Dubai Expo Pavilions Put Public Diplomacy Front and Center.

• Author: Denwood, Kyla
• Position: United Arab Emirates

American Diplomacy

May 1, 2022

www.americandiplomacy.org

Title: Dubai Expo Pavilions Put Public Diplomacy Front and Center

Author: Kyla Denwood and Spencer Cox

Text:

Often described as the Olympics of culture, technology, and world economies, world expositions offer visitors the opportunity to meet people from around the world, learn about countries and cultures, and discover new technologies. The just-concluded Expo 2020 Dubai spearheaded six months of face-to-face interactions and connections as one of the first mega-events since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Originally scheduled to be held in 2020, the expo retained its original name despite the delayed opening in 2021.]

With 192 participating nations and more than 20 million visitors, Expo 2020 Dubai was the first world's fair held in the Middle East. As a result, the expo attracted one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse audiences in the more than 150-year history of such international expositions.

As Youth Ambassadors for the USA Pavilion, we were able to experience the World Expo firsthand. Youth Ambassadors are young American leaders who serve as cultural representatives at the pavilion. Recruited through a competitive nationwide application process, we illustrated the diversity and dynamism of the United States, hailing from 37 states, studying at 78 U.S. colleges, and speaking 24 languages. We actively engaged international visitors about American values, innovation, and history to build mutual understanding, a key component of public diplomacy. To explain the ways in which countries and businesses engaged visitors, here are some of the areas of communication and connection that defined our time at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Technology and Innovation

The overarching theme of Expo 2020 Dubai--"Connecting Minds, Creating the Future"--recognized the importance of collaboration and partnerships as engines of innovative growth. While pavilions at Expo explored technology and innovation in unique ways, there were a few central learnings from Expo's three sub-themes: mobility, opportunity, and sustainability.

Throughout the expo, mobility technology was focused on rail and space travel. Country and company pavilions such as Spain and DP World demonstrated the future of ultra-high-speed transit via concepts like the Virgin Hyperloop. The United States as well as the mobility thematic pavilion focused on the future of space travel in the United States and the United Arab Emirates...