The BIE Enquiry Mission flew by helicopter today for an aerial tour of the greenfield location that has been identified for developing the Dubai Expo 2020 site, Dubai Trade Centre - Jebel Ali.

As the helicopter flew above, the site below was filled with young students and volunteers from a number of schools and colleges in the UAE including Dubai Men’s College, GEMS Wellington International School and GEMS Westminster School, forming the shape of the Dubai Expo 2020 logo to signify where the site will be built.

The 438-hectare site is one of the largest sites proposed for a World Expo and among the most seamlessly accessible, reflecting the Dubai Expo 2020 theme of ‘connectivity’. Its strategic location, equidistant between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, provides the best possible operational and logistical efficiencies for participants bringing in materials for their exhibitions and pavilions as well as easy access for the expected 25 million visitors.

Situated next to the new Dubai World Central Airport and within a 10 minute proximity to Jebel Ali Port, the largest container port between Rotterdam and Singapore, the site allows for easy transit between airports and ports – an important consideration for potential Expo participants.

The site masterplan has been designed as a manifestation of the country’s Expo bid theme: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. At the core of the site is an open plaza called Al Wasl (“the connection”) – a historical name for Dubai, and branching out from the plaza are three main zones that symbolise the bid’s sub themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity. Inspired by traditional Arab souks, the design integrates the UAE’s unique architectural heritage and environment of vibrancy and trade with the requirements of the Expo to foster the fundamental principles of innovation, partnership and collaboration between participants and visitors.

Dubai, UAE, is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 edition of this monumental global gathering. The winner will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 163 member nations of the BIE