Conceptualising the first sustainable cities forum dedicated to the MEASA region

Developing a leading platform in sustainable urbanism

Gehl was commissioned by the Expo Dubai Group to conduct open research into the market potential for the Sustainable Cities in Action Forum. Gehl’s extensive experience in urban design and planning, combined with expertise curating conferences and summits, positioned us to re-think the requirements for large-scale events that effectively engage and nurture attendees.

Gehl delivered in depth speaker profiling and analysis of the leading urbanism conferences. From there we interviewed our global network of thought leaders on the topic to gather their insights into what makes the most impactful urbanism conference. With this market research and expert knowledge to hand, Gehl developed the concept of the Expo City Sustainability Cities Forum covering everything from event scheduling and run of show, to thematic curation, and speaker and attendee list and invites list.

The two-day forum that took place in March 2024 brought together hundreds of thought leaders to address urgent priorities for cities and communities ranging from climate adaptation to blueprints for better living. The event was a first of its kind prioritize speakers from the MEASA region (Middle East, Africa, Southern Asia) — their expertise and lived experiences. The event hosted 100 speakers from across 38 cities, 88% of which were from the MEASA region.