“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. These words contain the whole point of Expo 2020 that will be open in Dubai from October 2020 until April 2021, being the greatest event ever planned in the Arab World. It will host 190 Countries and 25 million expected visitors that are invited to debate on three pillar issues: opportunity, mobility and sustainability. Crucial social aspects, smarter means of transport and environmentally-friendly best practices will be the driving forces to find out the balance between human technological development and respect of the Earth Ecosystem, never been so critical. The Principality of Monaco took up the challenge making a key contribution to the Opportunity Thematic District. A golden chance to share with the entire world the Monegasque ‘savoir faire’ and life skills.
The Monaco Pavilion for Expo Dubai 2020 was unveiled last Wednesday (27th February 2019) during a special preview event set at the Hermitage Hotel in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, H.E. the Sheik Abdallah Ben Zayed Al Nahhyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and -International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), H.E. Mireille Pettiti, President of Monaco Inter Expo, the state company in charge of universal exhibitions, and other illustrious guests. The kaleidoscopic polygonal shape of the 1,700 m2 pavilion “Monaco 360°, a world of opportunities” promises to captivate and amaze the audience through a series of multifaceted interactive spaces, metaphor of the various fields in which this Country excels, starting from the environmental protection, topic so dear to the Sovereign Prince.
Sustainable Development, safeguard of biodiversity and fight against global warming are vital goals within the Monaco Pavilion project, as underlined by Mireille Pettiti. The Pavilion will be energy efficient thanks to a huge photovoltaic-panel system made by a team of experts from the Monegasque Company of Electricity and Gas (SMEG), that will be operating until September 2021 in order to balance the previous six-month consumptions. Thus, any single component of indoor and outdoor spaces is meant to be totally recycled. Something to be considered as an added value, as stressed by Annabelle Jaeger-Seydoux, head of the Mission for Energy Transition. The main hall, the ‘Garden of Opportunities’, will enhance the special relationship between the French Riviera with its local environment under the prismatic reflections of the sun. A great message to make us all reflect: energy is not equally distributed on the Planet where one billion people are still out from the power grid, as pointed out by Thomas Battaglione, director general at SMEG. Last but not least, the green area, the ‘Chemin de la Porte Neuve’, will enhance the most typical Mediterranean trees and flowers of the French Riviera and its surrounding areas under the polychromatic sunbeams.
The Principality will confirm in Dubai its own tradition of land of innovation playing a pivotal role at its cultural, environmental, scientific, economic, business, commercial, diplomatic dimension, as highlighted by Albert Croesi, Commissioner General of Expo Dubai 2020 Monaco Pavilion. The multilayer architectonic structure, symbol of the Monegasque hilly territory, was conceived by the Monegasque architect Olivier Deverini, founder of AODA architecture firm, in partnership with the renowned Swiss OOS Studio. It will allow all visitors to plunge themselves in a digital and sensorial tour designed by ‘Fact and Fiction’, a skilled international exhibition agency, to the discovery of thematic corners. Among the major items: the Grimaldi’s Dinasty, arts, culture, science, polar research, medical & bio, environmental actions, oceans safeguarding, innovation, technology, explorations and international relations. In other words, all Monegasque identities, embodied in one place, including sport, tourism, hospitality and gastronomy will be represented by a gourmet restaurant offering the best Mediterranean cuisine and a special “haute cuisine creation for Monaco National Day” by Christian Garcia, personal chef of the Sovereign Prince. The “Rock” zone, finally, will enable stakeholders to organize temporary events, conferences and meetings to boost exchange of ideas.
The Monaco Pavilion is going to show the new positive-oriented Monegasque model rooted on a solid social, economic and innovative proactive approach empowered by one of the greatest digital revolution ever seen. A high technology involving all main services addressed to citizens. For Monaco, Dubai Expo 2020 will be an outstanding showcase to give visibility to the win-win corporate ecosystem, integral part of the Principality, concluded Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Digital Officer. Then, the iridescent Pavilion logo, a great “M”, will be much more than a label to identify a Monaco BrandsTM souvenir at the exclusive gift shop. It will be an emblem of modernity elegantly connected to the future and represented, among others, by high school students from François d’Assise Nicolas Barré College members of the pilot project “L’École de demain” (The school of the future), under the auspices of H.E. Bernard Barsi, the Archbishop of Monaco.
