Tony Anagor: CEO and Founder of Lifestyle Barcelona

Tony Anagor talks to Metropolitan about the concept behind his company, Lifestyle Barcelona, and why the city is already a great hub for startups. 

How did the idea for Lifestyle Barcelona come about?

I came to Barcelona in 2001 for a weekend, fell in love with the city and decided I wanted to stay here. I didn’t speak Spanish or Catalan at that time, so looking for a job just didn’t seem like a viable option. Setting up a business seemed to be the most logical thing to do.

I’d been here for just under a year when I set up Lifestyle Barcelona with my business partner. I had friends and family that had visited the city several times and were looking for new things to do, so I began looking into activities that I could share with them.

The idea was to create a platform for individuals and small groups who were coming to Barcelona, perhaps for the second or third time, and had already done all the touristy things. We wanted to find new ways to really enjoy Barcelona, beyond the usual sightseeing—cool activities that people wouldn’t usually think of doing themselves. We were inspired by Red Letter Days in the UK, and the idea of packaging pleasure into experiences that people would remember.

We quickly built up a network of really good suppliers who came up with great activities, like bungee jumping and Ferrari driving. We chose the suppliers based on their professionalism, creativity, level of English and the standard of service that they could offer our clients. Our clients are a mixture, from groups of friends looking for something fun to add to their weekend in the city, to families that want us to take care of everything for them.

You also organise corporate events through LifestyleDMC

The corporate events weren’t initially part of the plan. After about 18 months of building Lifestyle Barcelona and creating this great network, local agencies began to contact us looking for our activities to add on to their corporate events. Quite naively, we shared information expecting to collaborate but they would then go directly and cut us out of the deal. This happened three or four times and finally we decided we would go it on our own and, in 2005, we obtained a travel agency license that allowed us to offer this service. The license is a significant barrier to entry as, at the time, it cost 60,000 euros. Now 80 percent of our business volume comes from LifestyleDMC, so that includes corporate events, incentive activities and conferences.

What makes Lifestyle DMC unique is that we began as an experiences company, so we had a strong network of excellent suppliers offering over 300 activities. It was easy to dovetail into corporate activities because the logistic side of things was very straightforward for us. With our providers, we can turn a normal corporate event into something really fantastic.

We also organise events in countries other than Spain. This year 40% of our events have been in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna, Rome, Dubrovnik and Budapest.

How have you seen the market change in the last few years?

Market-wise there’s an awful lot of competition and it is of a varied standard. Some of the competition is very good. Unfortunately, it is easy for someone to see that Barcelona is booming and to just set up and offer something of a low standard. They may have a great-looking website and be well-positioned on Google, but they haven’t put the work in. A client looks for the best price-to-service ratio and it’s difficult to see that online. You will only know that we’re good after you’ve tried our services.

How would you describe your company in terms of its mission and values?

I’m very passionate about personal development, so I believe in having a team of people that are always looking to develop themselves. It’s very important that I have people like that around me. So I think our company is a reflection of our commitment to improving and growing. The team is our most important asset. Within the company we have regular training sessions, we go away together and we bond as a team. Our clients want to see that our team is happy and that we treat them well. It’s like going to a restaurant—it’s much more enjoyable when you see that the staff are happy.

What trends are you seeing in corporate events?

A trend that I’m really keen to highlight is that more and more companies are holding events because they really believe in the value it brings to their employees and the company. So, rather than doing an event just because they do one each year, they are looking to invest in their team. I always ask the CEOs and directors why they’re bringing the team here. What’s the return on investment? What’s the point? Those that see it as a solid investment are very enjoyable to work with. When we carry out a great activity in a neutral environment, everyone has their guard down. So, with the help of a facilitator we can tease out the issues that they may have in their workplace and deal with them in a constructive and meaningful way.

The other trend we’ve been seeing in the last two to three years is the investment in wellness. So, yoga, tai-chi, mindfulness and all these kinds of activities are taking on a big importance for companies and individuals. For its sunny weather, outdoors lifestyle and huge influx of foreigners, Barcelona is becoming a real hub for wellness so it really lends itself as a location for these types of events.

Do you have any advice for people setting up in business in Barcelona?

Well, I found the setting up process very smooth. Funnily enough I used the Metropolitan and found Sanchez Molina lawyers. I phoned them up and they guided us through the whole process. My partner is from here so that was hugely helpful to us. It’s important to get the right people on your side. It can be a lonely, frustrating journey running a business as an expat here and we have had some tough challenges, but I don’t think there has been a better time to set up a business in Barcelona. There are plenty of fantastic resources available to entrepreneurs with great ideas. Even the banks have an appetite to get stuck into the world of startups. So my advice is take a deep breath and dive in!