These days, being an advertising or communications agency, you’ve got to be on top of your game. So, having brilliant staff is one prerequisite, but being well-connected on more than one level is just as important. Havas Group was founded in 1835 and is present in over 100 countries, making it one of the biggest agencies on the planet. Following a lengthy lockdown period, the company has kickstarted its operations in São Paulo, and does so with a special initiative to not only reconnect with this sprawling urban metropolis and its sizeable talent pool, but also serve as an incubator, propagating the city’s cultural riches through various in-house events. An initiative by the company’s partner and CEO Erh Ray, the so-called BETC Havas Café takes ample cues from the head office of French subsidiary BETC‘s headquarters in Paris and Havas Café.

The latter is a lounge that the company sets up annually at Cannes Lions, a leading global creativity festival where top talent gathers to hang out and party relax, but also engage in events, workshops and other creativity-focused events. The venue occupies no less than 1,052 sqm. (11,324 sq.ft.) spread across four floor of a modern structure on Rua Oscar Freire, a busy artery in the city’s leafy Jardins district that’s lined with upscale shops and restaurants. The interior design, a collaborative effort of local practices of galeria arquitetos and architect Terra Capobianco, sees a series of homey settings captured by a mixed palette of industrial and natural materials, notably timber, steel and concrete. Fronting BETC Havas Café on the ground floor is a bookstore by Prince Books, stock with a curated range of books on fashion, design, the arts and culture, and it’s flanked by a cozy café run by the people behind Allez-y café.

One floor up, Another bar can be found, in addition to more seating areas and a concealed kitchen. This floor, captured largely by metal and wooden elements, is only partially accessible as specific areas are intended for agency staff only, featuring various indoor seating areas and an outdoor terrace. The third floor features a light-filled meeting room furnished with a large communal table and fourteen chairs, and a lounge furnished with sofas, and finally, on the top floor, yet another bar is situated, encased in glass and featuring an elongated car counter, bar stools and various seating arrangements. All floors of the BETC Havas Café have sofas and armchairs by various Brazilian designers, including the iconic Paulistano armchair, designed by acclaimed architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha.