The organisers of the Dubai Expo 2020 have revealed new details about the preparations that are under way for the event.

A mandatory document is currently being prepared that provides greater detail about the organiser’s masterplan for hosting the event. The document will be submitted for approval to the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), the governing body of the World Expo, in 2015.

Upon approval of the document, which is expected to coincide with the conclusion of the Milan Expo 2015, site-readiness activity will commence on the Dubai Trade Centre-Jebel Ali site to prepare for full-fledged construction.

The 438-hectare site, which includes a dedicated gated 150-hectare Expo area and a surrounding residential, hospitality and logistics zone, will play host to the 25 million visitors expected at the event, which will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021.

Organisers have set a target date for all major construction activities to be completed on site by October 2019, allowing for a full year of readiness testing across networks, systems and technologies. Expo Village – a residential community development providing full-time housing facilities for staff from participating countries working on the Expo – will target completion by 2018, following which pavilion construction activities will start.

A key component of the masterplan is three distinct zones, each dedicated to one of the sub-themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity, which will converge at the central Al-Wasl Plaza.

The flagship UAE Pavilion will feature prominently, in addition to a Welcome Pavilion and an Innovation Pavilion near the North entrance surrounding the central plaza; and three souks – one at the heart of each theme zone – which will showcase smaller pavilions surrounded by the larger country pavilions on the outer rings. This will ensure maximum visibility and footfall for all participants. Additionally, each thematic zone will also have one feature entertainment venue and a specialised theme pavilion.

At its peak, the Dubai Expo 2020 exhibition site at Dubai Trade Centre-Jebel Ali is designed to accommodate up to 300,000 visitors, with average weekday attendance expected at 153,000. To maximise the use of public transport systems in delivering visitors to the site, an extension to the Dubai Metro will be constructed, along with a dedicated station on the Expo site to encourage maximum usage of public transport systems.

Additionally, a bespoke zero-emission bus service will transport visitors to and from the Expo from pick-up points throughout the UAE, situated in key hotel and major population areas.

“One of our strongest assets during the bid was a robust and well-progressed masterplan with a clear existing legacy, which Dubai World Trade Centre, as developer of the Expo 2020 site, has continued to evolve and drive forward rigorously to ensure we are on track to delivering a truly exceptional World Expo in 2020,” says Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Preparatory Higher Committee, president of the Department of Civil Aviation and chairman and CEO of state carrier Emirates airline.

“We have made a commitment to the international community to make the 2020 Expo a true World Expo – one that is globally inclusive in reach, stimulating greater collaboration across the world’s public and private sector players to drive advancements and innovative solutions in the fields of mobility, sustainability and economic development, leaving behind a strong transformative social and economic legacy across the region and beyond.”