Over the last 14 years, Escuela Inventa, led by Eloy Gesto, has supported more than four thousand professionals, entrepreneurs, and teachers in their communication development. There have been 24 events, plus three large-scale ones. Now, Inventa and Nuntiare propose a dialogue between faith, communication, and human leadership in the service of the common good, in the 25th edition of “Communication is More than Words.” It will take place on December 12 and 13 in Santiago de Compostela.
This event, featuring a varied combination of formats, will be attended by film director Juan Manuel Cotelo, who will screen his film El mayor regalo (The Greatest Gift). José Ballesteros, leadership expert. And Carlos Roca, communicator and creator of the renowned podcast La Roca Project.
What sets Eloy Gesto and his team's events apart from others, especially since 2021, is the process of profound conversion experienced by the director of Inventa, which has led to a complete turnaround in the approach of his school. Since then, Christ has taken center stage in their events. Now, he affirms, “We Christians tend to hide Christ because we have become lukewarm out of fear, and we renounce the truth.”.
This is how Eloy Gesto, communications professional, explains it, along with the genesis of the event.
Where is Escuela Inventa's headquarters located?
- The operations center of Inventa School It's in Santiago, in Galicia. Since you're on the outskirts, people ask, "Hey, when are you going to Madrid or Barcelona?" No, we do this type of training in Santiago because people appreciate it, having a quieter place, because it's very intensive training, and people appreciate that. The December event is held at the ABANCA Auditorium in Santiago.
The note about the event talks about ‘Communication at the service of the soul.’ It is very likely that it has to do with his personal history.
- In case it helps, there is a article that tells my story. The personal side. In this regard, the thing is that I'm not thinking about things as a business, in terms of profitability, but rather I'm thinking about the mission.
I am the son of a goldsmith, a craftsman, an artist. My father was a true artist, but a disaster as a businessman. We don't have the entrepreneurial streak, we have the artistic streak. In fact, I really enjoy crafting communication, carving out people's communication.
Escuela Inventa was founded in 2011, and we organize workshops, professional seminars, and communication events, with thousands of people and leading figures participating. There have been several milestones. We had leading speakers in the fields of emotional intelligence, positive psychology, entrepreneurship, and professional and personal development. And the people, the attendees, are thirsty, they are searching, that is a reality.
And what happened next? What was going on in your sector?
– The problem is that I am in a sector where personal growth, public speaking, and communication are marked by trends of new age and stoic. Right now, gurus, coaches, and so on are proliferating under every rock, and this has a consequence: it increases the meaninglessness of what we do.
They are very self-centered versions, versions very much geared toward bottom lines, but with little regard for quality, the creation of social fabric, or the common good—very little of that.
What's the problem? Ultimately, there is a fundamental premise that is erroneous. The development of one's own abilities is based on three principles: self-sufficiency, self-improvement, and self-development.
Conveying the idea that people can develop themselves. Appearing brave, when in reality what you are doing is feeding your pride, you leave God aside, and you end up becoming a little god. That is the dynamic of the sector I am in, the professional development of skills, abilities... where that is the mainstream.
Tell us your thoughts.
– In 2014, at one of these events, attended by hundreds of people, there were renowned speakers such as Mario Alonso Puig, Pilar Jericó, Alex Rovira, Raimon Sansó, Alejandra Vallejo-Nágera, not María, her sister, or Irene Villa, and others. After those two very motivational days, people apparently went home feeling motivated.
They had lived through that intense experience, but what happened to me? I felt a huge void. And I said to my partner: I don't know what people are showing me. People are searching, we are all hungry, I am hungry too, but what are we giving people? And while some were happy with that, I had a feeling that I had made a mistake, that this was not the way. All this despite the fact that the intention was good. I knew that the path was incomplete.
Did his conversion come then?
— No, that wasn't the moment of conversion. It took me seven years to recognize God and open my heart to the truth. That came seven years later, on January 1, 2021, at a time of personal pain, when God clearly manifested himself in my life. And from then on, everything changed. A profound conversion took place, a light.
Since then, Christ has been at the center of my life and the projects I undertake. He is transforming everything and completely changing my focus.
I'm not trying to convince anyone, but I'm not hiding it either. Just as others practice mindfulness, meditation, or other things, I don't have to give that up either.
What is most striking? It is true that in some cases, these people who are in different places get scared. Yes. But that is not the majority. The majority are those who listen to you.
Perhaps you could tell us about a real case.
– Just this morning. I was listening to the testimony of a 27-year-old guy. I was talking to him about God when he came here, and he was in the process of becoming self-sufficient, that stoic vision of entrepreneurs who can do anything, who can even travel to Bali, these things that are fashionable, self-improvement, etc., those youthful stereotypes...
And right now he is going to church, he has left a business project he had, with a clear new age profile, and he has realized it. Around Escuela Inventa we are seeing many people who are asking themselves questions, because of that concern, God is using us as a vehicle...
In fact, we have discussed it with a spiritual director here, Don José María, who is the archpriest of Santiago, and we are all surprised, and we wonder how long God will allow us to do all this.
Do we dare to speak about the truth and about Christ?
– That's the problem. We Christians tend to sugarcoat and hide Christ because we have become lukewarm out of fear, and we renounce the truth. I'm afraid too, let's not kid ourselves, and I need that strength to show him. But what is our responsibility? To proclaim the Gospel wherever we are.
Our first attempts resulted in the project A la luz de la Palabra (In the Light of the Word), and we held an evangelization event, Nuntiare, in December 2023, featuring presentations inspired by passages from the Gospel.
It turned out well. But our audience, the one we reached, was mostly Christian. So,
After talking with the spiritual director, we thought that these two things, the Nuntiare project and Escuela Inventa, should be merged.
They also want to reach a non-believing audience...
– Yes. With this merger, what we are doing right now is taking a leap towards this version of ‘Communication is More than Words.’ We also want to reach a predominantly non-believing audience, where through these Christian values and speakers, in a world of personal and professional development, there is a clear First Proclamation of mission. And that is the mature version of this whole process that God is allowing us to experience, we don't know for how long.
Indeed, as stated in the program, this edition has the support of the First Announcement Delegation of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, through Mr. Javier García, and the spiritual guidance of Mr. José María Pintos, archpriest of Santiago.
Practical information
That concludes our conversation with Eloy Gesto. This is a non-profit event. You can find here Practical information for attending the event in person, which will take place at the ABANCA Auditorium, Santiago de Compostela, on December 12 and 13, 2025. Contact: [email protected], 696 936 279.
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