It is still exciting to receive a cup or a medal

BarcelonaAs much as everything is digital today, as much as gaming, entertainment, and competitions have conquered online ground, it is still just as exciting to receive an award or recognition in a physical format. This does not go out of style. A cup, a medal, a plaque, a winner's trophy, second, third, fourth place, or, in most cases, a participant's trophy. That immortal cliché “the important thing is to participate” remains current and in operation. And to attest to this, there is the fascinating world of trophies. And Laudo’s is an absolute reference in this field. This year they celebrate their fiftieth anniversary and are experiencing it to the fullest.

Without stopping work, without stopping serving orders to sports federations, public and private entities, parent associations (AFAs) of all kinds of schools and educational centers, companies, and individuals. They have a shop open to the public at 274 Diputació Street, but their retail sales are purely testimonial. Yes, there is the occasional citizen who orders a medal or a plaque to celebrate a grandfather's centenary, a wedding anniversary, or a coming-of-age. And they are delighted to be able to serve them. But the bulk of Laudo’s business is something else.

Miquel Loscos, one of the founders –in 1976 in a premises on Pau Claris street– and Anna Paré, administrator, explain it to us. And they point out a fundamental date, the beginning of the eighties, with the foundation of the Barcelona School Sports Council (CEEB), which leads to an exponential multiplication of the presence of sport in schools. Competitions of all kinds are created: football, basketball, athletics, hockey, handball, swimming, etc. And, of course, this whole framework requires being well supplied with awards to present. Laudo’s had already been at the service of federations, clubs, and town councils for a few years, but at this point, the work intensified.

The year 1992 was also an important year, becoming suppliers for the pilot tests of the Barcelona Olympic Games. After a lean time, they made a good recovery thanks to their good positioning both nationally and internationally with sporting events of all kinds. It works in their favor that there are not many companies that dedicate themselves to the same field.

What are the essential moments of the business during the year? On one hand, every weekend, traditionally the days when most sporting events are held. Cups, medals, and trophies must be served on time so that all winners or participants can receive them at the precise moment required. And the other essential period is the end of the season, May-June, when the competitions finish. They accept all kinds of orders, with the material –metal, resin, ceramic, methacrylate– and the shape desired. Before, there were many artisans dedicated to manufacturing, today there are very few left and imports are, in a high figure, from abroad. Especially from China.

Miquel and Anna regret that today what prevails in customer demand is above all price and not the quality of materials. “We have to adapt to everything to remain competitive and retain customers.” In the past, they had up to six engravers, a process – the personalization of trophies – that is today almost entirely mechanized. At Laudo’s there are now eight employees. It is difficult for them to calculate the production volume they have. How many medals can they supply per year? “Oh! More than 100,000, absolutely! Our maxim is good service, our client will never be left without the trophies to deliver when the time comes,” they respond.

Corporate gifts? Whatever you want. Conventions that give attendees a gift in the shape of a Passeig de Gràcia street lamp or the Canaletes fountain. Or a Parc Güell dragon, too. Or in the shape of Saint George killing the dragon. Visiting Laudo’s is to contemplate an endless array of possibilities. A temple of the physical format, of the excitement of participating embodied in an object.