At the launch event, David Beckham spoke alongside British designer Foday Dumbuya of Labrum London and young Qatari designers about empowerment through creativity.

The UK pavilion, The Garden of GREAT, opened on Saturday at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with an event bringing together British designer Foday Dumbuya with fashion and creative start-ups from the region to meet guests including David Beckham, who attended in his role as Ambassadorial President of the British Fashion Council.

Created by the UK Government’s GREAT campaign, the garden celebrates UK creativity and diversity, inviting visitors to see a different side of the UK through a series of immersive installations, showcasing UK music, design, fashion and food.

The garden aims to inspire international audiences to visit, study, invest and trade with the UK.

At the launch event, David Beckham spoke in conversation with British designer Foday Dumbuya of Labrum London and young Qatari designers about empowerment through creativity and the opportunities for cultural exchange between Qatar and the UK. During David’s four years in the role with the British

Fashion Council, he has been a part of raising the profiles of British fashion talent in a global arena and shining a light on emerging talent coming through the BFC’s many education and sponsorship programmes.

Visitors to The Garden of GREAT can experience the very best of the UK – from ice cream crafted by Michelin starred chef Vineet Bhatia, to flowers scented by Jo Malone CBE, and murals by Wing Lo, street artist of Europe’s tallest painted artwork.

HE Jonathan Wilks CMG, British Ambassador to Qatar, said, “This garden is a great statement of what the UK stands for in the 21st century. Reflecting our diversity both ancient and modern and the creativity of our designers, artists, engineers and technologists. I invite everybody in Doha during the World Cup to visit us on the Corniche near the Museum of Islamic Art and as our motto goes to “See Things Differently”.

The Garden of GREAT will also host cultural performances and activities as part of The British Council’s annual UK Festival which explores the theme of Sport for Good. The festival runs from 23-29 November and looks to bring to life the strong and ongoing relationship between the UK and Qatar through a range of cultural events and activities including music, art and photography. View the UK Festival 2022 programme online.

The UK has always been a catalyst for creative and cultural exchange. The programme of activity aims to shift perception, demonstrating the UK’s vibrant melting pot of diverse people and cultures which creates an inspiring environment where talent and creativity grows. It will showcase the UK as exciting, diverse and welcoming with the hope that this will translate into motivation to visit, study or trade with the UK.

Supporting GREAT’s World Cup activity, will be a multi-channel marketing campaign across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.  The campaign will launch in mid-December, for four weeks across social media, digital display and Out of Home. 

The GREAT World Cup Programme is supported by leading global property and construction consultancy, Gleeds, 

For more information on GREAT at the Qatar World Cup Qatar 2022, including The Garden of GREAT and UK Festival, you can visit: greatcampaign.com/world-cup-2022 or follow the campaign on Twitter @GREATBritain and Instagram @greatcampaign using #SeeThingsDifferently and #GREATCreativity.