Expo City Dubai has been in the news lately thanks to two major events coming up there.
Gamers will be looking forward to PopCon in November, while sports fans in Dubai can watch live streaming of the FIFA World Cup here too, but how big is this place?
How It Compares to Other Venues
Before looking at upcoming events here, it’s a good idea to see how big Expo City Dubai actually is. This was the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, which was the biggest event ever held in the UAE, and the developers have been building new elements around the central Al Wasl Plaza ever since then. It now includes the likes of the Vision Pavilion and the Women’s Pavilion. Finding an exact size and capacity isn’t easy due to the flexible nature of this venue, with some sources stating that it has space for up to 20,000 visitors and as much as 45,000 square metres of dedicated event space, and the important COP 2023 will be held in this smart city.
In terms of event centres, the biggest in the world is in Hannover, Germany. With 554,000 square metres of exhibition space, it attracts over 200,000 attendees to the annual Hannover Messe. In second place comes the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, with 400,000 square metres of space. Perhaps a comparison with the world’s biggest casinos would also be useful, with the winner being the Winstar World Casino in Oklahoma, USA. At 600,000 square feet (approx. 55,700 square metres) it’s a little bigger than the Dubai venue. The closest in size is City of Dreams in Macau in third place with 400,000 square feet (39,000 square metres).
All About PopCon Middle East
This event is the biggest gaming and pop culture show in the Middle East region and it runs from November 10 to 13. As well as competitions, movies, live performances and workshops, a number of celebrities will be making guest appearances. These include ‘Thor’ star Chris Hemsworth and Kit Harrington, who played Jon Snow in ‘Game of Thrones’. Fans can buy one of three different tickets for PopCon, with the most expensive being a VIP entry for all four days that gives fast-track access to the celebrities.
Their World Cup 2022 Streaming Details
Shortly after PopCon ends here, the FIFA World Cup 2022 begins in the neighbouring country of Qatar. The games begin on November 20 with the host nation versus Ecuador and the new Fan City zones in Expo City will include Jubilee Park and the luxury area at Al Wasl. Up to 10,000 people can visit Jubilee Park where DJs are among the attractions in addition to live screenings of the games. The luxury zone is limited to 2,500 fans and in-game graphics will be added to the action on four giant screens.
These upcoming events show us how a large, flexible exhibition space can be put to good use in many different ways. Expect to hear a lot more about Expo City Dubai as it continues to grow in the future.
