Expo 2020
The world exhibition EXPO is the most significant international event of the exhibition business. This is not only the largest international exhibition of the latest scientific and technological achievements, but also the contamination of history, traditions, and culture of the whole world. The country and venue of the EXPO is traditionally selected by the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) by voting.
The history of the universal exhibitions EXPO dates back to 1851. The first EXPO was held at Hyde Park Crystal Palace in London. The exhibition was called "The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations" and became a milestone in the history of the industrial revolution.
It was visited by about a third of the population of Britain. In 1855, the French took the initiative to host a world exhibition.

Crystal Palace at the 1851 World's Fair (Hyde Park, London)

Eiffel Tower at the 1889 World's Fair (Paris, France)

Exhibition rotunda at the 1873 World's Fair (Vienna, Austria)
After the war, the organizers of the EXPO began to pay attention not only to advances in technology, but also to global issues facing humanity. For example, a person and his place in the world, ecology, urbanization, etc. In accordance with these questions, each time a relevant topic of our time was formulated and the next EXPO received a new topic, in accordance with which the participants formed their exposition. The main theme of EXPO 2020 is “Uniting the minds, creating the future”.
World exhibitions have become symbols of industrialization, a base for getting acquainted with all kinds of inventions, the latest technologies, the most progressive moments of our time.
- a telephone, a sewing machine and even the first electric chair were first demonstrated at EXPO exhibitions;
- one of the most famous architectural monuments of our time - the Eiffel Tower - was built specifically for the world exhibition "Expo Paris 1889";
- the struggle of the candidate countries for the Expo on the intensity and tension resembles the struggle for the right to host the Olympic Games;
- after the end of the exhibition, the life of the EXPO objects continues: they are used for industrial parks, congress centers, museums of the future, universities, public service centers, etc.
EXPO-2020

Exhibition area Expo 2020
From October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the World Expo Exhibition will be organized in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
The main theme of the exhibition — “Uniting the minds, creating the future” — will be used by participating countries as a tool to promote the idea of global progress and sustainable development. The theme of the exhibition includes three related subtopics: “Opportunity”, “Sustainability”, “Mobility”, which are the three most important driving forces of our time.
The exhibition platform will serve as a venue for demonstrating the latest ideas and technologies, a platform for presenting the economic, investment, and cultural potential of the participating countries. National pavilions will not only attract the attention of millions of visitors from all over the world, but will also welcome heads of state, government delegations, large investors, heads of international companies, and representatives of world media.
The official site for the exhibition center EXPO 2020 will be the new Dubai Trade Center with an area of 438 hectares, designed specifically for the exhibition. The architecture of the complex will combine innovative design and environmental friendliness. Half of the electricity consumed by it will be generated from renewable sources, and 50% of the energy will be generated directly at the venue of the exhibition.
Currently, over 190 countries have confirmed their participation in EXPO 2020. Organizers expect about 25 million visitors.
BELARUS Experience
Belarus has successful experience in participating in EXPO exhibitions. For the first time, our country took part in the 1998 World Exhibition in Lisbon (Portugal), then in 2000 in Hanover (Germany). But the National Pavilion of Belarus was first presented in 2010 in Shanghai (China), then in 2015 in Milan (Italy) and in 2017 in Astana (Kazakhstan).
Interesting facts:
- specially for the opening of the National Exposition in Shanghai, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus issued a silver commemorative coin EXPA-2010, with a face value of 20 rubles, weighing 33.62 g, in a circulation of 5000 pieces;
- at the EXPO-2015 in Milan, the National Pavilion of Belarus presented the project “Cola zhyzzia” and became one of the most visited at the World Exhibition;
- At EXPO-2017 in Astana (Kazakhstan), our country presented more than 50 innovative inventions, as well as its latest development — the city electric bus. Belarus pavilion entered the top 15.

Commemorative coin "EXPA-2010"

The National Pavilion of Belarus at the EXPO-2015 “Cola Zhyzzia”

City electric bus at EXPO-2017
Our country will take part in the World Exhibition EXPO 2020 and present its pavilion. Participation in EXPO 2020 will contribute to solving a number of the most important strategic tasks of the republic:
- First of all, this is an image-building event aimed at positioning Belarus in the international arena as a promising and reliable partner.
- The World Forum is a good opportunity to search for new sales markets, strategic partners, attract investment in high-tech and knowledge-intensive sectors of the domestic economy.
- The presentation of the economic potential of our country, the most significant innovative developments, technologies in various fields, their high quality, affordability, environmental friendliness, will make it possible to demonstrate the equivalence of domestic products to the best international standards, their competitiveness.
- Millions of visitors from around the world will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the tourism potential of Belarus: its national identity, historical and cultural heritage, sports achievements, folk art, cuisine, traditions, etc.
- An international project is always an opportunity to study and use the experience of other participants to develop new technologies in their country.
- Participation in the World Exhibition in Dubai will contribute to the development of scientific, economic, political dialogue with the United Arab Emirates, partner countries of Belarus in the Middle East region and other interested countries of the world community.
The implementation of a large-scale project has been ongoing since 2017. An Organizing Committee has been created to prepare the National Exposition. The plan of preparatory measures for 2018 — 2021 was approved. The organizer of the National Exposition is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the operator is the National Marketing Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.
The National Pavilion
The Pavilion of the Republic of Belarus is located in the “Opportunity” zone and covers a total area of 1,200 square meters.
The concept of the Belarusian pavilion is built on the “three I's” — “Innovations. Investments. Individual". These are three conditional zones of space, spread across floors. In the Innovation zone, the latest domestic developments in the field of science and technology will be demonstrated. In the “Investments” zone — success stories of our country and potential investment projects. In the "Individuality" zone, you can learn about the people who contributed to the progress and development of Belarus, as well as get acquainted with its historical, cultural, tourist potential. Information will be presented on interactive screens, infokiosks, touchscreens, through holograms, five-sided projection, etc. National Belarusian motifs and symbols will be constructively introduced into thematic zones and exhibits.
A metaphorical forest will be located at the entrance to the National Pavilion. The forest symbolizes the unity of the multitude and is a natural asset of our country. With the help of modern technology, the forest will welcome guests with authentic sounds of Belarusian nature. The entrance area will house a stage for the performance of the best art groups. Further, guests will be able to get into the interactive corridor, where, using the LED panel, they will get acquainted with the symbol of the animal world of Belarus — bison. Bison will welcome visitors and also tell interesting facts about Belarus. Thanks to the interactivity of the image, animals will respond to human movements in real time.
In the Innovation zone, visitors will be presented with the most advanced developments in various sectors of the economy. Participants in this section of the Belarusian exposition will be the State Committee for Science and Technology and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, which will present a new generation bioprinter capable of reproducing living cells using 4D printing. Residents of the High-Tech Park will present promising developments in the field of medicine (VeronIT, Innowise), agriculture (Start Up OneSoil), artificial intelligence (Synesis, True Machina). Entertainment IT products will delight guests with such features as a panoramic flight over Minsk in a virtual reality chair (Virtual Reality Technologies), an augmented reality table (Game Stream JLLC) and other know-how.
In the "Investments" zone, visitors will be able to get acquainted with the investment climate of Belarus, promising business projects, business offers of Belarusian enterprises. Collective sections of the Ministry of Industry (BELAZ OJSC, MTZ OJSC, Gomselmash OJSC, BMZ Holding Management Company BMK Holding, Kozlov METZ) will take part in this exposition zone; concern “Belneftekhim” (OJSC “SvetlogorskKhimvolokno”, OJSC “Polotsk-Steklovolokno”, OJSC “Belshina”), the Ministry of Education (leading universities of Belarus). The “Invest in Belarus” section will also be presented by the National Agency for Investment and Privatization, the High-Tech Park, the Great Stone Sino-Belarusian Industrial Park, the FEZs of the Republic of Belarus and other participants.
To demonstrate the export potential of our country, an electronic showcase of Belarusian goods, services and technologies will also be used — Export.by portal. Today, the resource has more than 6 thousand registered companies and about 20 thousand offered positions.
In the “Doors to Belarus” zone visitors will get acquainted with the culture and identity of Belarus, its natural wealth, artistic heritage, national cuisine, etc. A large concave screen with an interactive projection image will open the “doors” to Belarus and allow visitors to experience the effect of virtual presence in different corners of our country.
To get into the WOW zone, you will have to go through the Water Corridor, which symbolizes the water resources of Belarus. The central element of the WOW zone will be the 9-meter textile installation “The Tree of Knowledge”. Also, the Belarusian pavilion will offer its visitors an entertainment area, virtual excursions to the restored Krevsky and Golshansky castles, an art corridor of modern art, a souvenir shop where you can buy Belarusian embroidered shirts, linen items and much more.
The third floor of the pavilion will be reserved for business events. A capacious conference room, a meeting room, and office premises will be located here. The program of the National Exposition of the Republic of Belarus includes holding forums, conferences, discussions, round tables, company presentations and other events.
Schedule of the National Exposition
The international exhibition venue is a great opportunity to demonstrate the achievements and potential of our country, a good prospect for the development of bilateral relations both with the host country and with other participating countries. The business and cultural programs of the National Exposition will contribute to the development of business communications.
The opening of the National Exposition will take place on October 1, 2021. An important day for Belarus at EXPO 2020 will be the National Day of the Republic of Belarus, celebrated at the World Exhibition. The Belarusian Investment Forum will be scheduled.
The work of the National Pavilion will last from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
3. Partners of National Exposition
Belarusian organizations and companies have a unique opportunity to become partners of the National Exposition of our country at EXPO-2020.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the Affiliate programs designed to optimally implement the tasks of promoting the image of your company at EXPO-2020.
4. Organizer of National Exposition
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acts as the organizer of the National Exposition of the Republic of Belarus at the World Expo-2020 exhibition on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Belarus. The National Marketing Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus has been designated the official operator. An organizing committee has been created to prepare the National Exposition, headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus I.V. Petrishenko.
More information on official resources:
- Official site — www.expo2020dubai.com
- Entry tickets — www.expo2020dubai.com/ru/tickets/
- Project Manager: Svetlana Zhilyak, tel. +375 (17) 222 33 83;
- Business program: Evgenia Komarova, tel. +375 (17) 328 46 25;
- Partnership participation: Elena Coleda, tel. +375 (17) 328 46 24;
- PR and mass media: Irina Savchenko, tel. +375 (17) 328 64 83;
- Electronic catalog Export.by: Denis Ozhigar, tel. +375 (17) 306 34 78.