Leaders For A Full Three Decades

Next year will be marked by the 30th anniversary of the founding of company Alma Quattro, which enriches its network of advertising media and renders that network dynamic and diverse in accordance with market growth, new clients and new business offers

Our company and OOH (out-of-home) advertising itself have passed the test of time and all the challenges of digitalisation, while at the same preserving a relevant market position by combining the old and the new - says Alma Quattro CEO Sanja Pešić in this CorD interview, before emphasising that everything the company does is done thoughtfully and with a view to the long term.

How has your portfolio expanded over the three decades that you’ve been doing business and what comprises that portfolio today? Has it grown in parallel with the list of clients, and their demands and expectations, but also the growth of your team and the company’s ambitions?

- Everything began with illuminated media, which was then still an expensive investment. We started with public city transport stops and small media displayed within the scope of those stops, and with a large one of 12m2. The printing was done on a screen printing, an advanced technology for that time, so we sent pre-print materials to Italy and imported the finished materials. And we were doing all this while the country was under sanctions, and the economy and advertising sector were facing major problems. We emerged from everything triumphantly, with domestic printing houses growing alongside us, and we expanded our portfolio with the inclusion paper billboards in order to respond to the appearance of competition. We also entered the segment of large advertising media exceeding 50m2, thereby completing our offer.

And given that keeping pace with the development of modern technologies it is an imperative for every business, we entered into the digitalisation process. Over the years of work and with

Digitalisation has accelerated in recent years and online channels and social media are the fastest growing segments of the advertising market as a whole the introduction of additional services, we earned the trust of domestic and foreign clients, because out-of-home advertising is the oldest mass media and an excellent accompaniment to the media mix that has a quick and large impact on the public.

 Digitalisation has brought huge competition your way in the form of electronic media and social media platforms, but it has simultaneously also enabled you to advance your operations, right?

- The digitalisation process has indeed accelerated in recent years, and the internet, i.e., online channels and social media, are the fastest growing segments of the advertising market as a whole. However, with a high-quality media plan, which includes both out-of-home and other forms of advertising, one can achieve a greater impact when they are mutually dependent. Clients recognise this and increasingly utilise the advantages of both. And we started digitalising our network ourselves as of 2018. With legally unpopular decisions, the City of Belgrade has slowed down our company’s growth, but we hope that a solution will be reached very soon and that we will continue to expand and advance this segment of our portfolio.

Alma Quattro is part of Switzerland’s APG SGA, but also part of France’s JCDecaux Group. What have you learned from the Swiss and French business models, in which areas do you look to them?

- It’s really nice to be in such good company, with a world-class leader like JCDecaux and with APG SGA, which is committed and as precise as a Swiss watch. The greatest benefit of this affiliation is that we have adopted the mindset nurtured by these companies that have resulted in them enduring and having good business practices, or knowhow, thereby enabling us to constantly improve our work and set industry standards. Everything we do is done thoughtfully and with a view to the long term. Our strategy is long-term oriented, with decisions that always look to the future and solutions that could also be implemented 30 years from now.

COCA-COLA SYSTEM INTRODUCES NONSEPARABLE CAPS IN SERBIA

After introducing caps with an innovative design on Next juices at the end of last year, the Coca-Cola system in Serbia also applied nondetachable or attached caps to the rest of its portfolio. Non-separable caps are designed with the aim of enabling more efficient collection and recycling of plastic from drinks, in accordance with the legal obligation prescribed by the European Union with the Directive on single-use plastics. With this Directive, manufacturers are obliged to market exclusively packaging with non-separable caps from 2024 to ensure that caps and bottles are collected together and recycled more efficiently. After opening, the cap remains attached to the bottle. You should not try to separate the caps from the bottle, highlighted on the packaging itself. The new cork solution is completely hygienic, practical and functional, and the safety standards for preserving the quality and taste of beverages have been respected.

Otp Banka Awards Two Million Dinars To Fragment Plo E

The Fragment board project of the startup Fragment Incorporated, which produces innovative and sustainable construction material from 73% recycled glass, is the winner of this year’s Generator ZERO competition of OTP bank. With a record 116 applications, compared to the previous cycle, where 72 projects were applied for, this year’s competition was the second in a row dedicated to solutions for reducing the carbon footprint. The winning team won two million dinars from the Bank, strategic support in further development and promotion of the project, and prizes from two partners. OTP banka, apart from being the leading creditor of the economy and the population, is also the leader of the green transition in the banking sector, but also the first bank in Serbia to develop systems support programs for innovative and green entrepreneurship. The fact that Generator ZERO is the most awarded project of this bank further demonstrates this.

Japanese Company Nidec Opens Electric Motor Factory In Novi Sad

The Japanese company Nidec (Nidec Electric Motor Serbia and Nidec Elesys Europe) opened in Novi Sad, in the presence of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, ministers in the Government of Serbia, as well as representatives of the Japanese company, a factory of driving electric motors for vehicles. The total investment is worth around 250 million euros, and the Government of Serbia provided a subsidy of 8.9 million euros. In the first phase, 250 workers will be employed, and the number of employees will increase to more than 1,000. Investment in Serbia, as previously announced by Nidec, is part of the company’s long-term strategy, and the opening of the factory in Novi Sad is the first step towards the formation of the European industrial park Nidec.

“The new IPARD program will be a great chance for cities and municipalities to gain funds for both wastewater treatment and road construction, water supply systems, biogas plants and production heat energy” – VIOLETA JOVANOVIĆ,

Regional Conference Business With Purpose

On 22nd May the Business with a Purpose Regional Conference was held at the Mona Plaza Hotel in Belgrade, organised by D.R. Gilbert Center Group and the Slovenian Business Club. The organisers’ vision was that networking and friendship of top authorities can create a better market for all, a more responsible society, and at the same time, improve the quality of business and life. The mission is that in the short term, these regional conferences should gather as many outstanding authorities and leaders from the entire region and all industries, who share the same or similar values, to work together on the same mission.

Members Of The Hellenic Business Association Visit Kleemann Lifts Factory

The Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, in cooperation with the member company KLEEMANN Lifts, organised a visit to the production facilities of traction lifts in Simanovci. A visit to KLEEMANN’s production facilities was organised in order to present one of the most successful Greek companies that has operated in Serbia for almost 20 years and which is also an active member of the HBA for more than a decade. On this occasion, the President of the Management Board, Mr.Nikolaos Sliousaregko greeted the members, stressing the importance of KLEEMANN’s contribution to the activities of the HBA and also thanked the company General manager, Mr.Odysseas Markakis, for his hospitality and event organisation.

PKS SIGNS AGREEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SERBIAN-SAUDI BUSINESS COUNCIL

The President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) Marko Čadež signed the Agreement on the establishment of the Serbian-Saudi Business Council with the Chairman of the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce, Hassan Al-Huwaizi, with the aim of strengthening economic cooperation between Serbia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). As reported by PKS, Marko Čadež said on that occasion that Serbian companies are “greatly interested” in cooperation with partners from Saudi Arabia, and that is why he will initiate the opening of the representative office of PKS and chambers of the Western Balkans in that country. In the coming weeks, the first meeting of the Business Council will be held to consider the possibilities of investment and joint projects of the two economies, especially in agriculture and investments in the livestock fund of Serbia, ICT, and spa and health tourism.

MAJA MARIĆ, OWNER AND DIRECTOR, FINEXPERTIZA D.O.O.