Daniel Martínez, the founder of the Focus Group, received the Gold Medal for Cultural Merit from the Barcelona City Council on Monday. At a ceremony held in the Saló de Cent, the city's mayor, Jaume Collboni, described Martínez as "a determined and visionary businessman with extraordinary leadership skills." Also in attendance were the Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández Almodóvar; the Secretary of State for Culture, Jordi Martí; and the Councilor for Culture and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé. Accompanied by his family and various figures from the world of theater, Martínez expressed his gratitude for the medal and the words dedicated to him by actor and director Josep Maria Pou in his eulogy. According to Collboni, "the name of Daniel Martínez is now forever linked to the contemporary history of Catalan and Barcelonan culture." "Today, Barcelona's public and private theaters are a winning combination. A cultural partnership that has brought more than three million theatergoers to the city annually. And that's thanks to a powerful business sector, capable of investing and taking risks, always keeping the audience's desires in mind. This has been the vision and purpose of the Focus Group."