Themed ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ the first major international event ever to be held in the Middle East will until 31 March 2022 exhibit proposals for development that the participating nations have set up on the premises, in the spirit of strengthening ties and confronting current challenges together. Under the masterplan drawn up by the US firm HOK, the grounds are organized in three large theme districts which unfurl like flower petals around Al Wasl Plaza, a central hub covered with a huge semispheric trellis, a work of Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill. Mobility, opportunity, and sustainability were the guiding threads established by the organization to conceptualize the Expo. Each of these three leitmotivs has its own pavilion at the center. Around them, avenues shaded against the desert climate by pergolas lead to 200 national exhibitions; this is the first time in Expo history that every country brings its own building.