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The military leader and politician José Cruz Conde Fustegueras was appointed Royal Commissioner in 1926 by Primo de Rivera. He headed the Exhibition during the final stage of the preparation phase enabling a seamless transition to the opening attributable to his additional charge as Civil Governor of the Province of Seville. ​

Conde Fustegueras acted with an iron hand. He demoted Aníbal González to technical advisor of the Executive Committee leading to his resignation and incorporated new funds which accelerated the works. ​

He hired Francisco Sánchez-Apellániz as General Secretary of the Exhibition and gained the support of the Trade Union (UC), to which he granted concessions. 

José Cruz Conde Fustegueras was criticized by a segment of the Sevillian society for his extravagant behavior some calling him “immoral and libertine”. When the Exhibition opened in, his significance had been notably reduced.

José Cruz Conde

The Exhibition Director

1878 - 1939