Poland Pavilion at Expo 2020, Dubai: Glittering Presence

The biggest and the most important economic event in the world ñ Expo 2020 Dubai ñ starts on 1†October 2021 and will last until 31 March 2022. It was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Organizers decided to keep the name referring to 2020. By participating in the Expo, Poland wants to strengthen its image in the international arena and establish new economic contacts. The Polish Investment and Trade Agency is responsible for the implementation of the project, under the supervision of the Ministry of Development and Technology.

• The motto of the Polish presentation is: ìPoland. Creativity inspired by natureî
• The exhibition will be located in the Polish Pavilion with an area of over 2000 m2, with a characteristic wooden facade and a kinetic sculpture symbolizing a flock of birds, as well as a spectacular, artistic multimedia installation entitled "The Polish Table" 
• During six months, the Expo will be visited by 18 million people, who - according to the organizers' estimates - will make 25 million visits.
• Over the next six months, almost 1,000 events of various kinds organized by our country will take place at Expo 2020 Dubai
• A total of nearly 2,500 Polish companies will participate in the economic program, consisting of several different initiatives ñ including almost 1,800 will present themselves in the Pavilion or at various events in Dubai, and 700 will take part in events, expert webinars or online meetings.
• The most important events include: Polish Day, the Polish-Arab Economic Forum (7 December 2021) and the Polish-African Economic Forum (23 February 2022)

Expo 2020 Dubai: The Whole World In One Place 

Expo World Exhibitions are the largest and most prestigious events in the world, combining economic, promotional, cultural and tourist themes. Their history dates back to 1851. Initially, World Exhibitions were a forum for presenting scientific achievements and sharing knowledge and the new possibilities of technology.

Expo 2020 in Dubai will be the first World Exhibition organized in an Arab country and, according to the organizersí announcements, it aspires to become the largest show in history. By to the decision of the World Exhibition Bureau, due to the COVID19 pandemic, Expo 2020 in Dubai was postponed by a year and will take place between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022. According to the organizers' estimates, the Expo will attract 18 million visitors ñ from state delegations, businessmen seeking new contracts, to tourists and families with children.

The Idea Behind Expo 2020 Dubai

By choosing a theme ñ ÑConnecting Minds, Creating The Futureî ñ the hosts want to emphasize that the challenges of todayís world are so complex and complicated that they cannot be solved in isolation. They encourage people to work together ñ regardless of latitude, institutional barriers or cultural differences. Expo 2020 Dubai is to be a platform for dialogue, an announcement of a future based on cooperation.

The main theme is developed by three sub-topics: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. This topics connect the participants of the World Exhibition and give coherence to their exhibitions. The organizers made their own interpretation of the proposed topics:

Opportunity – a call to find the potential for creativity that lies dormant in people and in societies. This area covers issues such as education, employment, new technologies, financial capital and management.

Mobility – focuses on smarter and more efficient use of peopleís mobility and exchange of goods and ideas. It is a proposal for discussion, devoted to transport, travel, research, logistics and digital communication.

Sustainability - a manifesto of living in harmony and balance with our planet. Inspiration for activities for the protection of our ecosystems, effective resource management, environmental protection and the reduction of climate change.

Poland: A Regular Participant at World Exhibitions

Poland's presence at World Exhibitions has over 150 years of history. In 1867, well-known Polish companies exhibited in Paris: Ma≥ecki's piano factory, Maksymilian Fajans' photo studio and the Troetzer metal tools factory. Poland was awarded at exhibitions in Vienna (1873), Paris (1878) and Chicago (1893). The first national pavilions were built after the First World War. They presented Poland's economic achievements, Polandís history and promoted the products of Polish companies. The last Exhibition before the Second World War took place in New York, and its slogan was "Building the world of tomorrow". The Polish pavilion was built on the area of 2,000 square meters with a 50 metre high tower and the statue of W≥adys≥aw Jagie≥≥o standing at the entrance. It was the last time when Poland participated in this event. Poland returned to the Expo in 1992 in Seville. After the Exhibition in Spain, our country participated in the Expos in Lisbon (1998), Hannover (2000), Aichi (2005), Zaragoza (2008), Shanghai (2010), Milan (2015) and Astana (2017), where Poland was awarded a gold medal for the exhibition.

The Polish Pavilion: A Multi-Dimensional Story

The main arena of presentation of Poland is the national pavilion. Its modern and interactive exhibition will present a universal story about the economic successes of Poland, and introduces visitors to the culture, natural values and interesting tourist destinations. Nearly 200 entities representing industries with the highest export potential on the Middle East markets will be presented as part of the multimedia exhibition. Polish entrepreneurs will have a chance to organize business meetings in the Pavilion and establish new contacts with potential partners. 

The WXCA studio together with the Swiss studio Bellprat Partner is responsible for the design and the architectural and thematic concept of the pavilion and the exhibition. They created a unique, immersive, and permeating space inviting visitors to experience polish nature, culture and innovative technology. It intends to inspire and share with the world multiple solutions for a conscious, sustainable future.  The final exhibition narrative, detailed concept and key experiences were created as a collaboration between the design studios Science Now, Stellar Fireworks and Tellart, which enriched the exhibition with distinctive, interactive experiences (eg. the Polish Table art installation), immersive spaces (eg. the Landscapes of Creativity room) and overall multimedia storytelling. General Contractor of the Polish Pavilion is the PoznaÒ International Fair (MTP) - FM Aldentro consortium.

The architecture of the Pavilion clearly refers to mobility: it is an open, wooden, 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. It refers to the richness of nature, the diversity of the landscape and the fact that Poland is the main habitat of migrating birds.

The Poland Pavilion is of great interest for public opinion even before starting the World Exhibition. It was called one of the 17 best pavilions at the Expo by the Emirate magazine The National newspaper.  

The Five Chapters of the Poland Pavilion  

The narrative of the Polish exhibition built around the keynote of Poland's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai: "Poland. Creativity Inspired by Nature". The complete story about Poland consists of five sections, corresponding to the five zones of the Polish Pavilion. In each of them, the theme of mobility, proposed by the Exhibition organizer is to be found – in relation to people, ideas, culture or technology. 

I Poland. Inspired by nature 

Before entering the Poland Pavilion, while still in the queue zone, visitors will learn about the richness and variety of Polish nature and the attractiveness of our country for tourists. The characteristic of the vegetation to be found in various regions of Poland, will be interspersed with artistic presentations of Polish landscapes, as interpreted by illustrators, graphic designers, typographers and poets.

II Poland. A home for creativity 

Poland will be presented as, an open and welcoming home of creativity. The manifestation of this will be a multimedia artistic installation entitled "The Polish Table", inspired by a symbolism of the Polish table, which will become an  intercultural meeting place and where the pavilion guests will be welcomed, at the same time, through an interactive, light projection, a place of contact with the Polish language. 

III Poland. Spirit of ingenuity  

This part of the Poland Pavilion is dedicated to the most spectacular Polish successes in the areas of science, culture and tourism. We will present the achievements of various manifestations of creativity as part of an impressive, wooden spatial sculpture, in which multimedia carriers and artifacts are embedded. The exhibition of Polish brands products "Artefacts & Ideas in Use" is curated by Monika Brauntsch. The interdisciplinary nature of the content will be gathered in five thematic clusters which, combined with the artistic form of this part of the exhibition, will emphasize the invention, entrepreneurship and richness of initiatives undertaken by Poles.

IV Poland. Land of plenty 

The Pavilion space for temporary exhibitions, is dedicated to exhibitions prepared by the Polish regions and our institutional partners. Each of them will present their own interpretation of the motto of Poland's presence at Expo 2020 Dubai. The exhibitions will change on a weekly basis, showing the diversity of Poland's natural environment, culture, tourist attractions, science and economic achievements, all through the prism of Polish creativity.

V Poland. Landscapes of creativity 

The last zone of the Pavilion, which through large-format multimedia projections and music will create a spectacular finale to our exhibition. Our guests will be invited to co-create a Polish "landscapes of creativity" and to immerse themselves in five extensive themes that distinguish Poland and Poles on the international arena.

The Polish Table

The "Polish Table" is one of the most spectacular elements of the exhibition in the Poland Pavilion at World Exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai. It is set to become a place of multicultural 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" is a unique work of art, created from the raw materials characteristic of Poland, such as copper, glass, wood, aluminium, ceramics and yacht-building steel, with the joint effort of Polish craftsmen, artists and engineers. The ìPolish Tableî is filled with stories and vivid cultural accents, bits and pieces about the country's resources, contemporary science and technology, and unique design.

The consortium of Science Now, Stellar Fireworks and Tellart was the originator of the ìPolish Tableî. The design of the installation was prepared by RAZ, while Ejsak Group made the structure of the "Polish Table", wooden elements and the interactive layer of the installation. The installation is built from more than 120 modules – milled blocks of the Polish ashwood. Each of them comes is a shape of a aspect of Poland ñ its landscape, topography, urban space. All elements were put together with a generative design algorithm, while the source data came from the Earth observation programme Copernicus.

The installation includes also unique special modules. These are original artistic works by the leading Polish artists and craftsmen who specialise in creating art in particular materials or using specific technique. The ìPolish Tableî contains modules from ceramics ñ BOLES£AWIEC Factory, glass ñ Agnieszka Bar, steel used in yacht construction ñ Conrad Shipyard, copper and silver ñ Oskar ZiÍta, wood ñ Maciej Siuda and special kind of aluminum used in 3D printing ñ PIAP Space. The main idea of the project was to depict how to use skills, craftsmanship and new technologies to creatively transform raw materials into true art.

• The Polish Table art installation - video
• The Polish Table - interactive experience - video 
• Glass module - Agnieszka Bar - video
• Ceramic module - Zak≥ady Ceramiczne "Boles≥awiec" - video
• Steel module - Conrad Shipyard - video 
• Wood module - Maciej Siuda - video
• Silver and copper - Oskar ZiÍta - video
• Aluminum module - PIAP Space video 

Economic Programme 

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency, in cooperation with Partners, created economic programme at Expo 2020 Dubai, consisting of several initiatives. It is the most complex economic programme in the history of Polish participation in Expo. All of the initiatives 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 and to give promotional, organizational and financial support. 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.

Partnership Programme 

A commercial partnership programme for private companies. This is the first project of this type in the history of Poland's participation in World Exhibitions, which engages companies as the following - Event Sponsors/Partners, Polish Pavilion Equipment Partners, and Industry Event Partners. So far, we have established cooperation with several dozen companies. The third edition of the programme started in March 2021 and it will end in January 2022.

The Partnership Program gives the possibility of commercial cooperation to Polish companies and institutions interested in a special form of participation in the World Exhibition. Companies will provide equipment, organize workshops and events, and provide products necessary for the Pavilion's operation. It is an initiative that reflects the mission of PAIH and allows entrepreneurs, regardless of the scale of their activities, a unique opportunity to promote, strengthen foreign expansion plans and co-create a Polish presentation during this most prestigious promotional and economic event in the world. So far, contracts under the Partnership Program have been signed with 20 companies. Companies can join the Programme until 31 January 2022

Program "Go to Brand Expo 2020"

A programme implemented by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, which gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to obtain financial support for the implementation of promotional activities in the United Arab Emirates. Almost 400 companies received funding in the first and second editions of the competition.

Polish-Arab Economic Forum 

The culminating moment of the entire economic programme, scheduled for 6 December 2021 (just prior to the Polish Day, which will take place on 7 December 2021). Representatives of the highest state authorities have announced their participation in the event as well as a numerous group of entrepreneurs (including the entrepreneurs participating in support under the Go to Brand Expo 2020 programme). Registration of the participation is available on expo.gov.pl 

Polish-African Economic Forum 

The Polish-African Economic Forum will be another international event organized as part of the Polish economic program for the World Exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai. The main goal of the Forum is 
* promotion mutual economic contacts; 
* presentation of Polish experiences and potential in products and services export, in particular in industries related to the subject of Expo 2020 Dubai; 
* ensuring the possibility of establishing cooperation with economic partners from the African continent.
The Forum will take place on 23 February 2022 in Dubai. Detailed information on the possibility of participating in the Polish-African Economic Forum will be available on expo.gov.pl.

Business Webinars

By organizing the webinars "Get to know the Arab markets before Expo 2020 Dubai", the Polish Investment and Trade Agency announced that this webinars are the first step to foreign expansion for many Polish companies and a unique possibility to broaden the knowledge for those, who already export to this markets. The program of the series of webinars made it possible to get to know the specificity of the Arab markets better, and to prepare for travel missions to trade fairs organized before or during the World Exhibition. Over 500 participants took part in nine meetings. 

From September 2021, entrepreneurs who plan to export their goods and services to the markets of African countries and are looking for information on the opportunities and possibilities of these markets will be able to take part in a series of subsequent webinars "Get to know African markets before Expo 2020 Dubai".

It is worth noting that the World Exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai will be record-breaking in terms of the participation of African countries. Thanks to participation in webinars organized by PAIH, entrepreneurs can deepen their knowledge about individual African markets and better prepare for foreign expansion.

Business Seminars 

The business seminars are an initiative which will allow foreign investors to familiarise themselves with services, technologies and products developed by Polish entrepreneurs. The main objective of the seminars will be to establish business contacts and to present Polish experiences and potential in four areas ñ green technologies, space and aviation industry, smart cities, medical and pharmaceutical industry. Registration to the semminars is available on expo.gov.pl 

Polish Games Show

The potential of the Polish gamedev industry, both in commercial and artistic terms, will be presented at Expo 2020 in Dubai as part of a week ñ long series of events, including the presentation of Polish games and their producers, as well as competitions and workshops on game design. 

Business Reports

With business partners from around the world, who are interested in cooperation with Polish companies in mind, we are preparing industry reports, which will be a comprehensive presentation of industries and companies with the largest potential for export to the Middle East markets. These reports will be presented on the website expo.gov.pl and during the economic events accompanying the World Exhibition Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Events

For 6 months, the Polish Pavilion will be the center of nearly 1,000 economic, cultural, scientific, culinary and technological events. Many acting and acrobatic performances, workshops for children and fashion shows will take place. The most important moments for Poland, apart from the opening of the Pavilion, will be: the National Day of Poland, the Polish-Arab Economic Forum and the Polish-African Economic Forum. At the World Exhibition, we will also celebrate: Polish Independence Day with a concert of Chopin music, Christmas Festival, Children's Day and Women's Day.

In addition, the Polish Pavilion will be one of the few places at Expo 2020, where every week visitors will be able to discover completely new exhibition. That will be possible with the engagement of Polish regions and institutions that will be preparing their own presentations in the temporary exhibition zone of the Pavilion.

Cultural and Social Events 

During the six-month presence of Poland at the Expo, numerous cultural and scientific events will take place. Not only adults are invited to visit the Polish Pavilion, but also children, for whom many attractions have been prepared, including educational workshops.
The program of cultural and educational events includes:

• Chopin music concerts 
• Concert on the occasion of the Polish Independence Day  
• Concert of Polish music on the occasion of the Polish Day at the Expo ñ 7 December
• Programming and coding workshops 
• Ceramics painting workshops 
• Astronomy workshops 
• Christmas Festival  
• European Union Day 
• Womenís Day  
• Children's Day

Polish National Day

One of the most important events at the Expo will be the National Day of Poland, scheduled on 7 December 2021. On that day, Poland will present itself to a wide group of international audiences visiting the Expo. Prestigious cultural events with the participation of representatives of the highest state authorities of Poland and the United Arab Emirates are planned.

The Polish National Day will fall during the celebration of the Golden Jubilee week ñ the 50th anniversary of the unification of the United Arab Emirates.

Economic events

The most important economic events will be: the Polish-Arab Economic Forum and the Polish-African Economic Forum. Their main goals are to promote mutual economic contacts, to present Polish experiences and potential in the field of exporting products and services, in particular from industries related to the subject of Expo 2020, as well as to ensure the possibility of establishing cooperation with economic partners from the Arab Gulf countries. 

The economic programme has been implemented in the beginning of 2021. The first summaries of PAIH show the increased interest of entrepreneurs in all activities supporting their export plans to the Arab markets.

Over 400 companies applied for this year's edition of the Go to Brand program, coordinated by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. Agreements with 20 companies were signed in the partnership program implemented by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency. Over 100 companies have already registered to participate in the Polish-Arab Economic Forum. PAIH estimates that the event can be attended by as many as 500 participants from Poland and the Middle East. As part of the multimedia exhibition in the Polish Pavilion, over 200 companies representing industries with the highest export potential to the Middle East markets will be presented.

"We are proud that after four years of intense work on the project, we are now beginning our presence in Expo 2020 in Dubai. We will strengthen our position and promote Poland as an attractive and safe destination for investors," says Krzysztof Drynda, Chairman of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency. "This exhibition offers an opportunity to win brand new investments for our country. This year, the number and value of such investements will break all records. During the next six months we will also show, above all, the export potential of our entrepreneurs and companies. Their attention will be drawn, in particular, to the new markets of the Middle East and Africa. We have created a comprehensive economic program which comprises of several initiatives addressed to nearly 2,500 companies. For half a year, we will be presenting Polish economic, scientific, cultural and social success stories. In total, almost 1,000 events will be held, among which there will be two large ecomonic forums. They are likely to open a new chapter in trade relations between Poland and the countries of the African continent and the Arabian Gulf," he said.