When it opens, Egypt’s new billion-dollar Grand Egyptian Museum is already set to be the world’s largest archaeological museum and the largest museum dedicated to a single civilization. However, Egyptian officials are hoping to sprinkle the lead-up to the museum’s grand opening with some publicity derived from a few other “firsts.”
The Egypt Independent reports that Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani and GEM project supervisor Major General Atef Moftah intend to stage several world record-setting events related to the museum and seek certification by and publicity through Guinness World Records for those feats.
The officials met with Guinness’ regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Talal Omar, to discuss potential records that could be recorded and events surrounding those record attempts.
Guinness World Records, which has historically enjoyed a reputation as an objective arbiter of genuine, belief-defying record-setting feats, has today blossomed into a full-fledged profit-driven company. Guinness World Records Limited derives significant revenue from its three primary business lines – books; record applications and related services, including record application fees and adjudicator “invitations;” and what the company calls business solutions, including branding, marketing, and events.
