Telefónica opens Espacio Movistar in the heart of Madrid

Telefónica unveils Espacio Movistar, a unique meeting point in its iconic building on Madrid’s Gran Vía that opens to the world all the company’s capabilities in the digital era and connects history and future in the year of its Centenary.

All the architectural and historical legacy of this century will coexist, in the first two floors of the Gran Vía building, with the latest innovation and entertainment, in a complete and avant-garde proposal with Movistar, Movistar Plus+, Telefónica Tech and TBS participation. A unique space in the world that hosts the largest Movistar store in Spain, a movie theater, a television set, two content recording studios, a gaming space and the Movistar Café, as well as a direct connection to Espacio Fundación Telefónica.

The company’s Chairman and CEO, José María Álvarez-Pallete, said: “Espacio Movistar represents a meeting point and an icon for Telefónica and also for Madrid. It starts with the vocation of being the ‘kilometer zero’ of technology, innovation and entertainment. The best of Telefónica coexists in this space open to all, in our traditional building, which now shows itself as never before and which we inaugurate with great enthusiasm in the year of our Centenary”.

The challenge of recovering the legacy

The new facilities are also a recognition of the company’s history and its immense architectural heritage. The first two floors have been completely remodeled by an in-house team of more than 30 experts and 600 professionals in what has been the most ambitious renovation to date of this neo-baroque style building inaugurated in 1929. Telefónica’s headquarters, at 90 meters high and 13 floors, was the first skyscraper in Madrid and, for some time, the tallest building in Europe.

It has been possible to restore more than 6,000 m2 of coffered ceiling, more than 2,000 m2 of stone surfaces, 220 m2 of the original floors and 120 lineal meters of railings. It has also been possible to recover the original chandelier, the atrium clock and the pinnacles of the railings, and the missing or badly deteriorated vases at the entrance have been fabricated using 3D printing technology.

The result of this work is a large space of 2,800 m2 where the originality of the building once again shines through. During the reconstruction work, the signature of the original painter, Agustín Espí Carbonell, and his self-portrait, as well as those of other collaborating painters who participated in the original work, dated 1929, have been found.

A technological layer thanks to Telefónica Tech

Telefónica Tech, Telefónica’s digital business company, has developed and implemented all the technological solutions that make Espacio Movistar a unique place. Among them is the Immersive Cube, consisting of five four-meter LED faces in which the contents will come to life, with surround sound and its own system of smells to offer visitors a unique sensory journey.

Another of the Space’s singularities is the so-called Fourth Façade, a 23-meter long and four-meter high LED support made up of four lateral panels and a central one in which the Centenary Door is located, the entrance that will connect, at special moments, with the emblematic Maps Room of Espacio Fundación Telefónica.

This is the first time that both spaces are directly connected to bring together technology and culture, legacy and future. Espacio Fundación Telefónica has established itself, since its creation in 2012, as a cultural center of reference in Madrid with more than 6,000 m2 dedicated to culture, art and thought. An ecosystem of knowledge to understand the challenges of the digital world through discussion forums, exhibitions and educational workshops.

The Fourth Facade offers a unique visual experience with dynamic and changing content thanks to generative AI to display the most relevant data from inside and outside Espacio Movistar.

Finally, thanks to video analytics, and always under privacy and GDPR standards, the technology will also allow profiling and analyzing visitor behavior (traffic, socio-demographics, routes, interactions…), which provides a differential value to know the customers and adapt Espacio to their needs.

The store of the future: Movistar’s flagship in Spain

Espacio Movistar will continue to host Movistar’s most emblematic store in Spain. In addition to the full range of digital products and services, it will offer a differential sales experience in which Telefónica Tech has also played a key role. It consists of a mobile sales system in which each visitor can self-manage their visit, know the agenda and interact with sales representatives through a ‘phygital’ experience (physical and digital simultaneously) that goes beyond the limits of traditional retail.

All the major commercial areas of Movistar will be represented with their specific areas: connectivity, entertainment, security, energy, health … where customers can learn about all the features of the Movistar catalog with interactive solutions.

Telefónica Innovación Digital, for example, has developed the Seguridad Digital AR experience to explain Telefónica’s digital security services in an interactive way through Augmented Reality. It is accessed through the cell phone and has content in image, text and/or video format to help customers better understand the services.

The store is also open to its main partners so that they can offer their new products to visitors. Manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung or Xiaomi, and even new categories of the Movistar offer such as Dyson, will have specific areas where customers can touch, try, know and even access the after-sales service and repair of devices of these brands within Espacio Movistar.

Entertainment and content in the center of Madrid: Movistar Plus+ and TBS

Entertainment is another of the fundamental levers that will drive this space. Movistar Plus+, Telefónica’s television platform, will use the new Ágora facilities to produce some of its programs. This set, equipped with the latest technology in Extended Reality (XR) audiovisual productions, will allow it to showcase its sports and entertainment content and will host special events. In addition, it will offer formats open to Espacio’s visiting public.

TBS, the Telefónica Group’s audiovisual services production company, has conceptualized and produced the experiences that will take place in this space for Movistar Plus+, but also for other partners who, from now on, will make their content available to visitors.

Espacio Movistar also has two ‘Studios’, two rooms with large windows overlooking Gran Vía and views of the street and from the street, designed for recording content, interviews or podcasts, open not only to Telefónica or Movistar Plus+, but also to the general public through a digital booking system.

A movie theater for the premiere of the best content of our entertainment offer, Movistar Café with a totally innovative design, a Fan Shop where the most emblematic elements of the company’s sponsors and ambassadors are exhibited, and a Gaming area where you can learn about and try video games, consoles or VR glasses, complete the proposal of this Movistar Space that opens to the world from the heart of Madrid.

Starting tomorrow, this new place, open 362 days a year, born to be the ‘kilometer zero’ of innovation and entertainment, will fill its different spaces with premieres, technological workshops for all kinds of audiences, talks on innovation and responsible use of technology and all kinds of internal and external events.

The first of these will be an immersive experience by MOVISTAR and LALIGA that starts on Friday, September 13, and will take visitors to immerse themselves in the universe of football with a plan of events and actions that will include everything from the broadcasting of a match from the Space to different meetings with players and figures of this competition.