In an exclusive interview, Pedro Magalhães, CEO of Europalco, talks about the company's journey, its commitment to innovation and what it plans for the future in the corporate events sector.
Full interview:
Europalco was born in 1997, when its founder and current CEO, Pedro Magalhães, started out as a disc jockey at the age of 16. In its early years, the company worked with bands, mainly as a sound and light supplier. Today, geared towards corporate events and with a turnkey product, it has evolved to have more than 120 employees and an extraordinary 42,000 square metre facility in Sintra (Lisbon) that allows it to hold more than 1,500 events a year.
In this interview, we'll have the chance to find out more about a passionate leader like Pedro Magalhães, his career path and the vision that led him to success. We'll also talk about trends in the events sector and the challenges facing the industry today.
Europalco was created by you when you were 16 and working as a DJ. Today, they organise 1,500 events a year and are the number one company in the sector in Southern Europe. Did you imagine this? How did you get to this point?
I never imagined that we would reach the point where Europalco is today. We've always done our work differently, with new ideas, and things happened naturally.
Why do you think Portugal has such spectacular business events that are hard to see in other parts of the world?
Over time, we were able to demonstrate to our clients the importance of investing in events, showing them that they would get better results. By presenting events that surprise and not just presentations, we are able to better capture the attention of the participants. In this way, we get better results, as the events become more attractive and effective in conveying the message.
One of the things that struck us about Europalco is that they provide absolutely everything for an event, from furniture, stages, textiles, carpentry, audiovisuals and much more, something absolutely unique in the world of event services companies.
We were also struck by the use they make of technology to enrich your events with very impressive audiovisuals, and the fact that they are constantly up to date with the latest technologies.
To what extent do you think your customers appreciate Europalco's commitment to using the latest technology?
Our customers are looking for different and distinctive solutions every day; they want a unique event. At Europalco, we invest a lot in developing unique products for our customers.
Since our magazine is very much centred on sound, tell us which brands and audio systems you normally use and how important you consider audio to be at your events.
The audio brand we use at Europalco is L-Acoustics, and we have practically every series from this brand. Normally, sound at events is often neglected, as clients don't attach much importance to it and often tell us that as long as you can hear it, everything is fine. Two months ago I decided to change this perception of sound at events. We invested in an L-ISA system from L-Acoustics, trained our team to use the system and introduced it to the market. We've already done four jobs with this system and clients have told us that sound is something they'll value much more at their events from now on.
And in terms of lighting?
In terms of lighting, our main brand is Ayrton, but we also work with other brands such as ROBE, Prolights, MA, Avolites, among others.
How do you effectively manage and coordinate all the different areas to ensure that each event is a success?
With all the options available at Europalco, everything becomes easier. On the client side, instead of having to talk to several suppliers and coordinate them all, you only need to communicate with one manager at Europalco and not worry about coordinating assemblies and equipment. It's also much easier for us, as we're not dependent on third parties to do our work. Coordinating the teams is much easier because we're all very used to working as a team.
What do you do to keep up to date with the latest technologies and trends in the sector?
We try to attend the main fairs in the sector to see what's new. We also visit technology fairs outside the audiovisual sector, because sometimes in other sectors of activity we find solutions that can be adopted in our sector.
What's the status of your internationalisation plans?
We are currently in the final stages of consolidation in Portugal, with the integration of three Portuguese companies: NEW Audiovisuals, AV Tech and Rise Produção Criativa. In this way, we have coverage from the north to the south of Portugal. We are currently considering incorporating companies from complementary sectors in Portugal. We are also evaluating possible companies outside Portugal to join our international expansion project.
We are looking for solid companies that are recognised in the markets where they operate, companies that have a very similar base to Europalco.
Are you planning on landing in Spain?
Spain and other countries are a possibility, but we don't have anything concrete yet.
Are you trying to bring international events to Portugal? If so, what steps are you taking to do so?
Yes, we've been doing it for several years, taking part in international fairs with our own stand or in conjunction with Turismo de Portugal. We look for companies that are still exploring destinations for their events. With our presence at these fairs, we can introduce Europalco to potential clients, demonstrating that in Portugal we have all the conditions to support and manage their events.
What sustainable practices do you use at Europalco to implement internally at your events?
Since January 2024, Europalco has been certified under the ISO 20121 standard for Sustainable Event Management, but even before we were certified, we were already contributing to sustainability. This standard prioritises mitigating environmental, social and economic impact.
When we produce specific materials for events, we always look for materials that can be reused or donated for a second use. For example, we have found a solution for printing fabrics that normally don't have a second life: we turn them into bags and donate them.
In the audiovisual field, we try to buy equipment that also complies with environmental regulations.
What has the entry of Vallis Capital meant for Europalco and what impact has it had on the company?
Vallis' equity stake in Europalco has brought several advantages that are very visible today. A clear example is Europalco's own expansion with the integration of other companies and the vision of international expansion.
What are clients looking for most in terms of audiovisual technology?
Customers don't ask us for anything specific, they ask us what we have that's different, and that's our challenge: to always find differentiating solutions.
In recent months, you have acquired three companies in the events sector in Portugal to increase your reach throughout the country. Are you planning any further acquisitions in the near future?
Yes, we are looking for companies that can complement the services provided by Europalco in business areas where we are not yet very strong.
We were also impressed by your staff's team spirit and pride in belonging to the company. How did you achieve this and what actions do you take in this direction?
People are the best thing we have at Europalco. In a challenging business like ours, we try to find the best balance between personal and professional life. We endeavour to always provide the best conditions for all those who, day after day, give their best for our clients.
Among the many things we have been able to offer our employees, there is something that was a dream come true for all our employees and their families two years ago: our employee support programme, which we call Show Care. This programme consists of legal, psychological and nutritional support, among others, fully covered by Europalco and extended to employees and their families.
How do you see the future of business events in terms of technology?
I believe that in the near future we will have some spectacular events. By using technology at events, we will be able to provide better conditions for our employees and even more spectacular events for the participants. One example, among many others I could cite, is that today we already have a sound system that can reproduce different sounds in the same room for different groups of people. Is it possible to individualise that same audio according to each person's preferences? I'm sure it will, there are no more limits.
Do you think there was a turning point in the history of Europalco?
Yes, throughout Europalco's history there have been several turning points. We started by organising parties in schools, then we started with concerts, and then we moved on to events. But the moment I find most surprising was during the pandemic. From one day to the next we were out of work and, once again, the entire Europalco team demonstrated its ability to reinvent itself. We were one of the first companies to reconvert its activity, and three weeks after the closure of all activities, we were already holding studio events. We transformed all our premises into four large studios, we worked every day and, out of great adversity, we created many opportunities. In this way, we overcame the situation and managed to achieve positive results.
How do you see Europalco in 10 years' time?
I hope that in 10 years' time I'll be able to look at Europalco from the outside, with great pride in a project that I helped to build. I hope that I can look with pride at the other people who have contributed so much to Europalco's growth and that, on that day, they will be running Europalco with the same enthusiasm that I have always had.
Source: Sonido e Illuminación (2024, July-August).