The final balance of the San Marino Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
A few days after the end of the largest Universal Exposition in the Middle East and the return of the managers and volunteer staff to the Republic, the San Marino Pavilion closes its participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, recording the final number of 390,000 visits and 130,800 euros in proceeds accounted for in the shop area. Numbers that are very close to the initial forecasts, drawn up in the project implementation phase. The Expo 2020 Dubai edition welcomed a total of 24.1 million visitors in 184 days of promotion, events, meetings and initiatives. A marathon that saw 192 participating countries as protagonists who have shared connections and best practices to encourage and build a better future. For the Republic of San Marino, affected by the sudden disappearance of the Commissioner and Ambassador to the United Arabs Mauro Maiani, the pandemic, which reached its peak in December and January and the initial logistical difficulties in the shipment of goods, proved to be certainly a challenging and demanding edition. However, thanks to teamwork and the support of the state, the staff of the Pavilion managed to successfully carry out the project, bringing home excellent: both measurable goals such as sales targets and receipts and more intangible objectives such as increase in knowledge of our country at an international level. In fact, Expo turned out to be the largest event dedicated to tourism and the communication of the culture and identity of States that took place in the MENASA area, that distant part of the world that includes the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Southern Italy, for which San Marino was a little known or even unknown territory. One aim, that of making itself known, largely achieved primary, thanks to an exhibition space, the only one among the Thematic District Pavilions to have a VIP lounge available to its sponsors and delegations, which has retraced the past, the present and the future. of our Earth, obtaining unanimous positive appreciation from both critics and professionals. For example, the authoritative Emirati media outlet Gulf News cited it as one of the 7 best pavilions worth visiting for its historical legacy. A pavilion that has developed a very strong diplomatic action, presenting its specificities to the world, from agri-food to tourism and economic ones that prove to be competitive and aligned with international standards. Furthermore, the constant growth of visits and collections during the six months of Expo were the great demonstration of an operational and well-functioning Pavilion, according to a narrative logic in which the visitor, thanks to the interaction with the volunteers, was able to really get to know San Marine. In this scenario, the shop area turned out to be not only a section from the collection of receipts but an added value and an integral part of the exhibition site, in which people were able to complete their visiting experience, appreciating the typical products of the Republic, deciding to take them with you as a souvenir of a new discovery made at Expo 2020 in Dubai. A participation in this event which for San Marino has also borne fruit in terms of connections and opening up to new business opportunities. Several sponsors have in fact taken into consideration the internationalization strategies of their brands starting from the United Arab Emirates and others have consolidated and expanded their own networking by exploiting the initiative and the space of the Pavilion in a context as international as that of Expo. Today, a few weeks after the end of the event and the closing of the Pavilion, procedures have begun to ensure the return of the materials from the Pavilion to the Republic such as the interactive table, display panels and some furniture in the VIP lounge and shop. What will happen in the near future at the Expo site will be the opening of District 2020, a project that is part of the Dubai Urban Plan 2040, a place that will welcome 145,000 people and that foresees an expansion of the city right around this area. Some pavilions will be dismantled, others, such as the one in San Marino, converted for residential use or used as offices. The district has a fun hub dedicated to new technologies: among the large companies, Siemens, Dp World and Terminus have already announced that they will have their headquarters here. While another 80 selected start-ups will take office, in the field of green energy, urban planning, intelligent architecture and mobility. Before focusing their energies on San Marino’s participation in the next world projects, all the staff of the Pavilion will take part on Saturday 30 September in the “San Marino Expo Experience” event organized by the gold sponsor San Marino Outlet Experience as a final moment of party and celebration of a unique professional and life experience for 4 managers and 25 volunteers who represented their country in the eyes of the world for 6 months. Commissioner General Filippo Francini: “Participating in Expo 2020 Dubai, for a microstate like San Marino, means having had the opportunity to make known historical and cultural traditions, dynamism and capacity for innovation. It was an unmissable opportunity for visibility in which San Marino proved to be able to compete with the international community, presenting to the world the great pride and strong energy of a small country. I would like to thank all the people who believed in the project and who decided to take part in it. In particular, thanks to the sponsors for the guaranteed support in making the San Marino Pavilion a place of discovery and knowledge for almost 400,000 visitors from all over the world. A precious collaboration, without which it would not have been able to reach such a goal “.
Cs Expo Dubai