Iulius Town Timisoara celebrated its second anniversary in September, having completely revitalised the city centre of Timisoara in the two years since it opened. Iulius events manager Roxana Cruceanu gives a glimpse behind the scenes.

Congratulations! Were you able to celebrate this year?

Since it opened on 31 August 2019, Iulius Town has offered a new lifestyle to residents, boosted the regional business market, and made Timisoara even more attractive as a place to live in. So, despite the atypical social context, we celebrated these two years of spectacular experiences with the people of Timisoara, who were invited to “Picnic in My Town” over four days in September.

Iulius Town is a vibrant project that has become the main destination for social interaction in Timisoara. Because it integrates a generous urban garden, the anniversary as well as other events scheduled this summer could take place safely, adapted to the new rules governing our lives.

What form did the celebrations take – please share all the details?

The “Picnic in my Town” took place in Iulius Gardens between 16-19 September and was a festival-like event featuring great music by some of Romania’s top bands and DJs. Foodies were treated to street food from around the world, while celebrity Chef Foa shared his culinary secrets with cooking enthusiasts.  

There were stand-up comedy shows by famous artists, street-art performances that combined dance and fire, a 360-degree photo booth, anniversary prizes and many activities for children including puppet shows and cooking workshops. The anniversary celebrations really captured the magic that Iulius Town has brought to Timisoara over the past two years.

The footfall increased by around 30% during the anniversary weekend.

We really are living in a new world since the start of the pandemic – what measures have become standard now when welcoming people to celebrate with you? How do you keep people safe?

The generous space in Iulius Gardens has been the setting for most major events in Timisoara, from film screenings, concerts supporting local talent, themed or throwback parties, puppet shows, a festival dedicated to innovation, technology and urban art, or Picnic in My Town.

Being able to host people outdoors in a natural setting has been key. All events observed social-distancing requirements and in some cases wearing protective masks was mandatory, as required by official regulations. We have constantly adapted to the restrictions imposed and to the safety requirements for participants, from body temperature-based triage and providing disinfectants to – more recently – checking green certificates and providing testing options.

In this way we’ve been able to give the people of Timisoara the chance to enjoy great experiences even under these special conditions. We will continue to do our best to provide opportunities for the community to socialise, while putting their safety first.

If you think back to Timisoara before Iulius Town, and what the development has introduced to the city; what would you say is the most notable improvement this asset has brought to the community?

Iulius Town has transformed an industrial area of Timisoara into a lifestyle center, as the first mixed-use project in the west of Romania and a business, retail and social landmark for the entire region. In the short time of two years Iulius Town has been embraced so organically by the city that it feels as if it has always been there.

From an economic perspective, Iulius Town has shaped the regional business hub, creating the necessary office infrastructure to support Timisoara in developing its investment attractiveness. The three operational class A office buildings, with an area of 50 000 sqm, have generated new opportunities for companies and created numerous jobs for local talent. A community has formed here comprising more than 30 companies and over 5 000 people creating exciting technologies.

Iulius Town also provides the largest shopping area outside Bucharest, accommodating more than 450 stores and the latest retail concepts in Europe. This is the go-to leisure destination, with the largest variety of themed cafes and restaurants, the first-ever VIP cinema concept in the region, and the largest fitness centre in the country. The project also includes the premium events centre and all the services that make life easier and help save time, including a school and kindergarten.

But the main attraction, among all of the above, is still Iulius Gardens, an oasis of nature where the community gathers to relax, and which accommodates unique urban experiences.

What have been the highlights of the past year at Iulius Town? Challenging times often force people to think out the box, can you share an example which has paid dividends?

“Adaptation” has been the keyword for the Iulius Town team. Many new strategies emerged from wanting to keep up with and even anticipate challenges. In terms of maintaining public safety, our projects stood out by implementing an online video platform that allows users to view the shopping mall and park occupancy levels. We applied many more out-of-the-box strategies in our operating activity, ranging from tenant support schemes that increased tenant retention, a reconfiguration of spaces allocated to retail areas that performed better during the pandemic, partnerships with delivery platforms, all the way to programmes supporting the entrepreneurial community in general. One example is the “Go Local” programme dedicated to new entrepreneurs and producers, who are granted incentives (including advertising) if they partner with Iulius Mall projects.

From a marketing perspective, the strategy is to constantly organise novel, highly attractive events that cater to the public demand for experiences closer to home. These events are a source of optimism and confidence and have always been appreciated by the public. Some of this year’s events include the spectacular light installations by British artist Luke Jerram, an exhibition of rare retro cars, replicas of DaVinci’s fabulous works, a museum providing small-scale renderings of the atmosphere of Romanian homes in the interwar and communist periods, as well as art and music festivals.

It is only 11 weeks until Christmas! What does the rest of the year look like at Iulius Town – are you starting to plan for the festive season?

We have already started preparations for a spectacular Christmas Fair to bring the European pre-holiday atmosphere into the park, including a Ferris wheel for a sky-high experience. Christmas at Iulius Town will be circus-themed, with a towering tree, animated characters and virtual experiences.

Bright lights, seasonal goodies and snowy rooftops promise a magical experience for Timisoara locals in the run-up to the most wonderful time of the year, an experience we hope to deliver given the unpredictability of the whole pandemic context in Romania.