SEPI Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales

Today takes place the 75th anniversary of the birth of AGENCIA EFE and the inauguration of its new hade office in Madrid and of a great historical exhibit will be the two key ceremonies in a year full of commemorative activities.

The ceremonies will begin during the first week of February, with the inauguration of the new head offices of the news agency in Madrid, in an 18-floor building at the avenida de Burgos, at the Northern part of the capital, a ceremony to which the Royal Household has been invited.

This 18-floor building, in which Efe will occupy the first 15 floors, has a surface of about 11,000 square meters, plus a premise on the ground floor in which have been installed the television studios; it was built in 1988 and refurbished in 2010. It replaces the former head office at street Espronceda, where the news agency has stayed for the last 36 years.

The building is owned by SEPIDES, a company which is part of SEPI, which in turn is the sole shareholder of Agencia EFE.

With practically open-plan floors, which provide a great deal of daylight to all work stations, it is fitted with meeting rooms with all the required facilities, multi-purpose and leisure areas, all of them with the aim of increasing the collaboration among the different departments and delegations, improving the production processes and promoting communication.

As the move from street Ayala to street Espronceda meant EFE’s consolidation and expansion as the first Spanish speaking news agency and the fourth in the world, the news agency hopes that thanks to the effort put by “all the great professionals” which make it up, this will constitute an opportunity for continue being a modern and competitive company.

A great historical exhibit

The other key ceremony for commemorating the anniversary will be the inauguration of a great historical exhibit which will open at the Casa del lector, at the facilities of the cultural center El Matadero, in Madrid.

The exhibit, which will cover more than 1,100 square meters, will tell about the 75 years of Efe’s life, its technological evolution, its main coverage, both at domestic and international level, and how from a small premise at street Vitoria in Burgos it became the fourth news agency in the world, and the first in the Spanish language.

This narrative will always go hand in hand with the evolution of Spain and Latin America, and in the exhibit, whose cartel will be made by the photographer, painter and poetess Ouka Leele, will be displayed the images, sounds and even the dresses which have characterized each of the seven and a half decades of Spain’s and Latin American’s societies.

Photography will be one of the key elements, both in this historical exhibit and in the travelling exhibit which will be displayed in the different regions of Spain, as well as a number of Latin American countries; this exhibit shows the most stunning photos broadcasted by the news agency in those years.

These photos will be collected in a book in which have collaborated with articles such significant personalities, both from Spain and from other countries, as the king of Spain Juan Carlos I, the Spanish Premier, Mariano Rajoy; the US President, Barack Obama, and that of Bolivia, Evo Morales; as well as the former Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva.

It includes also collaborations from former Spanish Premiers, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, researchers, sportspersons, etc., up to a total of 80 literary collaborations.

Besides, Efe will play host in 2014 to the assemblies of MINDS, EANA and AMAN, the three most important international associations of news agencies. The first two will take place in April in Madrid, while the third will be held in June in Alicante.

Efe will also feature two summer courses at Universidad Complutense in Madrid and Universidad Menéndez Pelayo, in Santander. In the first with a course which will take place at El Escorial regarding 'Efe within the framework of the International News Agencies”, while in Santander the course will deal about 'Journalists from both sides of the Atlantic.'

Meetings about specialized journalism

At the auditorium of the Casa del Lector, coinciding with the historical exhibit, a number of meetings will take place about journalism specialized on health, the environment, technologies, etc.

Sociedad Estatal de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and the national organization for blind persons ONCE have joined these ceremonies, dedicating draws to Efe’s 75th anniversary, while the state-owned post company sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos will issue a commemorative stamp.