[COLOR=red]YNOT Europe exclusive[/COLOR]

By Alejandra García

YNOT EUROPE – Juani de Lucía is one of Spain’s most prestigious entrepreneurs. An economist by profession and dedicated to porn show business, she is well known as both a disciplined and principled business woman and a friends to many of the top performers in adult.

Lucía owns Bagdad, the pioneering temple of live sex shows in Barcelona. Considered the European leader in its field, the club has been open for almost 36 years. For nearly four decades, Lucía has operated her creation without a change in philosophy, without changing atmosphere and, above all, without changing ownership.

Charming and vibrant, she sat down to speak with YNOT Europe about the club, about the adult business and about the future.

YNOT Europe: In operation since 1975, Bagdad is a “family business” that has achieved international success. Is there a formula behind your almost unheard-of achievement?
Juani de Lucía: We do not embrace formulas because they don’t work. We’re just trying to do things the way we think have to do them, both from a commercial point of view as well as a human perspective. This business is not just a company. It has a very personal side. In fact, we often call ourselves the “Bagdad family” — and that is more than a mere expression.

What is the greatest obstacle you’ve had to overcome over the years?
There is no single obstacle. Our greatest challenge has been and remains that this business is a marathon, not a sprint. No matter the speed, we must conserve and persevere.

Many artists began their careers on the stage at Bagdad. What do you remember most fondly?
It is difficult to choose just a few names after 36 years. Of course we cannot ignore artists like Nacho Vidal and Sophie Evans, who still are part of the family, or visitors like Cicciolina and Rocco Siffredi. As important as any performer is the staff, many of whom have continued with our company for years. They work offstage, but they have contributed to the stability and success of the club. A nightclub is not just what you see onstage. Everything and everyone has to work together, like cogs in a machine.

What was the landscape like for an adult business when you opened Bagdad?
In some ways the marketplace was nothing but open doors in 1975. Everything was still taboo; we still lived under a moral dictatorship. Bagdad broke molds, and we were pioneers in showing sex without censorship. In some ways, not much has changed.

Your website, Bagdad.com, introduced the club to the world using new technologies. How has the internet changed your business?
It’s been very interesting to meet new challenges and new ways of doing business. The web, webcams, streaming our shows, collaborations with other companies…. In this business, as elsewhere, one must evolve and learn.

Economically, does the internet “add” or “subtract?”
It contributes, of course. In this or any other business, the activities must be economically viable on- and offline.

As a woman who works in the “sex business,” what pros and cons have you seen?
I think the advantage of being a woman is that you may have more empathy. But it is also true that sometimes I have to make clear that before anything else, I am a professional.

In recent years, you have received offers to sell your company? Why haven’t you?
None of the proposals tempted us to abandon our idea of family business.

How has Bagdad’s international reputation affected it as a local business?
The international reputation has been due mainly to the many customers and reporters who have passed through Bagdad. They are the ones who spread the word to many countries. It is rewarding to be known far from the borders of Spain.

What’s the secret of success that makes Bagdad so unique?
I think Bagdad has achieved a reputation for spotting and developing talent, possibly because so many of our family have gone on to become stars. We try to support our artists, encouraging them to evolve, to try new things.

What is the future for a club like Bagdad? Perhaps franchising?
We could not let the brand be used by anyone else, so franchising is hardly feasible. We actually had the intention to open a branch, not a franchise, in Madrid a few months ago, but we could not get the required permits. So we will remain here, in Barcelona, for many more years.