One of the planetary events that marked last year is the Dubai Expo. Marko Selaković from PKS says that the Serbian pavilion is attractive and that there are concrete, measurable results. We can talk about more than 10 signed pre-agreements and contracts with companies and institutions from the UEA, as well as with companies and institutions from the USA, Malaysia and India, Selaković points out.
The prestigious world exhibition started on October 1 and will last until the end of March, and among the 190 participating countries is Serbia, which performs with the theme: “Serbia creates ideas – Inspired by the past, we shape the future”.
Marko Selaković from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce talks about the effects of the exhibition for RTS from Dubai.
Mr. Selaković, in the first three months since the opening of the Serbian pavilion at the Dubai Expo, it was visited by more than half a million visitors. How is it now, is it still alive in the Serbian pavilion?
Yes, the Serbian pavilion is very lively and the fact that in three months more than half a million visitors were on the Serbian pavilion, and that the total number of visitors to the entire world exhibition so far was around 9 million, shows how attractive the Serbian pavilion is. As much as what Serbia has to offer not only in the field of business programs I manage but also in the field of presenting creative industries, additional content, cultural program, historical sites, our heritage attracts the attention not only of our traditional friends from the UAE, but Expo visitors from around the world.
Indeed, it is a privilege not only to be the head of Serbia’s business program, but also to be a part of Serbia’s appearance at the world exhibition “Expo 2020 in Dubai”.
You have already mentioned some of the areas in which Serbia is represented. It is also the food industry, high technologies, construction, wellness, tourist offer, health, knowledge economy… However, in addition to visiting the Serbian pavilion, 150 conferences, meetings of businessmen, and various events are planned. Which of these economic events has been realized so far?
I can proudly say that Serbia has one of the most notable business programs at the entire world exhibition. So we are talking about 192 countries. And I must say that Serbia is one of the countries along with the world’s largest countries that has specialized programs for each of the thematic weeks that take place within the world exhibition Expo 2020.
So, Serbia will have a total of nine business delegations, it will have at least five investment conferences. We will have a special business investment program that will accompany our Statehood Day.
In the first four thematic weeks, we still have five to go, next week is a thematic week of travel and connection.
What are the concrete results of all these business meetings and investment conferences that have been held so far?
Already now, after the first three months, there are concrete, there are measurable results. Not only did 500 businessmen visit the Expo in the first three months, and more than 100 investors participated in investment conferences organized as part of Serbia’s appearance at the Expo.
We can already talk about more than 10 signed pre-agreements and contracts with companies and institutions from the UEA and this region, as well as with companies and institutions from other regions, such as the USA, Malaysia, India, other European countries and so on.
We have already received the first letters of intent from foreign investors, and the Development Agency is expected to hold talks with them in the coming period.
So, it is already very clear that Serbia’s performance when we talk about business work within the world exhibition has brought numerous results. I believe that these results will still be visible and will be even more visible as time goes on and as new contacts, new partnerships, and I remind you, there were more than 3,000 business contacts that will be further developed.
The organization of such events requires 24-hour attention. We must not leave anything to chance. What is the mood among the members of our mission at the Expo, bearing in mind that you are far from home, there are also holidays, is anything being organized?
So what can I tell you? The mood is good, we are a team dedicated to presenting Serbia in the best possible way and I am really pleased to announce that on January 13 at 7 pm local time, so for the Serbian New Year, there will be Goran Bregović with his orchestra to perform on the stage.
We celebrated all these holidays together. I take this opportunity to congratulate all those who celebrate, all spectators of the Orthodox faith, on the upcoming Christmas holidays.
And we will mark them appropriately. All in all, let’s move on. We do not forget the basic goal, and our main goal is to present Serbia in the best possible way to do it as a team, together, to show how we, inspired by the past, create the future, both in business and in presenting all the best that Serbia has, RTS reports.
