Lluís Bassat: "Barcelona, above all, has extraordinary people"

If Lluís Bassat had to create a slogan for today's Barcelona, he would think about the emotions it awakens. Like an I Love New York if it hadn't already been invented. "It would be related to the love for Barcelona. We have to recover our self-esteem," defended the veteran publicist in the second session of the Moments Estel·lars de Barcelona cycle, organized by The New Barcelona Post with the collaboration of Casa Seat, Must Media Group, and Barcelona Global.

Considering that it took him three months to devise the Som 6 milions that the Generalitat asked him for, Bassat could not synthesize a motto for the Catalan capital during the talk, but he did provide some ingredients. "Barcelona has many very good things, but, above all, I believe it has extraordinary people," he stated. And, thinking of examples he knows very well, he asked the audience if they knew any other city with a capacity to find volunteers like the one demonstrated by Barcelona residents in the 1992 Olympic Games. "It is said that Catalans are closed, this is a lie, we are open to the world," he continued, "we are also generous," recalling the fundraising achieved in the Marató de TV3 —for whom he does the campaign for free every year—.

But one cannot only live off its people. The publicist was emphatic about the lead Madrid has taken over Barcelona. "It is more modern, there is no comparison possible," he lamented, "surely, first, because they have had more money than us and, second, because they have known how to use it better." This not only translates into more bars, theaters, or nightlife, but it has also meant that the Spanish capital has taken over from the Catalan one in emerging sectors that were previously led locally, such as design and advertising.

Despite this paralysis that Bassat has detected in Barcelona to the detriment of other Spanish cities like Madrid, but also Malaga, the professional has assured that the rest of the world has not yet realized it. "Barcelona is still a very important brand in the world," he said. Recently, on a trip to the United States, he was concerned to see if its inhabitants had detected it and confirmed that this is not the case. "The Barcelona brand is still quite good, it has not sunk," he pointed out. To reverse this, he has advocated not preventing new projects that may arise, such as the expansion of the Airport or the 2030 Winter Games. In this sense, he has shown himself in favor of promoting a bid to organize a Universal Exhibition in Barcelona: "Why not? You don't know how much Seville changed." "I, from the outset, say yes to everything. The initiative of the citizenry should not be cut short. Brands are like cathedrals, they are built over the years and cannot be stopped. Now we are stopped," he warned.

Interviewed by journalist and UPF-BSM professor Toni Aira, Bassat took the opportunity to recall moments from the 1992 Olympic Games and his direct involvement in the organization of the Olympic Ceremonies, which he considers "the best advertisement of his life, lasting three and a half hours," seen by 1.5 billion spectators. The former mayor of Barcelona, Pasqual Maragall, was also the other protagonist of the talk: "No one else taught me so much or made me love Barcelona so much".

The second session of the Moments Estel·lars de Barcelona series was held at Casa Seat, with the presence of readers of The New Barcelona Post and with the attendance of political representatives, such as the first deputy mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni; the president of ERC in the Barcelona City Council, Ernest Maragall, and the general director of Tourism of Barcelona, Marian Muro. Mateu Hernández, director of Barcelona Global, and Glòria Boix, Head of City Branding Projects of the Barcelona City Council also attended the event.

In the coming days, the entire conversation between Toni Aira and Lluís Bassat can be recovered and listened to, either in podcast format or by viewing the session on YouTube.