This body will manage and promote the events of the commemoration
The Consortium of the Centenary of the International Exhibition of 1929, established
The 1929 International Exhibition Centenary Commission today approved the establishment of the Consortium that will manage the commemorative activities for this anniversary. This body, which will be chaired by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and have a Board of Directors chaired by businessman Gonzalo Rodés, will promote initiatives in the social, economic and cultural fields with the aim of creating a legacy and involving citizens.
The constitution of the Consortium and the appointment of its members were approved by the Centenary Commission at a new meeting held today with the participation of representatives from the different institutions that comprise it: Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia and Fira de Barcelona. This Commission was created in December 2023 with the aim of commemorating this historic event and has also recently promoted architectural projects for the remodelling of the Montjuïc venue.
The Consortium is the body that will be responsible for carrying out the economic, technical and administrative management of the Centenary, as well as executing the commemorative programme that will take the form of tradeshow activities, exhibitions, congresses, shows and unique projects that generate a legacy. It is expected that the Ministry of Industry and Tourism of Spain and the MNAC will join the current entities.
The president of the Board of Directors of the new Consortium will be Gonzalo Rodés, a lawyer and businessman with an outstanding career in the legal, financial and entrepreneurial fields. Rodés, among other positions, has been president of Barcelona Global and is a member of the Fundación Princesa de Girona, as well as of different boards of directors and companies such as Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, Meridia Capital Partners or Havas Media, and other scientific and cultural entities and projects. He is currently a founding partner of Aldea Venturas, a Barcelona-based venture capital fund.
Program BCN2029
The Commission has also made progress in the design of the events to celebrate the Centenary, the aim of which is to recapture the innovative and transformative spirit of the 1929 International Exposition. Under the name BCN2029, the programme focuses on the fields of science, culture and innovation to address key challenges such as the climate crisis and urban sustainability. In addition, it aims to position Barcelona as an international hub in these areas and to promote citizen participation through cultural and educational activities that generate a lasting legacy for both city and country.
To achieve this, work has begun on the definition of these activities with the help of more than a hundred experts and members of cultural and research centres such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), the Centre for Genomic Regulation, CREAF, the Joan Miró Foundation, ICFO, ICREA, the Institut del Teatre, ISGlobal, Memorial Democràtic, Mercat de les Flors, Museu d’Història de Barcelona, Archivo Fotográfico de Barcelona, Museu de les Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, and Teatre Lliure.
Transformation of Montjuic
Another key element of the Centenary is the transformation of Montjuïc into an urban, modern and iconic fairground. Yesterday an exhibition was inaugurated at the headquarters of the former Gustavo Gili Publishing House focusing on the finalist and winning projects of the international architecture competition that include the construction of a new Multifunctional Palace, the transformation of the current Alfonso XIII Palace into the future Palau de Congressos de Barcelona and the construction of the Fira Barcelona Innovation Hub. a centre for the promotion of emerging companies, in the location of the current Palau del Vestit. The exhibition, held as part of the Architecture Weeks, includes physical models, plans and computer-generated images that show what the new buildings will look like once they have been built.
In this sense, the works of the first phase of the renovation of the Montjuïc venue are expected to begin in 2026 and end in 2029, coinciding with the Centenary celebrations.
Barcelona, June 20th 2025
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