The countdown to Expo 2020 Dubai has begun and with only 10 months to go before the curtain raises on the “World’s Greatest Show,” expo organizers have pledged to make visitor safety a top priority at a mega event, set to redefine security benchmarks.
Starting Oct. 20, Expo 2020 Dubai will host around 60 live shows averaging more than 15 hours of daily entertainment. With 190 participating countries and an anticipated 25 million visitors ready to descend on the emirate, there is a lot at stake for Dubai and the UAE as it hosts the first World Expo ever to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
“We are looking for cutting-edge innovations and the latest technologies that will support the delivery of a safe and secure World Expo,” said an Expo 2020 Dubai spokesperson. And it quickly backed the statement up with a call to small and medium enterprises operating in the security sector to help deliver the goal.
Multinational corporations were also encouraged to play a part in ensuring that security would be paramount throughout the event’s Dubai South site, which will have one of the world’s largest installations of smart building technologies.
The regional contingency of Chinese video surveillance giant Hikvision Middle East is also readying to make its presence felt at Expo 2020 Dubai. Regional President Binson Xu said the show will set the scene for future security at major events and will headline the entertainment and tourism propositions of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In advance of Expo 2020 Dubai, Hikvision Middle East will roll out new technologies at Intersec, a trade fair for security, safety and fire protection, which runs at Dubai World Trade Centre from Jan 19 to 21.
“Security, success and reputation management go hand-in-hand,” said Andreas Rex, show director at Messe Frankfurt Middle East, which organizes Intersec.
“The lessons of Expo 2020 Dubai can be learned even before the visitors arrive and will make for a solid foundation for neighboring Gulf countries, which are increasingly moving into the international events arena.”
