For over 20 years, Es.cultura Events has been working as an event planner in Spain. We set up our first office in Seville to run our operations in Andalusia. Since then, we have also opened offices in Madrid and in Valencia and expanded our business across the whole country, including in Barcelona where we are currently busier than ever. In this article, we interview Mar Rubio, our responsible for events in Barcelona, and ask her about Es.cultura’s plans as an event production company in Barcelona and the current climate for anyone working as an event planner in Barcelona.
#1 About Es.cultura and event planning in Barcelona
We’ve just celebrated our 20th year planning events in Spain and since the very beginning we’ve never slowed down. We’ve been a lot more present in Barcelona since opening our offices in Madrid and Valencia 4 years ago. Our clients know that we respond to their requirements in an efficient manner, always offering a quality service. More and more of our clients were requesting to plan their events in Barcelona. Following our company’s philosophy and our appetite for growth, we eagerly set off to expand our business in Catalonia. Little by little, we’ve created plenty of space and opportunities for ourselves and have come to discover the region and everything that it has to offer for incentive travel to Barcelona.
#2 What types of events do you plan?
We first started by offering logistical support to DMC in Spain and to agencies in Barcelona for a wide range of events: product presentations, road shows, caterings, audiovisual services, etc. Now we also run all kinds of experiences: team building in Barcelona, cultural visits, and activities that are exclusively adapted to the Catalan culture. We’re working on fixed products specifically designed for the city. For example, in Poble Espanyol we offer a very dynamic team building activity aimed at foreign groups in which participants get to know our culture through various characters (actors) and a series of fun challenges to complete. We also organise Collas de Castellers (human towers) and Correfocs (“fire runs”) – some of our most typical event planning in Barcelona! – and build events and activities around famous characters such as Gaudí or Picasso, Rally Cinema in Barcelona, etc.
#3 What are the main challenges and opportunities for an event agency in Barcelona?
Nobody on our team ever thought it would be easy starting up in Barcelona, and that could very well be what gave us the motivation to do it. The key is to do things as best as possible and to learn from the process, always humble but always hungry for more. Yes, competition is strong in the world of event planning in Barcelona and we’ve been aware of it since day one, but we don’t like to see it as such. We always strive to offer new and unique products, always focusing 100% on the brief that our clients hand to us, creating experiences that are entirely tailor-made depending on the location, the number of participants, the client’s objectives, etc.
There is a high demand for MICE events in the area: an event planner in Barcelona definitely has its hands full! Moreover, demand is constant throughout the year. Given its location on the coast, Barcelona can offer many more opportunities for your incentive travel to Spain. This isn’t necessarily the case with cities like Madrid and Seville that tend to be less busy during the hot summer.
#4 Share some advice on how to successfully plan an event
First and foremost, work with a good event planner in Barcelona! All biases aside, the city has much to offer and you’d miss out on so many great deals and opportunities for your events. Find a great team that is available to respond to your queries and solve any issues in the most efficient way possible, that knows your destination and the industry like the back of their hand, and, most importantly, that can put all their passion into making your event a success. Enjoy your work and pick the right people to transmit this enthusiasm too to get the best results.
#5 When can we expect the new office in Barcelona? What’s your next move?
As I mentioned, Es.cultura Events is in full expansion, and we’re looking at opening our new office in Barcelona very soon. Our local team is constantly adding new members to its ranks: suppliers and staff in the region that respond perfectly to our requirements, which allows us to offer very competitive rates. The only thing we need is a space of our own to be closer to our clients!
Contact us!
If you’re looking for an event planner in Barcelona, look no further! Our team of professionals will be able to offer all the support and expertise you need to make your event a great success. We are available to work with all types of agencies and DMC in Barcelona. Contact us to plan your travel and events in Barcelona or in the rest of Spain. If you’re interested in other destinations in Spain, make sure to visit the following pages with some ideas of events and incentives we can help organise for you across the country: Team Building in Spain · Team Building in Madrid · Team Building in Valencia · Team Building in Malaga
María del Mar Rubio Aguilera runs Es.cultura Events’ office in Valencia and supervises all events up to Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia. You can contact her using our web form or phone number found on our contact page.
