Great success for the Swiss Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020

Presence Switzerland is reporting positively on its participation in the Swiss Pavilion at the World Expo in Dubai. Switzerland presented itself as a leader in the field of innovation. The pavilion welcomed 1.7 million visitors in six months. The pavilion regularly occupied top positions in various rankings and received three awards. During 150 events, more than 50 Swiss companies, 20 institutional partners and universities used the platform to promote and deepen their exchanges with their main business partner in the Middle East.

L'inagurazione del padiglione della Svizzera all'Expo 2020 Dubai — Opening of the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai

Expo Dubai 2020 closed its doors at the end of March. With 1.7 million visitors, the Swiss pavilion was one of the most admired and visited. It was enjoyed by an international audience of around 100 different nationalities, half of whom live in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A survey conducted in the Pavilion among visitors shows that the Pavilion made a good or very good impression on the vast majority of them. The visit to the Pavilion had a positive effect on the perception of Switzerland, especially in the areas of innovation, tourism, sustainability and responsibility, as well as in relation to Swiss products.

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Strengthening bilateral relations

The pavilion has also welcomed distinguished guests. It was used by the Swiss Embassy in the UAE and by the executive branch to honor the diplomatic relations between the UAE and our country. A total of 987 official delegations visited the Swiss Pavilion, including 810 members of royal families, 335 representatives of the UAE government, 90 prime ministers, ministers and governors from various countries, as well as 80 CEOs of major Swiss and European companies. On October 29, 2021, the then President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, was received on the occasion of the Swiss National Day. On March 23, 2022, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer visited it with a delegation of representatives from the Swiss financial sector as part of the “Swiss Finance Days”.

L'Expo 2020 Dubai inaugurato il primo ottobre 2021 — Dubai Expo 2020 to open on October 1, 2021

Exchanges and new partnerships

The Swiss Pavilion regularly occupied the top positions in various rankings. The highlight was the artistic interpretation of an Alpine panorama that suddenly emerged from a sea of fog and showed selected tourist destinations in cooperation with Switzerland Tourism, giving visitors a unique experience of nature. With more than 150 events, the Swiss pavilion was also an important platform for Expo Dubai 2020, enabling dialogue with regional players from business, science and politics and deepening relations with the Middle East’s most important trading partner. More than 50 Swiss companies used the pavilion for their events and networking activities.

In collaboration with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), “Swissnex” organized 40 events where Swiss universities, research institutes, companies and start-ups had the opportunity to showcase their innovations and foster new links between representatives of these sectors from Switzerland, the UAE and the Middle East.

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Eco-positive and award-winning

“The Swiss pavilion, with its huge red carpet and made-in-Switzerland fog, was one of the stars of Expo Dubai. We relied on a spectacular image to draw attention to Switzerland and its capacity for innovation, and it worked!” says Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, Head of Presence Switzerland.

The Swiss participation and its content also received a very positive response in many local media. The pavilion, designed by Zurich-based architects OOS, the scenic design agency Bellprat and Lorenz Eugster for the landscape architecture, won three awards: Exhibitor Magazine’s World Expo Award for the best medium-sized pavilion and 2A magazine’s “A2 Certificate & Veneration and Innovative Achievmet Memorial Icon”. It also received an architecture and landscape award from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) panel of experts.

The next World Expo will be held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to October 13, 2025. On May 12, 2021, the Federal Council voted in favor of Switzerland’s participation in Expo Osaka 2025.