The Medina Lab · Casablanca · December 2026

The Medina Lab
Summit 2026

Morocco's national summit on AI, creativity and the future of work. Two public days plus an invite-only VIP Night 0. Attendees don't just watch — they build, ship and commit before they leave the room.

20,000+
Total Participants
Night 0 + 2
Days of Programme
8
Keynote Speakers
$5.7M
Revenue Projection
$1.1M
Net Surplus · Conservative
01 · The Concept

Not a conference.
A national moment of decision.

The Medina Lab Summit is Morocco's answer to TED, Davos and Tony Robbins — compressed into two days that are equal parts inspiration, skill-building and ritual commitment. Every session has an output. Every attendee leaves with something they built or something they committed to.

Pillar 01 · Soul
What stays constant
When AI changes everything around us, what remains? Faith, identity, purpose, and the human constant. This session asks the question that no technology conference asks.
Mufti Ismail Menk
Pillar 02 · Creation
AI as a tool for builders
Youth don't watch a presentation about AI. They use it live, in teams, to build real products. The Build & Ship Live mechanic turns attendees into creators before the summit ends.
will.i.am · Mo Gawdat
Pillar 03 · Commitment
The Pledge of the Atlas
Every attendee writes a commitment on parchment, sealed in a wax vessel on stage. Returned one year later at Summit 2027. The transformation is physical, permanent and public.
Closing Ritual — All 20,000
02 · Programme

Run of Show

Night 0 — VIP & Government
19:00
Doors & Reception
Invite-only. Ministers, investors, ambassadors, corporate partners, international press. Gad Elmaleh hosts.
20:00
The Vision Address
Toufic Assaf presents The Medina Lab's national and continental ambition. Official MOU signings on stage.
21:00
Keynote: The Convergence
One headliner keynote on AI, culture and Morocco's moment. Dinner and networking to close.
Day 1 — Soul & Creation
09:00
Opening Ceremony
Gad Elmaleh opens to the full audience. National anthem. Youth performance.
10:00
Soul Session — Mufti Menk
Faith, identity and the human constant in the age of AI. Conversational format — no lectern.
11:30
Creation Session — will.i.am
AI as a creative tool. Youth as the builders. The i.am.angel Foundation methodology live on stage.
13:00
Build & Ship Live — Launch
150 attendees begin building real AI products in teams. 25 mentors. Sponsors provide tools and cloud credits.
15:00
Panel: Africa's Digital Economy
Vusi Thembekwayo, Rana el Kaliouby, Hicham El Habti (UM6P) and one Minister.
17:00
Day 1 Close
Gad Elmaleh closes. Build teams continue overnight.
Day 2 — Commitment & Ship
09:00
Morning Session — Mo Gawdat
AI, consciousness and the choices that define what we build. Socratic format.
10:30
Build & Ship Live — Demo Day
Top 10 teams present to the full audience. Judges include sponsors and a minister. Prize pool $25K + academy access.
12:30
Closing Keynote — Ken Rutkowski
The METAL International network and Morocco's place in the global tech conversation.
14:00
The Pledge of the Atlas
Every attendee writes one commitment on parchment. Sealed in a wax vessel on stage by a Ministry representative. Returned at Summit 2027.
15:00
Close & Summit 2027 Launch
Gad Elmaleh closes. Dates for next edition announced on stage.
03 · Speaker Roster

Confirmed Targets

Fees are estimates requiring bureau RFP validation. Mission-rate and Royal Patronage framing expected to reduce public quotes by 30–50%.

Gad Elmaleh
Anchor Host — All Days
Comedian, actor, global francophone icon. Hosts Night 0, Day 1 and Day 2. Cultural bridge between generations and languages.
$150–250KHIGH PRIORITY
Mufti Ismail Menk
Soul Session — Day 1
Most followed Islamic scholar on social media globally. Keynote on faith, identity and the human constant. Direct team approach recommended.
$80–120KHIGH PRIORITY
will.i.am
Creation Session — Day 1
Via i.am.angel Foundation. AI for youth, creative industries, social impact. Keynote format — not a performance.
$200–350KMEDIUM
Mo Gawdat
Morning Session — Day 2
Former Chief Business Officer, Google X. Author of Solve for Happy. Socratic conversational format on AI and human consciousness.
$80–150KHIGH PRIORITY
Rana el Kaliouby
Panel — Day 1
CEO Affectiva, MIT Media Lab alumna. Emotional AI and human-machine interaction. Arab woman in AI — powerful symbolism for Morocco.
$50–80KHIGH PRIORITY
Vusi Thembekwayo
Panel — Day 1
Africa's most in-demand keynote speaker. Entrepreneurship, Africa's rise, youth empowerment.
$60–100KMEDIUM
Ken Rutkowski
Closing Keynote — Day 2
METAL International. Technology, business and global networks. Mission rate via direct partnership with The Medina Lab.
$30–50KCONFIRMED
Walid Regragui
Youth Inspiration — Day 1
Morocco national football team coach. Atlas Lions, 2030 World Cup alignment. Youth, ambition and the national identity.
$40–70KMEDIUM
04 · Breakthrough Mechanics

The Signature Experiences

Two mechanics that ensure every attendee leaves with something tangible — a product they built, and a commitment they sealed. Designed to make the Summit unforgettable and unrepeatable anywhere else.

Build & Ship Live
150 attendees opt into the Build Track on Day 1. In teams of 5, with 25 trained mentors and AI tools provided by sponsors, they build a real, working AI product over 24 hours.

On Day 2, the top 10 teams demo live to the full audience of 20,000. Judges include sponsors, a minister and one investor.

Prize pool: $25,000 cash + 12 months Medina Lab Academy access.

Every participant leaves with a product they shipped — not a certificate they printed.
📜
The Pledge of the Atlas
At the close of Day 2, every attendee — all 20,000 — receives a sheet of parchment and writes one commitment: what they will build, change or start before the next Summit.

Parchments are folded and sealed into a wax vessel on stage by a Ministry representative. The vessel is locked.

One year later, parchments are returned individually at Summit 2027 — a ritual accountability loop that makes the transformation physical, permanent and public.

The Ministry sealing the vessel on stage is the defining press image of the Summit.
05 · Financials

Budget Overview — $5.75M Scale

REVENUE
Title Sponsorship (2 × $500K)$1,000,000
Associate Sponsorships (6 × $150K)$900,000
Public Tickets (15,000 × $200)$3,000,000
VIP / Night 0 (500 × $1,500)$750,000
Build Track Entry (150 × $500)$75,000
TOTAL REVENUE$5,725,000
COSTS
Speaker Fees (full-rate provision)$1,500,000
Venue, Production & AV$1,200,000
Marketing & Media$600,000
Operations, Security, Logistics$450,000
Build Track Infrastructure$180,000
Pledge of the Atlas Materials$80,000
Contingency (15%)$602,000
TOTAL COSTS$4,612,000
NET SURPLUS$1,113,000
06 · Government Partnership

Ministry & Institutional Roles

The Ministry of Culture and Communications is the natural co-presenting partner. These are the six specific roles reserved for government co-presentation — each one is a distinct value exchange, not a generic sponsorship.

01
Co-Presenting Partner
Official government endorsement on all Summit materials, press, and broadcast.
02
Seal the Pledge Vessel
A Ministry representative seals the Pledge of the Atlas wax vessel on stage — the defining press image of the Summit.
03
Night 0 Host
Host the VIP ministerial reception and official MOU signings on Night 0.
04
Youth Programme Anchor
Anchor the national youth digital programme alignment session on Day 1.
05
Joint Press Release
Issue a joint press release with The Medina Lab to national and international media.
06
Royal Patronage Pathway
Co-presentation in 2026 becomes the formal basis for Royal Patronage application for Summit 2027.
07 · Execution Timeline

From Concept to National Event

Q3 2026

Anchor Partnerships

Secure Ministry co-presentation, Maroc Cultures co-production, Title Sponsor 1. Confirm Gad Elmaleh and Mufti Menk.

Q3 2026

Venue & Production

Finalise venue (Palais des Congrès Casablanca or equivalent), AV partner, security and logistics contracts.

Q3 2026

Speaker Confirmations

RFPs to will.i.am's team via i.am.angel Foundation, Mo Gawdat direct, Vusi Thembekwayo bureau. Mission-rate approach on all bookings.

Q3 2026

Sponsor Outreach

Inwi and OCP as Title Sponsor targets. NVIDIA, Microsoft, Huawei for Build Track sponsorship. Associate packages to 6 additional corporates.

Q4 2026

Ticket Launch

Public ticket sale opens. VIP Night 0 invitations issued personally. Build Track applications open — 150 places, merit-based.

Q4 2026 / Q1 2027

Summit Week

Night 0, Day 1, Day 2. Press, broadcast, Pledge of the Atlas sealed on stage. Full media package delivered.

Q1 2027

Post-Summit & v2 Launch

Press pack, highlight reel, parchment preparation for 2027 return. Summit 2027 dates announced on stage at close of Day 2.

Ready to co-build this.

For partnership, sponsorship or government co-presentation enquiries.

Book a Conversation Download the PDF Brief

Toufic Assaf · Founder, The Medina Lab · Casablanca Finance City, Morocco · themedinalab.com