Royal College of Art Expo 2020

Taking design-led innovation to a global stage.

I led the strategy, project management, and delivery for the RCA’s presences at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Big idea.

As Official Heritage Partner of the UK pavilion, the RCA had an exceptional international platform. The opportunity was to show how its students, research and design-led innovation could shape a more sustainable future - while building global reputation, relationships and income.

Simply told.

I turned that opportunity into a coherent programme.

I supported the curatorial vision for a two-day exhibition across four themes: sustainability, mobility, advancement, and opportunity. I coordinated student work, international shipping, exhibition build, messaging, promotion materials, photography and videography.

I also developed and delivered a conference with PwC Middle East, bringing together education, innovation and the future of living together. From venue planning and scheduling to branding, design and a private exhibition viewing. I made the programme work as one connected experience.

Lasting impact.

The RCA secured wide media coverage and strengthened its relationship with UK Government, particularly the Department for International Trade.

The exhibition content went on to support the RCA’s London Design Festival activity. New relationships led to a memorandum of understanding between InnovationRCA, PwC and another public-sector organisation for consulting services.

The activity also supported the cultivation of a seven-figure donation for the RCA’s sustainability research.

Panel discussion at a conference with three people sitting on stage in front of a blue backdrop displaying event branding and logos. The panel includes a woman speaker with brown hair and a patterned dress, a man in traditional Middle Eastern attire with glasses and a white kandura, and a man in a suit and tie. Audience members are visible in the foreground.

As part of the Expo programme, a conference was held in partnership with PwC Middle East looking at Shaping Futures: Education, Innovation and Living Together. Various sessions and panels were held throughout the conference. Photo credit: Matthew Twaddell/RCA.

Shaping Futures: Design-Led Innovations Exhibition

A person in a black coat looking at digital screens and informative text panels on a blue wall in an exhibition space.

A man in a black shirt and beige pants stands in front of a large digital display of a futuristic vehicle in a museum or exhibition space, with blue walls and informational signs.

Exhibit in a gallery with a large display of fruits, including a purple eggplant, on the right, and text about sustainability. In the background, there are three screens showing colorful abstract images, and blue illuminated walls.

An art exhibit with a blue theme, featuring digital displays. The right side shows a person wearing a blue hat and gloves, looking at a wall with a blue-text label, with a background resembling a wooden or textured surface. The left side displays a pink and black abstract image on a screen, with text panels explaining sustainability and related topics in white text on a blue background.

The RCA’s two-day exhibition at the UK Pavilion was titled ‘Shaping Futures: Design-Led Innovations’ and was broken up into Sustainability, Advancement, Mobility, and Opportunity. Exhibition build: Bray Leino. Video production: Next Shoot. Design: Giulia Garbin. Photo credits: Matthew Twaddell/RCA.

Shaping Futures printed materials

Four blue conference flyers titled 'Shaping Futures: Education, Innovation and Living Together,' with event details at PwC Middle East and UK Pavilion, scheduled for 15 March 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

A programme was created for the conference, which carried the design identity for RCA’s Expo participation. Photo credit: Emma Todd

Blue booklet labeled 'Royal College of Art Expo 2020 Dubai' on a white surface.

Notebooks were created and given out at the conference and during the exhibition at the UK Pavilion to visitors. Photo credit: Emma Todd.

Flyers for the Royal College of Art's postgraduate art and design program, featuring a large black and white proverb 'IMAGINE THE FUTURE' and an abstract blue and red art piece.

Student recruitment was one objective of the exhibition. To tie into the wider RCA campaign identity, Bond and Coyne designed a flyer that was printed in both English and Arabic for use during Expo 2020. Photo credit: Emma Todd.

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