Harry Potter, success story

The most anticipated exhibition for fans of the universe created by J.K. Rowling landed at IFEMA MADRID on November 18. Harry Potter: The Exhibition has become a phenomenon that has already captivated more than four million people in 11 cities around the world. Who hasn't read or enjoyed a Harry Potter movie? A unique event in Spain where thousands of curious people will enjoy activities, sculptures or mythical characters from the Harry Potter world until April 1.

Experiential and traveling exhibition

It is a commercial exhibition with a very high experiential component, where as soon as you enter the magic of Harry Potter surrounds you and you get right into it, you feel as if you were entering the movies. For Verónica Basanta de Sold Out, Project Manager of Harry Potter: The Exhibition, "the biggest challenge of bringing an exhibition like this is to be able to transmit all the magic created by the writer J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter saga and that the fans when they visit it are transported to the world of Harry Potter". He also adds that technically it is necessary to make an adaptation so that it can be shown in the most ideal way in each venue. Another challenge is the management of the public: being an exhibition with such a large number of visitors, everything has to work like clockwork, and it is very important that all the equipment is perfectly coordinated so that visitors have the best possible experience, says Verónica Basanta.

Institutional support

 Harry Potter: The Exhibition is a private initiative of Sold Out and Encore as local promoters in Spain, in collaboration with GES and Warner Bros Consumer Products Ltd. It is an event that provides an important economic injection for Madrid, the only city in Spain that has received the event within its international itinerary. Verónica assures that there have been no sponsors or institutional support, although both IFEMA MADRID and the Madrid City Council have welcomed the initiative and have been very supportive.

Record attendance: tourists, onlookers and Harry Potter fans

 So far more than 250,000 tickets have been sold, a public varied in age and origin, Verónica Basanta says that "many of our visitors are from outside Madrid and come to visit the exhibition as the main reason for their trip. We also have a significant number of foreign visitors, who are passing through Madrid and do not want to miss the exhibition, so we expect to reach a figure of 350,000 visitors in less than 5 months, when the exhibition ends on April 2, 2018."

A phenomenon that appeals to different generations

"Depending on the days, we have a maximum capacity of 6,000 visitors per day throughout Pavilion 1 of IFEMA MADRID." The public is very diverse, there are many young people, thirty-somethings, but also many families. Let's not forget that Harry Potter is a very transgenerational phenomenon, it's been 20 years since the first of the books was published and today it continues to be one of the most beloved entertainment characters," explains Verónica Basanta.

The communication strategy is adapted to each country and each moment in time

The exhibition is open to Madrid through different actions and teaser elements. "For us it has been fundamental the action we have done in collaboration with the City of Madrid, to get an appetizer of the exhibition to all the people of Madrid before the exhibition began. We placed 4 giant sculptures, replicas of iconic characters and objects from the Harry Potter saga in 4 key points of Madrid. Everyone wanted to take a picture with Dobby, with the Nimbus 2000, the Sorting Hat or next to the flying Ford Anglia, there were queues every day. For us this action was key to arouse interest in the exhibition and to publicize the arrival of the exhibition," explains Verónica Basanta.