The stalls of the Romea Theater in Barcelona were completely filled this Tuesday night for La Nit de l'Empresa i la Cultura (The Night of Business and Culture), the annual event organized by the Fundació Catalunya Cultura to present the Impulsa Cultura and Empresa Cultura awards, which this year have been awarded to the company Legiland and the insurance group DKV, respectively. The evening also became a heartfelt tribute to businessman Xavier Gramona, one of the pillars of the foundation, of which he was vice-president and head of the working committee that has promoted the new Patronage Law.
This year, The New Barcelona Post joined this celebration by presenting a new award that aims to recognize newly created business projects that have emerged in the cultural sphere in the Catalan capital and that incorporate an innovative business model or one based on the application of new technologies. The first company to receive this distinction has been Guzzu, for being a disruptive project that has innovated in the music sector by creating the concept of digital merchandising, a new way to bring artists closer to their fans.
Barcelona Global has also debuted as an entity that supports the city's cultural talent with the awarding of a fourth prize that went to 48 h Open House, for being a made in Barcelona project, which showcases the architectural value of the city's buildings promoted through private patronage.
"Tonight we want you to fall in love," highlighted the president of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, Eloi Planes, at the opening of the gala, referring to the event also aiming to be a platform to bring together people from the world of culture and representatives from the business world to "make a match." "This movement is growing and not stopping, but we still have a long way to go. Only if culture and business go together will we advance the country," Planes affirmed.
Urgent need to approve a Catalan Patronage Law
The president of Fluidra also asked Catalan politicians "to get to work" to approve a Catalan patronage law as soon as possible, in addition to the new state norm that was recently approved in the Congress of Deputies, but which, finally, could not come into force because, three days before its definitive approval, the Cortes were dissolved due to the early call for general elections. "Politicians, there are no excuses, we must act", emphasized Planes, who wanted to acknowledge the work "of the group of tireless romantics" who have been battling for years and years to achieve this law.
The Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga, has picked up the gauntlet and assured attendees that her Department is already working with the Ministry of Economy to soon have its own patronage law. "We accept the challenge. Today I can announce that we are making great progress with Economy to promote cultural patronage in Catalonia through the bonus of certain taxes specific to the Generalitat", Garriga stated. According to the minister, "having a strong and well-funded cultural sector" is key to transforming society through culture and maintaining Catalonia's uniqueness. Likewise, Garriga also explained that the Government is working on a new Law on Cultural Rights to ensure "that no one is excluded from culture, which should be a tool for personal empowerment."
In the same vein, the president of the Parliament, Anna Erra, has also committed to processing and approving this new Catalan patronage law as soon as possible, which should serve to "promote creative talent", encourage public-private collaboration and demonstrate the "Chamber's commitment to culture, which is the backbone of the country". Erra defended that patronage "is an indispensable formula" to encourage the business world and culture to join hands and recalled reference people in this field who have recently left us, such as businessman Antoni Vila Casas or Xavier Gramona, who passed away this summer as a result of a fatal accident.
For Eloi Planes, Gramona occupies the first position on the honor podium "of the tireless" of the long-demanded Patronage Law. "Xavier knew a lot about what we have come to do here today. He knew a lot about the love between people, companies, and culture. He always spoke of the multiplying effect of the foundation, but he also had a multiplying effect with everything he did," he pointed out. Especially emotional and heartfelt was the intervention of the director of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, Maite Esteve, who recalled that Gramona "was the guardian angel" of the entire team. "Xavier was authentic, generous, cultured, and fun. An unconditional lover of the world of culture," Esteve praised, to whom the children of the wine entrepreneur also listened emotionally. The tribute to Gramona concluded with the projection of a video where images and statements of his succeeded each other, such as "supporting culture is supporting the future of our economy and our society."
La Nit de la Cultura, presented by Borja Nicolau, was enlivened by the Pallapupas and by musical performances by The Hanfris Quartet and the duo between jazz musician Joan Chamorro and saxophonist Èlia Bastida. The awards ceremony began with the 2023 Business Culture Award, which the Foundation grants to a company that stands out for its commitment and contribution to the promotion and support of culture in Catalonia. The company that received the recognition was DKV, which the jury distinguished for having a pioneering vision in its sector, embracing culture as a transformative force that improves its competitiveness and the personal development of its teams, while achieving a positive impact for society. In recent years, DKV has organized 138 exhibitions, which have been visited by 800,000 people, and has awarded scholarships to 64 artists. The jury for this award also granted a special mention to the Centre Dental Les Escoles, located in Terrassa.
Improving young people's reading comprehension
The evening continued with the presentation of the Impulsa Cultura award, which recognizes one of the 10 finalist projects of the Impulsa Cultura Program and is endowed with 10,000 euros. The winner was the Legiland project, which aims to awaken interest in reading among young people through an innovative digital platform that leverages the principles of gaming and interactivity to attract and engage children and young people in the world of letters. The initiative was also valued by the jury for contributing to improving their reading comprehension skills, thus fostering their intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and communication skills, preparing them to be informed citizens and leaders of the future.
"We are readers by vocation and we make readers by conviction," said Jesús Hernán, director of Legiland, upon receiving the award. In six years, the company has reached 60,000 students, managing to double the number of readings they do each course. "Our mission is to create the readers of the future, readers we want to be frequent and critical. We want to contribute to making society more critical, more open, and more cultured," says Legiland, which seeks new funding to reach more schools.
The jury also decided to grant a special mention to the Festival Terres de l'Ebre project, a new umbrella brand that groups 15 festivals held in four counties in southern Catalonia. "We are a brand that energizes and improves a unique territory," explained Xènia Gaia, who is also in the midst of a fundraising process.
The other eight finalist projects of the Impulsa Cultura Program are Drap-Art, Ha! Ha! Ha! Un taller de cinema per desmuntar tòpics, KminArt, La bellesa de transcendir, Llums a l'ombra, Nexart Percussion, Stop Violències and Guzzu. This last company has been awarded the first The New Barcelona Post prize, an award valued at 10,000 euros that will recognize each year those newly created business projects that have emerged in the cultural field in the Catalan capital and that incorporate an innovative business model or one based on the application of new technologies. The prize will consist of the design of a communication strategy for the dissemination of the awarded project with specific actions through its channels. Among other actions, the media will plan the publication of interviews, reports, opinion articles, and other actions that contribute to making the project and its负责人 known.
Created in Barcelona by two partners who worked at the Primavera Sound festival, Guzzu defines itself as a "community and a Web3 platform" based on blockchain technology that allows musical groups to generate a new source of income: the commercialization of digital merchandising. "Our ultimate goal is to foster a more equitable and sustainable music industry for both artists and their fans," highlights Guzzu, who assures that digital merchandising offers a new and sustainable format that encourages creative expression and the bond between artists and their fans. Through Guzzu, fans can unlock and access exclusive experiences, content, and benefits related to their favorite groups and singers. In less than a year, the platform has already managed to generate revenues of 150,000 euros, but assures that its "business potential is millionaire."
Finally, Barcelona Global has awarded its prize to 48h Open House, a festival that, precisely, this coming weekend will celebrate its 14th edition. "We want to position Barcelona as one of the best cities for impact talent," explained the director of Barcelona Global, Mercè Conesa, who recalled that there is "total unanimity" among the international community living in Barcelona in pointing out that culture "is one of the city's great strengths." With this award, the entity wants to distinguish initiatives that allow increasing the "sense of belonging" of this expat community, as is the case of 48H OpenHouse, as it offers the opportunity for international people living and working in Barcelona to get to know this architectural heritage first-hand.
Among many others, businessmen such as Ramon Agenjo (Damm), Pau Relat (Fira de Barcelona), Josep Santacreu (Cambra de Comerç), Enric Crous, Joaquín Boixareu (Irestal), Imma Amat (Amat Immobiliaris), Josep Lluís Sanfeliu (Asabys), David Marín (FemCat), Jaume Guardiola (Cercle d'Economia), Maite Barrera (Barcelona Global), Joan Oliveras (MNAC), Alberto Guijarro (Primavera Sound), Oriol Soler (Abacus), Marc Francés (Sarah Marlex), Miquel Martí (Tech Barcelona), Cristian Rovira (Sifu) and Guillem Carol (Must Media Group) attended La Nit de l'Empresa i la Cultura. Judit Mascó (Fundación Ared), Oriol Aguilà (Festival de Peralada), Ainhoa Grandes (Macba), Sergi Miquel and Fèlix Riera are other well-known faces who participated in the celebration.
'Manifest #PrometoCultura'
During the gala, the Fundació Catalunya Cultura presented the video Manifiest, which aimed to encapsulate "the vibrant and diverse essence of Catalan cultural heritage." "This emotional and meticulously crafted piece ---says the foundation--- seeks to inspire a sense of pride and appreciation for the artistic, historical and linguistic richness of Catalonia." "Through captivating images and a poetic dialogue between citizens and culture, the video Manifiest ---adds the entity--- immerses the viewer in a reflective journey on the importance of preserving, respecting and promoting the culture of a country."