Expo 2020 Dubai will award 47 construction contracts worth $3 billion in 2017 as preparations for the Middle East’s first world expo continues to gather pace.

A further 98 non-construction contracts totalling more than $98 million will also be distributed before the end of the year. These will range from legal advisory services to event management and merchandising.

The construction contracts for 2017, which are open to local, regional and international businesses, include the third and final infrastructure package for the event’s support areas.

Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “We are committed to working with leading businesses from across the world in order to deliver an exceptional event of this scale, on time and on budget.

“This is particularly true when it comes to the development of the physical site, which will live on long beyond 2021 to become an anchor for the UAE’s developing knowledge economy in Dubai South.

“But just as importantly, the non-construction contracts to be procured this year will allow us to spread the investment made in the Expo as far as possible and enable local, regional and international businesses of all sizes to be part of what will be the most inclusive and international event in Expo history.”

In 2016, Expo 2020 Dubai awarded more than 1,200 contracts, investing more than $544.5 million in the economy. This included the appointment of an Orascom-Besix joint venture at the end of the year to develop the deep infrastructure at the Expo site in Dubai South. Once complete, the site will cover 4.38 square kilometres and host up to 300,000 people a day between October 2020 and April 2021.

Ahmed Al Khatib, vice president of real estate and delivery, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “While 2016 was an important year for design, 2017 is when the momentum of construction will really build, ahead of international participants beginning work on their pavilions in 2018.

“These important contracts will help us meet our target of completing the majority of construction with a year to go before Expo 2020 Dubai opens its doors in October 2020, providing the opportunity for all-important readiness testing.”

Ladies and gentlemen: happily, welcome back to Glasgow. Clearly the city is very happy to host this important conference as it grows in reach and importance each year. And the rich and varied opportunities for cities which host events can be seen from the whole range of topics that you will discuss.

From a purely sports point of view, the Glasgow experiences make pretty interesting reading. This city has roughly 800,000 people, although the Clyde valley conurbation is around two million, many in close proximity. This is a relatively small population, but the city in the eight years from 2012 to 2020 has hosted, or will host, major events in football, cycling, netball, swimming, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, judo, curling, badminton, golf, rugby, rowing and triathlon – with Paralympic swimming to be added to the list.

Some other numbers can also be added to the list of credits: a contribution to the economy of the city of £370m; an investment in sports facilities since 2009 which totals around £200m; attendance figures in 2015 at sports facilities in Glasgow of 6.4m people, with 800,000 at the World Gymnastics Championships in the new Hydro Arena – an event which produced the best presentation of indoor sports that I have ever seen.

And outside the events themselves, a list of plusses which might be described as the softer legacies: 20,900 junior members of sports clubs, an increase of 367 since 2009; 4,580 coaches engaged with sports clubs, up 95 per cent since 2009; and 4490 volunteers engaged with sports clubs, up 110 per cent since 2009.

Now the reason for this boom in sports activities is not too difficult to find. The 2014 Commonwealth Games were a triumph for the city. Following the success of the 2012 London Olympic Games they showed just what can be achieved with some good planning of facilities, their legacy, then promotion, enthusiasm and organisation – to say nothing of the overall benefits to the city to be garnered from worldwide television coverage and exposure, and a huge growth in digital media conversation and interest.

But not all cities are lucky enough to have the opportunity organise one of the big multi-sport events and use this as a catalyst for facility development and public interest – although the 2018 European Sports Championships is an interesting development along the same lines, but with a more modest footprint.

Hosting events – and in particular sports events – is an ever more competitive business, although there is clearly a mismatch between enthusiasm for what I might call individual events as opposed to major multi-sport events.

The IOC have struggled to attract anything like the number of cities for Olympic Games compared to those years ago when many more put their names forward. And the new bidding rules under Agenda 2020 are hoped to be the antidote required. With the loss of Rome for 2024, the jury is on this is still out.

The Commonwealth Games Federation are not exactly awash with applicants for future Commonwealth Games, and the Olympic Winter Games bidding process was reduced to two final candidates.

The Asian Games appeared to be less affected, with the number of large – 10m people – cities in China providing enthusiasm for the bidding process, which rather replaces the efforts made over the years by Korea with almost 30 years of experience.

But for individual sporting events, the world is a very very active place. Auckland in New Zealand is more than active with rugby, cricket, hockey and sailing.

Smaller countries – Danish cities all pulled together by the splendid Sport Event Denmark organisation – are keen hosts for handball, sailing, ice hockey, swimming, badminton, cycling and equestrian events.

If you head south, Sydney and Melbourne offer attractive options for sailing, for surfing, for rugby, tennis, Formula 1 and many others. Australia will also host the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, with mutterings of a possible future Brisbane Olympic bid.

In golf there is much enhanced interest in continental Europe with future Ryder Cups in France and Italy and the new developments in Antalya in Turkey offering a whole range of new and impressive sports facilities will inevitably lead to hosting opportunities.

The agenda for Host City throws up a whole series of issues which will apply to almost any event held by and promoted by a host city…. But returning to the sports theme, it would be wrong of me not to refer to the challenges you will discuss on the integrity of sport.

Sport has gone through and still goes through a difficult period due to clear abuses of the standards on doping matters. These have brought extreme challenges to sport, to its major events, its federations and have encouraged huge media comment, very little of it favourable.

Issues of governance of sport and criticism of how it selects its host cities have added fuel to the fire. However, I was recently in Tokyo, host city for the 2020 Olympic Games and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and excitement in both city and country at the prospect of hosting the Games in 2020.

Despite the inevitable arguments about possible venue changes and money – subjects that are endemic in any Olympic city and its organising committee – the Japanese ability to seek long term legacies that are relevant to their society and provide opportunities to showcase their own innovative technologies offers the Olympic movement a real opportunity to change the scepticism which appears to exist and which elicits much comment.

And this I find to be really exciting and may well be a force for greatly increased enthusiasm for Olympic and other multi-sport events. And if the Tokyo experience is proved to work, there must be a chance of a distinct on-going effect in many other similar events.

So with this rather enthusiastic view of the future I leave you to your debates; to the new ideas that will be generated; to the new experiences and friendships that are the mark of a good conference; and to a really happy visit to Glasgow, which is the whole point of being a welcoming host city.

This article is an edited transcript of Sir Craig Reedie’s keynote address at Host City 2016. To listen to the full address and other sessions, visit www.hostcity.com/hc2016/audio

The events attract sports fans, families, partygoers, and even people who don't like winter sports at all. Cities can usher in the winter early with enormous Big Air ramps and ice tracks made of temporary structures – even at temperatures way above zero.

Building the perfect Crashed Ice track

The Olympic Park in Munich hosted the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship for the third time in January 2016. At 400m, the ice piste was the longest ever built. In addition, there was a height difference of 55m, challenging chicanes and obstacles – a real test of skill not just for the daring athletes but also for the builders of the ice channel.

Using system material, wooden ribs and planks, the NUSSLI project team built the substructure for the piste from the Olympic Mountain down to the Olympic Lake – but the track didn’t end there. 4,000 sq m of building area, the finish line, and the grandstands had to be constructed to stand in the water.

The team had already built the track in Lausanne two years ago, so they knew exactly what to pay attention to, in order to build the perfect ice channel. The most important thing for athletes – and therefore every track planner – is a track that is as smooth as possible.

To do this, the assembly team used bent wooden ribs that were cut precisely using a CNC (computer numeric control) machine, mounted on the track base, and then covered with wooden boards. This meticulous work, which was accurate to the inch, allowed the construction of a completely even run for high velocities.

A young sport with a fast-growing fan base

In winter 2001, daredevil athletes wearing ice skates raced down icy pistes in Stockholm for the very first time. Around hairpin bends, through steep passages, and over bumps, the ice skaters raced towards the finish line in groups of three or four along the run, which was up to 600 meters long.

Ever since, the event has offered the audience a great deal of action and an exciting spectacle. The athletes appear captivated by the thrill and the speed of this new type of sport, which is a combination of ice hockey, boardercross and inline downhill. The sport became so popular within such a short time that championships have been held annually since 2010.

A wintry carnival atmosphere

Events such as Crashed Ice Championships that usually offer additional entertainment programs consisting of parties and shows are very popular and attract a mixed audience. Their temporary nature also holds a certain appeal, and their location in the middle of the city allows visitors to attend without long travel times.

By bringing the magic of winter into the city, host cities can project an image of dynamism, without the need to be dedicated to a single type of event or to make long-term investments in buildings.

The first event doesn’t necessarily have to include a 400 meter ice channel. Big Air ramps for snowboarders and freeskiers are constantly being built in cities at unusual locations.

The best athletes of the snowboard and freeski scene, as well as the best BMX and FMX riders, meet up year after year at the Freestyle on the Landiwiese in Zurich,. Against the backdrop of Lake Zurich and in a location easily accessible both by public and private transportation, the freestyle event presented the biggest names for the Big Air ramp and the BMX/FMX scene. Via a lift, athletes reached the starting point at the top of the structure made of system material.

Big Air 2016 in Mönchengladbach

Big Air is a fitting name for something with a height of 35 m and a length of 77 m. NUSSLI had previously built the very same structure in Graz for the Nokia FIS World Cup on the roof of an underground parking garage, on the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, in the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona, at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, at the Kniaz Aleksander/Batenberg Square in the centre of Sofia and at Battersea Power Station in London.

However, these already impressive dimensions will be surpassed at Mönchengladbach in Germany. A 49 m high and 120 m long ski jump will be installed by NUSSLI for the event in December. 800 cubic m of snow will be necessary to prepare the Big Air ramp.

130 of the best international snow sports athletes have already confirmed their participation. This event is their ticket to qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Of course, the party zone will also be a part of the event, where four DJs will be working up the crowd to a fever pitch as the athletes make their jumps and flips.