Victor Genestar, Founder of La Isla Social Club

Victor, it’s very nice to meet you! Please tell us more about yourself. 
I was born in France, Parisian at the very core, Barcelonian at heart and Mauritian by adoption thanks to my wife Gwendoline; this sums up my life beautifully. We have been living in Grand Bay for over 10 years. I founded La Isla Social Club in 2015, a cultural media that highlights the new wave of talent on the island and organizes the Dreamers, La Isla 2068, We Love Maurice and Live dan Patrimoine events.

Was it a long-time dream of yours to work in the event industry?
My very first professional experience had a profound impact on me. It was in Paris, at We Love Art, a hyper creative event agency focused on new musical trends. At the time, We Love Art organized every three months the famous ‘We Love…’ parties, large and cutting-edge electronic parties in new and charismatic locations in the capital. Today, We Love Art has expanded and created We Love Green, the biggest festival in Paris. Their artistic vision and the concept fascinated me and La Isla Social Club was born from this experience. But my job is not limited to events. With La Isla Social Club we work more broadly in the cultural sector, from journalism to events, with a very significant video component: our concepts We Love Mauritius and Live dan Patrimoine shot in the most impressive spots of the island, are exciting to produce and are very successful. We want to make the treasures of the island shine and we do it quite well 😉

How would you describe the thrill of the festivals that you create?
LA ISLA 2068 is our biggest annual event set in the Château de Labourdonnais. It is also the only one with foreign headlining artists. The excitement is greater because everything is more intense in a festival. With LA ISLA 2068 we aim to be broad, with a more developed social and artistic side, while maintaining a demanding program. The objective is that the public is eager to discover high-quality talents that they might not know but that they will learn to love. Our other events, from Dreamers to La Isla Unplugged, are nomadic and focused on new local talent. More intimate but just as exciting!

What atmosphere does La Isla Social Club want to create? 
Atmosphere is an essential word for us. I see too many events that are empty of meaning, where there are no souls. From La Isla 2068 to Dreamers we are guided by the obsession to create a beautiful atmosphere that is friendly, family-oriented and positive. The selection of the artists is a big part of it, but also the choice of the place, the decor, the layout of our booths… And today we can say that every event of La Isla social club has a special, unique and stimulating atmosphere. There is a creative emulsion, there is always something going on… We are proud of it!

… The best festival you have ever experienced?
My favourite is the Sonar in Barcelona. Every year in June, it’s the big mass of electronic music, the city is in turmoil, everyone enjoys it, and hundreds of micro-events are added to the festival. It’s intense and exciting to discover the new talents of the electronic scene. Today, like any festival that grows, the Sonar is a little victim of its own success. Before the festival was on the beach, on a human scale, now it’s in huge hangars on the outskirts of the city. I also like very much the Iceland Airwaves festival in Iceland. This is a more modest festival of modern music, but it has had a huge impact on tourism on the island. For us, it is very interesting to see the evolution of all these festivals. We truly believe that Cultural tourism is the future. 

Interview translated to English