Keep Walking Lebanon Expo participants & jury
Johnnie Walker has always been a champion of progress, creativity and hope for a better tomorrow. Keep Walking Lebanon has been celebrating the resilience and positivity of the Lebanese at large for years now. This year, Diageo MENA hosts first Keep Walking Lebanon Expo. The platform was created for university students to interpret “Keep Walking Lebanon.” It started with the #KeepCreatingLebanon competition where students from architecture, film, graphic interior and fashion design presented their projects.
The jury members
Under the mentorship of industry experts, 200 projects were submitted out of which 14 were selected to be showcased at the Keep Walking Lebanon Expo on February 7-9 at KED, Karantina.
The committee is comprised of:
- Bernard Khoury
- George Azzi
- Assaad Osta
- Nada Debs
- Wissam Smayra
- Bechara Mouzannar
The event
Launch night hosted a number of select guests who got to experience the work first hand. On that note, George Rbeiz, General Manager Diageo MENA said, “It brings us great pride to see how far the Johnnie Walker brand has come and how it progressed in Lebanon. This achievement is brought to the fore through brilliant creative interpretations crafted by promising university students.”
Jury member and CCO of Leo Burnett MENA Bechara Mouzannar commented, “It is an honor to be a part of this initiative. It helps talented millennials express their progressive ideas and transform them into finished projects that could keep Lebanon walking.”
Following the launch, a private party was organized for the participants. This was followed by opening The Keep Walking Lebanon Expo to the public, which included a series of talks by the judges. In addition, all visitors voted for their favorite project to enable the top three winners to receive a cash prize award.
Special consideration
On this special occasion, Diageo MENA flew-in unique pieces from the Johnnie Walker archive collection. The items exhibited from their Heritage Archive Room in Scotland included:
- Vintage Red and Black Label bottles dating back to the 1930s
- The brand’s famous “Around the World” book from the 1920s
- A replica of Sir Alexander Walker’s (John Walker’s grandson’) blending notebook
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol. Its three areas of focus are leadership in alcohol in society, building thriving communities and reducing environmental impact. Within all three are the goals to teach responsible drinking, improve health and well-being, help empower women, create sustainable agriculture and reduce waste.
Diageo’s outstanding collection of brands include:
- Johnnie Walker
- Old Parr
- J&B
- Buchanan’s
- Smirnoff
- Cîroc
- Ketel One
- Captain Morgan
- Baileys
- Don Julio
- Tanqueray
- Guinness
