Expo City Dubai wins two accolades at GovMedia Conference & Awards
The legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai, Expo City Dubai is a convening hub where everyone can be part of a more sustainable future.
Expo City Dubai is a blueprint for sustainable living and offers educational, cultural and entertainment experiences, parks, leisure facilities, F&B options and event venues, as well as a thriving business-free zone and residences ready to move in from 2026.
It leverages connections, collaborations, education, culture and storytelling to catalyse impact for a healthier and more prosperous world. Welcoming partners from every sector and offering easy set-up for business, Expo City Dubai is responding to the mandate of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has designated it as a centre for planetary solutions.
Expo City Dubai garnered two wins at the esteemed GovMedia Conference & Awards 2024: the Expo City Dubai Pavilion at the COP28 climate summit and the Expo City Farm.
Taking home the United Arab Emirates Outreach Project of the Year – Urban Development category win, the Expo City Pavilion at COP28 offered a multimedia experience spanning plenaries, networking, hands-on installations, public engagement campaigns, live performances, workshops and learning initiatives.
The pavilion’s innovative event formats were designed to catalyse action and collaboration between speakers and audiences to encourage strategic partnerships and co-curation opportunities that could be leveraged to enhance and develop future initiatives.
Following this, Expo City launched the Sustainable Cities in Action Forum, a bespoke annual event that brought together 500-plus city leaders, decision-makers, innovators and experts, building cities and shaping the future of urban living across the MEASA region and beyond. The forum, the next edition of which will take place in 2025, is dedicated to creating cities that are more prosperous, equitable, low carbon and climate resilient.
In addition, networking sessions during COP28 attracted more individuals and institutions to the city, with visitors, entrepreneurs and organisations keen to be part of its innovative ecosystem, working collaboratively to learn about and advance climate solutions. Indeed, Expo City’s events, exhibitions and learning programmes speak directly and compellingly to audiences, establishing it as a place where people can gather for real-world action and impact.
Another example of this is the Expo City Farm, which won the United Arab Emirates Outreach Project of the Year – Climate Change for its successful demonstration of regenerative agriculture – an approach that enhances and supports natural resources, rather than depleting them – to address the ecological challenges of conventional farming.
The Farm, which opened its doors during COP28, covers an area of 4,500 sqm and partners with local and regional organisations to grow more than 50 types of crops, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and medicinal herbs. It invites the community to roll up their sleeves and join in, offering fun, interactive opportunities to learn about soil’s carbon storage abilities and show how growing cities can use local food suppliers to achieve abundance without waste.
Initiatives include an outdoor organic farm, an indoor vertical hydroponics farm, a 'grow cabinet' that uses spent coffee grounds sourced from the city's coffee outlets to cultivate mushrooms, and solar panel-shaded spaces for educational workshops and sustainability talks that have already engaged tens of thousands of visitors. The farm also uses biochar – sustainable charcoal produced from plant matter and stored in the soil as a means of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – for soil improvement.
The GovMedia Conference & Awards is a prestigious event that spotlights outstanding government projects and initiatives in Asia that contribute to the well-being of the people in the region.
The Gov Media Awards is presented by Gov Media Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be recognised for your organisation's government projects and initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].
