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"The cinema experience gets better each decade, and I love the moments when I see the faces of our teams, and how motivated they are to give our guests a fantastic experience."


For the sixth edition of Big Screen Feature - providing a behind-the-scenes look at the world of cinema exhibition through the eyes of professionals themselves - Ramon Biarnes (Managing Director of Southern Europe, ODEON Cinemas Group) discusses the job itself and the value of the Big Screen.

Describe your typical day at work.
I always wake up very early, around 4.30am regardless of where I am. I sleep around 4 to 5 hours and that is enough for me. I am usually in the office by 6am, which gives me a very productive 2 to 3 hours of total peace to work and concentrate without interruptions. We are a very busy team, and we're passionate about our responsibility to give millions of guests a fantastic experience in three countries in Southern Europe. So by 9am the office is buzzing, and I start participating in meetings with my teams and external partners - all about the management of the region of my responsibility (Cinesa, Spain; UCI in Italy and Portugal).

I have a great team, and we have close relationships with our supplier partners in all our countries - built on decades of partnership. But we're always innovating and looking for new ways to delight our guests. To do that, I think it’s critical to be out and about, so I also try to spend 2 or 3 days per week visiting our teams in the cinemas and speaking with our guests. Depending on the priorities of the week, I spend 2/3 days in Spain and 2/3 days in Italy. I try to always have lunch with my people or with a client, and I usually go home at around 7.30pm. I watch movies at the weekend!

The moment you fell in love with the Big Screen?
I have loved cinema as long as I remember, but the moment I fell in love with the Big Screen was many years ago enjoying Blade Runner (1st release) in Cinesa Parque Corridor. It was long before I started working here - but that moment made me really feel that the future, as we see it in the movies, is not that far away. It’s very exciting!

The best thing about the cinema experience?
The fact that the cinema experience keeps getting better and better, and the way that makes people feel. It’s always been the case for sound and projection - we have some wonderful PLF screens across our region, including a stunning new IMAX in Campi Bisenzi and we're proud to host a Dolby Cinema in La Maquinista. But we are also seeing how we can dramatically innovate and advance the guest experience with Luxe - using new recliner seats, new F&B ranges and technology, and new ways to give our guests great service. The cinema experience gets better each decade, and I love the moments when I see the faces of our teams, and how motivated they are to give our guests a fantastic experience.


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