Personal Information
Address: Kfarhbab, Green Zone, Street V6, Bldg. 17
Mobile: +961 3 321 100
Emails:
shady@icecorporate.com
shadyfayad@hotmail.com
Nationality: Lebanese
Civil Status: Married, 3 children

Who Am I
I was born in Lebanon in April 1974 to a Christian family that has taught me the values of love and compassion.

I was just a year old when the war started in my country. So I experienced throughout my childhood years, then during my teens, all the hardships that come with living in war times. This experience taught me to be fearless, to strive for doing my best with whatever means available, to fight for what is right, never giving up and always seeing the best in every situation. This added something to my adventurous personality a revolutionary temperament that has prompted me to fight injustice. I never imagined that all these life struggles would have so much influence on my character.

Education
I graduated from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in 1998 on the honor list with a double Master in Graphics and Advertising. Later on, I took digital photo training at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts (ALBA), and a “Wood badge” training, which is a special certified training in France in order to learn how to manage youth groups.
Art and Design have always been my passion; as a child, I used to sit and draw for hours. I even created my own cartoon characters and built drawing stories out of them – not imagining one second that I would one day draw designs that would travel the world, such as designing the stage for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon or creating the concept for hundreds of festivals and corporate events.

Social Work
Social work has always been a major part of my life; I was never one to talk about it publically, as I do it for my personal satisfaction and emotional equilibrium.
It all started when I was just 10 years old as I embarked on one of the most important adventures of my life: joining Lebanon’s boy scouts association and later on becoming a Chief Scout, heading the social education of hundreds of young boys over a 12-year period. During these years, I was part of the group of twelve young scouts who decided to build the first ecumenical church in the Middle East. We managed at the age of 18 to acquire a plot of land in the Metn region of Wadi Al Karm and built a beautiful church, which is still operational to this day, with our own hands. The completion of this project called upon us to organize events and get sponsors in order to raise the necessary funds.
We named this church Notre Dame des Éclaireurs: it was blessed by Saint Pope John Paul II who lauded our group’s work on this very special project.

I was also a volunteer member of the Lebanese Red Cross EMS teams for three years as part of my mission to be there for others. This unique experience allowed me to discover the harsh reality of human weakness and forced me to acknowledge that each person – regardless of their status in life – might need emergency medical assistance one day. I also learned that each person can make a difference in this world and that one person can save another person’s life or, at least, be a comforting presence in times of need.

Last but not least, I am one of the founders of Enfants de Lumière, a NGO whose objective is to help those who are most in need in our country without any discrimination related to gender, color, or religion. Over the years, we have launched several projects. Our main project today is Donate Food, a program that aims to provide free food for 1,000 people on a monthly basis. We opened a “free” supermarket allowing our registered families (which have grown from 17 families some 12 years ago to almost 275 today), are able to survive and provide for their monthly food consumption. This system is implemented in the utmost respect to each individual, as they come and “shop” without paying any money; yet, at the same time, they are never allowed to feel that they are needy. Their choice of food items is taken home in bags that do not bear the association logo so that it looks like their shopping was done at any given supermarket.

These “brothers of life” give us the chance to be better human beings, and we should thank them for allowing us into their lives and closer to God.

My Professional Career
I started my professional career as a graphic designer working successively in four large advertising companies (Impact BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publirizk and then Team Young & Rubicam). I was eventually promoted to senior art director, managing international accounts and earning several awards.

This experience taught me how to look beyond any picture, design or even movie scene, and to see the details where everyone sees the global picture. I also learned about the importance of different angles of one design, as if I were seeing them through a professional camera lens. Advertising is indeed the oxygen to any product.

March 2008 saw a major shift in my career when I and my business partner Nathalie Rahal decided to launch a company with the objective of designing and creating events on a “different” level. We both built on our past experiences and our positive vibes to create a professional and healthy environment for teamwork, which would eventually become one of the most sought event planning companies.

We have since grown rapidly, launching a new company every other year. Our 6 sister companies today complete each other in the events sector:

Domaine du Comte: it is the first outdoor venue concept to be launched in Lebanon, marking us as trendsetters on the Lebanese market. The concept of a “landscaped garden” as a events venue has become a huge market today.

Travel Club Luftanza City Center: this IATA-accredited travel agency is a full-service travel agency dedicated to providing comprehensive leisure, corporate, and group travels, as well as planning local and overseas trips and programs.

Amareyn: one of the first wedding planners in the Middle East, it has been designing and organizing weddings in the MENA region and Europe for the past 18 years. Amareyn was also a trendsetter, as we were the first company to create the concept of regrouped “wedding list” before it turned to creating and designing weddings. Today, it is one of the top wedding planners with its clients’ list including VIP and royal figures from all around the world.

The Legend: located in Nahr El Kalb against a backdrop of ancient archaeological ruins, The Legend is an outdoor and indoor venue that welcomes corporate events, wedding receptions, concerts, and other events. Three years after its launch, it is among Lebanon’s top venues.

Cube Production: this 18,000 m2 production company provides grandstands (iron and wood seating structures), chair rentals, custom staging, platforms, stage installation, backstage and utilities rentals, barriers, tents rentals, and prefab rooms for festivals, fair concerts, and wedding events. The company strives to provide all kinds of infrastructure at competitive prices while upholding the highest standards of quality control.

Skylight: it is our latest company, specializing in new concepts for the fireworks sector in the region.

Our attachment to our country drives us to invest in a new project or company every year despite the harsh economic situation. Based in Lebanon and operating in the Gulf region and Europe, our tiny business of two has thus become one of the biggest event planning groups in the Middle East in 10 years. Some of the most memorable events we have planned include:
- Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon: organizing the influx of hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, in addition to designing the whole area, on-site organization, etc. Upon leaving Lebanon, His Holiness declared that this trip was the most well-organized and successful one of his worldwide tour.
- The Francophonie Summit, wherein 55 French-speaking countries took part in a series of official meetings, conferences, and dinners.
- The Jounieh International Festival: in addition to the series of concerts by international artists, our company was behind the concept of synchronized fireworks along the Jounieh bay. This show attracts more than 400,000 people each year and is being covered by CNN. Johnny Hallyday, Chris de Burg, Jason Derulo, Imagine Dragons, Aznavour, Michel Sardou, Mikka, Zaz, Jessy J, Florida, and Raoul Di Blazio are but some of the international artists featured in this international festival.
- The Cedars International Festival: making use of state-of-the-art technology, this festival is now renowned for its innovation and impact. Dreaming big as always, last year’s festival launch featured synchronized fireworks and a high-end 3D mapping projection; our idea was to link the festival stage to the Cedars Forest (more than 500 meters further up) through a LED strip meandering across the rocky terrain and animated with pyrotechnics. As part of our series of special productions in honor of the Cedars’ legacy, we launched a patriotic-style “operette” featuring a panel of 12 Lebanese artists. This year’s edition will have its own surprises in addition to a performance by international artist Shakira.
- The Kohar Concert: a key concert production advanced technology, animation, and design.

Our companies have won several international awards in competitions pitting them against international players from Europe and the United States. One such example is the award we received for designing and executing Lebanon’s stand at the ATM Tourism Exhibition in Dubai, which featured various world countries, with the international jury choosing our creation as “Best Stand Design”.

We are known for our creativity, our attachment to perfection and details, our quality standards, our professionalism, and our work integrity, as we always rely on ethics and faith.

Our success is deeply rooted in our belief in our country. We work as a unified team, as one big family that spares no effort to succeed and always provide the best to its clients.

My Life Motto
Never lose your bearings.