Editor's note: Shahid Hussain is the founder and CEO of UAE-based company Green Proposition. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Dubai Expo 2020 is an opportunity for people to work together for a better and brighter future as the event will bring millions from 190 participating countries and regions under a single roof.

The theme of the expo is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" and it is divided into three sub-themes: opportunity, mobility and sustainability which clearly set the tone of togetherness.

This is the first time a Middle Eastern country is hosting such a huge event, which signals the importance of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a trade center and the role it is playing in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

The previous iterations have brought positive changes to not only the host countries but also the participating countries – even the world – as they presented an opportunity for the largest human interaction for trade and commerce to take place. The best example is the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in China, which recorded 1.03 million visitors in a single day. The same year Shanghai recorded 2.79 million tourists visitors, a 12-percent increase from a year earlier and a 13-percent jump in tourism revenue to 2.1 billion yuan (302 million U.S. dollars).

The same trend is already being observed and predicated for Dubai Expo 2020 and it's going to increase the UAE's GDP by at least 1.5 percent and create thousands of job opportunities. The authorities have initiated various infrastructure projects, like metro lines and roads for Expo 2020 to provide better connectivity to visitors and this is already adding benefits to the economy way before the event actually starts.

The theme of Dubai Expo 2020 is to connect different minds to create a better future. To achieve this, various programs and events will be organized during the expo to connect people of different fields of arts, science, culture or business. The idea is to provide a platform for human interaction and enable brilliant ideas to emerge and create the future.

Dubai Expo 2020 will be a great opportunity for startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises as investors around the globe will flock to the region and events like BlockExpo and World Blockchain Summit 2020 will bring hundreds of the world's most tech-savvy minds together.

Next year's event is going to make a great impact on the importance of sustainable development to preserve the planet for our future generations by adopting better scientific methods to save water, forests and animals, and encouraging alternative energy sources to reduce our carbon footprint.

Dubai already has many feathers in its cap and Expo 2020 will become one of them under its visionary leaders.

Expo 2020 is not an end but a new beginning, which in the future will prove to be building block of other important initiatives. Among them is District 2020 which will utilize 80 percent of the Expo 2020 site's total area to establish a new Dubai Exhibition Center along with work space to achieve sustainable economic development in the fields of education, technology, tourism, construction and transportation.

The participation of youths is also key to the success of the event. Various initiatives have been taken by the authorities to encourage the young generation to positively contribute to the success of the event. 

Initiatives like the Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme is granting up to 100,000 U.S. dollars to innovators across the globe who want to make positive changes in the world. Similarly, school students can participate in Expo 2020 by signing to the Expo School Programme, which organizes various workshops and provides a platform for students to share their ideas with the world.

Dubai Expo 2020 will be a platform where people from all walks of life can interact and exchange their ideas, celebrate their culture and expand their businesses. It's an opportunity for people who have never been in the Middle East to visit, understand this part of the world and participate in one of the largest human festivals.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)