Expo 2020 Dubai is teaming up with leading global professional services company Accenture to create a powerful and engaging digital experience for millions of visitors from around the world, from information security and customer relations to virtual assistance and geolocation services.

As the newly appointed Digital Services Premier Partner and Systems Integrator, Accenture will play a key role in making the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region one of the fastest, smartest and best connected places on Earth.

To achieve this, Accenture will work with Etisalat Digital, a business unit of the international telecoms and technology service provider Etisalat, Expo’s Premier Telecommunications and Digital Services Partner.

Accenture will design, build and run solutions in areas such as virtual assistance, business intelligence and analytics, mobile applications and technologies that support guest relations. It will also ensure the integration of more than 70 Expo applications and coordinate programme management, architecture and testing across Expo’s multiple technology partners.

Over the coming years, Accenture and Etisalat Digital will be exploring ways to enhance the Expo experience using digital services. Examples of these services could include ensuring visitors have a virtual assistant to guide them around the site or allowing them to order their lunch at a restaurant before they even arrive using smart technology.

Accenture and Etisalat Digital could also help participants and partner companies evolve their offerings by analysing who is visiting their pavilion, as well as training staff and volunteers to make sure they have all the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the millions who will visit the Expo.

"We are delighted to welcome Accenture as our Digital Services Partner," said Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of the Bureau Dubai Expo 2020.

"Innovation and technology are at the heart of World Expos and Accenture is a world leader in technology and business innovation and digital transformation," she added.

With more than 180 countries expected to participate and up to 60,000 visitors every hour, Accenture’s role will be critical to ensuring that the Expo experience for every individual will be as exceptional as possible.

The partnership deal with Accenture was signed by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, and Gerardo Canta, Accenture’s Communications, Media and Technology lead for the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey.