Expo 2020 Dubai has chosen leading global logistics firm UPS to handle the logistics operations for the event, which is expected to attract millions of visitors over its six-month duration.

With more than 180 countries expected to participate and hundreds of thousands of visitors on peak days, the next World Expo will be one the most complex logistics projects UPS has tackled.

As official logistics partner, UPS will provide more than 27,000 sq m of warehouse space, equivalent to nearly four football pitches, and a team of 1,000 logistics personnel during the Expo, lasting from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

The UPS team will draw on expertise and experience gained as logistics sponsor in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The partnership agreement was signed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, and Jean-Francois Condamine, UPS’s president of the Indian Sub-continent, Middle East and Africa.

The Expo 2020 theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, provides a platform to foster creativity, innovation and collaboration globally.

“Mobility is one of the key pillars of Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau.

“We see it as the bridge to opportunity by connecting people, goods and ideas and providing easier access to markets, knowledge and innovation. UPS will play a key role – not only during Expo 2020 Dubai but long after the doors close in 2021.”

Operating in the region since 1989, UPS has been able to take advantage of the UAE’s position as a transportation hub for global commerce, connecting trade from the Middle East to China, Africa, Europe and the U.S and it plans to grow its business further in the region.

“We plan to expand UPS’s presence in the region by establishing capacity, technology and staff capabilities to serve customers shipping to and through Dubai, long after the Expo concludes,” said David Abney, Global CEO of UPS.  

“An undertaking of this scale and sophistication requires a next generation network that is smart, efficient, and integrated. We share a vision of what the logistics of tomorrow will look like.”

The announcement of the partnership with UPS follows agreements with some of the world’s other leading brands, including DP World, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD, Etisalat, SAP and Siemens.

Partnerships are an integral part of preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai, which is drawing on local, regional and global expertise to deliver a memorable and impactful destination.

Further partnerships with Expo 2020 Dubai are expected to be announced in the near future as Dubai prepares to host the first World Expo to be staged in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. – TradeArabia News Service