained its position as the world’s busiest international airport for the seventh consecutive year with 25.9 million passengers in 2020. After having welcomed nearly six million passengers in Q1 2021, DXB now looks set for a stable second quarter and the outlook for the second half of the year looks positive thanks to the seasonal travel rush and upcoming major international events including the Dubai Expo 2020 and the Dubai Airshow 2021.”
Dubai Airports has taken significant steps to minimise the impact of new travel requirements on customer journeys through the airport. The operator along with the Dubai Health Authority and Pure Health recently opened a 20,000 square-feet in-house lab that can process up to 100,000 PCR samples collected from passengers at DXB daily, providing reports within a few hours.
The 11 contemporary artworks will form a creative journey around Expo 2020’s public spaces and will live on as part of the future city of District 2020…reports Asian Lite News
An enormous iridescent, oil drill-shaped sculpture by Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri has launched Expo 2020 Dubai’s Public Art Programme, which brings together 11 leading artists from the UAE, the region and the world.
Alongside Al Qadiri, the commissioned artists are Hamra Abbas, Afra Al Dhaheri, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Abdullah Al Saadi, Asma Belhamar, Olafur Eliasson, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Khalil Rabah, Yinka Shonibare and Haegue Yang.
The 11 contemporary artworks will form a creative journey around Expo 2020’s public spaces and will live on as part of the future city of District 2020. As the first curated permanent open-air art exhibition in the UAE, it will leave a lasting impact as part of the next World Expo’s legacy, provide an exciting addition to the UAE’s vibrant and thriving artistic scene, and boost Dubai’s position on the global cultural map.
The Public Art Programme of Expo 2020 Dubai takes inspiration from the famous Arab mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn Al Haytham’s seminal work, Book of Optics, written in the 11th century. Ibn Al Haytham has been called “the father of modern optics” for his significant theories and foundational principles of optics and visual perception.
The programme provides a prism to view contemporary art creations and a context that allows an exploration of the philosophical aspect of Ibn Al Haytham’s theories on visual perception, including his definitions of vision, recognition and the impossibility of envisioning a full picture of reality within oneself without the power of imagination.
“We are thrilled to be launching the Public Art Programme with Chimera by artist Monira Al Qadiri. Her bold sculpture, with its magnified size and reflective colour, makes it seem like a futuristic creature from outer space. Through this sculpture, the artist attempts to merge the pre- and post-oil eras into one body. She creates aesthetic connections between pearls and oil, through their colour, materiality, symbolism, ecology and economy in order to reimagine the past, present and future of the wider Gulf region,” said Tarek Abou El Fetouh, Public Art Curator, Expo 2020 Dubai.
Expo 2020 will run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, inviting visitors from every corner of the globe to discover a wide range of cultural and artistic initiatives dedicated to broadening horizons and bringing people, communities and nations together.
In 100 days, the UAE will be the first country in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region to host a World Expo in the largest global gathering since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Asian Lite News
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the countdown for Expo 2020 Dubai, the world’s largest cultural event to convene the global community towards creating solutions for a better future.
In 100 days, the UAE will be the first country in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region to host a World Expo in the largest global gathering since the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Expo 2020 Dubai, set to begin on 1st October, is expected to attract more than 25 million visitors from all over the world to discover life-changing innovations. The mega event aims to drive collaboration and innovation to develop real-life solutions as the world heads into a post-pandemic economic recovery.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted, “100 days to go for Expo 2020 Dubai, the world’s largest cultural event. 100 days to go for the gathering of 192 nations in Dubai in the biggest global event since the outset of the pandemic to usher in a new phase of recovery.”
“50,000 employees have set up 192 pavilions and 30,000 volunteers are ready to welcome the world at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid added, “Expo 2020 Dubai will provide the space for the largest and most inclusive cultural and knowledge exchange in the world,” noting that, “Expo 2020 Dubai will pave the roadmap for key economic, development and cultural trends of the post-COVID-19 era. Our success in hosting the world’s largest cultural event reflects the power of human solidarity in overcoming the pandemic.”
He added, “the global community is preparing for a new stage of collaboration by harnessing science and technology to combat the pandemic. Expo 2020 Dubai provides the platform for sharing knowledge and innovations. Through Expo 2020 Dubai, the UAE is bridging cultures and galvanizing efforts and aspirations towards creating a better future for everyone. People from every corner of the globe are welcome to join the once-in-a-lifetime inspiring and enlightening experience that pays testament to human creativity. We will meet at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
Expo 2020 Dubai sets multiple milestones as the first World Expo to be held in the MEASA region in the 170-year history of the mega-events. It will also be the first global event since the advent of the coronavirus outbreak.
In another first, every participating nation will have its pavilion. Countries will be clustered not by their geography, but under Expo 2020s three subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability– areas seen as essential to building a better future for humanity.
More than 200 nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational establishments will come together to develop innovative solutions to pressing challenges facing the world. The diversity of participating nations and organisations makes Expo 2020 Dubai the most inclusive and international World Expo ever to be organised.
The UAE will host the mega event with tight Covid-19 precautionary measures and a safe environment where about 90 percent of the population have been vaccinated against Covid-19, positioning the country among the top five nations in the vaccine distribution rate.
Expo 2020 Dubai coincides with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, presenting an excellent opportunity to share the UAE’s successful experience and inspiring story with the world.
Over its six-month duration, Expo 2020 Dubai showcase the latest innovations in a variety of fields that will have a meaningful and positive impact on people’s lives.
Announced at UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit, the collaboration reflects a shared and urgent commitment to advance the Sustainable Development Goals…reports Asian Lite News
Expo 2020 Dubai and the United Nations Global Compact are joining forces to hold a Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum during Expo’s Global Goals Week (16-22 January 2022), to unite businesses and spur further action towards a sustainable and inclusive future.
Announced at UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit, the collaboration reflects a shared and urgent commitment to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and drive meaningful change.
Spotlighting the work of the UN Global Compact – the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative – the business forum will examine how the global community can foster economic prosperity for all, while ensuring the SDGs are achieved by the 2030 deadline.
Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Official Business Integrator of Expo 2020 Dubai, will co-curate this and all other themed business forums throughout the six-month mega event.
The collaboration will leverage the presence of more than 200 international participants at Expo 2020 to encourage a new wave of UN Global Compact membership participation and drive progress towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth,
This is in line with the UN Global Compact’s mission to accelerate the collective impact of business at a global scale by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and enabling ecosystems.
Nadia Verjee, Chief of Staff, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Our collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact is another milestone in Expo’s wider relationship with the UN. It builds on our shared commitment to strategic action, collaboration and innovation to advance the SDGs and exemplifies Expo 2020’s mission to bring the world together to create a better future for people and planet.
“Sustainable growth is at the heart of the UAE’s strategic vision and underpins Expo 2020’s entire philosophy, before during and after the event. It cuts across Expo in all manner of ways, from highlighting how countries are placing sustainable development at the core of their strategies, exhibitions and programming, to actively engaging, informing and inspiring millions of visitors to make a conscious difference in how they live their lives.”
