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More than 1,000 people descended on Actiu for a trip where the destination was the next 50 years

More than 1,000 people descended on Actiu for a trip where the destination was the next 50 years

JULY 2018 | 6 minutes

Actiu 50th Anniversary

50 years in a professional career is a milestone within the reach of only few companies. So Actiu chose to share their anniversary with all those people who have been and still are at their side, and without which it would not be what it is today, and nor would it have arrived where it is. This is an important moment in its history, which reflects the work and effort of the entire life of its founder, Vicent Berbegal and his team, which has been absolutely full of activity, projects, innovation, products and new markets. During three intense days and through a full program of activities, Actiu wanted to reveal its essence and the values that it identfies with as a company: architecture, design, sustainability, culture, innovation, territory, and to celebrate it with more than 1,000 friends, workers, customers and partners who gathered at the Actiu Technology Park.

PER50NS

The transformative experience began on the 27th of June with a grand event conceived as if it were a journey. To this end, the facilities were converted into an airport terminal, where more than 600 clients from over 60 countries, received from the hostesses all the flight documentation required to travel to this 50th anniversary, such as a passport and landing card.

“We wanted to leave behind a good experience for all the attendees. And as with all great journeys, you end up different to when you left” explained Actiu Communications Director, Soledat Berbegal.

The first day was completed with a series of talks on millennial culture, technology and creative leadership. The lecture was presented by Raquel Aullón, after which three internationally prestigious keynote speakers addressed the keys to the issues that are currently impacting business culture.

Yaiza Canosa, founder and CEO of Letsgoi, analysed what millenials are looking for in the workplace, and focused his reflections on the idea of "making things worthwhile". Angel Bonet, head of Sales and Marketing at Minsait of INDRA, offered an interesting vision of digital transformation, highlighting the three technologies that are going to be most influential in the short term: 3D printing, artificial intelligence and robotics. Finally, Monica Moro, general director of Creativity at McCann Spain, presented a new form of leadership to the attendees, creative leadership. From her point of view, the keys to this philosophy are a proactive and optimistic attitude with which to predict and anticipate great opportunities from the standpoint of simplicity, always acting with self-confidence, organisation and planning.

During this day, Actiu surprised the audience with T4 Stories, four short films from young Alicante producers in an innovative vertical format like a mobile phone screen. The filmmakers were Miguel Esteve, producer and founder of Kamestudio, who presented ‘Sachiko’; David Valero, a self-taught director who directed ‘Argentina’; Nerea Marcén, director, screenwriter, editor and producer at Wayaba and creator of ‘Impulse’; and Alex Rey, illustrator and audiovisual creator, who presented ‘3257 km’. These creators presented four shorts, each featuring the Passport Bench which Actiu has installed in airports all over the world.

Miguel Esteve, Alex Rey, David Valero and Nerea Marcén

A tribute to origins

As a grand finale to this first day the 19th Century building known as La Venta Flores, located in the Actiu Technology Park was inaugurated. It is an old farmhouse which had always been a meeting point for travelers and merchants. Actiu has renovated this space, while respecting its essence and emphasising commitment to the local area, design and architecture, to transform it into a new space to host exhibitions, conferences and training activities.

La Venta Flores complements the Actiu Technological Park industrial project, covering the social aspect. “This is how we make sense of the society in which we live. It brings knowledge and culture, because without culture there is no country. It represents the soul of the Berbegal family, the legacy and values that we want to offer our local community,” says Soledat Berbegal.

Its original layout was designed to encourage meeting up: with guest rooms to accommodate travellers, a large kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, and a courtyard, drinking trough and outbuildings for animals. The architecture is typically Mediterranean, giving importance to light, water and to the communal areas; elements that inspired the Technology Park and which were respected when it was time convert this space.

The project was carried out by Roberto García and they have given special attention to five spaces: the exterior, living area/kitchen, interior patio, rooms and stables. The design has allowed for the creation of open-plan rooms with thoughtful architecture. In the short term a technological intervention is also planned that will add a sensorial experience of aromas, sounds and light to the space.

"With the renovation of La Venta Flores we wanted to give a second chance to a building and its surroundings that were in decline. We decided to keep it standing because we understood that we shared its values, and we refused to knock them down. On the contrary, we wanted to reinforce them, to remind ourselves every day of where we come from. We wanted to keep its essence, while adapting it to current paradigms", said Vicent Berbegal.

Explosion of light and sound

On the second day, the 28^th of June, a gala dinner was held in the outdoor gardens at the Actiu Technology Park. This dinner tried to offer guests a Mediterranean experience of light, colour and aromas, chords and gunpowder, and was led by the Valencian host Maribel Vilaplana. The evening featured the AD LIBITUM jazz quintet and a Spanish dance performance of Spanish by the prestigious choreographer Juan Benavent, and his Corps de ballet of 25 dancers. The violinist José Alborch also took part, and the energetic chords of the DoMiSol Sisters helped set the rhythm for the evening. The final surprise of the day was the fireworks show that merged tradition and technology, courtesy of Caballer Pyrotechnics.

Each day of the 50th anniversay celebrations had as their objective the consolidation of human relationships for a company that has built itself on the idea on the importance of people. Vicent Berbegal, President of the company, was host over these few days, accompanied by his daughters Carmen, Laura and Soledat Berbegal, along with his son Vincent junior, who represented the second generation of the company. As he emphasised while addressing his guests: "When I take a look back I can't believe how fast time has passed. But when I see you all here today, I know that every one of those moments and shared experiences has been necessary to become who we are now. You are all part of this project and with the team, talent and technology that we have, we're ready to keep going for another 50 years".

As part of Actiu's history this moment will be immortalised through two sculptures created for the company by Peter Foster, which are reflections on the nature of time. They are located in the La Venta Flores gardens.

Firstly 'The Colours of Time' is a tribute to 50 years of Actiu (1968-2018), in which the transparency of glass and the chromatic overlap form the definitive image of a person reposing in a rural space.

Secondly, in La Venta 'The movement of Time’ rises up, a sculpture where holes made in steel plates, allowing one to glimpse the link between the past and future.

The celebration ended with a dinner, on 29th of June, which the workers who are part of this family company as well as company collaborators were invited to.

29th of June

workers and collaborators