The Alexandria Hall in the convention centre was converted into a real stadium with a track, grandstand, VIP rooms and press area, and was the stage for the broadcast of the first balloon world championship in history organised by Ibai Llanos and Kosmos, a company led by Gerard Piqué.

More than 630,000 spectators connected for the golden minute of the broadcast of the international tournament, which placed the Peruvian Francesco de la Cruz on the podium, followed by the German Jan Spieb and, in third place, the Spaniard Jan Franquesa.

The organisers of the 56th edition of the Catalonia-Costa Dorada Rally sporting event coincided with the preparation of the Balloon World Cup, which deployed a large technical operation and provided open spaces through PortAventura Business & Events.

 19th October 2021, PortAventura World. – The PortAventura Convention Centre last week became the stadium and broadcasting hub for the first edition of the acclaimed Balloon World Cup, organised by streamer Ibai Llanos and the company Kosmos, with Gerard Piqué at the helm.

Almost 2 million people watched the Balloon World Cup live and more than 630,000 spectators connected for the golden minute of the competition which was broadcasted via Twitch, and where 32 international teams participated in the vibrant duels against gravity (Germany, Andorra, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, France, Georgia, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela). On the winners’ podium was the Peruvian Francesco de la Cruz, followed by the German Jan Spieb and, in third place, the Spaniard Jan Franquesa.

A large deployment of technical and audiovisual infrastructure was necessary in the more than 2,000 m2 of the multi-purpose Alexandria Hall, which was completely transformed into a sports stadium housing a glass-enclosed playing field, a broadcasting table, a grandstand, VIP area and press area.  The red carpet brought together more than 60 VIPs, including Shakira, Marc Márquez and Jordi Alba, and renowned streamers, and the press areas hosted more than 30 media outlets which covered the event. At the broadcasting table, Llanos and Piqué were accompanied by the commentators Alfredo Duro, Cristóbal Soria, Jorge D’Alessandro and Ander Cortés.

The latest digital and audiovisual technology was installed in the convention centre for a broadcast that required more than a dozen cameras, cranes, audiovisual equipment and super slow motion for the VAR serving the “Balloon eye”, led by Nacho Tellado. The main referee was Rafa Guerrero.

The matches were held in an enclosed space in which each player had to prevent the balloon tossed by their opponent from falling to the ground. To mark the court for the match, a glazed cube measuring 64 square metres was built, decorated with furniture and inside which a car was installed for the final.

For the director of PortAventura Business & Events, Laura Valdeolivas, “we have managed to transform our spaces in record time.   Thanks to the versatility of the different areas, a pioneering technical infrastructure and our professional team, we have managed to successfully host the Balloon World Cup whilst hosting the operations centre for the 56th RACC Catalonia-Costa Dorada Rally in parallel”.

On these event days, several halls at the convention centre were set up to make it possible to host this great world sporting event which, together with the Balloon World Cup, have once again turned PortAventura Business & Events into an international reference for event organisation.