“The truth is that I never thought about reaching this level.” That’s how he starts the conversation Yann Pissenemstill with the emotion of the gala that concluded on Wednesday night the International Leisure Congress in Valencia where [UNVRS] was elected Best Club of the World 2025, accompanied by Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa Ibiza completing the podium.
La Voz de Ibiza spoke with him just after the event to review a season marked by works, programming adjustments and a schedule that hardly allows him to sleep. It is the first interview he grants after the inauguration of the new world temple.
“We are super happy, super grateful that they voted for us massively to give us the top 3,” he stresses. And about [UNVRS] he adds: “It was a big bet, something difficult and ambitious“.
“[UNVRS] was a tough gamble…and on the last day we were still painting.”
Pissenem explains that opening a new club in Ibiza always involves pressure: “Everyone is looking at you, everyone is going to analyze what you do“. [ UNVRS], he recalls, was built under a deadline: “The work was pharaonic, we didn’t know if we were going to make it… we were painting until the last day“.
In this line, he highlights the support of artists and promoters with whom he closed deals before opening and being sure of being able to make the dates on time. “We weren’t.”
The recognition, he insists, is collective: “It’s a reward for all the magnificent team I have“.
Pissenem himself admits that the construction of [UNVRS] was an unprecedented leap. “The work was Pharaonic, it cost us a lot and we didn’t know if we were going to make it,” he recalls.
As he explains, the project progressed against the clock: “We were painting until the last day. In this first block, Pissenem highlights the collective work: “There has been an immense amount of work on the part of everyone.
“The truth is that I never considered when I started in this world to reach this level,” he admits.
Acoustics and structure: “We treat the building as an ‘opera house'”.
Pissenem describes precisely how the soundproofing of [UNVRS] was designed: “We soundproofed the entire perimeter… 1.47-meter-wide walls, 13 layers of materials, we had to avoid disturbing the neighbors at all costs“.
He also details the internal acoustic behavior: “The walls are tied to the columns and move like a heart when the sound plays“. In short: “We have treated the building like an opera house“.
A summer without rest
The summer of 2025 was, according to Pissenem, “very intense, very crazy“. Between the Universe play, the Hï and Ushuaïa operation, openings and sports competitions, his schedule was frenetic. “No sleep is literal. I close [UNVRS] at 7-8 a.m., get up at 11 a.m., train, go to the office, go back to training and back to the clubs for 150 days. “, he explains.
And he has not done badly, as days ago he won a silver medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships of the Arab Federation (UAEJJ) held in Abu Dhabi. The Ibizan businessman competed as part of the Club de Lluita Verge dels Desamparats, based at the sa Blanca Dona sports center, and signed the best performance of the local team. “It balances me out going in,” he confesses.
And he insists that “I don’t drink alcohol, I do nothing but dedicate myself to my work, my family and training“.
The controversy over the 32 million
The businessman also recalled the fake news published by ElEspañol in relation to a denied crisis between the partners of the leisure empire and which valued their participation in the company at 32 million euros, a derisory and implausible amount.
Pissenem assures that the episode did not cause him any tension and that he experienced it with humor: “We laughed a lot with Abel [Matutes, his partner] about it,” he said.
He explained that this number was “derisory compared to what the real value of the company would be“, although he avoided giving specific figures: “We cannot say“.
The context, he said, coincided with a particularly sensitive time for the industry, just after the high season and in the midst of the battle for artists for the following summer.
The message also appeared during the ADE week in Amsterdam, the largest annual meeting of agents, promoters and managers. In this ecosystem, any rumor can generate tension or attempt to destabilize negotiations.
Pissenem interpreted it as follows: “I understand that destabilizing news has to come out,” he said, although he avoided pointing the finger at anyone: “I imagine that someone would have a good time launching a news item like that. Even so, he emphasized that from the inside “it did not affect” and that they assumed it for what it was: “A funny joke“.
The cell phone and today’s clubbing
On the other hand, the entrepreneur reflects on the use of cell phones during the sessions. “People live through their cell phones,” he admits, although he recognizes that there are different audiences: “There are electronic shows that are made to be recorded and others that are more raver where people communicate and dance“. Regarding the banning of cell phones, he insists: “People see it as an almost police measure“.
Sunrise at [UNVRS]: only twice a year
When asked about the architectural decision to allow the sun to enter the club, Pissenem clarifies: “We did it for those two iconic moments of opening and closing“. He explains that in Sant Antoni the closing is set at 06.00, which makes it impossible to enjoy the sunrise at other times. “We wanted to recreate the story of the sun rising in the club, it’s a very Ibiza moment.”
However, he pointed out: “We are very happy with those two moments a year.We are very happy with those two times a year. The truth is that I don’t think we can open until later. I am not going to get involved in regulations, nor am I going to demand or ask to be allowed to open later. We are very happy with those two times a year”.
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