Two million visitors, one extraordinary year: We meet the man behind Mons 2015

To conclude an extraordinary year as 2015 European Capital of Culture, Mons is organising six parties in one night, at locations across the city on 12 December - including four simultaneous fireworks displays at midnight.

More than two million people have enjoyed the year-long cultural bonanza. As general manager of Mons 2015, Yves Vasseur has been the driving force behind the ambitious project since its creation some 10 years ago.

This has been an amazing year for Mons. How have you sustained the high quality of the offer week after week?

"We have understood that the European Capital of Culture is not only a festival. A festival is something with a programme that lasts two or three weeks, you build it and you do it. Here it's not a question of a festival. It's all year, so you have to manage your efforts through the whole year from January to December, you have to manage different kinds of events. The secret is to create a kind of texture during the whole year.

You have a remarkable team for Mons 2015. What is the secret to assembling such a group?

"In 2007/2008 we were two, then three, then four people. Once we created the basics of the programme, we knew which kind of people we needed. We had no time to lose. There's a part of luck in that. I think we didn't make any mistakes. I have a fantastic staff. Without it I couldn't do anything - you can have ideas, but you need people on the ground to do that. I'm not afraid for their futures. They are so fantastic. It's been such an experience. On their CVs they have something nobody can have. If they apply for a job, these people can say 'I worked at Mons 2015'."

Criticism has been raised about the considerable amount of money that you have spent on Mons 2015 when the city has other areas of need. Can you explain to us why none of that money can be spent on other problems?

"That is a question I heard so many times, often in the beginning. Now I think it's understood. Of course it's a huge amount of money. I didn't expect such an amount. I thought we could work around €40-€45m, we got €70-€75m. Some people in the beginning said why spend that on culture, when we have some social problems, daily problems with pavements, the streets, the schools. We can't. We received this money to organise a year of culture. If we succeed, then automatically we are going to obtain more money for those very problems. Already the streets are getting better, schools are getting better, young people can more easily get a job."

How did the Montois originally react to your ambitious plans?

"The first reaction of somebody from Mons when you have an idea that you are going to organise 2015 Capital of Culture is they laugh at you, ironically, gently. You have to convince them, you have to take them with you, but once you have them on board, they are completely faithful and they are the best partner you can imagine. They can be deeply ironic at the beginning but after that, you have their hearts."

I've been very impressed by the fact that a substantial part of the budget has been spent on permanent additions to Mons' cultural institutions.

"A part of the budget is dedicated to new museums, new venues for music and culture. They are going to bring activity and tourists and businessmen to Mons after 2015. Those buildings are going to stay. The city is ready to welcome people with new hotels, new infrastructure. We are only at the beginning of the story. I think to keep half a million [visitors a year, before 2015 the average was 250,000] is possible. In the past we received many English people but they were only going to the military cemetery at Saint Symphorien and then they went to Flanders Fields and Ypres. They didn't come into the city. Now with the Mons Memorial Museum they are going to come into the city, they are going to have lunch in Mons, they are going to discover what else the city has to offer."

How do you keep this new energy going after 2015 is over?

"We don't want to put the blanket back on the sleeping beauty. The metamorphosis of the city, the new infrastructure, the new museums, the new concert halls, is going on and will bring more attractiveness and more visitors. The spirit of Mons is going to stay but the authorities of the city need to give some commitment to help people keep that. It's not necessarily a question of a lot of money. I'm going to make some proposals to the mayor. I told them very clearly: don't start to tell me we have no money. Just listen, and if you need some money you're going to find it, if you want to do it. They have the key. If a visitor loved Mons in 2015 and he came back in 2016 and didn't recognise the city he loved before, we completely missed the challenge."

Mons 2015 end-of-year parties, 12 December. Full agenda at www.mons2015.eu. Late-night train details here.
Photo courtesy Mara de Sario/Mons 2015