This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Entrevista a Miguel Ángel Gil, director de Grupo Ambit

"The hiring of comprehensive control of the parties to external companies save money to public authorities"

Interview with Miguel Angel Gil, director of group Ambit

LAIA Banús16/09/2011

September 16, 2011

The summer months are months of festivals and events in the open air. But with the crisis, many municipalities are them and they want to be able to organize their local parties unless you notice the quality of the events. Therefore, organization and programming of entertainment companies such as Ambit group have had to adapt to this new context, offering solutions more adjusted price but without diminishing an iota service. We talked about this with Miguel Angel Gil, director of the company.

Miguel Ángel Gil: &quote;We are leaders in terms of volume of recruitment in our area of influence, which comprises four autonomous communities&quote;...

Miguel Ángel Gil: "We are leaders in terms of volume of recruitment in our area of influence, which comprises four autonomous communities".

Present us his company. Which services offer?

The main lines of work of Group Ambit are the organisation/organization and the programming of shows and multitudinous events. We make the programs of parties of more than 100 city councils in all Spain, including no only the contracting of the artistic part but also the execution and supervision of all the production and services so many humans like materials associated to the project. We work in all the noreste peninsular and are leaders regarding volume of contracting in our area of influence, that covers four autonomous communities.

The crisis is leading to cuts in public investment. Have noticed you in your business?

Note, not only as regards reduction of budgets but also payment deadlines. Some companies have had to begin to act as financial to maintain levels of quality and service of previous years in some schedules.

Concert of the group 'Academy night', organised by group Ambit. The company ensures control over all proceedings with 'road-managers' in situ.

In what areas they believe that the authorities can save more?

On many occasions municipalities templates are oversized, at least in what it refers to departments such as the culture and festivities, which are structured according to the tips of which only cover a few weeks a year while they are underutilized the rest of the time. We believe that the recruitment of some services such as the production and comprehensive control over the holidays to external companies can save money to public administrations.

And in the sector of the Organization of events and the hiring of artists, the general trend is not to invest, buy buy cheap or intelligently? Administrations often choose to prioritize the price for the quality or vice versa?

Much depends on the case. All aspects are. On the occasions that cut the budget for a date we can choose lower performers caches or modify the format of the performance. On other occasions measures are more aggressive and there are cancellations of performances, but with a good negotiation and planning can prevent almost always.

What solutions do you offer to help these cuts?

We are carrying out anti-crisis depending on casuistry offers of each customer, but all ensures a minimum of a 10% discount on the lowest budget are available.

Being a company with a very high volume of recruitment (for than usual in the sector) gives us a bargaining power that allows us to work with prices considerably lower than those offered by our competitors.

&quote;We make programmes of holidays of more than 100 municipalities in all Spain&quote;...

"We make programmes of holidays of more than 100 municipalities in all Spain". Image of a concert organized in the framework of the festivities of the Mercè in Barcelona.

What has been the response to its proposals?

He has had a relative acceptance, but we would like that it would have been more positive. Despite the cuts in budgets, we believe that in the sector still prevailed an excessive immobility and there is a noticeable reluctance to change supplier in many administrations. Too many Councils appreciate exclusive confidence transmitting them to the company with which they have been working years simply by inertia and do not provide change of supplier to offer in terms of price and quality is far superior. It is the old adage of 'bad better known...'. Unfortunately, in times of budget cuts as serious as those who live, we believe that everyone must open up the range of possibilities in order to make the best program of festivals with the lowest possible budget.

In addition to an adjustment of prices what values offer in your company to differentiate them from others?

Ours main value never has been the price, although we stand out notably in this appearance. The appearance that prevail in the contracting is the service offered, included the control on the performances and the guarantee of resolution of problems and anticipation to the same.

In this sense, are pioneering regarding the utilisation/utilization of ‘road-managers' in situ for all the performances as well as of the preparation of leaves of route coordinated between our agency, the city council and the artist and services associated.

In Group Ambit ensure us that a person was physically controlling the event and thanks to a previous work of office, try to advance us to the possible problems that can occur to guarantee the correct execution of the performance without escatimar in physical means neither humans.