Valentine's Day: Love blossoms at Expo 2020 Dubai

She is Lithuanian, and he is from Italy. She is a specialist in cultural policy and management, and he is a journalist turned communication expert.

The two meet in Dubai, and they fall in love. They are set to be married soon. What sets this love story apart is that it blossomed on the sidelines of an iconic event being held in UAE, Expo 2020 Dubai.

Thirty-two-year-old Austeja Brasiunaite met her soon-to-be husband Cristian Lanzanova, 40, during the 2019 International Participants Meetings of Expo 2020 Dubai.

“We met during the preparation for Expo 2020 Dubai in one of the International Participants Meetings (IPM). The meeting took place at the beautiful Madinat Jumeirah. Cristian knew my colleague and boss, and he came over to talk to them, and that is when we got introduced,” Brasiunaite told City Times.

Lanzanova says: “My life changed in November 2019.”

There is a good chance that journalists covering Expo 2020 Dubai would have interacted with the ever-smiling and always helpful Lanzanova. He is a director of a Milan headquartered communications agency and works with several pavilions at the Expo.

“My association with the Expos began with the 2015 edition, where we managed communications of Malaysia and Thailand pavilions. In the mini Expo in Astana in 2017, we got to work with Georgia and the Vatican. Here in Dubai, we are privileged to be working with Angola, Brazil, Chile, Kuwait, Switzerland and the Republic of Guinea,” he said.

Brasiunaite is the project manager of the Lithuanian pavilion.

“I joined the team in February 2018. I’m super excited and find it a great experience and growth for me. From managing events locally in Lithuania, I manage events in our country’s pavilion while presenting various aspects of my country and collaborating with other International Participants,” she said.

Getting to know each other

From the time they first met until Expo 2020 Dubai began in October 2021, Brasiunate and Lanzanova took breaks from their work to spend time with one another. Lanzanova would travel to Vilnius and meet Brasiunate and her mother. Brasiunate spent time in Monza and met the Lanzanova family.

“I love Cristian’s personality, calmness and gentleness with people. He is a real uplifter. I notice how people like to talk to him; it’s like he brings out the best in them,” Brasiunaite said. “The best thing is we laugh so much together,” she added.

Connecting hearts is not the tagline of Expo 2020 Dubai, but it seems to have achieved that too.