Dubai, 27 September 2021 – The long-awaited Expo 2020, hosted for the first time by one of the Arab countries, starts on 30 September with a ceremony and a number of recognisable attendees. The eyes of the domestic and world public are on Dubai, where Slovenia will also be presenting itself between 1 October and 31 March of next year. With a pavilion in the sustainable segment of the exhibition, it tells the world the story of a green and smart country in the heart of Europe.
The organisers of the Dubai Expo, which has been postponed by the pandemic for a year, expect over 25 million visitors from all over the world for whom they have prepared a truly impressive exhibition of technological achievements, which address in particular the challenges of humanity related to the preservation of the environment, all on an area comparable to the Slovenian town of Velenje.
In the past few days, the Slovenian pavilion has already hosted a number of high-profile visits by representatives of other participating countries, which bodes for a lively happening throughout the six months of the Expo.
Slovenia is represented in Dubai with the motto “Slovenia. Green and Smart Experience”, which will highlight the sustainable, modern and creative side of our character. It addresses the global public with stories that speak of the unique intertwining of pristine nature, knowledge, innovation and a pioneering economy.
The Slovenian pavilion is in an attractive location near one of the entrances to the exhibition site and immiediately attracts attention with its recognisable exterior, green facade, planted with as many as 45,000 seedlings and a wooden roof made entirely of Slovenian wood. The sustainably designed pavilion, signed by a group of architects (Robert Klun, Sandi Pirš and colleagues) and built by the Slovenian company Riko (in cooperation with many subcontractors from Slovenia and abroad), welcomes visitors with the coolness offered by the pool surrounding the pavilion, and above all a series of interesting interactions in all three floors of the building.
The events in the Slovenian Business Centre on the second floor of the pavilion will host numerous business delegations and visits of high representatives of Slovenia and will be especially lively.
The first such visit is expected immediately after the opening of the Expo, when the Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek visits Dubai. The minister's schedule will include several bilateral meetings with representatives of other participating countries, and a meeting with the economy minister of the host country, the United Arab Emirates, is also planned.
Minister Počivalšek will also open the first of the business forums at the Slovenian pavilion, dedicated to the challenges of the circular economy. The business forum will present the potential of Slovenian companies in this field, and will be attended by over 20 Slovenian companies.
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You can follow the opening ceremony of Expo 2020, attended by many world-famous musicians, including Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, British pop star Ellie Goulding and Chinese pianist Lang Lang, live on this link: https://virtualexpo.world/?sap-outbound-id=F1330B9FBC57D8E3DE3EA10A312B62BEB411265B at 19.30 at local time (at 17.30 in Slovenia).