Yes. We can!

Expo 2020 Dubai, the global mega-event that opened its doors on 1 October 2021, has welcomed close to 11 million visitors.  That makes it only the first major public event to be staged since the onset of the global pandemic, but one of the most engaging – with virtual visits reaching 72.5 million.

With six weeks to go until the event closes on 31 March 2022, Natalie Amos, Managing director lifestyle – Four Communications MENA considers the legacy of Expo 2020 and some lessons for the marketing sector on UK National Day celebrations on 10 February 2022.

Expo 2020 Dubai has been the world’s most “Yes, we can” event for the world’s most “Yes, we can” city.

Dubai had already taken a long-standing concept – the world’s first expo was in Crystal Palace more than 170 years ago – and added the vision, innovation and stardust you would expect from the city that never stops dreaming.  Expo 2020 was always going to be amazing!

Then along came the global pandemic, the need to delay and a world in which travel between nations has been more curtailed than at any time in history.

Despite those challenges, Dubai has created something truly special.  A stunning venue (or more accurately, set of venues which will have multiple legacy uses), hosting a star-studded calendar of events, all focused on a series of themes which have engaged and mobilized global audiences.

By the end of January, Expo 2020 had already welcomed more than 11 million in-person visitors (and a total of 72 million virtual visits) – figures that would be highly successful in a normal year.  Given the challenges still being faced across the world, they are simply outstanding.  (Along the way, those visitors have helped Dubai be the most successful tourism destination of recent months.)

Expo 2020’s success gives three lessons for marketeers working across the region.

First, this really is a “Yes, we can” culture here in the Gulf.  Dubai is perhaps the most visible example but across the region, there are economies, leaders and businesses who just get on and get things done.

That can be incredibly exciting if you are used to markets where major projects take decades to get approved, never mind completed.

At Four, in the last decade we’ve helped launch a space agency, promote the world’s fastest-growing airline, support the world’s first new nuclear energy programme for 30 years, launch the new railway network and build profile for record-breaking project after record-breaking project.

Second, these are markets which think big.  That list of projects gives a flavour of the vision seen here in the region.  Few places in the world (or at any time in history) have the mix of vision, investment capital and public support – coupled with the ‘blank canvas’ of land to be developed – that you can see in the Gulf.

The really important thing to recognise is the thinking big isn’t stopping any time soon.  Look at the 2030 and 2050 plans that are published by regional governments and you can see the opportunity still to come.

Third – and most important for our sector – this is a culture which celebrates creativity.  They are constantly looking for creative vehicles to bring that vision to life.  There is a reason why Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other regional cities have become hubs for creative services of all sorts.  There is a reason why so many UK agencies have bases here – and have delivered really outstanding campaigns here.

(A word of caution: it’s really important to be here.  The fly-in-fly-out model alone doesn’t cut it any more – you need to be based here or have a strong local partner.  But if you do, the opportunities are significant.)

The UK has been an enthusiastic participant at Expo 2020.  Today, 10 February, the UK has taken over the 4.38 square kilometre site to celebrate a major year of sport and culture.   In addition to the first official visit to the emirates by the Duke of Cambridge, Expo 2020 celebrated the very best of British culture and creativity, with performance, music, dance and sport taking to the global stage.  The UK’s Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Minister for Exports Mike Freer led the government’s delegation commencing with a ceremonial Opportunity Gate opening at the Expo 2020 site.

It was yet another chance to highlight the strength of British culture and creativity.  It should be yet another catalyst for British agencies to recognise – and take advantage of – the opportunities in this “Yes, we can” region.

Four communications is a UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG) Member. 
Four is one of the leading integrated marketing agencies in the UK and the Middle East, offering a truly integrated approach with services spanning advertising, creative, branding, PR, public affairs, behaviour change, media planning, media buying, marketing, performance, social analytics, content, web, digital marketing, video & animation, SEO, events, crisis management, CSR, sponsorship, partnerships and training.