It will be managed by a temporary consortium of companies specialising in innovation applied to music, sport and major events, with experience in designing and promoting innovation centres and managing start-up acceleration programmes
Scheduled to be up and running by the end of the first quarter of 2024, the site is launching a call to attract the first start-ups that will coexist with the large and medium-sized companies that will also move there
The Anella Olímpica is putting the finishing touches to The Venue Barcelona ahead of its opening. Promoted by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM), it will be an innovative business centre for music, sport and major events at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The project, which has been developed in collaboration with Barcelona Activa and the Barcelona Sports Institute (IBE), will begin operating with a temporary consortium of companies in the sector, which will be responsible for promoting the venue and attracting companies and initiatives to set up there.
This morning saw the signing of the agreement that will allow this innovation centre to begin its journey. The Venue Barcelona will officially open its doors late in the first quarter of this year. At that time, it will begin to welcome its first companies and start-ups and present to the public the support and acceleration programmes it will offer, as well as activities aimed at strengthening the local and international positioning of the Anella Olímpica, now also as a driver of innovation and emerging projects in three sectors whose activities clearly overlap: music, sport and events. However, the aim is to go further and develop projects involving other closely related sectors such as mobility, food and drink, energy and security.
Ahead of the launch of The Venue Barcelona, the managers have launched the first call for start-ups to encourage the arrival of the first entrepreneurs to work in the Estadi Olímpic. The aim is to identify projects interested in moving into the space to collaborate with the large and medium-sized companies that will be joining The Venue Barcelona.
In the words of BSM President and First Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council, Laia Bonet, ‘this project is a clear example of the work the Olympic Ring is doing to boost Barcelona’s leadership in the fields of culture, sport and major events. We are working to make Barcelona the leading entertainment capital of Europe. The launch of this venue demonstrates how we want to take public-private collaboration one step further and join forces to bring together the best talent to further innovate in the events, sports and cultural sectors. We want venues like the Estadi Olímpic and Palau Sant Jordi to be levers for disruptive new projects in these sectors. This is another example of how the Olympic facilities are playing an important role in the Barcelona of the 21st century’.
As part of the Barcelona Sports Hub, an initiative of Barcelona City Council, The Venue Barcelona is joining the effort to make the city an international benchmark in the exchange of knowledge, talent, resources and business initiatives in the world of technology and sport. According to the Councillor for Sport, David Escudé, ‘this project is a step further towards promoting the Barcelona Sports Hub, a pioneering initiative that will place the city on the world map as a centre for technological innovation applied to sport’.
‘At The Venue Barcelona, we are redefining what it means to be a space for innovation and collaboration. We are offering a place to work, but also a vibrant ecosystem where corporations and start-ups can come together to create value. I’m excited to see this project finally come to fruition and I invite innovative companies and the most passionate entrepreneurs to join us on this extraordinary journey,’ said Emilio Risques, Chairman and Co-founder of The MotherTrees Innovation Ecosystem and U-Skale Growth Propeller.
An inspiring, fully renovated space in the heart of the Olympic Ring
The new innovation centre in the Anella Olímpica occupies a 1,100 m2 office building located on the south side of the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. It has 14 interconnected work modules, a large co-working area and other spaces to facilitate collaboration between the companies that move there. Plus, 400 m2 of outdoor space have been provided to host outdoor workshops.
The project aims to integrate the companies residing at The Venue Barcelona into the Anella Olímpica and the entire ecosystem of institutions in Parc de Montjuïc, including the National Institute for Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC), the Olympic Museum and the Picornell Pools.
In this sense, the Anella Olímpica offers a strategic environment linked to events and the practice of sport at a local, national and international level. The companies housed in the innovation space will be able to learn and work alongside the events that take place at this privileged location.
The project to create The Venue Barcelona had a budget of €2.8 million provided by BSM.
The Anella Olímpica, a platform for innovation and economic promotion
Last year, the Anella Olímpica hosted 167 music, sport and entertainment events, which were enjoyed by 2,000,000 people. These two figures reflect the capacity and versatility of Palau Sant Jordi and the Estadi Olímpic as venues, as well as their position in the local and global artistic and sporting circuits, thanks to quality programming that reaches a wide audience.
The aim is for The Venue Barcelona to use the experience of the management companies and the Anella’s local and international outreach to promote the city as a platform for innovation in the music, sport and events sectors, which have tremendous capacity to energise the local community and attract international talent. Once the new innovation space is open, Palau Sant Jordi and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys will be the testing ground for disruptive projects and the best place to hold sector-specific events, workshops and gatherings.
A strategic consortium for the project’s expansion and outreach
The temporary consortium that will manage The Venue Barcelona is made up of four companies that have successfully managed projects in recent years in areas such as the design and promotion of innovation centres, the management of start-up acceleration programmes and the development of results-oriented marketing solutions to position companies and businesses in their growth phase.
The companies in charge of managing The Venue Barcelona will support the start-ups and resident companies in developing their projects, from conception to launch and even business expansion.
- The MotherTrees: The MotherTrees will lead the application of the concept of collaborative open innovation within The Venue Barcelona ecosystem. Its ‘Innovation Solution Puzzle’ methodology helps to solve complex challenges quickly and sustainably. This will help to create a collaborative environment between companies, leading to innovations that have a positive impact on the sectors involved and the planet.
- B-Bruce: B-Bruce is a company that specialises in turning innovative ideas into market-ready products. As part of The Venue Barcelona, it will promote the brand development of the proposals that emerge, with the aim of influencing the audience experience at events and innovating the way they interact with companies and products.
- Ongoing: Ongoing is a touchstone in the use of data to expand the impact of innovations and scale up projects. From the heart of the Olympic Ring, it will introduce results-based marketing to optimise the concepts and experiences that emerge from the resident companies and start-ups.
- U-Skale: U-Skale is a company that will bring its acceleration expertise to the start-ups and companies at The Venue Barcelona. It will provide the methodology, tools, resources and mentorships needed to create innovative, sustainable business models which make an impact in their sectors.
