Dubai Expo 2020 |25 August 2021

Mr Bresson making a presentation (Photo: Joena Meme)

Staff briefed on logistics and working conditions

Staff who will be working at the Seychelles Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 from October 2021 to March 2022, yesterday attended a familiarisation workshop on the expo.

The aim of the workshop, held in the conference room of the National History Museum, was to get the 29 staff from the department of Culture, the department of Tourism, the department of the Blue Economy, the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and from the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) to familiarise themselves with the Seychelles Pavilion, including refreshing themselves on Seychelles’ history, heritage and culture, destination Seychelles, conservation and preservation and the Blue Economy.

It was also a chance to know one another in terms of learning and grasping what each of the Seychelles’ segments will be presenting at the expo.

Also present at the one-day training workshop were the Mayor of Victoria, David Andre; the principal secretary for Culture, Cecile Kalebi and the chief executive of the Creative Industries and National Events Agency (Cinea), Galen Bresson.

Addressing the participants, Mayor Andre, who is also responsible for Culture, said that team spirit will be of upmost importance at the expo for attaining the aspired result at the end.

“We have to imagine ourselves as a team and not working in isolation. We have to work and help and support one another so we make Seychelles get the reputation it deserves,” Mayor Andre said, noting that it will be good upon returning to see smiles on faces which will confirm the success of the tough work that had been done.

The training was conducted by different facilitators from the department of Culture, department of the Blue Economy, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and the SIF.

Talking about the training, Mr Bresson explained that it was primarily aimed at briefing the staff on their working conditions and environment at the Expo, including their accommodation, along with all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in place due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

He thanked the local team for the collaboration, devotion and support, including the experts in various fields who compiled and certified the various data, or information that will be used at the Expo.

Mr Bresson also explained that all participating businesses are self-funded, citing as example the Relation Band which will perform on October 27.

He also added that Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA) will bring a group of artisans who will take part in a Christmas bazaar at the Expo in December, showcasing local products only.

Mr Bresson also noted that more forms are still available online and that the authority will act only as facilitators, entering them into the curation of programme, before their application are submitted to the Expo organising team who will decide whether it is in the context of the event.

It has been almost four years since Seychelles announced its participation in Dubai Expo 2020. Seychelles Pavilion will be showcasing the protection of our islands where visitors will embark on a treasure hunt and discover the unseen treasures untouched by men and that money can't buy, with the team, some of whom will work from two to the whole six months.

Apart from discovering and experiencing the real treasures of our Islands, visitors will also learn about projects in place to preserve our treasures. They will also get the chance to appreciate our culture, experience our marine life and learn about our Blue Bond initiative, which is the first of its kind in the world, launched in 2018.

Patrick Joubert