When The Axis of Evil comedy tour performed in early 2008, Lebanon—for the first time in its history—did not have a president, and was in the midst of a politically unstable and tense period that culminated with the Doha Accord later that year. Despite the situation, Maz Jobrani, one of the group’s stand-up comedians, humorously…
Lebanese DJs on the music scene in Lebanon
Beirut’s local DJs have been creating a buzz among the country’s music-loving community. Some are co-owners or resident DJs at some of the biggest clubs in the country, others, such as those profiled below, circulate the scene playing different sets at Beirut’s electronic music clubs. From playing sets and producing music, to sound engineering and…
Lebanon’s electronic music entertainment business
Electronic music is a worldwide trend—and for those who keep up with it, it must seem as though Beirut is hosting a headliner or an emerging artist who is topping the charts in Europe or the US every other week. Even those who do not follow the scene will have found it hard not to…
Gemmayze 2.0
Beirut’s traditional Gemmayze quarter is witnessing a hospitality renaissance. A quick walk (or a slow drive) down the newly-paved Rue Gouraud and its less populated cousin, the lower and parallel Rue Pasteur, reveals a changing landscape of restaurants and coffee shops, design and art spaces, modern boutiques, and offices—almost all of them new faces, save…
The juniper way
It was only a matter of time before the Lebanese got into gin production; as unexpected as that sounds, it actually makes perfect sense. The world is witnessing a “gin boom” especially in the premium and craft gin category, and, according to a report produced by just-drinks.com and the IWSR (International Wine and Spirits Registry),…
(Not) drowning their sorrows
Although it is commonly believed that in hard times people turn to alcohol to ease or forget their problems, this does not seem to have been the case this past year in Lebanon. Despite all the issues the country has faced, 2018 did not translate into greatly increased sales for the country’s spirit distributors. In…
Nicholas Chammas talks current Lebanese trade situation and the way out
On a rainy day in mid-November 2018, Executive sat with the head of the Lebanese Traders Association, Nicholas Chammas, to hear his thoughts on the retail and trade sector in Lebanon. Given the amount of text messages Lebanese receive on a daily basis from stores announcing the latest promotion or the ever-increasing number of discount…
Zomato’s journey in Lebanon
When Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah were just food-enthusiasts collecting delivery menus in Mumbai to post online, it is safe to say they did not expect their idea to grow into Zomato, the F&B behemoth we know today. Ten years and 24 countries later, Zomato’s decisions remain guided by one simple mission: to provide better…
Lebanon, expose those hidden gems
In its 2018 “Lebanon Overview” report, the World Bank stated that “GDP growth in Lebanon in 2017 is estimated to have undergone a slight acceleration to reach an estimated 2 percent, compared to 1.7 percent in 2016. This has been mainly driven by the services and tourism sectors.” This year, GDP growth slowed again, down…
Venture Group talks expansion of their hospitality cluster model in Lebanon and beyond
Marwan Ayoub and Rabih Saba—and their hospitality company Venture Group, specialized in developing and operating purpose-built restaurant clusters—have covered a lot of ground in the past seven years. Today, their team is playing in the premier league of regional hospitality. Geographically and financially, Venture Group’s cluster business started small. In 2011, Ayoub and Saba began…