The 18,000 square meter site located next to the Madrid Railway Museum has changed a lot in recent years. It has gone from being a semi-abandoned area to house one of Madrid’s great cultural epicenters: the Espacio Ibercaja Delicias.
Ibercaja‘s Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy, Nacho Torre, tells in this interview what have been the main milestones of this space that aims to “contribute to social welfare through leisure”. A project that seeks to democratize culture in the capital and that has earned the entity the National Marketing Award, in the category of Sponsorship by the Marketing Association of Spain.
How did the idea of creating a space like Ibercaja Delicias come about?
We were faced with a challenge that started with the rehabilitation of a semi-abandoned area in the center of Madrid and that allowed Ibercaja to identify with a space with which it would share values of innovation, dynamism, modernity and proximity.
One of the main reasons why the project was launched was the idea of accessibility.
What has been achieved is that some shows with average prices above 100 euros are offered in this space for more affordable prices and thus democratize access to these shows.
Madrid has become the third city in the world in terms of shows, behind London and New York, and making leisure and entertainment accessible in a city of such importance is something very positive.
How has this area next to the old Delicias station changed since its establishment?
It was an area in a state of semi-abandonment. The project was based on the rehabilitation of this area in the center of Madrid, next to the old Delicias station, and has allowed us to create a flexible and diverse space through the creation of a venue with an offer that encompasses culture, art and leisure, with exhibitions, concerts, musicals, festivals and many other entertainment shows, which gives visibility to Ibercaja with two of its main target audiences: families and companies.
What did you have in mind at Espacio Delicias before its creation?
Mainly, we wanted to contribute to the modernization and rejuvenation of the brand by connecting people with culture and contributing to social welfare through leisure, in addition to developing a project that would allow the bank to get involved in the economic and social development of the area of influence.
Another of our purposes was to generate notoriety and brand awareness in a geographically strategic area for Ibercaja, but with the capacity to reach other areas of interest.
Ibercaja is a regular supporter of popular races, sports federations or cultural events such as the “Botanical Lights”. What has the opening of this space meant for you?
We have been able to turn the project into a tool for attracting and building customer loyalty, as well as an internal mechanism for strengthening pride in belonging to one of the country’s leading banks. Thanks to the space we have been able to contribute to making tangible our commercial positioning expressed in the claim “El banco del Vamos”, as well as contributing to the modernization and rejuvenation of the brand by connecting people with culture and contributing to social welfare through leisure.
Since the space opened in September 2021, what have been the main milestones and results?
Thanks to the great work that has been done at Espacio Ibercaja Delicias we have been awarded the National Marketing Award, in the Sponsorship category by the Marketing Association of Spain.
In addition, in just 15 months since its opening in September 2021, the Espacio Ibercaja Delicias has offered 19 musical shows, exhibitions, circus, cabaret and concerts and has received more than 525,000 visitors.
Media events have taken place such as the recording of the program ‘Masterchef’, with the visit of the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz-Ayuso and great celebrities or the visit of Tim Burton to the opening of the immersive exhibition ‘The Labyrinth’.
In addition, the opening of the venue has generated more than 160 direct jobs and more than 300 indirect jobs.
More than 20 leading companies in their sectors have used the Espacio Ibercaja Delicias as a venue for internal events, taking advantage of the quality of the facilities and their contents.
The space has become a strategic axis for strengthening internal relations with employees, with different actions having been carried out: internal events, special sessions and preferential discounts, exclusive sessions and special promotions: invitations to private and personal banking clients, institutional contacts, partners and collaborators.
