Once considered a holiday spot (and a phenomenal one at that) the seaside wonderland that is El Gouna has developed into a living, breathing metropolis that offers much, much more than a weekend getaway - you only need to look at cultural events such as the El Gouna Film Festival for yet more reason that it's the most unique and vibrant place in Egypt.

Feeding into the most recent focus on arts and culture, Orascom Development have announced that it is to build a monumental new space, the Gouna Conference and Cultural Centre (GCCC), that is set to become a centrepiece of the town. It is said to open yet more opportunities for spectacular events as a multi-purpose venue. GCCC is the 'brain child’ of Samih Sawiris, a passionate fan of classical music, with the new venue set to be a hub for culture - so much so, that it will become the host site for El Gouna Film Festival, starting in 2020.

Eng. Samih Sawiris is taking it upon him to 'build happy communities' - fully integrated towns that are self-functional, going by the motto 'Life As it Should Be'.

Inspired by traditional Middle Eastern and Egyptian architecture, the entire complex is split into two phases; the first being the concert hall and the second, the conference center, and is surrounded by a lagoon and colonnades.

The 2000-seat conference centre is anticipated to make El Gouna an international conference destination, while the 600-seat concert hall, also holding 120 orchestra musicians is to host some of the newest musical performances spotlighting and featuring only classic, traditional Arabic and opera music. The complex’s plaza-catered events carry 800 seats, and an outdoor auditorium of 1,400.

With Orascom Development and architecture firm Studio Seilern Architects putting together a team of expert architects, engineers and consultants, they are putting Egypt, the Red Sea and El Gouna, under the international spotlight with the project’s highest standards of design and operation.