Monocle Quality of Life 2025 – Be there

Barcelona, the Iberian hotspot of culture, creativity, and bold ambition, is the new stage for Monocle’s tenth annual Quality of Life Conference. September 4 - 6, 2025, the Catalan capital will welcome a global roster of visionaries, thinkers, and doers for a three-day rendezvous of fresh ideas, dynamic discussions, and exceptional encounters.

Curated by Monocle and Winkreative, this must-attend event is helmed by none other than Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Tyler Brûlé. The agenda? A deep dive into the future of urbanism, design, business, and the evolving fabric of modern life—through the lens of those shaping it.

Barcelona: A City That Gets It Right

If there were ever a city that embodies the ethos of quality of life, Barcelona would be it. A creative powerhouse with a deep-rooted heritage, the city pulses with artistic expression, innovative urban planning, and a convivial Mediterranean rhythm.

This is a place where Gaudí’s architectural dreams rise from the streets, where beachside strolls segue into business meetings over a plate of Esqueixada and a glass of crisp Cava. It’s a city that blends historical elegance with cutting-edge modernity, where independent bookshops, fashion ateliers, and Michelin-starred restaurants coexist with lively neighbourhood markets and sun-dappled plazas. More than a backdrop, Barcelona is a statement—the ideal setting for a conversation about how cities, businesses, and people can craft a smarter, more enriching way to live. 

A Gathering of Minds

Expect a carefully curated mix of 20+ speakers—architects, designers, civic planners, entrepreneurs, and journalists—who will take the stage to deliver fresh insights, challenge conventions, and spark debate. Whether it's the future of urban mobility, the role of design in diplomacy, or how craftsmanship is making a comeback, each session is built to inform, inspire, and ignite ideas.

This conference thrives on energy—the kind that spills into chance conversations over an espresso continues in lively after-hours gatherings and finds its way into new partnerships and ventures. It’s where 200 like-minded delegates come together, not just to listen, but to engage, exchange, and build. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Monocle affair without a little something extra. Beyond the main stage, attendees can expect rooftop receptions with panoramic city views, private tours of Barcelona’s design-forward districts and convivial dinners where conversation flows as easily as the local vermouth.

This is not just about sitting in a conference hall—it’s about immersing yourself in a city that lives and breathes the ideas we’ll be discussing.

The Monocle Quality of Life Conference Barcelona 2025 is an unmissable event for those who shape cities, build brands, and seek a better way of living. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a designer, or simply someone who believes in doing things differently, this is your cue to book your spot. See you in Barcelona.

Voices Shaping Tomorrow: Monocle’s Keynote Line-Up in Barcelona

From the poetic potential of urbanism to the future of slow fashion and luminous design, Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference 2025 gathers a cerebral cast of thinkers, makers and quiet revolutionaries. Here are just a few of the keynote speakers taking the stage in Barcelona this September.

Javier Marset
CEO, Marset

An economist by training and a purist at heart, Javier Marset steers his family’s storied lighting brand with a quiet devotion to simplicity, good design and generational integrity. What began as a foundry in 1940 has evolved into a global design house with a conscience. Javier’s minimalist ethos remains its guiding light.

Jeanne Autran-Edorh
Co-founder, Studio NEiDA

Architect Jeanne Autran-Edorh brings a global gaze sharpened by stints at Herzog & de Meuron, Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Kéré Architecture. Co-founder of Studio NEiDA and co-curator of Togo’s inaugural Venice Biennale pavilion, her work threads together place, politics and poetic form in ways that challenge and uplift.

Adriana Domínguez
Executive Chairwoman, Adolfo Domínguez

At the helm of one of Spain’s most iconic fashion houses, Adriana Domínguez is leading a quiet revolution in sustainability and sartorial philosophy. Her approach blends legacy with renewal, encouraging a reflective dialogue between brand and society. She is rethinking not only how we dress, but why.

Jordi Labanda
Illustrator and Visual Commentator

Graphic designer and editorial illustrator Jordi Labanda has long chronicled culture with a stylised pen. From La Vanguardia to The New York Times, his aesthetic universe captures the elegance of everyday scenes with wit and clarity. A sharp observer of trends and temperament, his work bridges fashion, identity and nostalgia.

Marcos Parera Blanch
Creative Director and Co-founder, Mesura

Architect Marcos Parera Blanch channels big ideas through local context. As co-founder of Barcelona-based Mesura, his practice includes thoughtful interventions such as the reimagining of Dubrovnik’s Old Town for both locals and travellers. His approach balances heritage with liveability in an age of hypermobility.

Gorana Grgić
Monocle Security Correspondent

A political scientist with a diplomat’s poise, Gorana Grgić offers rare fluency in transatlantic affairs. Based in Zürich but rooted in the geopolitics of Central Europe, her lens on global security is clear-eyed, rigorous and refreshingly human. Expect insights that connect foreign policy with lived experience.

David Martí Vilardosa
Editor and director of product design, Santa & Cole

An industrial designer with a background in editorial direction and product development, Vilardosa has been part of Santa & Cole for the past 16 years. He specialises in lighting and design, playing a key role in shaping the catalogue and expanding the brand’s international presence.

Fergus Feilden
Director and co-founder, Feilden Fowles

Feilden is known for delivering complex projects for clients including the UK’s National Trust and the Science Museum Group. A regular judge of the Riba Awards, he is passionate about how his practice’s low-technology approach responds to environmental needs.

Emre Arolat
Co-founder and principal, EAA, Emre Arolat Architecture

EAA is an internationally recognised practice with offices in London and Istanbul. An honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Arolat teaches at institutions including Paris’s Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine and the Yale School of Architecture.

David Mira Mulero
Head concierge at the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona 

Mira is a passionate ambassador of the art of a good welcome, with more than a decade of luxury-hospitality experience. Since 2018 he has been a proud member of Les Clefs d’Or, the prestigious international network of hotel concierges dedicated to excellence in service and authentic local connection.

Victor Wilhelmi
Managing director, Buchinger  Wilhelmi Marbella 

A graduate in hospitality administration from the École  Hôtelière  de  Lausanne, Wilhelmi’s career has taken him from London to Mumbai. An MBA alumnus of IESE Business School, he has been MD of therapeutic-fasting clinic Buchinger  Wilhelmi Marbella since 2018. Wilhelmi has also founded an e‑learning startup and created a fasting coach app.

Keiji Takeuchi
Founder, Keiji Takeuchi Design Office 

Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Keiji Takeuchi spent most of his youth in New Zealand. After a decade working with designer ​​Naoto Fukasawa, he relocated to Milan in 2015 and set up his own practice. A regular collaborator with brands such as the US’s MillerKnoll and Italy’s Boffi | DePadova, Takeuchi oversaw the recent Walking Sticks & Canes exhibition during last year’s Milan Design Week.