Dubai expects as Expo 2020 vote deadline nears

26 November 2013

Candidate cities prepare to make final bid presentations with winner to be announced in afternoon on 27 November

The four candidate cities for the competition to host the World Expo 2020 are preparing to make their final bid presentations to the 168-member Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) with the winner of the mandate to host the six-month event expected to be announced in Paris tomorrow afternoon.

Dubai, Ekaterinburg, Izmir and Sao Paulo are in the running for the World Expo 2020.

Dubai is favourite to win, but all four cities are still seeking to gain the votes necessary from BIE members to defeat their rivals.

The final stage of the competition starts at 10.30am (Paris time) on 27 November at the OECD Conference Centre on Rue Andre Pascal in Paris. It will begin with final 20-minute presentations by each of the four cities.

At 2.30pm, the voting process will begin behind closed doors. This will involve each of the 168 BIE members voting electronically. A city winning a majority of two-thirds of the vote will automatically secure the expo mandate. If none of the four secure the requisite majority, the city with the lowest numbers of votes will be eliminated and the voting will continue.

The Dubai, UAE Expo 2020 bid team is in Paris. It is not yet known whether Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, will join them for the BIE’s decision.

Dubai’s bid for the expo is based on the expectation that the emirate will attract 25 million additional visitors during the expo.

Destination Dubai 2020
On 28-29 January 2014, MEED will hold its Destination Dubai 2020 event. The two-day conference will bring together the emirate’s key government-related entities and stakeholders to discuss their respective growth plans and outline Dubai’s ongoing expansion to 2020 and beyond. For the very latest information regarding this event, please visit www.destinationdubai2020.com

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