Beirut is scheduled to host next week the Middle East Social Media Festival, bringing together social media experts, business people and senior university students.
The two-day event, which will be held at the Movenpick Hotel in Beirut, consists of a conference on Friday and workshops the next day.
It is being sponsored by LinkedIn.
“Like every other year, we stress the right use of social media” platforms, Joe Ghantous, the founder of Right Service, which is organizing the event, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Among the event’s highlights is the Middle East Social Media Award (MESMA) that is dedicated to recognize social media excellence in the Middle East.
It rewards individuals and brands in various categories from the country the Festival is held in, who are using social media for business in fresh and innovative ways.
Ghantous said that the award will be given to names and entities that have left a positive impact on social media, gaining huge followers.
Among the nominees are journalist Dima Sadek in the category of Best Public Figure, several universities, including the American University of Beirut and Saint Joseph University, in the category of Best in Education, and Elie Saab and other designers in the category of Best in Fashion.
Other categories include Best Fashion Influencer – among its the nominees are Joelle Mardinian and Nour Arida - and Best Celebrity, which has nominees as Cyrine Abdel Nour, Elissa and Ragheb Alama.
