Construction on track for Expo 2020

Running the Expo is a complex logistics operation, with some 200 countries, corporations and organisations expected to participate, and hundreds of thousands of visitors on peak days.

Dubai - The Expo site covers a total of 4.38sq km, including a 2sq km gated area. It is located within the Dubai South District, adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport.

The building schedule of Expo 2020 Dubai is on track to meet the target of finishing the construction by October 2019, one year ahead of the official opening of the international event.
Marjan Faraidooni, Expo 2020 Dubai's senior vice-president for Legacy Development and Impact, confirmed this to Khaleej Times on Thursday on the sideline of the announcement of global logistics firm UPS as the Official Logistics Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai.
"We are well on our way with the construction stage," Faraidooni said. "You see a lot of work being done at the site. Our plan is still to open one year before the official opening of the event. Our target is to complete the construction work by April 2019," she underlined. 
The Expo site covers a total of 4.38sq km, including a 2sq km gated area. It is located within the Dubai South District, adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport.
Faraidooni also said that many countries have already signified their intention to participate at the Expo but they could not divulge the list yet except for those which were already announced such Switzerland, France, UK, Germany and New Zealand.
Faraidooni added: "In terms of strategic partnerships, our agreement with UPS is the seventh, following agreements with some of the world's other leading brands, including Siemens, DP World, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD, Etisalat and SAP." 
Further partnerships, totaling 12, with Expo 2020 Dubai are expected to be announced in the near future as Dubai prepares to host the first World Expo to be staged in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
As the official logistics partner, UPS will provide more than 27,000 square metres of warehouse space, equivalent to nearly four football pitches, and a team of 1,000 logistics personnel during the Expo, which will take place from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
Running the Expo is a complex logistics operation, with some 200 countries, corporations and organisations expected to participate, and hundreds of thousands of visitors on peak days.
"It will need huge amounts of goods and supplies of all kinds to be delivered from around the world to Dubai every day for the six-month duration of the Expo. The figures are colossal - 500,000 meals a day, two million hours of venue logistics activity, 9,000 tonnes of daily logistics," Faraidooni enumerated.
Faraidooni shared her confidence with UPS, being "the largest express carrier and package delivery firm in the world, delivering 4.9 billion packages and documents in 2016. It has more than 100 years experience in its field, a network that reaches almost every part of the world and invaluable previous experience of major global events, including the 2012 Olympic Games in London."
Meanwhile, David Abney, Global CEO of UPS said: "We plan to expand UPS's presence in the region by establishing capacity, technology and staff capabilities to serve customers shipping to and through Dubai, long after the Expo concludes." 
angel@khaleejtimes.com