Expo 2020 Dubai has one message for everyone: "The world is better when we act together."
That's the theme embedded all throughout the event's new video campaign featuring Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, a global ambassador for Expo 2020 Dubai. The one-minute clip was shot in the UAE, India, UK, and Kenya ... with Messi as the protagonist. The footballer connects with people in different parts of the world via the language of football.
"A football team can only succeed by working together, and the same is true of humanity. When people from different nations, cultures and backgrounds come together we can better address global challenges and create a brighter future for generations to come," the 31-year-old footballer said.
The bright yellow ball in the video represents Expo 2020's vision to strengthen ties between people of different communities.
Expo 2020 Dubai is set to kick off in October 2020 under the slogan "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future." The six-month long event will have three sub-themes including: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
So, it all makes sense why Messi, a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) advocate and Global Goodwill UNICEF ambassador, is the face behind Expo 2020.
In 2016, Messi was appointed as an Expo 2020 global ambassador. "Lionel Messi's performances on the football pitch bring people together, and as a result his influence reaches far beyond it," Expo 2020 said in a statement at the time.
"He is the ideal person to be our first global ambassador. He overcame health challenges to achieve his dreams of international excellence through hard work; making him an inspiration. He is perfectly placed to reach out to young people around the world, bringing them together to join us as we work towards hosting our World Expo in 2020."
The Louvre Abu Dhabi made an appearance in the video
The ball passed through India to the UK ...
And to several other locations as well!
Between its opening and closing date, the Expo is expected to be visited by 25 million visitors. To win the right to host Expo, Dubai had to compete with more than eight cities such as São Paulo (Brazil), Izmir (Turkey), Ekaterinburg (Russia), and Ayuthaya (Thailand). The Emirati city outranked the rest, and rightfully won the right to host the event.
Fun Fact: Sustainability is a sub-theme for Expo 2020, therefore, half of the electricity used during the event will be generated by wholly renewable sources.