Since 1975, the El Olivar Complex has been one of the most important references in Madrid and Guadalajara, providing event services, meeting spaces and professional gatherings.
César Bermejo Richart, Partner and CEO at El Olivar and Cervantour Complex
MS. Could you start by telling us a bit about your role at El Olivar? Please highlight your career journey, major hurdles overcome and milestones achieved so far.
César Bermejo. We are a family business, the farm where we developed the events bought my grandparents to cultivate and later my father and my uncle became a farm for events.Now we are the new generation that are my two cousins by my uncle and my brother and me on the part of my father.I am the eldest of the partners and I have been running the business for 15 years.We have had to overcome many difficulties especially during the Covid but thanks to being prepared and having a very good base we have managed to endure and above all keep all the workers which for me was my main goal because we are a family business and many workers carryMore years than I work here. The challenges we have achieved because they have been to put the company as a Top company within our community and having as clients the strongest companies in the region.
MS. What is your vision for the company? What changes, if any, would you make to the strategic direction?
César Bermejo. My vision is to be able to improve always giving more quality and striving as always to be better. The strategic direction is defined that it is to attract the best customers since we have a very good brand image.
MS. The economic effects were devastating post the pandemic Covid-19, how do you personally perceive the cancellation of events? How has your company adapted to the new normal?
César Bermejo. It has been very hard, but I think has already happened the strongest and we have been flexible with our clients at cancellations because we believe it has been very hard for everyone and if we support each other, then it will be a bit easier. And we have been able to adapt very well because our Venue has many open spaces more than 20,000 m2 and customers I think they seek to make outdoor events and I think will benefit from the future.
MS. What shows are you planning for this year and ahead, given that the epidemiological situation will be favourable?
César Bermejo. We have created a program called www.cervantour.com is a unique experience in our city and unites on a gastronomy, culture and leisure day.Our slogan is “Spain in a day” as representative of Spain in a day. The customers said that its totally different and amazing. We started at 2019 but for covid we couldnt run good but 2022 will be so great.
MS. Can you give our readers your perspective on the MICE sector in the global market?
César Bermejo. Companies need to do events and they will do even more. Yes, there will be many virtual ones such as training and technique but there will always be team building and family days to unite the work team because it is key.
MS. The outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19 has forced the event industry to embrace and explore the realm of virtual meetings like never before, how have you adapted to the new reality of the meetings industry, which is much more digital and hybrid?
César Bermejo. We have adapted our rooms to be able to hold hybrid events and to be able to stream and videoconferences in real time without any problem. We have created a technology room for more than 600 people with everything you need for digital events.
MS. How do you assess the attendees’ satisfaction level? What innovative elements do you apply to make an event successful?
César Bermejo. According to our clients we have an outstanding score, this can be verified through the internet in different places of secure information and we give, above all, a lot of security and confidence because we have been doing events since 1975. They request all kinds of elements and we have the best providers both audiovisual and team building to do quality events. You can watch videos inside our event space. https://elolivar.es/en/business-events/
MS. What are some best practices you could share with other entities that run this type of event?
César Bermejo. Above all, seek excellence in everything and the client himself asks you what he needs, then look for it and find the best way. We do team building and experiences with the best professionals. I think the key is to surround yourself with the best possible team.
MS. Please share with us your experiences on some of the latest events held at El Olivar Complex. What are some major attractions of El Olivar Complex that make it apart from other venues?
César Bermejo. What sets us apart is our team. We are a family business, with many values of work, humility and a desire to move forward. Also another competitive advantage is the venue that has more than 60,000m2 and 20,000 are outdoor spaces. We have swimming pools, gardens, more than 10 rooms. And another great advantage is that we have our own kitchens where we elaborate one of the best gastronomies in the region, said by our clients. The most important is we created our experience www.cervantour.com in Indian languages. We have audioguide and app in India idiom.
MS. We all need white space – open, unassigned time for better relationships, mental health, and better productivity. On a personal note, we are curious to know what keeps you busy when you are away from work?
César Bermejo. My white space is my family, my wife and my 2 children, they are what I love the most. My parents and my brothers that I am lucky to have them very close and I can enjoy them. And I like to play sports, before I did a lot of football but now I have discovered a sport that is having a lot of popularity here in Spain called “Padel”. It is similar to tennis but it is always played in pairs.
