MENA Talks You Should Catch at Amsterdam Dance Event 2026 Oct 21 - 24

Each year, Amsterdam becomes the nerve centre of the global electronic music industry, where the conversations shaping its next chapter unfold. Across five days, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) brings together a huge roster of artists, promoters, label heads and industry executives to shape the forces and strategies driving club culture across the globe. For its 2026 edition, running from October 21st to 25th, ADE Pro is putting the Middle East and North Africa firmly in focus.

Over the past decade, independent scenes across Cairo, Beirut, Casablanca, Amman and the Gulf have built their own infrastructure against a backdrop of venue shortages, currency crises, border restrictions and political instability. Through independent labels, self-funded party series and distinct sonic identities, regional operators have carved out space on their own terms. ADE’s conference programme, including sessions at venues such as Felix Meritis, examines what this shift means for the wider industry, from turning structural constraints into creative opportunities to positioning MENA as an exporter of sounds, talent and business models rather than simply a market for European headliners.

Ahead of ADE 2026, we round up the key MENA-focused talks and panel discussions to catch during the event’s daytime programme.

Inside the MENA Ecosystem

12:15–13:00  | Oct 22nd

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Karima Damir (MENA Music Exec VP of A&R MA)

George Bou Saleh (Founder & Artist Manager, Toka Musik)

Misty (Artist & Label Owner, Love Attacks)

Moderator: Yasmine Rasool (Business Development Lead, Unation)

Behind every track is an ecosystem of artists, producers, songwriters, studios and distributors shaping how music gets made, released and heard. Across MENA, electronic music is finding new outlets through a growing roster of independent labels, each with its own sound, roster and approach to the scene. Drawing on their first-hand knowledge of the region, this session takes a closer look at who’s doing what across the industry, the sub-genres gaining ground and the labels worth knowing if you’re looking to find your place in the region’s electronic music landscape.

Global South: From Extraction to Exchange

16:00–16:45 | Oct 22nd

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Suhel Nafar (Head of EMPIRE WANA)

Eli Iwasa (Artist & Founder, Heels Of Love Label)

Phiona Okumu (Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, Spotify)

Moderator: Leila Fataar (Founder, Platform13)

From Africa and MENA to Latin America, the Global South has long been shaping the sounds, artists and movements that influence what the world listens to. But as its music reaches wider audiences, questions around ownership, investment and opportunity are becoming harder to ignore. Bringing together voices from across these regions, this session explores how artists, labels, festivals, streaming platforms and other industry players can turn global recognition into meaningful exchange, building partnerships that give local music ecosystems a greater stake in the value they create.

A Deep Dive into MENA's Thriving Live Music Scene

13:15–14:00 | Oct 22nd

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Ahmed Ganzsoury (Co-Founder & CEO, GNK Group & Human Figures)

Marjana Jaidi (Founder & Creative Director, Oasis Festival)

Steve Hogan (Agent/Partner, WME)

Moderator: Stavros Antypas (Founder, Tawahadna)

From intimate club nights to festivals drawing hundreds of thousands, live music in MENA takes many forms, with promoters navigating distinct markets, audiences and opportunities across the region. Morocco’s festival circuit continues to draw crowds, while Saudi Arabia’s MDLBEAST Soundstorm and UNTOLD Dubai reflect the growing scale of large-format events in the Gulf. Arena shows by global stars are also gaining ground, alongside regular tours by electronic and Afrobeat acts. This session looks at the promoters shaping the region’s live music landscape, the markets they’re pushing into and the people finding new ways to bring artists and audiences together.

Funding Under Fire: How Scenes Survive When Systems Fail

13:00–13:45 | Oct 23rd

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Tala Mortada (Co-Founder & COO, Factory People)

Yazan Khalili (Artist)

Garik Pledov ( Founder, Brudnyi Pes & Polygon Records)

Moderated by: Thomas Frost (Co-Founder, Crack Magazine)

Across MENA, music venues, independent radio stations and grassroots organisations often play a role that extends well beyond the music, becoming support systems for the communities around them. But when public funding and traditional revenue streams fall short, how do these spaces stay afloat and continue to serve their audiences? Drawing on experiences from Ramallah and Beirut, alongside examples from Kyiv, this session explores how community radio, grassroots fundraising, mutual aid and artist-led initiatives are helping sustain music scenes through periods of crisis, while preserving the cultural networks that hold them together.

Morocco & the Amsterdam Diaspora

11:45–12:30 | Oct 24th

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

DAOX (Co-Founder & Head of Booking, MOGA Festival)

Elias Mazian (Artist)

Amine K (Artist)

Moderator: OumaimaTune ( Artist, SoundSisters)

Beirut Keeps Moving: How Lebanon’s Electronic Music Scene Survives & Evolves

14:15–15:00 | Oct 24th

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Tala Mortada (Co-Founder & CCO, Factory People)

James Khoury (Co-Founder & CEO, Hot Axis)

Rolbac (Artist)

Moderator: Timmy Mowafi (Founder, SceneNoise)

Beirut has long held a place at the heart of the region’s nightlife, with a homegrown electronic music scene that continues to reach audiences far beyond Lebanon’s borders. But economic collapse, political instability and the departure of artists and industry operators have reshaped the landscape, forcing those who keep it running to rethink how they work. This session explores how Lebanon’s electronic music community is navigating a scene in constant flux, from taking homegrown concepts abroad and sustaining local audiences to balancing underground culture with commercial realities and finding new routes onto the international circuit.

Egypt’s Electronic Music Scene: Building Culture Without the Infrastructure

15:30–16:15  | Oct 24th

Venue: Felix Meritis

Speakers:

Zeina (Artist & Founder, Unfamiliar)

Aly Goede ( Artist & Head Artist Booker, Nacelle)

Ahmed Ganzoury (Co-Founder & CEO, GNK Group & Human Figures)

Moderated by Timmy Mowafi (Founder, SceneNoise)

The discussion will explore how Egypt’s scene operates amid a shortage of venues, an uneven infrastructure, and a nightlife economy divided between massive commercial spectacles and underground communities. Panellists will examine where audiences are moving, how promoter networks are adapting, how uniquely Egyptian sonic identities are travelling globally, and what it takes to build a sustainable ecosystem without relying on Western blueprints.