Expo City Dubai’s annual flagship Cities in Action Forum will return in February 2025, offering opportunities for investors and innovators to be at the forefront of Dubai’s growth and sharing evidence-based industry insights that will catalyse partnerships and shape more prosperous, equitable, sustainable and resilient cities.

From 6-7 February, the forum will enable connection between developers, architects, and planners on urban priorities; unlock opportunities for collaboration with government authorities, multinational institutions, multilateral agencies and think-tanks; and engage innovators, entrepreneurs and SME networks with sustainable urban solutions.

Taking place just four months after Expo City launched its bold master plan, the forum will be a timely opportunity for investors, city leaders, businesses, startups, and creatives to take a deep dive into the city’s key elements and explore how they be part of its evolving innovation ecosystem.

The Cities in Action Forum will tackle shared global challenges through a leadership lens, with decision-makers addressing how cities can and must take charge in a changing world. It will explore pragmatic solutions and technologies for future cities, discuss new approaches that enable communities to thrive in harmony with nature and unveil ways to integrate wellbeing into urban experiences. The sessions will help guide investment decisions and inspire innovation roadmaps.

Speakers include Winston Chow, Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, who leads the Seventh Assessment Cycle for the IPCC during a critical decade of global climate action; award-winning environmental activist and architect Adib Dada, whose inspirational work focuses on regenerative strategies; Dana Behrman, Associate Director, Senior Urban Designer, UNStudio, the Amsterdam-based architecture design firm that helped create the Expo City Dubai master plan; Caroline Faraj, Vice President at CNN and Editor-in-Chief of CNN Arabic; and Dr Sarah Hill, Executive Project Director, Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Nadia Verjee, Executive Director, Global Initiatives and Advisory, Expo City Dubai said: “Expo City’s master plan has already attracted significant interest from businesses, innovators, future residents, developers, and investors who are eager to be part of a city that is setting new benchmarks in global urban excellence. Balancing human progress with environmental stewardship and sustainable economic growth is not only possible, it is imperative, and the Cities in Action Forum will serve as a platform for investment, knowledge-sharing, partnership and collaboration, ensuring we maintain momentum as a global community of urban centres.”

The forum will run from 0800-1830 on 6-7 February 2025, offering plenary sessions, workshops, exhibitions, networking sessions, behind-the-scenes tours and ‘Urban Walks’ – guided walks to experience innovative urban solutions built into Expo City Dubai. A two-day delegate pass is priced at AED 500 and can be purchased from expocitydubai.com.

A milestone in building city-to-city collaborations that advance global priorities, the Cities in Action Forum is a forerunner to one of the largest and most diverse convening of cities from around the world, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum, which will be hosted at Expo City Dubai in October 2025.