00:00Cordoba will welcome POBLEO14, an event that requires extreme coordination and
00:06communications efforts across the city. To discuss the preparations and the
00:11significance of the visit for the local community, we join Agustin Gasteazoro,
00:18the Director of Communications of Cordoba City. Welcome Agustin to tell
00:23Professor English. Hi, how are you? Thank you. Well, how is the city of Cordoba preparing to welcome the Pope?
00:31And what are the expectations you see among local residents ahead of his visit?
00:37Well, we are really happy to receive Pope Leo tomorrow morning. He will arrive here to Cordoba City in the
00:48morning.
00:48He will give a mass at FADEA, this plane factory here in the city. And we are expecting almost one
00:57million people there.
01:01Yeah, and also how the municipal governments prepared for the Pope's visit and how did you coordinate with the provincial
01:09government, the church and other institutions?
01:15Well, we are working together with the province and the church preparing this historic event here in the city.
01:23The municipality is giving free passes to the people who will go to the mass. And also we are making
01:35a lot of communication to the visitors and the tourists that are coming here to the city.
01:41And we are really happy to receive this Pope. The last time that a Pope came here to Cordoba was
01:49in 1987. It was the Pope Giovanni Paolo II.
01:54And we're really happy to receive a new Pope here.
01:57Yeah, and from a perspective of communications, what were the main challenges in keeping citizens informed and supporting the organizations
02:07of an event of this magnitude?
02:10Well, the first challenge was Valium. In two days, there are several venues, different scales, street closures that start today
02:19on Monday.
02:21And another start tomorrow, Tuesday. And we prepared a special bus services. And the second was the second challenge was
02:32taming. The details are changing all the time. And the operation was finally tuned. So we kept our guide map
02:41and maps updated to the last days.
02:43As I said, we prepared a website with all the information to the visitors and the tourists so they can
02:50find all the data that they need to go to the mass and the other events here in the city.
02:58Yeah. And what communication strategies did you develop to reach different sectors of the society, including people who are not
03:05usually involved in church activities?
03:10As a citywide event, not only a religious one. That means selling everyone what is changed in daily life. We
03:19have two holidays, today, Monday and tomorrow. We have a cross street, free buses and pedestrian stores.
03:26We built an official website with clear sections such as what to bring, how to get there and health and
03:35safety, plus maps and guide to the law. We also use the municipality social networks and the WhatsApp channel.
03:43For international visitors, we publish practical advice about documents, since bands are closed from November, the last Friday, and the
03:55airspace with restrictions on Tuesday.
03:57We also open the visit to everyone to go out a free cultural agenda, guide walk, concerts, light paintings and
04:05youth festival with music for all the texts.
04:08Right now, there is a music festival.
04:14Yeah. And how have people in Cordova responded during these preparations? Have there been any reactions or initiatives from local
04:23residents that particularly caught our attention?
04:27Well, what we see is participation and creativity, especially from the cultural community.
04:33The two examples of that is that over the weekend, a student from the Facultad de Artes of the Universidad
04:42Provincial de Cordova painted a light historic churches and on a series in series called Cordova Paints the Arrival of
04:49Leo 14.
04:50And local artists from folk, singers to quarteto and cumbia bands, showing the cultural program and the youth festival that
04:58is happening right now.
04:59The volunteers who will invite pilgrims tomorrow are another example of this community spirit.
05:07We are really happy to receive Leo here in Cordova.
05:10Yeah. And beyond the schedule events, what message do you hope the Pope's visit will leave in Cordova?
05:16And what impact do you think it will have in the life of the citizens?
05:21Well, we hope the visit leaves a message of encouragement, hospitality and hope, you know.
05:26The slogan of our official website says, well, Cordova goes out to meet you.
05:33For today, the city opens its door to everyone, believers and no believers, local and visitor.
05:39In terms of impact, we hope it demands between neighbors, between institutional and between generations, especially young people who had
05:49a central role in the vigil.
05:51We also hope it showcases Cordova to the world, its culture, its heritage and its landscapes and the Camino de
06:00Puerto Rico.
06:01And finally, it leaves us with experience. We have shown that a big city can organize a massive event with
06:10care of people, including those with disabilities, children and the elderly.
06:15And that's a legacy we want to look at.
06:17Yeah. And how do you organize the communications about roads, access points, transportations and also recommendations for people planning to
06:27attend the Pope's visit and activities in Cordova?
06:31Well, we're using the social media of the city of the municipality to get that recommendation.
06:37And also we work together with the social media, the TV, the newspaper, the radio to to leave that message
06:48to the neighbors and the visitors.
06:52Well, Agustin, thank you very much for joining us here and from the south.
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