Expo 2020 Dubai can serve as a role model for future global events in the new normal, to bring people from all over the world together again, according to Germany’s Commissioner General Dietmar Schmitz at the Dubai show.
He said that hosting a global event during a worldwide pandemic requires a lot of planning and the implementation of safety measures. “Expo 2020 Dubai has done an amazing job to enable visitors a safe visit to the event,” he added.
Schmitz added that the pavilion is tailored to present a modern, forward-looking image of Germany to people from the region and visitors from across the globe. “Expo 2020 Dubai is a great opportunity (for that)”, he said while speaking to Emirates News Agency WAM.
The experience-driven design of the German Pavilion makes it possible to provide comprehensive information about the country’s technical, industrial and cultural capabilities and to showcase potential solutions related to the Expo’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
World leader in sustainability field
“Germany is the place where sustainability was invented, where the energy revolution known as the ‘Energiewende’ was born, and a place where science, industry and large parts of civil society are actively committed to securing a sustainable future,” Schmitz said.
Sustainability is the subject of analysis, research, practice and development in Germany, which is what the title of the German Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai sets out to convey: Campus Germany.
“(Our pavilion aims to) convey knowledge and foster dialogue, focused on engaging, edutainment-based content. It provides inspiring imagery, fascinating architectural perspectives and high emotional value in the grand finale at the end of the tour,” Schmitz said.
The architecture of a vertical campus with its stacked building volumes and shifts between interior and exterior spaces also offers numerous exciting and unexpected perspectives.
“Rather than only having a destructive impact on our planet, humankind has the capacity – thanks to its intelligence and creativity – to put global development back on a positive course if, as the Expo theme suggests, people join forces,” Schmitz said.
Personalized communication is a core feature of the Germany Pavilion and visitors are being welcomed by name in their preferred language when they approach an exhibit.
Some exhibits will also ask visitors for their views, with questions such as, “Would you agree that we can only tackle climate change by working together?” or “Would you agree that sustainability is one of the major challenges to secure a better future?”.
Another aspect of the exhibition is that it also addresses young visitors. “Whenever a child approaches an exhibit, it will switch to child mode and present child-specific content. There are also exhibits throughout the pavilion that have been specifically developed for children,” Schmitz said. Facts and Fiction teamed up with Armin Maiwald, a key figure in German children’s television, to create this content.
The Culture Lab at the Germany Pavilion features various genres and sessions: dance, visual arts, games, science, sport and music. The centrepiece of the Culture Lab is the stage in the atrium of the pavilion.
“The whole team of the German Pavilion feels warmly welcomed in Dubai. The UAE made it easy for us to settle in and start our Expo journey. We are all excited for the coming months and look forward to welcoming visitors at Campus Germany,” Schmitz concluded.
