US Ambassador to the UAE John Rakolta Jr. and Counselor of the Department of State T. Ulrich Brechbuhl have officially inaugurated the construction of the US pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, according to a press release issued by the US Embassy website.

At the first concrete pour, Ambassador Rakolta said, "The US pavilion will showcase how freedom and liberty of thought have enabled success and innovation for American entrepreneurs and innovators. We will share this message with the millions of visitors who will come to Dubai to attend Expo 2020, and we look forward to welcoming them to the pavilion of the United States of America."

Brechbuhl, in turn, commented, "The Department of State is helping tell America’s story at what will be a World’s Fair for the ages. We are proud to fly America’s flag at the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, and we are confident that this pavilion will showcase the best of American liberty, innovation, and culture."

As part of outreach efforts by the United States Mission to the business community in the UAE, Ambassador Rakolta and Counselor Brechbuhl met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce Dubai, American Chamber of Commerce Abu Dhabi, and the US-UAE Business Council.

During the information sessions organised with the US Foreign Commercial Service, companies learned more about how they can use the US pavilion as a platform for business development.

Representatives from Expo 2020 Dubai and PepsiCo, one of the first sponsors of the US pavilion, joined the sessions to share more about the opportunities and why they were supporting this global mega event.

Earlier in March, the US Department of State announced the selection of Thinkwell Group and Global Ties US for the exhibition, operations, and the cultural programming at the US pavilion.