How will Poland present itself to the world at the World Exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai?

140 days before the start of the Expo, on May 13, a press conference was held with the participation of Jarosław Gowin – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development, Labor and Technology, Grzegorz Piechowiak – Deputy Minister of Development, Labor and Technology, Government Plenipotentiary for Foreign Investments, Krzysztof Drynda – President of the Management Board of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, and Adrian Malinowski – General Commissioner of the Polish Section Expo 2020 Dubai. The briefing featured a presentation of the main points of Poland’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, the progress in the construction of the Poland Pavilion, the plan of cultural and economic events, the economic program and the business offer.

– After the period of economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is high time for pro-business and pro-innovation activities aimed at strengthening the recognition of Polish products and services and building a positive image of Poland and the Polish economy in the world. Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first such large global promotional event in over a year, during which we will present the potential of Polish companies. Our presence at the Expo will also be an excellent opportunity to establish and develop bilateral and multilateral economic and trade cooperation with partners from abroad. We will also promote our tourism potential, as well as the diversity of our tradition and culture – says Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development, Labor and Technology.

– There are already examples of Polish companies that are doing well on the UAE market. We would like the economic events and promotional programs prepared for companies, implemented in connection with our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, to contribute to the development of existing cooperation and to building new relationships with business partners in the United Arab Emirates and the entire Gulf. Therefore, at the Expo, we plan to present the Polish Investment Zone and a wide range of investment offers from such areas of the Polish economy as: renewable energy sources and green technologies, the agri-food industry, hydrocarbon exploration and extraction, expansion of transport infrastructure and water infrastructure, furniture industry and interior design, as well as the tourist industry – says Grzegorz Piechowiak, Deputy Minister of Development, Labor and Technology.

In Dubai, we will present Poland as a country whose main resource is people – creative, hospitable, hard-working, educated, full of energy and cleverness, setting trends, and able to face new challenges. We present creativity as a Polish quality – a value that is the source of success on every level: economic, scientific, cultural and social.  The most important arena for presenting our country will be the Poland Pavilion with an area of over 2000m2, the construction of which will be completed in the summer. The Pavilion staff is recruited from among students of five Polish universities who have signed up for the internship program carried out on the occasion of Poland’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai.

– We are close to completing Poland’s preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai. There is an ambitious task ahead of us, because – as we are already observing – the program that we want to present in Dubai stands out from among other countries with its comprehensive approach to building the country’s brand on the international arena. Great Polish design, the innovative achievements of Polish business, our cultural offer – both traditional and contemporary, as well as special initiatives for children and Polish flavors in the restaurant of the Poland Pavilion – all this will contribute to the uniqueness of the Poland Pavilion, to which I cordially invite you. It is also worth emphasizing that the Expo is not only a festival of stories about individual countries, but above all a platform for cooperation and creating the future. Therefore, we want to actively participate in international initiatives, especially those with an economic profile, to which we are encouraged by the organizer of Expo 2020 Dubai – says Adrian Malinowski, Commissioner General of the Polish Section Expo 2020 Dubai.

Expo 2020 Dubai is an important element of the economic promotion of Poland, which is why the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in cooperation with its Partners has created an economic program consisting of 13 initiatives. They are to support companies in their expansion to the Gulf region as well as to Africa. The program aims to show Polish companies the potential of these markets, indicate the possibilities, but also the possible risks and ways to mitigate them. The offer, which is to become an impulse for the implementation of export aspirations, is addressed to both small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations.

– Participation in Expo 2020 in Dubai is primarily of economic importance to us. This is a unique opportunity to present the potential of our country in the Middle East, which is the world center of trade. Moreover, we want Polish companies to take advantage not only the internal demand of the Gulf markets, but also of the entire African continent. We are already observing a significant interest of companies in the offer we have prepared, and you can still apply to most of the initiatives, which I strongly encourage. In particular, I would like to invite everyone to the Polish-Arab Economic Forum, which will be held on December 6, 2021 in Dubai. After the end of the Expo, our offices in the region will be able to continue what we will start so spectacularly. This is extremely important from the Polish perspective in terms of fully taking advantage of the potential of this event – says Krzysztof Drynda, president of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

A dedicated economic program is being implemented since the beginning of 2021. The first summaries show an increased interest of companies in activities supporting export aspirations to the Middle Eastern markets:

• Over 400 companies applied for this year’s edition of the „Go to brand” program, coordinated by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (the results will be announced in June).

• So far, over 80 companies have been positively verified in the Partner Program implemented by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

• Over 100 companies have already signed up to participate in the Polish-Arab Economic Forum. The event can be attended by up to 500 participants from Poland and the countries of the Middle East.

• As part of the multimedia exhibition in the Poland Pavilion, over 150 companies representing industries with the highest export potential to the Middle East markets will be presented

Companies interested in joining the economic program are invited in particular to:

• Apply for participation in the Polish-Arab Economic Forum, which will be part of the Polish Day at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

• Participate in the Partner Program that provides 4 categories of partnership. Recruitment is ongoing.

• Participate in a series of educational webinars on the market in the Gulf region (starting in the second half of May).

• Reserve space for business meetings in the Poland Pavilion. Polish companies will be able to organize business meetings in the Poland Pavilion: a VIP lounge and a conference room for up to 70 people. We will be accepting reservations starting from the third quarter of 2021

The arena for presenting Poland will be the Poland Pavilion, designed by the Warsaw studio WXCA. The architecture of the Pavilion clearly refers to mobility: it is an open, modular structure expanding upwards, which invites visitors to rest in the shade of a wide roof and to contemplate the installation above the guests’ heads – a kinetic sculpture representing a flock of birds.

The internal exhibition will be a universal message about Poland – a collection of stories distinguishing Poland and Poles – our economy, culture and outstanding personalities. The complete story about Poland consists of five sections, corresponding to the five zones of the Poland Pavilion. Each of them features the theme of mobility proposed by the Exhibition organizer – in relation to people, ideas, culture and technology.

The most spectacular element of the exhibition will be the „Polish Table” installation, which will become a place of cross-cultural meetings and welcoming the guests of the Pavilion, and at the same time, through an interactive, light projection, a place of contact with the Polish language. The „Polish Table” installation will be a unique work of art, created from the raw materials characteristic of our country, such as copper, glass, wood, ceramics and carbon fibers, with the joint effort of Polish craftsmen, artists and engineers.

The Polish exhibition has been adapted to the current epidemiological conditions and will be almost entirely in a non-contact form.

The consortium of Science Now, Stellar Fireworks and Tellart is responsible for the creative concept and narration of the visitor’s path in the Poland Pavilion, implemented as key experiences and content of multimedia materials.