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BEA WORLD FESTIVAL AND 27NAMES ANNOUNCE HAMED ARAFA AS GUEST FOR THE 2025 ’27MINUTES’ LIVE SESSION
The technical mastermind behind the Grand Egyptian Museum’s global opening joins Patrick Roubroeks on stage in Rome.
ROME. – When the world’s largest museum opens its doors with a live broadcast watched by one billion people, the question on everyone’s mind is the same: How on earth did they pull that off?
This year’s 27Minutes session at Bea World Festival dives straight into that story. 27Names, the community of Europe’s best live-experience agencies, is proud to welcome Hamed Arafa, Founder and Chairman of HiLights Group, as the featured guest for its annual 27Minutes session at Bea World 2025. Now in its 20th year, the festival celebrates the best international events. The conversation will be led by Patrick Roubroeks, founder of XSAGA (a member of the 27Names network). Arafa is the technical visionary behind the epic opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a launch that blended cultural heritage, global expectation, and sheer technical ambition on a scale rarely seen.
The conversation will unravel what it truly takes to bring to life a museum spanning more than 50 hectares and home to more than 100,000 artifacts- a project many have already dubbed the eighth wonder of the world.
From engineering precision to creative interpretation, from cultural stewardship to the orchestration of a live broadcast reaching one billion viewers, Arafa’s work has captivated audiences and media around the globe. As visitor numbers soar, the Grand Egyptian Museum is rapidly positioning itself alongside the Louvre and the National Museum of China as one of the world’s most visited cultural institutions.
As Patrick puts it: “Last year we explored what it takes to captivate the world during an Olympic moment. This year, we’re looking at what it takes to impress- and move- one billion people. And Hamed is the person who can tell that story.”
This marks the second installment of the 27Minutes interview series, following the 2024 debut featuring Thierry Reboul, the creative force behind the Paris Olympics celebrations.About 27Names Founded in 2008, 27Names is the community of Europe’s best live-experience agencies. With members in 27 countries and more than 1,200 talents, the network connects creative leaders and experts in brand experience, events, and experiential marketing. Together, they share insights, develop best practices, and collaborate to push the boundaries of live communication. With a diverse range of expertise and a commitment to excellence, 27Names agencies are shaping the future of events.
About Bea World Festival: Bea World Festival – Where Creativity Meets Business recognizes and promotes excellence in events and live communication across the whole world. It is the essential meeting place and networking event where the international event community gathers during two inspiring days culminating in the ceremony of the Best Event Awards. Heads of event agencies, corporate event directors, senior representatives of event associations, event suppliers and trade media from over 40 countries, attend the festival every year to celebrate creativity, exchange ideas and best practices, and create business opportunities. The 2025 Bea World Festival will take place in Rome (Italy), from 21 to 22 November 2025.