Entrepreneur Michel Elefteriades, founder and co-owner of Elefteriades Productions and Elef Records, has over two decades of multidisciplinary experience in the fields of arts, music management, cultural engineering, entertainment and hospitality. We spoke with the mastermind about his legendary concept MusicHall Beirut, which this year celebrates its 20^th anniversary.

Congratulations on 20 years of MusicHall Beirut! Looking back, what have been some of the greatest moments of the past two decades?
The most iconic moment was the opening of the MusicHall Beirut in 2003. In 2013, as we celebrated the 10^th anniversary, we began to expand beyond Lebanon by establishing a new branch in Dubai. That same year, we relocated MusicHall Beirut to a new outdoor venue at Beirut’s Waterfront for the summer season. In the summer of 2019, MusicHall landed in Jeddah, making it the very first club to open in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And in November 2022, we opened another branch in Doha, Qatar.

How has MusicHall Beirut evolved over the years and what challenges you’ve faced along the way?   
We neither follow trends nor fashion because fashion fades in no time. We are not looking for improvement or evolution; we have a classical, framed format, and our formula has been a success from the start. Since day one, we made sure to set a high standard in terms of the show, food, service and so forth. Throughout the years, we worked on maintaining this quality. Although the shows might change, the talent is constant.
Opening in KSA was challenging for us; we had to make sure to replicate the same experience as the one in Beirut while adapting it to the country. Another challenge was Covid-19, as well as the crisis Lebanon has been going through since 2019. MusicHall had to close its doors for almost two years, but we’ve been back since July 2022.

With experiential venues now in vogue, how are you leveraging this trend?   
We disrupted conventional nightlife 20 years ago and set a trend. We have been imitated many times, but we will never be duplicated.

Do you have any projects or expansion plans in the pipeline?   
We were planning to open MusicHall in Egypt. Although we are ready to start operating there, the project is on hold for the time being.
I’m working on new projects in Europe, the details of which I will share at a later stage.

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Michel Elefteriades’ bio

The Beirut-born Greek-Lebanese music mogul, artist, producer, public figure and businessman is a modern day version of a Renaissance man. He is notorious around the Arab World and beyond for his eclectic style and creations, songs, music videos, documentaries, books, musicals and plays, paintings, sculptures, the Mediterraneo Byblos Int’l Festival and touristic projects in six countries. He studied Fine Arts and Advertising in Nantes, France and holds a Master’s degree in Graphic Design and Communication Arts from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts-ALBA.

More about the venue

MusicHall Beirut is a renowned entertainment venue located in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon. It is a world-famous music venue that has been hosting live performances since 2003, featuring some of the biggest names in international and Middle Eastern music.
The venue has forged a reputation for hosting some of the most popular and talented performers from around the world, including international stars.
In addition to a lineup of performers, the MusicHall Beirut also offers a dining experience that complements the entertainment perfectly.