In late January, the organizers of the MENA Cristal awards were thrown into an unenviable position: just days before the five-day-long awards were set to be open in the Lebanese mountain resort of Faraya Mzaar on January 29, Beirut’s ongoing crisis plunged even deeper, with a violent general strike on the 23rd followed by clashes at the Beirut Arab University two days later. Should they still hold the awards on schedule, despite the risk of continuing violence, or opt to cancel or postpone the event? The decision was not easy, but ultimately their commitment to the event—and Lebanon—won out. Their gamble was rewarded: tensions cooled, and the MENA Cristal Awards were universally deemed a resounding success. Aside from the event’s primary function—announcing the winners of the Cristal across a wide range of categories—hundreds of delegates from the MENA region and Europe had the chance to trade ideas with other advertising
