תאריך בפורטוגל
Clock Icon

From construction to lights, Portuguese companies take advantage of WYD to make money

From construction to lights, Portuguese companies take advantage of WYD to make money

In addition to the impact on transport, restaurants and hotels, World Youth Day “animates” business in other sectors, from construction to industry, clothing and entertainment.
With the most recent estimates pointing to a total of approximately 1.2 million pilgrims, World Youth Day (WYD), which takes place in Lisbon from August 1 to 6 with the participation of Pope Francis – who will be in Portugal for a total of 128 hours and participate in 19 ceremonies – represents an overall expenditure of around 160 million euros, divided between the State, municipalities and the Church.

In addition to boosting the economy in sectors such as transport, catering or hotels, as the Prime Minister pointed out – albeit below the estimate of tourism entrepreneurs in recent months – the mega religious event in the capital also served to “animate” the business of many Portuguese companies, from construction to industry, through clothing or entertainment.

Construction company from Batalha executed main enclosure

Following a limited tender for prior qualification in which competitors ABB, Manvia, Mota-Engil, Conduril and Vibeiras participated, the construction company Oliveiras – founded in 1981, based in Batalha and employing 240 people – signed for close to seven million euros the rehabilitation of the former Beirolas Landfill, the 35-hectare area that serves as the main venue for the WYD, inserted in the new Tejo-Trancão Intermunicipal Park, which involves the municipalities of Lisbon and Loures.

The contract included the modeling of the landfill, execution of biogas infrastructure, leachate, water and fire networks, irrigation networks, paths and paths, landscaping and green areas. The works also included the execution of foundations for the altar of the main celebrations.

Mota-Engil frees containers and erects altar-palace

Another of the largest contracts – and perhaps the most controversial – was awarded to Mota-Engil. After the controversy surrounding the amount to be paid, which erupted in January this year after the award and even included criticism from the President of the Republic, the altar-palace in the Tejo-Trancão Park was valued at 2.98 million euros, below the initial 4.2 million euros. To this amount is added €1.1 million for the roof, which was entrusted to Oliveiras.

Almost a year earlier, in March 2022, in this case delivered by Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the group that this year came to be led by Carlos Mota Santos had also been awarded the contract to free part of the Bobadela logistics complex for that space to welcome pilgrims during WYD.

Pedestrian bridge “closed” for three million

One of the first contracts to be awarded, as early as June 2021 by EMEL – Empresa Municipal de Mobilidade e Estacionamento de Lisboa, was eventually won by the construction company ABB – Alexandre Barbosa Borges, SA: the construction of the pedestrian bridge over the Trancão River had a total cost of almost three million euros. With factories in Oliveira de Frades, Pegões and Almeirim, Carmo Wood was also involved in the wooden walkways that will “make way” for the Pope.

Fatima factory “injects” rosaries into WYD

It was at the Farup religious articles factory, located on Avenida dos Pastorinhos, in Fátima, that all the rosaries and the official dozens of this year’s edition of WYD were made. The company run by Francisco Pereira and Alexandre Ferreira, which employs nearly 15 people permanently, started producing rosaries more than half a century ago. With the development of the molding industry and the injection of plastics made indoors, it later added the production of images, crucifixes and medals. It currently exports nearly 30% of these items to markets such as the USA, Germany, Italy or France.

Companies from Paredes “furnish” the ceremonies

Two companies from the municipality of Paredes, in the district of Porto, produced several pieces of furniture for WYD. Laskasas, which employs 485 workers in Rebordosa and has a turnover of 33.5 million euros per year, was involved in the manufacture of a total of 18 pieces of liturgical furniture, such as the altar, the pulpit or more than a dozen benches and chairs also for deacons or altar servers.

Also challenged by the municipality, Fenabel, installed in the same parish and which claims the title of largest Portuguese chair factory – 95% of the turnover is made abroad – has prepared the chairs where Pope Francis and the President of the Republic will sit, in the Palace of Belém, and another that will serve for the private meetings of the head of the Catholic Church.

Chalices have hands from Gondomar and art from Santo Tirso

Made of metal, plated with silver and with a golden interior, the more than 200 chalices and 6,000 pyxes (a kind of bowl for distributing the hosts at the moment of communion) that will be used in the WYD ceremonies were supplied by the Domingos Guedes goldsmith workshop, located in Gondomar. She was selected by competition and, for the design of these liturgical pieces, with which she was busy for more than a year, she challenged Avelino Leite, an artist from Santo Tirso, who in 2010 had already been chosen to paint a set of 20 watercolors that were offered to Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Portugal, for the 10th anniversary of the beatification of the little shepherds of Fatima.

Alentejo wheat to produce one million communion wafers

About one million communion wafers were produced by hand by the Poor Clare Sisters of the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Estrela (Lisbon) for the WYD Eucharist. According to the organization, two tons of Alentejo soft wheat were used in the manufacture, donated in three phased deliveries (February, April and May this year) by the National Association of Producers of Protein, Oilseeds and Cereals (ANPOC), together with Germen – Moagem de Cereais, a company of the Better Foods group.

Pope’s robes with Serra da Estrela burel

In the coming days, Pope Francis will wear vestments with applications of burel – a thick woolen thread from Serra da Estrela – embroidered with gold thread, after a proposal made by the WYD Foundation, which was accepted by the Vatican and realized by the Portuguese Burel Factory, co-founded by Isabel Costa. “It is the first time that the burel is used in a papal vestment, representing the symbol of the participation of the interior of the country – and of the traditional Portuguese culture – in these celebrations”, indicated the organization.

In addition to the manufacture of the papal vestments, a total of ten thousand vestments are being produced for the thousands of priests and about 700 bishops who will be present at the event, with almost 50 kilometers of fabric having been used. Highlighting the “opportunity to show Portuguese art to the world”, the Portuguese organization pointed out that, in addition to burel, bobbin lace from Peniche will also be present on the altar cloth of the final Mass, presided over by Pope Francis in Campo da Graça (Parque Tejo).

Meo secures technology and telecommunications

The municipality of Lisbon has already signed a €1.5 million contract with Meo for the installation of multimedia points and rental of technical equipment in Parque Eduardo VII. Between 1 and 6 August 2023, the company will be the technological and telecommunications partner of WYD, being in charge of providing access to the fiber optic network, reinforcing mobile coverage, access to the wi-fi network, in addition to the development of the official website and mobile application (app) with content in the five official languages of the meeting: Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian and French.

Pixel Light provides audiovisual coverage at Parque Tejo

The central government has awarded nearly three dozen contracts worth more than €10 million. Of this list, the contract that had the highest cost, in a public tender that had an allocation of 5.9 million euros, is related to audio and video systems, ambient lighting and the respective power supply for the Tejo-Trancão Park. The contract was signed with the company Pixel Light, based in Vialonga, in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, which has in its curriculum works with Rock in Rio or the production of the Eurovision festival.

Everything Is New manages event logistics in Oeiras

A few days before the start of the event, the Oeiras City Council signed a contract with Everything is New worth 684.5 thousand euros for the “production, management of the venue, support for the assembly and disassembly of equipment for the events” scheduled for the Passeio Marítimo de Algés, where the event producer led by Álvaro Covões holds the Alive festival. The production and installation of an entrance gantry for the Pope, worth 25 thousand euros, was awarded directly to the company BigBrand.

Azevedos Laboratories provides medicines

Laboratórios Azevedos, a group that exports medicines to five continents and has a team of about 500 employees, will provide support to WYD pilgrims in the provision of primary health care. According to a statement, within the scope of the event, a drug donation program is planned so that participants can “have access to medication safely, if they need it, regardless of their financial condition”, and in conjunction with entities of the National Health Service (primary health care, INEM and hospitals in the region).

Vasco da Gama opens exclusive floor for pilgrims

Until August 6, the Vasco da Gama shopping center, located in Parque das Nações, will have its third floor exclusively for WYD pilgrims. In this area, said the shopping center owned by Sonae Sierra, they will find several rest areas, tables, points to charge their cell phones and access to the wi-fi network. And in view of the expected influx during this period, it announced the reinforcement of the various service and support teams: from cleaning to security, as well as the information desk.

Jewelry companies launch special collections

Many other companies are using the occasion to launch new products. In the jewelry industry, for example, the historic Leitão & Irmão took the opportunity to launch the “Jornada Pack”, consisting of a rosary and a ring with a PVP of €990; or Alcino, which brought together jewelry pieces, such as pearl rosaries and scapulars, to backpack pins, in a collection that features pieces in silver and silver with 18-carat gold plating.

Leave a Reply

Here you can search for anything you want

Everything that is hot also happens in our social networks