• Expo 2020 now has 10 Official Premier Partners and two Official Partners

  • The latest announcement has confirmed a F&B partner

  • This is the first World Expo in the MEASA region 

In the last 167 years, Expo 2020 is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. The event is expected to bring 25 million visitors with only 30 percent coming from within the UAE.

Expo 2020’s Official Premier Partners already include Accenture, Cisco, DP World, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD, Etisalat, Nissan, SAP and Siemens. So far, its Official Partners are DEWA and UPS.

Now, it has signed a deal with global F&B company PepsiCo, which will be the official Beverage & Snack Partner of the Expo. This is the first time that the company has partnered with any World Expo event.

The deal was signed at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai at an event attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee; His Excellency Mohammed Al Shaibani, Director General of HH The Ruler’s Court, Government of Dubai and the CEO and Executive Director of the Investment Corporation of Dubai; Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Expo 2020 Dubai’s Director General; Indra K Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Mike Spanos, PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Asia, Middle East and North Africa; and Omar Farid, President, PepsiCo Middle East and North Africa.

MUST READ: How has marketing change at PepsiCo?

In a statement, Expo 2020 explains that PepsiCo was chosen because of the company’s ‘Performance with Purpose 2025 Agenda’ – that focuses on Products, Planet and People – and its close alignment with Expo 2020’s core them of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and subthemes of Opportunity, Sustainability.

What does PepsiCo plan to do with this partnership?

PepsiCo plans to feature “innovative, unique products” at Expo 2020 Dubai, in accordance with the themes of Sustainability, Opportunity and Mobility. The F&B giant will also use this opportunity to highlight its nutrition-driven initiatives, such as ‘Hello Goodness’, which focuses on the coming together convenience, affordability and nutrition.

PepsiCo will also provide massive exposure to Expo 2020 through cross branding, promotional contests and social media initiatives. Before and during the six-month event, Expo 2020’s logo will be used on packaging for some of PepsiCo brands, such as Pepsi, Lay’s and Quaker Oats.

WATCH: How Pepsi is targeting Saudis with this ad 

In fact, PepsiCo’s Nooyi reveals that special products will be launched for this occasion. Furthermore, the new look featuring the Expo 2020 logo will be unveiled not just in the UAE or the Middle East, but also in Africa and Asia.

That’s not all…

There are more partners to come, indicated HE Reem Al Hashimy. So far, there are 10 Official Premier Partners with two more expected to be announced soon. “We are already negotiating with two companies. We will announce the results of negotiations immediately,” she says.

The criterion for selecting a partner is a shared objective between the Expo and the organization, she adds. “There must also be harmony with the general theme and theme of Expo 2020,” and its sub-themes, she explains.

According to a 2017 Euromonitor report, Pepsi-Cola International was the leading player in soft drinks in the UAE in off-trade value sales terms in 2017. Although the company continued to maintain a wide F&B portfolio, its lead was mainly due to its dominant position in carbonates.