KONGRES MAGAZINE WINTER ISSUE 2017

/07/ VIEWS AGENCIES VS. CLIENTS, part I. Colja Dams, CEO Vok Dams Stefan Kozak, Creative PRO Ben Nazario, Sparks David Siegl, Marketing factory /44/ IN FOCUS BLED FOR MEETINGS AND EVENTS

/34/ IN FOCUS CREATIVITY IN EVENTS

/14/ TOP 2017 50 MOST INFLUENTAL PERSONS IN THE SEE MEETINGS INDUSTRY 2017

/27/ CREATIVE BREAK Melinda Rebrek

/128/ MEETINGS STAR 2017 Top 30 special venues

/54/ MEETOLOGUE BUCHAREST, Romania

ISSUE

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NEW EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE VOLUME XI, ISSUE 4 // November 2017

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OUR SELECTION

THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS ISSUE

Page 46 QUICK TALK Interview with Vesna Klemenčič, Head of the Convention Bureau Bled

Page 62 MEET BUSTERS Šibenik

Page 64 VOICE FROM THE TOP Andreas Griessler, Carinthia CVB Julia Ward, Regent Porto Montenegro

Page 100 HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST Radisson Blu Bucharest JW Mariott Bucharest Intercontinental Bucharest Sense Sofia

GORAZD čAD Editor of the magazine is in his profession a geographer and historian. He united his professional education and love of discovering new lesser-known convention destinations with love and passion for the meetings industry. In meetologues he will try to share his enthusiasm with the readers.

NINA PRAPROTNIK A talkative perfectionist, intrigued with details and a bigger picture in all the things around her. A big hedonist, especially in terms of culinary treats, amazing Slovenian vines, travelling and life in general enjoys in creating beautiful stories for Kongres magazine, Conventa and taking care of other clients regarding content marketing. She believes in personal connection and touch in all aspects, in private and professional life.

NIKA PIRNAR Passionately curious, in love with the daily roller coasters rides, interested in anything and everyone (especially fascinated by old people, since they have so many stories to share) and attracted to the unknown and unpredicted days. Otherwise highly organised on regular basis. An old soul trapped in a young body, wearing different colour socks and secretly wishing to be a Red Nose Clown Doctor. Questioning everything and then turning it inside out.

Page 94 BEEN THERE TTA Greece Margi Farm Garden Brewery ICCA photo reportage

NATALIJA BAH čAD An unforgettable member in the editorial board of travelogues, who at each destination adds her icing on the cake. She has insight into the soul of destinations based on many years of practical experience with the organisation of events. She is interested in everything from the history, geography and destination marketing to care for the tiny little things that make the big events.

Page 74 WHO IS WHO Jana Micekova, Bratislava CVB Jelena Gluščević, TZ Budva

Page 58 HOW TO Ciara Feely: How to WIN more event and conference business

Page 106 INSIDE LJUBLJANA December in Ljubljana Eurocities Woop Ljubljana Hotel Krvavec Railway Museum

JASMINA JERANT A creative writer since childhood was by surprising turns that life took brought into the meeting industry where she can release her passion for storytelling. She seeks for the unusual, hidden, and charming facts that make a town or a building shine in a different way. She believes that places are like people. In each one of them you can find something amusing. And then … Well, yeah, make a short story out of it, why the heck not?

ROBERT COTTER Alongside his work for Kongres, Rob is a regular contributor to MPI’s One+ magazine as well as MICENET Asia and Eventbiz Japan. He attends international MICE events to seek out best practice and share this with the international meetings community.

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G www.facebook.com/kongres.magazine Editor in Chief Gorazd Čad Editor Intelligent Content Nika Pirnar Design 3D Design Media s.p.

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Proofreading Rob Cotter ISSN Number 1855-8615 Photo credits: archive of Kongres magazine and partners destinations The Kongres magazine is entered into the media register under sequence number 1423.

Magazine issued in January; March; May; July; September; November Publisher, Production and Marketing Toleranca Marketing d.o.o., Štihova 4, SI1000 Ljubljana, t: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 f: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 v e: gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu Issue date November 2017 For the content reproduction it is required to get the written editorial consigment.

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POPULAR KONGRES MAGAZINE CONTENTS Stories you won’t find in any other media …

IDEAS

PEOPLE

DESTINATIONS

VENUES

BEHIND THE SCENES Editorial look behind the scenes of the most exciting congress hotels in the region.

OFF THE BEATEN MICE TRACK Introducing new innovative congress products that surprise with aesthetics and creativity.

HIDDEN GUEST

VENUE OF THE WEEK

Unique evaluation of hotels by hidden congress guests using more than 400 criteria.

Overview of interesting congress providers through experiences and special offers.

MEET BUSTERS

MTLG MEETOLOGUES

KONGRES TELESCOPE

CROATIA ADDENDUM

Busting or confirming 10 meetings destination myths you always wondered about.

Meeting organizers golden guide that has been since 2010 revealing fresh and interesting European meetings destinations.

Secrets about Un-European meetings destinations through the editorial word of the brilliant Robert Cotter.

Fresh news, experts articles and trends from Croatia written by the lovely Daniela Kos, editor of the Croatia Addendum.

VOICE FROM THE TOP

WHO IS WHO

YOUNG TALENTS

ENFANT TERRIBLE

Exclusive interviews with meetings industry experts on the current challenges of the meetings industry.

Interviews with meetings industry professionals that reveal their stories of success.

Generation Next- young talents that will shape the future of the meetings industry.

In each of us lies a little enfant terrible. The editorial board chooses the most interesting ones.

CASE STUDIES

INCENTIVE IDEAS

CREATIVE BREAK

WHAT’S HOT

Examples of good practice cases of events and meetings industry projects presented with concrete results.

The most comprehensive collection of incentive ideas that already includes 270 programmes and is being up-dated weekly.

Examples of good practice in the field of marketing of meetings destinations, hotels and events.

Presentation of the most interesting destinations through the TOP 10 column. We are rating convention hotels, car launch destinations, special venues …

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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

FACES OF THE FUTURE CAN WE ESCAPE CHANGE IN THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY?

gorazd čad, editor, kongres magazine photo credit icca

@gorazdcad

T

he main message of the 56th ICCA General Assembly Congress in Prague was that the meetings industry is undergoing some radical changes. This fact was probably best captured by Stafan Hytross, an excellent speaker, who in his presentation summarized three days of intense debate on millennials, digitization, the exponential growth of knowledge and the speed of change in every field. According to Hytross, the crucial problem is the risk of ignorance, a situation that he illustrated using the legendary Kodak case.

A day prior to Hytross’s speech, Magdalenca Dziewguc, graduated from the Harvard Business School and employed at Google, touched upon the same topic. Her approach explained the same challenge in a very practical way and to her question as to whether the meetings industry had in the last five years gone through radical changes, only a few attendees answered positively. This was maybe a consequence of the attendee structure, as barely any of them were a millennial, or maybe the reason was the late hour for the discussion.

Meeting design, digitization, process automatization, collaborative thinking, the Internet of Things, new presentation formats, hackathons, the end of the traditional destination marketing and many other similar topics dominated the themes at this year’s congress. Apparently, a new vision of the industry is needed that will connect and unite individuals and create synergies. It seems that ICCA is on a good path with this, as in its annual congress it presented an inspiring and ambitious programme that opened up aspects of the industry’s humanization. In this way it formed a collective consciousness aiming to bring about change to the industry.

In the specific context of our industry, I found the most interesting topic to be that of the Digital nomads, something that I discussed with one of my colleagues there. The generation of creative individuals decides on their direction and career on the grounds of portals such as www.nomadlist. com. Their habits and mobility are connected to the most creative environment in the world, one that is very much similar with that of events.

You’d have more chance of meeting them in Ziferblat than in the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, and rather than getting together in tiresome conferences they meet with the help of applications like braindates. Their measurement unit of attraction is the ultra high speed of the internet and their meetings have become mobile and much more fun.

Maybe also for this reason the new destination map of the world will have a close correlation with cities that are digital-nomad friendly.

This is the reason why this issue is dedicating a great deal of attention to creativity at events. We’ve received many very interesting answers from individuals who have personally experienced this at real events.

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We are also revealing to you the most important influencers of New Europe, the stars who through hard work have reached a trustworthy status and who create trends.

As with every year, we also present to you the best special venues, among which some surprising locations stand out with their experiential attractiveness.

We assure you that we will continue to closely follow the congress revolution and we will also help to co-create it. And, more than anything else, we will continue to publish the most relevant information backed up by verified facts. Most of the focus of our thinking will still be you – the event planners.

Exclusive interview

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EDITORIAL

AGENCIES VS. CLIENTS

We are very curious in how the agencies and clients work together, what do they expect from each other, how do they view each other, and so on. For this reason, we contacted both, agencies and clients to get their invaluable insight on the matter.

In this issue we are presenting answers from the agencies, while in the next issue we will present answers from the clients. Enjoy the reading and be surprised!

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VIEWS

THE GIFT OF TIME IS A KEY FOUNDATION TO GREAT WORK AND GREAT OUTCOMES Interview with Ben Nazario, Chief Sales Officer at Sparks INTERVIEW BY GORAZD čAD PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: In your opinion, what defines a good agency-client relationship?

A great client-agency relationship can mean the difference between a good event and a great one.

As a strategic partner who creates powerful event experiences for some of the world’s most iconic brands, we have found the best agency and client relationships are based on these seven elements: 1. Great partners give one another adequate time.

I’ve seen it too many times to count. No one does their best work with four days to respond to an RFP. Great strategic partnerships begin with the gift of time – time to understand a brand and company culture, and time to develop a strategy and creative that makes sense for your company’s mission and goals. Neither of these can be accomplished to their fullest extent in only a few days.

Recognizing the importance of selecting the right agency partner, brands are finally starting to shift how the RFP process is handled. Pages of open-ended questions emailed to anyone and everyone are being replaced by briefs with detailed goals, objectives and budgets sent to a small, select group of potential partners. And instead of fast turnarounds and short deadlines to respond, agencies are being given ample time which they use to meet with the brand team to learn more, and to develop strategic recommendations and ideas.

The gift of time is a key foundation to great work and great outcomes.

2. Great strategic partnerships have deep knowledge.

One of the best compliments we hear on a regular basis is, “I can’t believe Sparks understands more about our brand than we do.”

This isn’t by chance. When partners give each other adequate time, it’s possible to attain deep knowledge. With a rich understanding, agency partners can truly work as an extension of your company – creating a powerful brand experience that enables better connections with your audience.

3. Great partnerships are aligned with outcomes.

A partnership won’t be as successful if one team member is more focused on winning an award or using the latest shiny technology. In great collaborative partnerships, both partners diligently work toward the same shared goals and success metrics.

At Sparks, we firmly believe in the power of events to drive results and business impact. And that’s one reason why we’re successful partners: we align with our clients’ needs to demonstrate successful outcomes from their events.

4. Great partnerships are a cultural match.

For a brand and its event agency team, many, many hours spent strategizing, producing and working on-site add up to a tremendous amount of time spent together – frequently more hours than some families spend together in a typical day!

It goes without saying that one key intangible 8

quality of great strategic partnerships is that both parties share a similar culture. A good cultural match means everyone genuinely enjoys spending time together.

5. Great partnerships have open communication.

Sure, it’s nice to receive all the kudos when everything about an event went right, but both partners must also be willing to share news that may be hard to hear – like that part of an event that fell just a little flat, or a different idea needed to improve engagement next time around.

Both partners should offer, and be willing to hear, honest feedback. An open line of communication builds trust and leads to the exchange of new ideas – both of which are critical to a strong partnership.

6. Great partnerships focus on continuous improvement.

It’s easy to sit back and ride the wave of success, but even when everything is going right great partners don’t stick with what’s comfortable. The best partners constantly push each other to find new ways to raise the bar and constantly grow and learn from each other.

Sharing this attitude of continuous improvement is one of the best ways to make a good partnership into a great one.

7. Great partners provide a safe environment to take risk.

As T.S. Eliot said, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.”

Great partners must be willing to take risks and must exist in an environment where it is safe to do so. When agencies feel comfortable offering new ideas outside what’s typically done and brands are willing to go beyond safe boundaries, that’s usually when the most exciting innovation happens.

The cornerstone of any client-agency relationship must be honesty, respect, trust and understanding, but those relationships can become even better when given the gifts of time, knowledge, communication and alignment.

VIEWS Q: What’s the first sign of deeper problems in the relationship?

A lack of respect is the usually the first sign of deeper problems in a client-agency relationship.

Whether that disrespect comes in the form of verbal rudeness, unreasonable demands, or passive-aggressive behaviour, are all signs that the relationship is headed in an unhealthy direction.

Q: Share with us a typical case showing mistrust between an agency and the client.

Thankfully, we do not have a typical case of mistrust. Sparks is in a position to pick our clients, just as our clients are in a position to pick Sparks.

We thoroughly vet our potential clients for a clear match in company culture, communication style, working methodologies and other good re-

lationship builders.

Q: What do agencies want to say to their clients?

Every agency has different core values and, based on those values, should have a clear line in the sand in terms of what is and what is not acceptable when it comes to client relationships.

Sparks is firm on our core values and we make it clear to our clients at the onset of a relationship.

If at any time we feel abused during a client-relationship, we will pull in an Executive Sponsor (each account has a senior level executive assigned to monitor the relationship between client and account team) to have a sit down with the client. If the issue cannot be resolved to the full satisfaction of both parties, we will kindly

part ways at the conclusion of whatever project is currently in production.

Q: Do you trust your client in a process of event creation and execution?

As previously mentioned, the cornerstone of any client-agency relationship must be honesty, respect, trust and understanding. As the expert in our field, our job is to guide our clients through the process of event creation and execution. Sometimes the client has breakthrough ideas that completely turn the event on its head and set us off in a new direction. At other times, with respect, we listen politely and then exert our expertise in the area, explaining why an idea may or may not work.

TRUST AND COOPERATION BASED ON PARTNERSHIP ARE THE BASIS FOR JOINT SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS Interview with Colja M. Dams, Chief Executive Officer at VOK DAMS

INTERVIEW BY GORAZD čAD PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: In your opinion, what defines a good agency-client relationship?

Successful cooperation between an agency and clients takes place at eye level. The agency is a partner in the joint solution of communicative challenges.

Q: What is the first sign of deeper problems in this relationship?

The most important sign is always when there is no communication.

Q: Please share with us a typical case showing the mistrust between an agency and the client.

This is often not rational at all, but rather takes place at an emotional level – you feel distrust. As we cultivate long-term customer relationships, this is rarely the case with us. If there is no trust, then some day you will no longer work together.

Q: What do agencies want to say to their clients?

Trust and cooperation based on partnership are the basis for joint successful projects. We strengthen this trust working with agile event management. There is a permanent exchange in every phase of the project - comparable to sprints in agile project management.

Q: Do you trust your client in the process of event creation and execution?

There is no real alternative.

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VIEWS

WE ARE TRYING TO BECOME THE “FIRST CHOICE” ADVISORS TO OUR CLIENTS Interview with Stefan Kozak, Managing Director at CREATIVE PRO group INTERVIEW BY GORAZD čAD PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: In your opinion, what defines a good agency-client relationship?

From my point of view, there are four main pillars: A. Co-understanding, co-proactivity and co-creation.

Managing expectations, or the “three steps ahead” approach. In a great business relationship an agency is able to manage client expectations, meaning the agency is proactive and is able to understand, create, plan and propose solutions before being asked by client. This approach works both ways.

B. Trust.

This means that the client cooperates and uses the agency as the first choice advisor when discussing, planning or executing any item within the business-related scope. The client can appreciate agency added value, such as premium client service, creativity,

innovation, sustainable education, etc.

Q: What is the first sign of deeper problems in this relationship?

There are many signs, but let’s say the most crucial ones are the opposites of what was mentioned above – the client starts asking the partner agency for responses, developments, updates, which means the agency is losing the trust connection and the client expectations are not managed well.

Q: Share with us a typical case showing mistrust between an agency and the client.

It could be cancelling the cooperation. We try to avoid this by using the following well known strategy: We can offer three types of service, but a client can always choose just two of them. This is: High Quality vs Fast service vs Lower budgets:

a) High quality with a lower budget won’t be fast. b) Fast service with a lower budget won’t have the requested quality. c) High quality with a fast service won’t be cheap/low budget.

Q: What do agencies want to say to their clients?

Of course we are trying to become the “first choice” advisors to our clients. We love our clients and we are willing to become their trusted, long-term partners. We are polite, proactive, pro-client oriented people with a focus on innovation and professionalism.

On the other hand, however, this also depends on the level of seniority on both sides (client and agency). It should be balanced, but it can sometimes happen that the main point of contact from the client side is really inexperienced (junior) in comparison to the dedicated agency team (senior account managers), which could lead to many misunderstandings, and slower/harder event execution and project flow. Again, this works both ways.

Q: Do you trust your client in the process of event creation and execution?

‘In clients we trust’. We exist and are able to create all kind of unique live experiences because of them. And, well, I am sure that instead of clients doing event creation or execution, it should be client--agency co-creation and co-execution.

" We love our clients and we are willing to become their trusted, long-term partners. We are polite, proactive, pro-client oriented people with a focus on innovation and professionalism."

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VIEWS

AN AGENCY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP TAKES TIME AND CARE TO BUILD Interview with David Siegel, SVP, Partnerships at Marketing Factory INTERVIEW BY GORAZD čAD PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: In your opinion, what defines a good agency-client relationship?

Like any great relationship, the agency-client relationship takes time and care to build. At Marketing Factory, we believe that fostering open, honest, safe and consistent communication is essential. Developing a shorthand of trust and transparency, and a reciprocity of respect and

passion in one another’s goals is the bedrock of a long-standing relationship. We are wildly grateful for some nearly two-decade long relationships with clients - a testament to that reciprocity and openness.

Q: What is the first sign of deeper problems in this relationship?

We believe that everything comes down to communication at Marketing Factory, both internal and external. When both sides of the relationship approach good news and challenges with the same set of tools, a winning relationship is fostered.

Q: Share with us a typical case of mistrust between an agency and the client.

Marketing Factory maintains the trust of our partners by sharing updates early and often. Not every update is going to be great news, but we believe that when the tough news is presented along with mitigating suggestions and ideas for solutions, then the client comes to expect that we are problem solvers who deliver above their expectation time and time again.

Q: What do agencies want to say to their clients?

Marketing Factory believes in the mantra of “fail early and fail fast.” Transparency is tantamount to covering up our mistakes and we learn so much, improve vastly and do better every day because of them. The quicker we fail with an idea, the quicker we learn and uncover the idea that wins the day. In our mind, that is how we win for our team and ultimately for our clients.

Q: Do you trust your client in a process of event creation and execution?

Marketing Factory clients are our partners and, as such, we are a tremendous team in event creation and execution. We each bring our respective strengths to the table and perform against our shared set of deliverables and expectations.

Trust is fostered and eventually earned over time, and consistent collaborative and collegial experiences with our partner clients reinforce the quality of the work.

" When both sides of the relationship approach good news and challenges with the same set of tools, a winning relationship is fostered. " 11

TELESCOPE

QATAR CONFIRMED TO HOST ICEIRD 2018 Over 250 delegates to convene in Doha in October next year PHOTO CREDIT qatar tourism authority

Qatar has won the bid to host the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development (ICEIRD) in October 2018. The rights to host the field’s leading conference was secured through a joint bid between Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar University (QU) which was presented in Thessaloniki, Greece.

edition will be the first edition to be hosted in the Middle East.

Owing to the country’s state-of-the-art facilities and tourism assets, Qatar has a strong track-record in successfully hosting large-scale international conferences and events. Between 2014 and 2016, Qatar hosted a total of 56 events affiliated with the International Congress and Convention Association.

ICEIRD is a three-day conference organised by the University of Sheffield’s International Faculty bringing together academics, university technology managers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and businesses to foster and promote innovation-led growth. The conference offers a platform for academics, university technology managers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers and businesses interested in the theory and practice of university-industry links as well as innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional development.

Ahmed Al Obaidli, Director of Exhibitions at QTA commented saying, “ICEIRD is a perfect match for Qatar as it is a regional hub where academics, innovators and entrepreneurs can continue to learn and share knowledge within and outside the walls of a conference hall.” He added, “The hosting of this event comes as part of our continuous efforts to work with local partners to attract international events and boost business events tourism’s contribution to the national economy.”

First held in 2007, ICEIRD has been taking place annually for the past 10 years in Europe; for its second decade, it will rotate worldwide and be hosted in a different region every year. The 2018

Over 250 conference delegates are expected to visit Doha in October next year to attend the conference for which Qatar University will be ‘local host’.

Professor Panayiotis Ketikidis, Founder of ICEIRD, said, “Taking the 11th ICEIRD beyond Europe is a step towards to satisfying global demand for the wealth of knowledge that the conference has produced through its wide network over the past decade. We are highly honoured that the ICEIRD 2018 will be hosted by the University of Qatar and are confident that being hosted in a true regional innovation hub will further expand the conference’s network.”

He added, “We hope that through ICEIRD 2018, new ideas will be unveiled and strong sustainable partnerships are built.”

Qatar Tourism expands international efforts to further establish the destination’s relevance for congress organizers – recent steps include a waiver of visa for 80 international countries.

Meet the team of QTA at ibtm Barcelona at Stand J60 and set up an appointment or contact Johanna Fischer of tmf dialogue marketing Germany. ( j.fischer@tmf-dialogue.com, +49 9002 111)

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TOP 2017

THE MOST INFLUENTAL PEOPLE IN THE NEW EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY 2017 EDITION Have you ever wondered just who might be the top influencers in the New Europe Meetings Industry? As the industry rapidly evolves, it is clear that some key influencers actually have the same reach and draw as big companies, so individuals matter in a way that has never been possible before.

The Editorial Board of Kongres Magazine has once again assessed more than 80 influencers in Central and South East Europe after reviewing highlights from the Meetings industry in 2017 and has based their assessment on several key criteria, such as:

• Achievement of the best financial and other multiplier effects of the meetings industry in 2017, (significantly deviating from the average); • Implementation of the most demanding improvements and innovations in their field, which also includes successfully implemented projects that have defined the year 2017; • Help in enhancing the reputation and profile of the meetings industry in 2017; • Innovations that facilitate the work of meetings organisers, or in their way have pointed the direction of the industry in the future.

TOP MEETING ARCHITECTS (DMO, CVB etc.)

Miha KOVAČIČ Slovenian Convention Bureau

Active for over a decade as the director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau, which enjoys an outstanding reputation abroad, he continually nurtures the growth of the Slovenian meetings industry through a number of innovative marketing and CSR projects. The editorial board has put a particular emphasis on the Conventa project that, as a brand, has become synonymous with the SE Europe meetings & events industry and has significantly assisted with the placement of the region on the meetings planners’ list of key destinations.

Based on 680 individually completed surveys, Kongres magazine has analysed and shortlisted the TOP 45 most influential people. They have all contributed to the development of the region and our readers have chosen the best of the best.

We have also added 2 newcomers in each category, voted by our readers.

The candidates have been divided into 5 categories.

Romana VLAŠIĆ Dubrovnik Convention Bureau

Christian MUTSCHCLECHNER Vienna Convention Bureau

Christian Mutschlechner is one of the leading figures of the international meetings industry.

In 2009, he was voted Personality of the Year, one of many awards he has received. For more than 25 years, he has been CEO of the Vienna Convention Bureau, which is regularly among the top five in the ICCA’s statistics as one of the world’s most successful meetings destination.

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The director of Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic, with many solid years of experience in business behind her has accelerated the promotion of Dubrovnik to now being the region’s most recognizable congress brand and a player in the European premier league for congresses and events. Dubrovnik could rightfully claim that recent years were its years on the conference scene, as many important events were held in this very beautiful city, among them the meetings of NATO, the FIS International Ski Federation, FIA – International Automotive Association, FIFA, Mercedes-Benz- Global Training Experience, New Nissan Micra Promotion, The Tenth ISABS Conference on Forensic and Anthropologic Genetics and Mayo Clinic Lectures in Individualized Medicine with Nobel winners. Dubrovnik has been a popular filming location in recent years. The Game of Thrones television series has been shot in Dubrovnik since 2011. The Bollywood film Fan with one of the most famous indian actors Shah Rukh Khan was also filmed in Dubrovnik as well as the Star Wars: Episode VIII film was shot in 2016, while the Robin Hood: Origins film was filmed in 2017.

TOP 2017

Nina ERNEKER

Igor KOVAČEVIĆ

Bratislava Convention Bureau

CEO, Serbia Convention Bureau Zagreb Convention Bureau (at Tourism Organisation of Serbia)

As an engineer of tourism management from the University of Economics in Bratislava she acquired extensive experience in incoming tourism, hospitality, destination management, PR and marketing. Now Head of the Bratislava Convention Bureau she is responsible for development and execution of a long-term communication strategy for Bratislava while developing a networking platform for the MICE community in her hometown. She is a great brand ambassador with strategic thinking and a holistic approach, keen on travel and gastronomy.

Tatjana RADOVIČ

In parallel with his academic engagements, Igor joined the Bureau in 2007 and has been actively involved in raising Serbia’s position on the international meetings market as well as making the bureau one of the most recognized destination marketing organisations in the SEE region.

Hicran ÖZBÜK Istanbul Convention Bureau

Ljubljana Convention Bureau

Tatjana Radovič has the Meetings Industry in her DNA. She has been an active voice of her destination on the international meetings market for years. While supporting the key local partners in a number of strategic marketing projects and major bids for association events, she has contributed to developing and positioning Ljubljana and Slovenia on the international meetings market, also working hand in hand with the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

She has also been ECM Summer School course leader and ECM Board member over a number of years and is the recepient of the IMEX Academy Award – Europe in 2006.

Zlatan MUFTIĆ

With a wide range of activities, he is charged with getting Zagreb on to the congress market.

It is to his credit that Zagreb is today a modern and distinctive convention destination. Through active participation in all of the regional and international initiatives Zagreb is today a stable, growing congress destination, which over the last few years has been steadily increasing its market share in the associations and corporate markets.

Danica BANJEVIĆ Montenegro Convention Bureau

Ms. Ozbuk is the General Manager of Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau. Thanks to her position in Istanbul Shopping Fest as a General Manager since 2014, she takes the advantage of analyzing and promoting both business and leisure sides. She graduated from Istanbul University in Geophysical Engineering and took her masters’ degree in Contemporary Management Techniques from Marmara University, and European Integration from the Middle East Technical University (METU).

She started her work life in 1995, and has been working in different sectors in management positions such as textile-fashion, pharmaceutical, logistics and tourism. She has also worked abroad in places such as New York and Tashkent.

She combines many advantages of her experience working in broad range of sectors and regions.

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One of the youngest convention bureau, in operation since 2008, is led by the charismatic Danica Bunjevac. Montenegro, mostly known for its leisure tourism, has been successfully positioned as a congress and more so incentive destination on the international market. Today the bureau has 19 members.

TOP 2017

Roman MUSKA Prague Convention Bureau

Roman Muška has been working in the MICE field since 1996, gaining extensive experience in tourism, and takes on the position of Managing Director with the objective of meeting the PCB long-term strategic plans, such as attracting a larger number of international meetings in Prague, building a positive image of Prague as an attractive convention destination abroad and, last but not least, raising the awareness of the congress industry and its economic and non-economic impact in the Czech Republic.

Newcomers in 2017, voted by readers Laura FAVARETTI

Iva PUDŽAK MIHAJLOVIĆ

Padova Terme Convention and Visitors Bureau

Croatian National Tourist Board

Laura Favaretti, 35 years old, is the director of the Convention Bureau of Padova, historical city located in the north East of Italy, near Venice, famous for its affrescos and ancient university. After a working experience in Ireland, she started her career in sales and marketing for a luxury hotels chain in Florence and Rome and she covered the role of Regional sales manager for 14 European properties. She went back to her hometown for the start up of the CB dated 2013.

The convention bureau achieved important results in the last years and the promotion of the destination is making Padova a strong congress destination.

Iva Pudžak Mihajlović has been working at the Croatian National Tourist Board for almost 14 years, most of which she spent working on the production of promotional materials. For the past three years, she has been head of the department responsible for development of key tourist products within the Destination Management and Product Development Support Division, where her greatest challenge and passion has been precisely the development of business tourism and promotion of Croatia as a congress destination.

She represents Croatia in the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe.

Tomaž KRUŠIČ and Miro HRIBAR

TOP MEETING AGENCIES Daniel MARUŠIĆ

Tatjana JURIŠEVIĆ

Dubrovnik Travel DMC

Kompas d.d.

DT CROATIA is recognised in the market as a company that steers the trends of regional DMCs. A clear marketing strategy and a systematic operation are visible at both the service level of co-operation with the most demanding clients as well as in the credible results, which were reflected in receiving many Business Awards and AAA Diplomas. Daniel is heavily involved in the meetings arena, also as a member of peer associations and the voice of the convention industry of Croatia.”

CEO and President of the Management Board of Kompas d.d. the leading DMC in the region.

Her professional career has always been strongly related to business travel and tourism while gaining numerous and diversified experiences.

In more than two decades, she has used every opportunity to expand her knowledge and grow the business. Successful leader, aspiring and intuitive, she is co-creating tourism trends and follows the demands of the MICE market. Her strongest and sincere belief is that a successful event is a result of an undiminishing passion, personal touch, loyal partners, and most important, a dedicated team. In her opinion the tourism industry, whatever aspect we consider, is based on personal commitment.

GOLD WINNER 2016 EVCOM CLARION AWARDS, AAA 2014 DIPLOMA, AAA 2015 DIPLOMA, AAA 2016 DIPLOMA, GAZELA 2007, GAZELA 2006, GAZELA 2011, ZLATNA KUNA 2010

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Intours DMC

Intours reached its zenith moment in 2013 when the company recorded impressive business results and increased the brand awareness. They broadened their regional presence, grew their market share and expanded the team.

Nowadays Intours DMC team accounts for 15 team members in Slovenia (Ljubljana) and 15 in Croatia (Dubrovnik and Split). Besides incentive B2B events in Slovenia and Croatia, they also operate in Montenegro and in 2017, they have organized more than 120 MICE events and countless leisure events. Future plans of Intours DMC are very exciting, with 15 % growth in employees in 2017 and a new Intours DMC branch - but let's keep this a secret at the moment...

TOP 2017

Andrew HULEWICZ

Vesna PRITCHARD

Annamari RUFFINI

Mazurkas Travel

Globtour Event

Incentive House and Dmc Events In & Out

Andrew founded Mazurkas Travel with two partners in 1990 soon after the collapse of communism in Poland, when the historical changes of system came. Initially their intention was to service music lovers visiting Poland, so they named their agency after Chopin's mazurkas.

Over the years, step by step, the company expanded its operations from leisure to incentives, transportation, congresses and conferences and finally to hotel, conference center and catering service. Today, Mazurkas Travel is largest private own company in tourism sector in Poland and a story of success. The company operates in all aspects of tourism: MICE, FIT, leisure and employs 60 people in incoming department, 35 in transportation and 110 in hotel and catering.

Among the biggest achievements in PCO area, there are the most important events organized in Poland last years: World Youth Days, NATO Summit, COP19, Polish Presidency of the EU Council.

With 40 years of experience in the travel, industry Globtour Event is one of the leading Croatian travel agencies specialized in business travel, meetings, events, and destination management.

Vesna Pritchard’s team consists of a group of motivated, passionate people who are dedicated to the work they do, sharing a common mission, vision and values in order to provide their customers with the very best service.

Ranko FILIPOVIĆ Perfect Meetings.hr

Natalija BAH ČAD Toleranca Marketing

Annamari Ruffini is the founder, president and CEO of the Incentive House and Dmc Events In & Out, based in Rome - Italy. She has a long experience in the Meeting & Events industry having been involved in the motivation and incentive industry since 1986. She has been a SITE member since 1996, and chaired the Italy Chapter in 2009-2010. In 2011 she was given, in recognition for holding “the highest standard of excellence in creating or executing motivational events”, the SITE Master Motivator Award and in the same year, she secured herself the Global Award of the World Travel Market, for her outstanding contribution to the Italian tourism.

In Italy, she is known also for her hands-on manual “Ecoeventi”, the very only Italian booklet about theories and practices of eco-sustainable incentive trips, conventions, trade fair and team-building meetings. For the mentioned book, co-authored with two industry colleagues, she has been given the “Green tourism national award” in 2010. She has been elected in the International Board of Directors of SITE (20132015), representing Europe within the Board and for the second turn 2016-2019. Annamaria Ruffini is SITE President-elect 2018. She has been instrumental in launching the first ever co-hosted international event in Rome, the SITE + MPI Global Forum 2018.

Breda PEČOVNIK Natalija joined Go.MICE/Toleranca Marketing in 2008 with ten years of experience as a PCO behind her and with a vision to run a private congress agency that would be flexible, creative and personal. Together with her team of MICE enthusiasts, she has proven that the organisation of a successful congress involves not just logistics, but also creativity and innovativeness. She strongly believes that the organisation of any kind of event is founded on a trustworthy partnership that builds a positive outcome. Conventa is one of the projects that she has been involved with from the very beginning and this concept of regional B2B events has also been successfully transferred from MICE to the Spa & Wellness industry, as well as the active tourism field.

Ranko Filipović has over 25 years of experience in meeting industry as a PCO and DMC. After spending 20 years in a large travel company, he creates PerfectMeetings.hr with his colleagues in the year of 2010 – a small company exclusively focused on meetings, incentives and events. Their other brand, Meeting Industry Consultants, is providing a wide range of consulting services in the meetings and events sector.

In addition, Ranko is a co-founder of the Croatian Meeting Professionals Association, a non-profit organization connecting meeting professionals in Croatia with the worldwide knowledge and expertise. Since its foundation in 2011, he serves on a pro bono basis, first as a vice-president, and since April 2017, as a president.

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Cankarjev dom

Congress and Events Management Director of CD Congress Centre Ljubljana since 2006, Breda Pečovnik is currently a member of the Slovenian Convention Bureau’s Board as well as the professional international associations of ICCA and IAPCO. She also teaches congress management at a college and faculty in Ljubljana.

TOP 2017

Stjepan ŽUNIĆ Penta PCO

As a long-time tourism professional, he has mainly been working with corporate clients, associations and medical doctors attending congresses. His main vision was focusing and specialising on this complex and demanding field of congress organisation in order to deliver the highest possible service. Being passionate about excellence stems from their company name: Penta [Greek, from pente, five; as the top mark].

Today, after 25 years of continuous activity, the company is a proven leader in the field of MICE services.

Newcomers in 2017, voted by readers Eda ÖZDEN

Peter MARHOUL

Meptur

C-IN

As the Director of Business Development at MEP Destination Business Solutions in Istanbul Turkey, Eda roams the world to build relationships and educate the world about Turkey as a destination. She also aims to raise awareness of the incentive travel industry through her work as a board member for SITE Global Association.

Petr is the founder and General Maganer at the C-IN. With over 14 years of experience, C-IN provides the highest level of services specialising in congress and association management, corporate events and special event production. Since 2013, C-IN is the only member of International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) with headquarters situated in the Czech Republic. The team of 55 people delivers more than 50 events per year and acts as a longterm partner for several European associations.

TOP MEETING INNOVATORS (MARKETING, TECHNOLOGY etc.)

Melinda REBREK

Dani POLAJNAR

Ljubljana Fashion Week

Teambuilding Academy

Started as Casting Manager in times when that profession in Slovenia was as common as E.T. Grew up in TV & Film production as Production Manager, Executive Producer, Script Supervisor, AD, etc. Mastered Event Management in all its variations while freelancing for marketing and event agencies and finally gladly embraced independency with Pirana Productions. A few years ago, a handful of dedicated individuals decided to face the challenge and put Slovene fashion on the map. Zvereene Institute was established and Ljubljana Fashion Week was born. The rest is history.

Dani Polajnar has more than 15 years of experience in training, coaching and events moderation. He is a founder and CEO of Teambuilding Academy – a company dedicated to developing team work in organisations through interactive workshops, active teambuilding programmes, personalised solutions and modern teambuilding events throughout Europe. He has created a strong team of internal and external trainers who develop innovative and high quality projects. His guideline throughout the numerous team-building products is always “adding value to the teams by helping them learn how to work better together”. Dani is a frequent guest speaker and moderator at different conferences and seminars. In 2009, he was awarded among The Best 10 Lecturers within the Slovenian market.

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Ognena VASILJEVIĆ Momentum Inc.

Ognena Vasiljevic has founded her own events agency in Skopje, Macedonia under the name of Momentum Inc. The agency’s goal is not simply to create events; but rather to create unique, memorable and extravagant experiences for everyone who comes into contact with the events of Momentum Inc. In its first year of existence the agency signed three innovative, large scale projects – the Health, Fitness & Wellness Expo, the Fashion & Lifestyle Expo as well as Showtime. Showtime is the first and only event industry trends conference in Macedonia – a market where investment and development of the event industry is practically non-existent. The projects have by now grown into a tradition, and are pivotal to the development of the events industry in the country. The agency is also realizing a number of events for clients from the corporate and NGO sectors in the country.

TOP 2017

Davor BRUKETA

Juraj HOLUB

Gorazd ČAD

Bruketa&Žinić&Grey

Slido

Toleranca marketing

Juraj is the marketing director and chief meeting designer at Slido. Juraj received the Young Hero in Meeting Design Award and was selected as one of PCMA’s ‘20 In Their Twenties Class of 2016’ for his work as a professional, speaker and writer in many activities that drive meeting design. Juraj is the editor of the Slido blog and contributes to events industry media outlets such as Convene Magazine, Eventbrite, Livestream and Prezi blogs, among others.

As a public speaker, Juraj applies the meeting design principles to deliver interactive sessions at events such as SXSWedu, WEC, Social Media Week and IMEX.

Founder and owner of the marketing and congress agency Toleranca marketing, Gorazd has numerous years of experience in the planning, preparation and execution of major international trade shows and fairs. Having started his career in Cankarjev dom, where he project-led on fairs such as Infos, Kapital, Bits & Fun, Slovenian Wine Festival and many others, work in his private capacity has given him a long and multi-faceted experience of developing B2B trade shows, the most noteworthy of these being Conventa, Space, Natour and Hot-Rest.

Mary KIRILLOVA

Ovanes OVANESSIAN

Baltic for events

Co-founder of Weemss and Eventex Awards

Davor Bruketa is the Creative Director of Bruketa&Žinić&Grey advertising agency based in Zagreb, Croatia. He co-founded the agency as Bruketa&Žinić OM in 1995, together with Nikola Žinić, which was renamed to Bruketa&Žinić&Grey after becoming part of Grey Group in 2017. As Bruketa&Žinić OM the agency won over 450 awards for advertising and design. Advertising Age awarded B&Ž the International Small Agency of the Year 2014 award, and Campaign listed B&Ž among the world's leading independent agencies. On the global Effie Effectiveness Index B&Ž was ranked second among independent agencies in 2012. Bruketa is a permanent member of the New York Cresta Awards Grand Jury, he was also a jury member of many other prestigious competitions such as Red Dot, D&AD London, New York Festivals, Graphis, Young Guns, Hiiibrand and he was the first jury president of the London International Awards coming from Southeastern Europe.

Tomo RICOV Pepermint

Weekend Media Festival has completely changed the face of marketing festivals of the region. By both number of participants as well as by the quality of content, it became an institution in a very short time. Each year it gathers more than 5,000 participants, among whom are all of the key players in the field of the communication industries.

Mary Kirillova, has a great background related to events. As the board member of Baltiski Aljans OU, she worked with PracticePanther Law, Sberbank, Deloitte, Audi motors etc., British Petroleum, Milan Fashion Week, Gazprom, Lukoil and others.

She has also launched Baltic For Events Forum (balticforevents.com) organized for event agencies and customers in the Baltic Sea Region.

Baltic For Events is a unique face to face event for more than 300 event professionals and live communication leaders from the Baltic States, Germany, Poland and Scandinavia.

In the same year, she became general manager of Baltic Event Industry Club (beic.pro).

Founder of the Baltic events news blog bestbalticevents.com. Founder of EventCV.com, a global job search for event-agencies and customers around the world.

Producer at OCTOPUS newspaper.

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Ovanes is an entrepreneur with affinity for events, innovation and technology. He has 10+ years experience in event management, event marketing, and event softwares.

He is the co-founder of Weemss - the event management software used by hundreds of customers from around the world. Ovanes is also co-founder of Eventex Awards - possibly the most coveted and recognizable awards in the world of events. The whole team works 100% remotely with no physical office.

Ovanes is enjoying a digital nomad lifestyle - he travels around the world and works remotely.

TOP 2017

Jovan JELOVAC Belgrade Design Week

Newcomers in 2017, voted by readers Matjaž JUG ETC Adriatic

A perfectionist, obsessed with the idea of establishing a regional creative hub. Belgrade Design Week is, in global terms, an event without precedent. His work is characterised by an understanding of the creative industries and their importance to the revitalisation of society. This results in a changed perception of Belgrade, which Jovan has achieved over a number of years. At the same time, the annual event is always a surprise in terms of the new innovation in its organisation.

Matjaž is an entrepreneur, start-up lecturer, co-founder of start-up accelerator KIKštarter and owner of ETC Adriatic – agency for corporate events. He has over 15 years of experience in tourism; he started as a tourist guide, later helped with organisation of biggest festival camps in Croatia and was one of the organisers of local music festival Kamfest for the last 10 years. Introducing the concept of glamping to guests visiting the Kamp Alpe campsite and inviting them into Žganjeteka, which held 150 of local fine spirits and liquors for them to try. He was recognized several times from the Slovenian tourism board and was a finalist in Snovalec and Sejalec, awards for innovations in tourism. With his rich tourism and hospital-

Julia WARD

TOP HOTELS AND VENUES

Regent Porto Montenegro

Izabela HELBIN

Tomo ČEH

Ice Krakow

Grand Hotel Union

Director of the Krakow Festival Office, which operates the ICE Kraków Congress Centre.

Her former positions include those of the Deputy Director for Marketing and the Krakow Promotion Director, as well as the Head of the Press Office of the Mayor of the City of Krakow.

Cultural manager, producer, co-producer and coordinator of many international cultural and TV projects. She takes pride in a consistently high quality of work, confirmed by numerous awards for festivals, single events, as well as innovative campaigns and publications.

ity experience from guiding to bartending, he has now completely dedicated to his company ETC Adriatic, where he gathers his knowledge from the start-up and tourism to create the best programmes and activities for every event.

Yearly ETC Adriatic organizes over 80 events in Slovenia, Croatia and Italy.

Tomo Čeh has worked for several years as a corporate director or consultant in the fields of real estate, marketing and tourism. Tomo has also been the Chairman of the Board of Istrabenz Tourism, lead the renovation project of the Palace Hotel in Portorož, director of the Postojna Cave and director of the agency Globtour in Globtour Praha. His management of various tourist and hotel companies has always been tied to specific requirements in connection with reorganisation and crisis management.

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Julia Ward naturally gravitated to the hospitality industry having completed her education and studies in Cape Town, South Africa where she began her work in Front of House Operations and then slowly transitioned into Food and Beverage for many years. She then felt she needed a directional swing and therefore focused on the Sales and Marketing side of the business with the Rezidor Group. Later she returned to Operations as the Director of Rooms for Fancourt (member of Leading of Hotels of the World) which comprised of residential units, lodges and two 5-star Hotels and four international championship golf courses.

An opportunity arose in Bali, Indonesia with Regent Hotels & Resorts where she joined the pre-opening team as Executive Assistant Manager to open their new property in Bali, Indonesia.

Julia Ward joined Regent Porto Montenegro in March 2016, arriving from the exotic Island of Koh Samui in Thailand where she had the pleasure of managing and marketing over 70 high-end luxury, butler style serviced villas for private owners and investors.

Her career has been constant devotion to the highest possible hospitality standards and the persistent strive for excellence.

TOP 2017

Renata BALAŽIC

Kristian ŠUSTAR

Ivica KRIŽMANIĆ

Sava turizem

HUP Zagreb

Esplanade Zagreb

Renata Balažic is the President of the Management Board at Sava Turizem, the largest tourism company in Slovenia, managing six tourist destinations in Slovenia under the Sava Hotels & Resorts brand. She graduated at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana. She has been working in the tourist sector for 20 years, from the beginning of her career, being closely related to the field of MICE. She started at the Grand Hotel Union, the largest provider of business hotel accommodation and MICE hotel facilities in Ljubljana, where she also established MICE department and later progressed to the position of the Director of marketing and sales.

Currently, as the President of the Board, she is also actively involved in the MICE development strategy in Sava Hotels & Resorts Group.

Member of the Board of HUP Zagreb, a company whose business is to dictate trends in the development of national tourism. With specified, since 2013. President of the Management Board - Dubrovnik Riviera Hotels Inc. (owned by HUP Zagreb), one of the leading investors in the Croatian tourism. By the 2011. CEO of Maistra, which is part of the Adris Group, the largest national investor in the tourism industry.

Years of experience, mainly on management positions within the tourism companies in constant expansion (during career, often served multiple functions simultaneously within individual companies). Besides Croatia, experience gained in a number of international projects.

For many years active in local and national Tourist Board as a Council Member (from 2016.

President of the Supervisory Board - Croatian National Tourist Board.)

From December 2009 to May 2016. The president of Croatian national hotel association.

From 2011. Lecturer at VERN University of Applied Sciences.

Gabriela DITETOVA Radisson Blu Old Mill

Ivica is the General Manager at Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, with 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He is being loyal to the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel for all those years, as he started his career as the Front Office & Revenue Manager, continued as the Executive Assistant Manager and Acting General Manager, and for the past 5 wonderful years, he is the General Manager of Esplanade Zagreb.

Željko KUKURIN Valamar

Gregor JAMNIK Hotel Slon

Gabriela Ditetova, born in the Czech Republic, replaces Thomas Swiec as the head of the Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel in Belgrade. With more than 20 years of experience in the hotel industry, Gabriela brings to this position a wealth of experience in sales and marketing, management and operational management. Prior to her arrival in Belgrade, she built her career in a number of management positions in hotels in Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. She arrives in Belgrade from a senior management position at the hotel Park Inn by Radisson Nevsky in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ditetova will be responsible for the operation of the hotel with a focus on the growth, development and future of the company in Belgrade.

Gregor is a supervisory board member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia and member of the supervisory board of the Ljubljana Tourism Board. Gregor also has proud memberships of several other important associations: YES (Young Executives of Slovenia), American Chamber of Commerce, German Chamber of Commerce and the Slovenian Managers Association. Gregor achieves great results at Slon with the highest occupancy rates among all of the hotels in Ljubljana, as well outstanding financial results within all of the Slovenian hotels. Slon has hosted many important and distinguished guests during Gregor’s management, with the highlight being the stay of American President Bill Clinton.

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Željko Kukurin was born in 1974 in Zagreb. He graduated in 1999 from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb where he received his Master of Science degree in Marketing in 2003. In 2010 he received his EMBA degree in International Management from the Bocconi University in Milan. In 2000 he began his career as an intern in Riviera Poreč, a member of the Valamar Group, as Assistant Director on Sveti Nikola Island. From 2003 to 2009 he held various managing positions in Valamar's Sales and Marketing, and he was responsible for the development of a number of strategic projects within the Group.

From 2010 to 2014 he was Management Board President of Istraturist d.d., owned by the Zaba Unicredit Group, and cooperated with Meliá Hotels International in managing the tourism portfolio in Umag. In 2015 Mr. Kukurin joined Valamar Riviera again and was appointed President of the Management Board of Valamar Riviera's consolidated portfolio in June of the same year.

TOP 2017

Josipa JUTT FERLAN Double Tree by Hilton

A dynamic, high-performance executive with a 20-year accomplished career track record recognised throughout the industry for delivering and sustaining revenue and profit gains within a highly competitive regional market, she has broad hospitality experience with in-depth expertise covering hospitality management, controlling, international sales, marketing, PR and brand development.

Newcomers in 2017, voted by readers Riccardo Zanellotti

Thies C. BRUHN

Savoia Excelsior Palace

Kempinski Palace Portorose

Since the beginning of his career, Riccardo has progressed through several roles in the Hotel Industry, covering specific jobs like: Event Management, Business Analyst, Information Technology Management, Hotel Pre-Opening Project Management, Training Management, F&B Management, Hotel Operations Management, and General Management.

He acquired solid skills working for renown International Hotel Chains such as Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Hilton International, Langham Hospitality Group, and Starhotels Collezione.

Thies Christian Bruhn was appointed General Manager of the Kempinski Palace Portorož on 1 September 2008, after working before as the hotel’s Project General Manager during the Opening phase.

Mr. Bruhn started his professional career in the hotel industry in 1985. As he was born to a family of hoteliers, the hotel environment has been familiar to him since his early childhood. After having done his 3 year classic apprenticeship in Germany, he joined Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in Miami/USA. He joined the Kempinski Group in 1991 working his way up in different positions in several hotels in Germany. His first General Manager assignment of a Kempinski hotel was in 1999, when he took over the helm of the Kempinski Hotel in Leipzig. He successfully managed this hotel until he was appointed Project Opening General Manager and then General Manager of the hotel Kempinski Palace Portorož

Martin JEZERŠEK

TOP MEETING SERVICES

Jezeršek Catering

Ana ROŠ

Thomas GRUBER

Hiša Franko

Carinthia

Ana Roš is a chef an co-owner of Hiša Franko (currently ranks No. 69 in the world, according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants organization), the family restaurant in Kobarid, a small town in Slovenia very close to the Italian border.

Besides cooking her second greatest pleasure is travel and she is a world traveller. Her dishes are full of intense flavours, lovely colours and unusual combinations – and they are always delicious. She was recently named World’s Best Female Chef 2017 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Last year, she also starred in an episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table and was the first woman to join the exclusive Cook It Raw chef community.

The main characteristic of the “Gasthaus von Thomas Gruber« at the lake Wörthersee is the regional cuisine, where different cultures and genuine dishes/origins from Slovenia, Italy and Carinthia meets. Eating and drinking together becomes the indispensable experience factor. Thomas Gruber is not following the culinary mainstream, so instead of great gourmet menus, you will find dishes with heart and mind.

He gained knowledge and experience for many years in the most prestigious restaurants and hotels in the States, France, Italy and Austria. In 2013, he opened his own restaurant “Gasthaus von Thomas Gruber”.

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Martin Jezeršek, the youngest son of the renowned Jezeršek family, has been successfully managing the family business with over 35 years of tradition and experience in the field of HORECA, for the last five years. After a graduation at the best hospitality and hotel management school in the world, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, he returned home to take over the family business. He has internationalised the company through the brand Sora Catering and passed the test with flying colours, taking up the family business management, with a desire to become the leading catering provider in South-Eastern Europe and to rank among the top 10 organizers and catering services providers in the European Union. Due to Martin's contribution, Jezeršek catering today is the leading company in the field of catering on the Slovenian market.

TOP 2017

Sanjiv SURI

Dada JEROVŠEK

Janez BRATOVŽ

Zátiší Catering

Kaval Group

JB Restaurant

Since 1991 founder of the Zátiší Group, currently operating four restaurants in Prague: V Zátiší, Bellevue, Mlýnec, Žofín Garden & Zátiší Catering, exclusive caterer to Žofín Palace, general caterer for Prague Congress Centre and exclusive caterer 2012 - 2013 to VIP Village Moto GP and Fresh & Tasty divisions.

He earlier worked as General Manager, Food – Beverage Manager & Kitchen Coordinator at various hotel chains in France, India, Egypt and western Africa. He is a member of the UNICEF Supervisory Board, Head of the Board of Directors of the Prague Convention Bureau, member of the Young Presidents Organisation worldwide, and Vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce Supervisory Board.

Dada Jerovšek is an architect turned entrepreneur who heads up The Kaval Group, a collection of 19 bars, fine dining restaurants, casual cafes and, of course, Lolita, the best icecream in the world (according to #worldICECREAMindex). The Kaval Group is made up of hospitality experiences that are undeniably Slovenian, yet comparable with any contemporary trend from New York or London.

World-renowned chef Janez Bratovz has always been defined by his strong desire to find perfection. His culinary creations are bold and original, and you can savour the tastes of exquisite plates and let yourself be entranced by a completely new culinary experience. JB’s dishes are from completely fresh ingredients straight from Ljubljana’s farmers’ market. You will be charmed by their presentation and primal taste, especially so by the unforgettably unique combination of the Mediterranean, French and nostalgic Slovene cuisines.

Jerneja KAMNIKAR

Ana GRGIČ Esplanade Zagreb

Zemono

Vivo Catering

At the 20th anniversary she earned her ranking through the socially responsible co-operative project of setting the Month of Design in the abandoned factory premises of Mladinska knjiga. The revival of this place has created a completely new event space in Ljubljana with an unimagined development potential. Visitors to the event were excited about the look of the premises; this is a completely new dimension of socially responsible conference tourism.

The highly talented, experienced and charming Ana Grgić (35), already in her fourth year, continues her role as executive chef of the prestigious Zagreb Esplanade Hotel. In 2012 Ana proudly became the very first woman to lead the Esplanade’s kitchen and went on to follow the tradition of crafting exceptional cuisine, putting her specific culinary touch into all her dishes.

Ana continues to drive her passion and perfect her culinary talent, working alongside a number of award-winning chefs as guests at the hotel, such as Xavier Mathieu and Pascal Tingaud.

Newcomers in 2017, voted by readers Robert SHARADIN Sharkam VIP Catering Sharkam catering was established in 1998 and belongs to one of the European leaders in catering. They are mostly proud of having built the business from scratch on solely Slovak capital

Tomaž KAVČIČ

and through years of testing know-how. The majority of their business is in event catering, although they are also one of a very few caterers in Europe to specialize in protocol catering.

Their marketing policy is built on offering a first class service and quality and which additionally guarantees a sufficient quantity of food and beverages.

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Tomaž Kavčič, or ‘Tomi’, is not just a chef - he is much more than that. He is an artist who creates beautiful, delicious and accomplished dishes to be found in his restaurant Pri Lojzetu in the beautiful, baroque Zemono mansion located near Ajdovščina. He is also a culinary star (although he has not (yet) been awarded any Michelin stars) who has added Slovenia to the culinary map of the world.

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ORGANIZING A CONGRESS? CONTACT US!

Plava laguna - Laguna Poreč is one of the largest hotel companies in Croatia. Our 13 hotels have conference halls and meeting rooms which can accommodate 10 to 600 people, providing audiovisual and other equipment. Here you will find everything you need for a professional organization of business events while pleasant Mediterranean climate and natural environment will ensure you get the piece and comfort you need.

A combination of the pleasant and the useful - this might just be the essence of our message and the goal of our offer for the organization of congresses, seminars, work meetings, symposiums, presentations, sports events, weddings, gala dinners, refreshments during work meeting breaks, as well as folklore evenings, special entertainment programs and animation in Laguna Poreč facilities.

After the regular program, we offer relaxation in one of our exceptional

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outdoor or indoor sports-recreational facilities, gym, swimming pool or wellness.

Staying in Istria without getting to know its inland would be a real shame.

That is why we organize half-day boat tours, tours of the Istrian inland with visits to picturesque Medieval towns and excursions to Pula, Rovinj, Lim channel, Brijuni, Trieste or Venice.

So visit us and find out firsthand why your stay and work in Laguna Poreč hotels will be truly successful because: YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR GOAL! Info & Reservations: Tel. +385 52 410 210 e-mail: mice@plavalaguna.hr www.lagunaporec.com

FACE2FACE

GRAZ vs. LJUBLJANA A current comparison of the closest competitors on the 2015 ICCA scale following the Kongres travelogue methodology – meetologues.

*Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016 3.45

Population: 269.997

Sunshine hours: 1.989 per year

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 160 place - 16 meetings

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 3.51 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 22

Numbeo Safety Index: 4.52

Population: 280.310

Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016* 3.32

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 47 place - 54 meetings

Sunshine hours: 1.981 per year

Numbeo Safety Index: 4.13

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 3.16 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 19

+ Being the first to do something is sometimes difficult, and Graz was among the first to develop the branding of the entire destination, subsidies and many other marketing innovations, from which other regional convention bureaus drew inspiration. However, former pupils have caught up and in the field of branding and in some other areas are now ahead of their teacher. A developed infrastructure and year long additional offer helps this, where tradition combines with the present and where everyone can find an offer for their taste, needs and pocket.

Environmental responsibility, tidiness of the surrounding areas and infrastructure, cultural infrastructure, the city of design and creative industries are all ideal for the development of the meetings industry. The city, key stakeholders and politics are not lacking in creativity and strategic vision.

+ Ljubljana has congresses written in its genome. Long before the emergence of the meetings industry as we know it today, in 1821 Ljubljana hosted the Congress of the Holy Alliance. The city is picturesque, attractive and friendly to congress guests.

According to its conference and accommodation infrastructure, Ljubljana belongs to the group of capitals suitable for medium-sized and smaller meetings (up to 2,500 participants). It is positioned side by side with the new EU member states and geographically in the region of the Western Balkans.

Ljubljana is friendly and favourable to the meetings industry, while at the same time competitive in terms of price and quality.

Ljubljana makes a good first impression and among all regional capitals it also has a very good image that has also been strengthened thanks to the Conventa Trade Show.

Graz meetings flashpoints: 1. Congress Graz - A blend of tradition and modernity that is an ideal backdrop for creative communication. The unique location in the historic city centre of Graz, a UNESCO listed World Cultural Heritage site.

2. Stadthalle Graz - Austria’s most up-to-date event location has been creating a stir in the Styrian capital since it opened in 2002.

3. Kunsthaus Graz - Memorable event locations, candlelight dinners, presentations or panel discussions – the remarkable ambience of Space04 and Needle 4. Helmut List Halle - A former factory hall combined with modern architecture.

5. Joanneum Quarter - the centrepiece of Austria’s first public museum.

The underground yet light-filled auditorium, along with the attractive foyer, provide a range of possibilities for events.

Ljubljana meetings flashpoints: 1. Grand Union Hall - A wonderful example of an Art Noveau conference hall tailored to the needs of modern congress organisers 2. The Walnut grove - The venue has an amazing location set in nature. The main attraction of the venue is its ambience, which is best described as ‘eco-chic & vintage’.

3. 2 Convention Centres - Cankarjev dom and the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre 4. The Švicarija Creative Centre - With this new venue one can decide on hosting an event in the middle of the city, yet at the same time be in the middle of a natural setting 5. The Fashion House - Dedicated to business and social events, this is especially for event organisers looking for a different space to offer creative stories. The venue is a part of the Grand Hotel Union congress and meetings offer, which altogether has 21 halls.

STAY: roomz Graz Design Hotel / 4****

STAY: Grand Hotel Union/ 4*****

4.32 / 5

4.33 / 5 26

AND THE WINNER IS

Quality of Life Index (higher is better) is an estimation of overall quality of life by using empirical formula which takes into account purchasing power index (higher is better), pollution index (lower is better), house price to income ratio (lower is better), cost of living index (lower is better), safety index (higher is better), health care index (higher is better), traffic commute time index (lower is better) and climate index (higher is better). e.g. Vienna index for 2016 is 195.97

GRAZ LJUBLJANA

CREATIVE BREAK

A TV OR FILM SHOOTING IS NOT THAT FAR FROM EVENT PRODUCTION...

Interview with Melinda Rebrek, Pirana Productions/CEO/owner and Managing Director at Zvereene Institute & LJFW Executive Producer INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE, MIMI ANTOLOVIĆ

Q: The list of your past work and experience is inspiring – besides casting management, event management, project management and a list that goes on and on, you have also worked in TV, movie and video production.

And now you are one of the most recognizable personalities in Slovenian event production. How has that transition happened?

If you look at it closely, a TV or film shooting is not that far from an event production...you need to organise the locations with all the permits within the requests of a client/director/producer, people need to eat and drink, you need light, sound and some entertainers/actors, but it all has to be just a bit prettier and the language a bit more sophisticated. In a way, it's all the same thing, but just a bit different.

All you have to do is to open your eyes and ears and constantly learn from people in various positions around you. Be a sponge of their knowledge, read, explore, keep an open mind. When you connect the dots of gathered knowledge and

Melinda Rebrek is Ljubljana's so called 'all-rounder'. She has a wide variety of expertise, knowledge and experience. In Slovenian MICE circles she is the person who everyone knows and they all agree that »she is soooo awesome!!« Ljubljana is also becoming more recognised on the world's events map because of her role in Ljubljana Fashion Week and the new pop-up Secret Dinner. For all of these reasons and many others besides, we took the time to talk to her about her work, about fashion, about Ljubljana and about Slovenia.

build a faithful and resourceful team, there is no force you cannot overcome.

Q: At the moment you are an executive producer of Ljubljana Fashion Week, amongst several other roles. How long does it take to prepare such an event and how much foreign interest is there in it? Could it ever be comparable to fashion weeks in more prominent global capital cities?

That particular job never ends. Before we finish the current one, we are already planning the next edition; we travel all the time, visit other fashion weeks and network a lot. It's a lifestyle, of a kind. Over the years we have developed a solid base of contacts and international collaborations that is already showing results at home as well as abroad.

Regional collaborations have also resulted in Fashion Scout South East Europe Showcase (Fashion Scout SEE), a great new project that opens doors in London and elsewhere, getting

»All you have to do is to open your eyes and ears and constantly learn from people in various positions around you. Be a sponge of their knowledge, read, explore, keep an open mind.« 27

CREATIVE BREAK

»Conventions are not as stiff as they used to be, although I would recommend to everybody to brush up a bit but still stay themselves and be comfortable.

Presenting yourself is a tough business and wearing clothes that you don't feel comfortable in is a no-no.« invitations to participate in many competitons and showcases in the region and helping sell names and collections. Finding sponsors is not as hard as it used to be, as we are renowned for a great quality event with a lot of immediate results. International buyers have also started to contact us, since we gather a rather interesting bunch of designers from the entire region.

Comparing the quality of foreign fashion weeks with LJFW is only about how much money you have available for production. We invest as much as we manage to gather and our first concerns are good models, great make-up & hair crew, lighting, excellent official runway photographers and a video crew, since those materials are the only things that really stay behind.

When that mission is accomplished, we focus on everything else. Then everybody is happy – the media for great material, the designers who can use those materials instead of the lookbook and help them sell their collections, as well as the whole crew, as it presents us as a credible partner for future collaborations.

Q: With regards to fashion, what would you recommend to convention participants/delegates to wear, as in what is the proper attire for someone participating in a congress?

What do you think of jeans in this context?

Conventions are not as stiff as they used to be, although I would recommend to everybody to brush up a bit but still stay themselves and

be comfortable. Presenting yourself is a tough business and wearing clothes that you don't feel comfortable in is a no-no. It reflects in your energy and body language, and the message is distorted. Jeans comes in so many different styles and variations that it is very hard for me to say 'yay or nay', but in a way I prefer 'yay'. By all means it needs to be appropriate, however, and to fit the occasion. I always say: when in doubt, put on a smile and hit it – sincerity helps in all situations.

Q: Your Zveerene Institute is a non-profit organisation supporting and shaping different parts of the Slovenian creative industry.

Could you please explain a little bit more about your Institute?

The founding members of the Zvereene Institute are 5 individuals, all excelling in our professions and putting together a great team with a variety of expertise to accomplish the goal of putting Slovenian fashion on the map. The good thing is that we make a decent living, so fashion can be our hobby (meaning that we are not getting paid to do the Fashion Weeks, but that doesn't mean we don't approach it professionally). Unfortunately, fashion in Slovenia is still not recognised as a lucrative and profitable business, so rather than having big budgets we have to be very resourceful to fill the financial gaps and make the events look and feel professionally done. Luckily Zvereene consists of a video/graphic designer, a PR/marketing/proto-

col officer, a fashion photographer, a technical director and myself/a producer/event manager, as well as our loyal co-workers in the form of stylists, curators, PR and social media experts, production assistants... so it is all possible. We all have the same goal – make Slovenian fashion recognisable in the region and beyond, and with a team like that it is not only possible, but has been already showing results.

Q: One of the things you have recently worked on was a Secret Dinner that was organised in the form of a pop-up dinner taking place in the early 18th Century Križevniška Church in Ljubljana. Can you describe the steps involved in the preparation for that?

It is also one of those ongoing projects... At first we brainstorm about locations and chefs, check the availability on prefered dates and we get a match. Then we release the date and start brainstorming about menues and drinks selections, as well as all the other details regarding the location's infrastructure, mood, service etc, trying to avoid unnecessary surprises as much as possible. One of the steps (the least preferred, but necessary) is also budgeting, which must be kept in mind as a variable, since we depend on the number of sold menues.

At first we planned to make dinners for more than 50 people, but in the process we decided to keep it more intimate, as it is a group of people big enough so that they don't know each other and at the same time small enough to somehow

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CREATIVE BREAK still keep it more under control, easier to network and also cater and meet their needs.

After we establish the boundaries and theme of the event, we agree on the menu and start working on the printed version of it. From the start we decided to design it as a prop that guests will take home and read, or keep as a souvenir if they want to, and it must contain all the information necessary to explain what the evening is all about. The first menu was formed as a name card with the celebrity Chef's signature on it, the second (British cuisine garden theme) was formed as an English newspaper, resembling The Guardian, with all the information about Brits, their habits, food, drinks and other fun facts. The next one is also 'in the oven' and it will very much match the location of the event.

We also have to keep in mind forming the location notice email, getting it out on time (3 hours before the event), invoicing, decoration, toilets, electricity, road signs if necessary, and last but not least promoting the event in order to sell it and troubleshoot everything that comes along. It is by all means a very complex project that needs to be carefully prepared and is a 24/7 job from the moment the date is released.

Then finally D-day arrives and we can only hope we have thought of as many situations to cover as possible. The day after we usually gather the impressions, read the comments and try to make the best of it in planning the next one to come.

Q: What as been the outcome? Are you planning similar events in the future?

We have already organised two Secret Dinners and we are working on a third one that is coming up at the end of November. We plan to organise them monthly with various themes, chefs, locations and food; we want to break the rules and

make people understand it is not only the menu they are buying, but an entire experience. It is not just a cosy evening in a restaurant, but an evening that gives our chefs the possibility to do things they cannot do in their restaurants. Rules and menues are often set by the location, mood and music by the chef's wishes, and so it might also be an experience guests don't like (as they only find out about menues and mood as they enter the venue). The secrecy is a spice that can make or break your personal perception of the event and we would like people to understand this before they click on our website's application form.

Luckily, there is a majority of guests who embrace the concept, but there are also some who don't and they are out loud. Nevertheless, their comments also help us. With each dinner we learn and take all comments into consideration to help us develop a better experience.

We will continue the project as long as it sells, because we firmly believe there is space and time to run a concept like that in Slovenia, with it's wide variety of food, chefs and locations. We are also getting inquiries from various companies to organise closed Secret Dinners exclusively for them and we have been approached by a tourist agency that included our events into their offer. So we must be doing something right!

Unfortunately, though, Slovenians are a nation of couch commentators and when it comes to novelties, direct confrontation or standing out, they sink back in the safety of their bedroom computers and lead their little wars behind fake internet names. Until that changes, we are where we are and no pop-up anything will change it. Slovenia is still just a beautiful threeto-five-day destination with a great prospect,

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but not enough breadth of mind and dedicated leaders and workers (in all areas) to expand the offer to a higher level, respectable (individuals and companies) exceptions excluded, but there are not many. Yet. And don't get me wrong – I don't think it is impossible, that word does not exist in my vocabulary, I just know it's not (gonna be) easy.

Q: From your point of view, what would you recommend to business, congress, convention planners to look for in Ljubljana? What are the creative and hidden spots in Ljubljana that you admire?

I would warmly recommend a stroll through the woods to Mostec, where you mostly meet young families with kids, people walking dogs and retired people playing chess; a coffee beside Koseze pond or on the banks of the Ljubljanica (further along from the centre's overcrowded spots, towards Špica or Livada); an easy walk to Ljubljana castle from Gornji trg, and a swing on top, a bit away from castle from where you can have a beautiful view towards Krim; a boulder climbing session in Plezalni centre Ljubljana to release some stress; a concert or two in Kino Šiška; brunch in Ek (sitting on the steps by the river Ljubljanica, just steps away from overcrowded central market); a freshly baked trout in Mavčiče or Dragočajna by the river Sava; a gin&tonic or hot dog in Lepa žoga at one of it's wacky events, a beer in Godec rock'n'roll pub, an Aperol Spritz on Trboje lake's boathouse beach, where you can also SUP (as you can also do on the Ljubljanica, Zbilje lake and elsewhere around city)... I could go on and on, as Ljubljana offers a lot of 'out of the box' experience – you just have to know what to look for and ask a local.

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CREATIVE BREAK

LJUBLJANA HAS A GREAT POTENTIAL FOR CONGRESSES WITH UP TO 2,000 PARTICIPANTS Interview with Breda Pečovnik, MSc - Congress and Event Management Director of CD Congress Centre Ljubljana INTERVIEW BY NINA PRAPROTNIK PHOTO CREDIT CD CONGRESS CENTRE LJUBLJANA ARCHIVE

»Boasting strong willpower, determination, persistence, expertise and international connections, the team of Cankarjev dom has invested all of this into the meetings industry.« Q: How do you see the congress industry development of Ljubljana/Slovenia through your eyes?

I see the development of congress industry in Ljubljana and Slovenia through the perspective of the incessant and painstaking search for new ways of attracting congresses to Ljubljana. In this regard, our partnership with the convention bureaus in Slovenia and Ljubljana has delivered encouraging results. In my view, this is the only way of satisfying the strict selection criteria and tipping the scales in our favour – and thus succeeding in putting Ljubljana and Slovenia on the map of those 10 European cities/countries (according to ICCA statistics) that are the most desirable congress destinations. Ljubljana is a congress destination on the rise. I strongly believe that the future ambitions of all main congress industry protagonists who endeavour Seeking constant improvement and focusing on continuing education, which are vital to the success of the meetings industry and Cankarjev dom, Breda Pečovnik abides by this rule also in the international arena and is member of International Congress and Convention Association ICCA and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers IAPCO. She is member of the Slovenian Convention Bureau and its Council, as well as the Managers’ Association of Slovenia and The Slovenian Directors’ Association (SDA). She teaches at the Biotechnical Educational Centre Ljubljana and the ERUDIO School of Sustainable Tourism Ljubljana. A humanitarian at heart, she has joined the Lions Club Forum Ljubljana and is actively involved in humanitarian work and charity events.

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to bring to Ljubljana two large-scale congresses each month will be fulfilled.

Q: What is the key to success of CD Congress Centre Ljubljana?

It is essential to constantly follow the industry trends, to persistently examine the national and international markets, to provide a high degree of expertise and professional services, cutting-edge technology and, unquestionably, highly skilled and experienced staff. Boasting strong willpower, determination, persistence, expertise and international connections, the team of Cankarjev dom has invested all of this into the meetings industry. Cankarjev dom had been the springboard for numerous congress organisers who then chose to pursue an independent professional career or join a new team.

CREATIVE BREAK

“Through the perspective of the incessant and painstaking search for new ways of attracting congresses to Ljubljana, our partnership with the convention bureaus in Slovenia and Ljubljana has delivered encouraging results.”

CD is located in the heart of the capital of Slovenia, it has all the necessary infrastructure required for the organisation of a congress or an event. Our Centre also hosts cultural events, which is an added value for the congress delegates. We can offer all facilities under one roof, with the exclusion of accommodation. There is a three to ten minutes’ walking distance to most hotels and other facilities catering for the needs of a demanding congress delegate: the old city centre that provides a range of entertainment options, authentic cuisine, sights and cultural monuments, the Ljubljana Castle, etc. Some of our foreign clients have expressed their astonishment at finding everything a stone’s throw away. All of these advantages are vital to our success.

Cankarjev dom is a long-standing member of eminent international congress and convention organisations: ICCA since 1980 and of IAPCO

“Ljubljana is famous for being a small and endearing city, a safe destination. Its location within a convenient twohour flight from almost all major European airports makes it an easily accessible destination and it is still a considerably less explored destination with attractive options for congress and leisure tourism.”

since 1981. We maintain an active presence on the international market, and take pride in being the ones who have put Slovenia on the international congress-industry map.

Q: What advantages does Ljubljana have for meetings comparing the region?

Ljubljana is famous for being a small and endearing city, a safe destination. The city has an exceptionally rich heritage of historical buildings (by internationally renowned architect Jože Plečnik). As a capital city, all the important political and scientific institutions are located in Ljubljana. It lies at the crossroads of Central Europe, halfway between Vienna and Venice. Its location within a convenient twohour flight from almost all major European airports makes it an easily accessible destination.

It is still a considerably less explored destination with attractive options for congress and leisure tourism. Last but not least, Ljubljana is the ideal destination also with regard to ensuring public safety. All in all, a visitor will have an unforgettable experience in our green haven of Europe – the most beautiful city in the world. Ljubljana has a great potential for organising congresses with up to 2000 participants.

Q: What are CD Congress Centre Ljubljana key priorities in 2018 and long-term future plans?

Cankarjev dom has already finalised its 2018 congress programme, and is fully booked with as many as 21 conventions and accompanying events. In the future, we primarily aim to attract the congresses that have not been held in Slovenia yet and organise them in line with our mission – with emphasis on professionalism and expertise to the benefit of the clients and the delegates. There is hard work ahead of us but we will not rest on our laurels. We will

proceed with friendly assertiveness, moving forward step by step, hoping that our long-term and sizeable investment into marketing will yield. We plan to add new market niches to our overall strategy, with a view to getting into the entire European and global market, channelling our ideas through professional associations and Slovenian ambassadors of science who are their members.

Q: Why can Ljubljana and CD Congress Centre Ljubljana compete with bigger European capitals?

When presenting our candidacies, we always come up against strong competition, facing big rivals – the most sought-after destinations in Europe. Not lagging behind in any way when it comes to satisfying the needs of clients and providing a first-class service, Ljubljana and Cankarjev dom have all the advantages of great destinations. This can only be achieved by a friendly, highly skilled staff, the people who are the key ingredient for success, of both business and leisure tourism.

Q: Is being both a venue and an IAPCO certificated PCO an advantage? How does it help from the professional viewpoint?

Any certificate awarded by professional associations for rendering services is invariably an advantage. The earned certificate guarantees that a service will be provided professionally and efficiently. It can also serve as a door-opener. The organisation issuing a certificate sets the standards, in our case to congress-industry protagonists, which need to be reached in organising congresses. The certificate issued by IAPCO to a PCO has to be renewed each year; PCOs have to submit annual reports listing their projects and services and thus meeting the criteria for a renewal.

“In the future, we primarily aim to attract the congresses that have not been held in Slovenia yet and organise them in line with our mission.”

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Exclusive interview

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IN FOCUS

A TEAM THAT CONTRIBUTES IMAGINATION AND ITS OWN INITIATIVES LEADS TO SUCCESS Interview with Gabriela Dietetova, General Manager at Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT ALEKSANDAR LETIĆ Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

Creativity is the core of any innovation and is an essential tool for the event industry. To create fertile ground for originality you must feed the mind with fresh information and you need to have people approaching event organisation from different angles. There are lots of ways to do this: new sights, environments, tastes and sounds trigger whole new pathways in our brains and naturally lead to new ideas. Being prepared to take a risk with ideas is important, but the flip side is that not everything works out exactly as planned. Yet the path of being successful is to learn from your mistakes and move on from them if they happen, but this shouldn’t put you off taking that risk in the first place.

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

Event planners want to be remembered for integrating originality and imagination into their events. Stories are fundamental; telling stories is a great way not only to demonstrate your ability as an event organiser, but also by explaining how your client and the guests felt on that day will help make a new event concept idea be accepted by clients by relating to original concepts of previous events that you’ve organised.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

By measuring the total number of attendees, incorporating an event app, including post-event surveys, monitoring social media engagement and the increase of active community members, media and press hits, and at the end the number of returning attendees.

Q: How do you organise creativity at events?

Creativity within an organisation definitely depends on vibrant, ongoing collaboration and the free flow of ideas. It’s important to identify the most important tasks and make priorities that need to be worked on before a project can go to the next level; next is to keep all team members in the loop and get constructive feedback, setting realistic deadlines for creative projects and transforming imagination into production.

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Q: How do you manage creativity at events?

The priority is to engage the right people, with the right motivation, at the right times, to the right degree in creative work. A team that contributes imagination and its own initiatives leads to success.

IN FOCUS

CREATIVITY, A POWERFUL TOOL Interview with Ingrid Rip, Certified trainer and owner of RRE INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE Creativity is a powerful phenomenon that I like to use as a tool to reach goals for training sessions, events and conferences. I organise and boost creativity primarily by the way sessions are designed. What does the initiator want to achieve and what type of session fits best?

Creativity is interesting for a whole lot of reasons. Creativity makes people curious, which intensifies the experience and thus strengthens the memory. But also, when you have people physically move it activates the brain in a different manner than just sitting and listening (i.e. delegates that move from flip-over to flip-over) and provides valuable input to themes or challenges posed. It makes them actively discuss, write and draw their theories and solutions. Our brain’s associative power will help inspiration to flow and create new ideas that can be presented afterwards in a plenary.

I don’t sell creativity at events; as said, I use it as a tool, so depending on the event I use creative decoration, use various setups, have delegates create something together or suggest to start with a short creative workshop, which I did with “mind mapping”. It provided a practical tool to summarise what delegates hear/ learn at the event and they can immediately put it to use. Or you can have a professional to provide a creative summary of the conference. You can use the result as content in your follow up: a picture says more than a thousand words.

Measuring creativity?

I evaluate sessions. If sessions are evaluated as good to great then you have a positive first feedback. At a later stage you do research to find out more detailed information, such as how often people actually used the information shared or the tool taught, what they liked or disliked about the presenter, whether the set up used enhanced the learning etc. Then you know for a fact if the chosen methods worked.

Success starts with setting goals at the start and finding the right (creative) designs to meet them!

"Creativity makes people curious, which intensifies the experience and thus strengthens the memory."

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IN FOCUS

A CREATIVE EVENT IS A HIGHLY ENGAGING EVENT Interview with Eda Özden, Director of Business Development at MEP INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT personal archive Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

We believe that infusing a destination’s specialities and locals into an event automatically makes it more creative, and an event should reflect and embody its location. This can be as simple as choosing a characteristic venue or as exciting as incorporating local specialists into the event’s various aspects.

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

We make sure we understand our clients and our audience - and of course the budget. If the right alternatives are proposed in the right way, selling creativity is easy! The right creativity is the one that is specialized and targeted to the goals of the event. We never forget that.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

A creative event is a highly engaging event. If the attendees are engaging, tweeting, asking questions – then the event has been creative.

People do not talk about events that look the same everywhere they go or are organised the same as every year. So measure engagement and you've measured creativity.

Q: How do you organise creativity at events?

With every step of the programme we make sure that the guests feel that they are having a unique experience: one that is tailor-made for them, one that they could not have organised on their own and one that reflects our love for our destination. We try to appeal to all senses of the guests so that they don't only see the destination, but feel, taste, hear and smell it.

Q: How do you manage creativity at events?

Creativity is an approach, not a budget item, so we make sure we offer it even in small doses with what we call the “MEP Touch”. From small chat with locals, to home cooked meals, to engaging Turkish opera & ballet students, to even infusing our own passions - clients appreciate the mindset.

"People do not talk about events that look the same everywhere They go or are organised the same as every year. So measure engagement and you've measured creativity. " 36

IN FOCUS

STEER THE CREATIVITY FLOW IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Interview with Enej Vitrih, Marketing Manager at Hotel Park, Ljubljana INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT personal archive Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

Firstly, we need to know the type of group of people at the event – some are by default more geared to creativity and being engaged, but some others prefer some distance, and we prepare accordingly.

The biggest boost is food and not just the boring coffee breaks, but in any case we have a wide variety of ‘green’ coffee breaks.

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

We try to sell a different kind of experience to clients. Some come with a fixed idea in their mind (a Power Point presentation and the traditional coffee break), but we try to show them there are different, creative ways. We then help them achieve a more creative event.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

We measure it with fun and progress. A creative event must be fun for the attendees and at the end of the day we should have more positive results that were not necessarily planned.

Q: How do you organise creativity at events?

We plan ahead, prepare gadgets, food menus, music, the ambience and take into consideration the clients. If it is supposed to be a really serious topic, we organise it differently than if it was a lighter topic event.

Q: How do you manage creativity at events?

You need to have a pretty clear idea of what the goal should be and you need to put in place some ground rules. Creativity tends to go out of the box and sometimes it loses the scope of the event. You need to be aware of that and just steer the creativity flow in the right direction.

"A creative event must be fun for the attendees and at the end of the day we should have more positive results that were not necessarily planned."

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IN FOCUS

EMOTIONS ARE KEY TO CREATING EXCEPTIONAL MEMORIES Interview with Luc Petit, President and Anne Roelandt, Managing partner at Luc Petit Creation INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT personal archive Luc Petit CREATION is seen as the kind of brand that clients are often looking for, from its tailor-made shows to the professional and efficient way of bringing their ideas together.

The core of Luc Petit CREATION's events is based on tailor-made shows and new ideas that lead to show projects, mainly with one specific key idea. The human being is at the centre of any project that Luc Petit leads on, meaning that the risks taken by members of the team to bring ideas together drive everyone on and give them trust and strength throughout the whole creative process.

When working on projects with a whole team, it is crucial to develop an appropriate ‘language’ for each part of the creation of shows in order to be understood and keep the essence of the global idea. To build a project it is important to understand each other and keep the mind open to any Suggestions, new approaches and new ideas that can be implemented.

Luc Petit CREATION intends to combine innovation and technology in order to make the projects more human and unique. Through its uniqueness, emotions are the guarantee that Luc Petit's events and shows are successful – emotions of the artists, spectators and clients are key to creating exceptional memories. ‘Emotion’ is by far key word at Luc Petit CREATION.

"To build a project it is important to understand each other and keep the mind open to any suggestions, new approaches and new ideas that can be implemented."

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IN FOCUS

ALL EVENTS NEED TO BE ORGANISED BY THE VERY LAST DETAIL Interview with Melinda Rebrek, Managing Director at Zvereene Institute & LJFW Executive Producer INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

With unconventional approaches, if in any way possible.

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

I always try to convince clients that conventional events are a thing of a past – let’s be different, at least a little bit. People respond to that.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

I don’t. You can feel it or you don’t.

Q: How do you organise creativity at events?

All events need to be organised to the very last detail, even the creative parts. When they are, there is always room for deviations or a Plan B, and we can handle last minute and spontaneous moments much better. The most important thing is having a well-prepared team who can react properly in any situation.

Q: How do you manage creativity at events?

With a smile.

AN UNUSUAL EVENT SPACE IS A GOOD PLACE TO START Žiga Novak, CEO of the Walnut Grove Group, a business group that specializes in experimental events and includes venues, catering, a team building agency and escape rooms INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE I believe that a creative event needs to be bold and interactive, with a flow of activities that continuously puts participants on the edge of their comfort zones – but just far enough, without too much stress for anybody.

If I was to come up with a recipe for creativity at events, I would say that an unusual event space is a good place to start. Secondly, add some cool and simple decoration, preferably with stuff that cannot easily be bought and that comes together as a theme. Thirdly, give people cool challenges and ‘gamify’ their experience. For example, make them earn rewards, unlock new levels (new rooms) and travel around the venue. Make them participate in at least a small part of their culinary experience. Make your guests spect-actors and not just spectators.

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IN FOCUS

CREATIVITY IS THE CORE OF ANY INNOVATION Interview with Mary Kirillova, Managing Director at Eventcv.com INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT PERSONAL ARCHIVE Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

I think the biggest challenge every event professional encounters is the lack of time. When I understand that my team is just passively listening and I realize I am becoming too lazy and tired to stimulate innovative thinking, I switch off my brain. I can watch films, go shopping or have a short bike ride or walk. Then I come home and start imagining the event - the ways

people see this kind of event and the areas where I can change the focus or format. I always try to change the format completely and if I cannot, I change and add details and construct the creativity on that.

I am a person who needs advice and needs to share my ideas. That is why my team is very important to me. I always have reunions, Skype calls, travel and talk about what I want

to do. And, step by step, creativity for the event appears.

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

I am very passionate about what I do and I sincerely believe we create good things. In front of all my clients I draw a picture. I say WHAT and WHY we offer our ideas. And that's how it goes forward.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

Creativity is the core of any innovation. But creativity is a complex construction and it needs to be studied properly if we want to develop and implement effective policies.

So what we do is: 1. Before the event we always set a few objectives and think about how we can measure it.

The objectives should go into the event proposal and will not only help identify whether the event has been successful in the key areas, but also work as a reminder of what you’re trying to achieve.

2. We try to divide an event into measurable parts (it always works well for the organising part: was the coffee break served on time? did the speaker finish on time? Did people use our apps often? etc) 3. We always try to make the audience play a primary role at the event. As much interactivity as possible – the more they are "in", the more successful the event will be.

4. We ask and get feedback 5. We calculate the economic part 6. I always try to hire a person to attend the event and see the whole experience from an attendee’s point-of-view. It's important to know other people's opinions.

Q: How do you organise creativity at events?

Oh! Creativity is the common denominator for event planning. Everyone wants to create an event that will be remembered, that provokes good emotions and can even change your life.

Creativity can be organised by details: design props, invitations, chair covers, centrepieces; by "emotion helpers": lighting, stage design, sound, speakers, entertainment; and by my favourite thing: changing the format/focus and surprising.

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IN FOCUS

A POST-EVENT SURVEY VIA A MOBILE EVENT APP IS THE EASIEST TOOL TO COLLECT FEEDBACK Interview with Aivar Laan, Founder & CEO at Festivality INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT HERKKI-ERICH MERILA Q: How do you boost the levels of creativity at events?

As mobile event tech provider, we believe in technology and data helping every stakeholder – technology and data-driven machine learning should enable us to free up valuable time at events to more deeply explore the paths where humanity manifests itself at its best – creativity!

Q: How do you sell creativity at events?

With smart mobile event apps – the organiser’s goal is to communicate to attendees what technology enables them to do at events more creatively, and how the efficiency, time-savings and better “homework” achieved from using technology can be turned into extra creativity on content, inspiration, learning and being able to meet more relevant contacts while at the event.

Q: How do you measure creativity at events?

Through how much and what kind of engagement you get from attendees by providing them the more creative means and effective tools of networking, lead collection, time-planning, orientation and social sharing, while being able to focus more smartly on personal connections at events, on event content and inspiration extracted from this content. A post-event survey via a mobile event app would be the easiest tool to collect feedback.

Q: How do you manage creativity at events?

In the events domain this means empowering attendees with better user experiences and helping them get more out of events, more quickly and efficiently, with modern tools, which is what today’s smart device users expect. For organisers and promoters this means delivering better, smarter events, and to both provide and gain more value from data-driven approaches.

We believe in technology and data helping Every stakeholder – technology and data-driven machine learning should enable us to free up valuable time at events to more deeply explore the paths where humanity manifests itself at its best – creativity!

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IN FOCUS

BLED FOR MEETINGS AND EVENTS TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT TINA RAMUJKIĆ, ARCHIVE OF SLOVENIAN TOURIST BOARD, ARCHIVE OF BLED TOURIST BOARD AND CONVENTION BUREAU BLED

With more than 1,000 years of rich history (dating back as far as 1004), an exuberance of natural beauty, breathtaking views in every direction, many exceptional products and excellent services at every step of the way, Bled has naturally risen to a lofty height on the world conference map and it is standing in the forefront of Alpine cosmopolitan destinations. Many events have found their home in Bled and return there year after year. Today, Bled can host events for up to 500 delegates, with first-rate meetings and accommodation facilities (over 2,000) all within walking distance. Special venues and gourmet

cuisine all make Bled a very special experience.

Bled is undoubtedly one of Europe's most stunning meetings destinations that will captivate visitors the whole year round. The appeal of its mesmeric Alpine lake has been acknowledged by it receiving UNESCO protection, which further underlines its status as a fairytale setting.

Whether seeking out history or uncovering one of the many local legends, or simply seeking a tranquil sanctuary amidst the best that nature has to offer to get in touch with one's inner zen, Bled is ideal for every visitor – it's a place that seamlessly brings together the traditional and

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the modern, and it's also a hub for executive education and a cradle of many of the world's great sporting champions.

Slovenia is traditionally known for the warm welcome it gives to visitors. Historically, visitors were welcomed with bread and wine as soon as they walked off the train, but nowadays the hospitability is more often shown in friendly service at the utmost professional level. Bled is also a very safe destination to travel to.

In Bled, renowned for its wealth of pure drink-

IN FOCUS

ing water and thermal spa water (three thermal springs on the North-East side of the lake), 'Green' and 'Authentic' are the key buzzwords of today. The Municipality of Bled has adopted environmentally friendly initiatives by moving towards the Zero Waste concept, service providers the »Green Scheme« strategy, and the awareness of the importance of sustainability whilst preserving the authentic is visible on every corner in Bled. You too can become part of a society of responsible consumers who do not waste valuable resources – we believe that

the best way you can do that is by hosting a green meeting at Bled and send a clear message to your partners that your dedication to excellence includes social responsibility. This goes hand in hand with Sava Hotels, also committed to environmentally friendly concepts through favouring Slovenian providers and the products developed by Sava Hotels for the purposes of environmental protection and raising awareness among hotel guests, including the virtually carbon neutral natural water and a line of products marketed under the »Zeleni za jutri«

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(Green for tomorrow) name.

Bled is located at the foot of the Julian Alps in Northeast Slovenia and near to both the Austrian (35 km) and Italian (45 km) borders. It is highly accessible, being just 30 minutes from the capital Ljubljana and a quick drive from Slovenia's International Airport. Its accessible location makes it the perfect starting point to explore the beauties of the Alpine Region, or to combine it with a visit to the Mediterranean Region and the Adriatic Sea (app. 1,5 hour ride).

IN FOCUS

THE CONGRESS GUEST IS A LEISURE GUEST AT THE END OF THE DAY Interview with Vesna Klemenčič, Head of the Convention Bureau Bled INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT TINA RAMUJKIĆ

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QUICK TALK Q: Bled has over 2,000 accommodation facilities and is constantly rising in the world's conference map. How many events were hosted by Bled in 2017? Are there any that you would like to particularly highlight?

Bled is gaining its momentum of a MICE destination primarily through the intense promotion that has been done through the years by the Slovene Tourism Office, the Slovene Convention Bureau and Tourism Bled. This can be seen both in the area of leisure guests as well as international congresses and conventions. Statistically, the season from spring to autumn of last year brought over 80% of guests, which makes it a 5-month high season in Bled. This is being largely extended into winter, especially by congress guests. From congress data, it is worth mentioning that some of the most important events brought not just an event, but a global promotion of Bled as a place for international events, such as the Curling Congress, the Masters Rowing Regatta that brought some 4,000 participants to Bled, and the Bled Strategic Forum, which is an annual governmental event that brings to Bled some of the most prominent international political personalities and decision makers.

Q: Bled is certainly one of Europe's most stunning meetings destinations. How does the Convention Bureau Bled attract meeting planners?

Since March this year, as the Convention Bureau of the Tourism Board of Bled started off its work, the planning of an engaged and attractive marketing strategy to position Bled as a MICE destination has been in progress in cooperation with the Festival / Congress Hall, the hotels, the Municipality of Bled and other Bled stakeholders. Among other things, the cooperation of the destination’s stakeholders proved to be fruitful, as we submitted a joint candidacy for the World Rowing Championship, both under-23 Junior and Senior. In September, we won the candidacy against the Polish city of Poznan, and Bled will thus host the world rowing championship

for the fifth time since 1966. Among other activities of the marketing strategy was the revamping of the existing Meeting Planners’ Guide, establishing of the Bled CVB Social Media tools (you can now find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn), B2B events abroad and FAM Trips to Bled. In my experience, once the client arrives in Bled for an inspection visit, most of the job is done. The clients are usually smitten not just by the beauty of the destination, but mostly because of the comfortable logistics within the destination, suitable facilities and the hospitality of the locals.

Q: How does congress tourism blend in with other sorts of Bled tourism?

The congress guest is a leisure guest at the end of the day. That is a guest looking for comfortable accommodation, restaurants, clubs, spas, activities in nature, cultural visits, shopping, etc. As much as the destination has to offer, it will be spent by the guest. Nowadays, we observe that guests are looking to experience traditional and local services or products. This is why at the Bled CVB we tend to offer local gastronomy, traditional activities, activities in nature and activities that include local customs. Baking the traditional Potica Cake on the Island of Bled, producing honey, traditional gingerbread hearts’ workshop are some of the activities that we tend to offer to our guests when there’s some extra time to be spent in Bled. Nevertheless, nature is the wow factor of Bled and taking the traditional Pletna boat on the Lake, gliding over the water in the silence of nature is the true heart of Bled that brings a person back to their inner zen.

Q: How much does Bled pursue green tourism and sustainability, and how does it apply this to the meetings industry?

Congress industry trends have moved into a sustainable, technologically developed and "smart" future. The Bled Congress Bureau set out its plan following the direction of the entire destination that is led by the Municipality of Bled. Our wish

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is to present our destination as a hospitable, sustainable and authentic one. The programme objectives of the Bled Congress Bureau are aimed at acquiring events of international associations, sports and governmental events. The Tourism Stakeholders of Bled are at the moment developing the so-called ‘Greene Scheme of Bled’, which will set the parameters of Bled as a green destination. Among other achievements, it is worth mentioning the bypass that is currently under construction and is designed to take the traffic out of the heart of the town. It is a great improvement of Bled that will show Bled in a new light, comparable to the one it had few centuries ago when it was a gathering place for the royal families and the political elite. Every infrastructure development presents an advantage for the destination. We are also eager to follow the renovation of the Festival – Congress Hall in Bled that is now turning its break-out rooms into a flexible space, appropriate for additional flexible conference rooms as well as an open space for gala or special events, with a beautiful view over the lake and all the commodities of a modern meeting space.

Q: When it comes to meetings, what are the Convention Bureau Bled's plans for the future, considering that the usual tourist flow is growing dramatically? How can Bled manage both kinds of huge groups at the same time?

The flow of tourists to Bled is a gain for us all.

The increase of guests goes hand in hand with infrastructure development and the improvement of facilities and services, which in the end are an advantage that the locals are able to enjoy long after the guests leave Bled. We are happy that Bled is gaining in popularity and in facing the growth of visits we are facing the need to strategically plan and distribute visits throughout the year. This is why the Bled CVB aims to bring events to the off-season time and make Bled a vibrant and hospitable town in other seasons too.

OFF THE BEATEN

TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK - IN THE HEART OF PRISTINE NATURE TEXT BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT ARCHIVE OF SLOVENIAN TOURIST BOARD

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OFF THE BEATEN Demanding ascents, a picturesque valley, unique foliage, wild animals and fairytale lakes – in the heart of pristine nature and just a stone's throw away from Bled you can find all this in the Triglav National Park, named after the highest Slovenian mountain that lies almost exactly in the heart of the park.

and valleys (Vintgar Mlinarica, Mostnica) flow the purest mountain streams and small rivers, which eventually merge into two major rivers – the Sava and the Soča. High in the mountains lie the Triglav and Kriška lakes and in Bohinj can be found Lake Bohinj, the largest permanent natural lake in Slovenia.

Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia and it carries out a special nature conservation regime that is more stringent than in the usual landscaped parks. It was given the name Triglav after the peak rising 2,864m and it extends from the north-west of Slovenia near the border with Italy to the Austrian border in the south-eastern part of the Alpine massif.

In the park's remotest areas the ancient landscapes typical of the farms and homesteads in this part of Europe can be peacefully experienced, whilst high in the mountains are the mountain pastures where livestock graze and where the traditional cheese is made, for which the area is famous.

The park makes up for 4% of Slovenia's total surface area and it is one of the oldest National parks. Its uniqueness is in its diverse unspoiled nature, the rich flora thriving there and also being home to numerous protected animals. Its valleys and plains are covered with carpets of green forests and pastures, above which the vertiginous peaks of enchanting and jagged forms rise from the earth like great stalagmites.

Through numerous ravines, beautiful gorges

Many sports activities can also be done in the park, the only restrictions being that they do not interfere with the natural environment, which needs to be treated with great respect and without any pollution or destruction, and that the safety of individuals participating is ensured. Hiking, climbing, running, biking, flying, water sports, golf and winter sports on the snow – all you have to do is choose your favourite.

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Traditional cattle herding in the Triglav National Park In Triglav National Park one feels very green, surrounded by such an inspirational landscape, and we encourage you to go green too when choosing an incentive programme. You can, for example, decide on a day in the Triglav National Park where participants get to discover the local cattle herding traditions.

Winter in Pokljuka In the middle of the Triglav National Park's unspoiled nature is Pokljuka, one of the most famous Slovenian plateaus where world famous competitions in biathlon are held. Slovenia's highest plateau stretches a full 20km in length and almost the same in width, and has shown itself to be a master of change, displaying a completely different face in winter than the one presented in the summer months. In spring, summer and autumn Pokljuka is perfect for running and hiking, and in winter time it is perfect for winter skiing, ski running, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, Nordic walking, Geo-coaching, guided tours or just simple sledding in the middle of Pokljuka's snowy forests.

INCENTIVE IDEAS

INCENTIVE IDEAS BY SAVA HOTELS & RESORTS PREPARED BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT JEZERŠEK GOSTINSTVO, SAVA HOTELS&RESORTS, INSYNC, ARCHIVE OF BLED CONVETION BUREAU

1. Rowing with Olympians on Lake Bled ADRENALINE EXPERIENCES, ACTIVE EXPERIENCES Edutainment: Accompanied by Slovenian rowing Olympians, participants will learn the basic rowing skills in professional racing boats.

An eight-person crew demonstrates the balance between individual strength and team performance. The experience will allow your team to feel the physical, mental and emotional aspects of working together – and also how to move a boat efficiently and with speed.

Charm factor: Strengthen your team spirit and experience through an Olympic sport with Olympians Company Name: Janez Klemenčič insync s.p.

Contact person: info@insync.si Location: Bled, Slovenia Company website: www.insync.si Best time of the year: Spring to Autumn Number of participants: 7 – 50 participants Duration in hours: 2.5 hours Address: InSync, Trubarjeva cesta 11A, 4260 Bled, Slovenia | Phone: +386 4 574 30 27 | Mobile: +386 31 381 406 / +386 41 670 501

2. Biathlon Shooting ADRENALINE EXPERIENCES, ACTIVE EXPERIENCES Edutainment: The biathlon, which combines cross- country skiing and rifle shooting, is a great way to test how participants handle pressure and stress. After a round of freestyle cross-country skiing, the shooting takes place under professional supervision, with a low caliber sports rifle on a specially prepared biathlon shooting range. In winter months the biathlon shooting takes place on skis and in spring, summer or autumn on mountain bikes or rollerblades.

Charm factor: An adrenaline filled experience that tests endurance and stress management Company name: intours DMC, Slovenia & Croatia Contact person: info@intours-dmc.com Location: Pokljuka plateau, Slovenia Company website: www.intours-dmc.com Best time of the year: All year round Number of participants: Up to 60 Duration in hours: 2 – 3 hours Address: Intours DMC, Breg 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia | Phone: +386 1 430 35 50 | Mobile: +386 20 416 140 50

INCENTIVE IDEAS

3. Bled Castle and All Its Experiences CULTURAL EXPERIENCES, HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES Edutainment: Discover Bled Castle with a knight’s reception followed by a visit to the castle museum and forge, where you can make your own souvenir coin on an anvil. Continue with a demonstration of printing on a reconstructed Gutenberg printing press and print your own certificate. And before you sit down for a meal with a view, stop at the castle wine cellar for some wine tasting and a traditional wine bottling experience.

Charm factor: Travel back in time and see, feel, smell, hear and taste the history Company name: Bled Castle (Blejski grad) Contact person: blejski.grad@zkbled.si Location: Bled, Slovenia Company website: www.blejski-grad.si Best time of the year: All year round Number of participants: Up to 20 Duration in hours: Depends upon the programme Address: Bled Culture Institute Bled Castle, Cesta svobode 11 4260 Bled, Slovenia Phone: +386 4 572 97 82

4. Chef's Table CULINARY EXPERIENCES Edutainment: A 3-hour event, the Chef’s Table is an ultimate culinary experience encouraging a team to head into the kitchen with their colleagues, partake in an interactive cooking demonstration filled with fun cooking tips and tricks, and afterwards bond over a seated meal.

Charm factor: Culinary experience and a sneak peek at a 5 star kitchen Company name: Sava Hotels Bled Contact person: info@hotelibled.com Location: Bled, Slovenia Company website: www.sava-hotels-resorts. com Best time of the year: All year round Number of participants: 6 – 8 participants Duration in hours: 3 - 4 hours Address: Sava Hotels Bled Cankarjeva 6 4260 Bled, Slovenia Phone: +386 4 579 16 40

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BLED & SAVA TOURISM

THE WINTER MONTHS IS WHERE OUR OPPORTUNITIES ARE FOR GROWTH Interview with Matja Žnidaršič, Assistant Director of Sales at Sava Hotels & Resorts INTERVIEW BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT SAVA HOTELS & RESORTS, MATEVŽ LENARčIč

We talked to Matja Žnidaršič, Assistant Director of Sales at Sava Hotels & Resorts, about the company's revenues, business guests versus tourists, spa resorts combining with congress tourism, about plans for the future and about government's Sustainable Development Strategy for Slovenian Tourism 2017-2021 in relation to the meetings industry. We also talked about Bled, one of Slovenia's most visited destinations, and its coping with summer crowds, its place on the MICE map, and even about (loved or hated?) AirBnb.

Q: The number of overnight stays in hotels and resorts managed by Sava Hotels & Resorts grew in 2016 by almost 2% compared to 2015. Could you predict what the stats will be by the end of this year?

This year we predict growth of guest overnights by nearly 4% in respect to last year.

Q: During summer 2017 the Slovenian media was awash with news on how Bled was overwhelmed by tourist crowds – how did your hotels deal with such an influx? Was it unexpected? And what are your plans for next year?

Actually, I believe that some of the reports have been taken somewhat out of context. Bled has always been one of Slovenia's most visited destinations, as it was also this year. I think that the main issue pointed out was more the difficulties we have been having with intense vehicle traffic due to the popularity of Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, and the flow of visitors on daily excursions for the weekends.

As for Sava Hotels & Resorts’ hotels, we achieved nearly full occupancy, which was expected and is quite normal for our peak season.

Q: In line with the above, how does the AirBnb offer impact on the traditional tourism model in Bled and what, if anything, should the government do about it?

For now, I cannot really say that AirBnB offers are affecting our business and occupancy levels.

Actually, we don’t even have any reliable information on how much of the incoming travel business AirBnB generates in Bled.

Nevertheless, I believe the government should impose some type of regulation, in order to collect the fair share of taxes on revenue generated with the help of AirBnB and other similar internet platforms, as well as the local tourist tax. These taxes are an important source of income for the municipality and region for funding marketing of the destination as well as development and improvement of infrastructure and organising events that make the destination attractive and welcoming for tourists.

Q: In 2009 Renata Balažic said that Slovenia was still pretty unknown as a MICE destination. How is Slovenia trending today on the 52

»We’ve managed to create and justify a very good image, and now clients who consider Slovenia for their events have a very good idea of why they are requesting Slovenia.”

MICE tourism maps?

I believe we have covered quite a distance since 2009. Our promotion and marketing resources, although very limited, have been wisely invested, our activities focused and consistent, and our message of sustainability very well accepted.

We’ve managed to create and justify a very good image, and now clients who consider Slovenia for their events have a very good idea of why they are requesting Slovenia.

Q: It is well known that business guests spend more than usual tourists, but wow many business guests do you see return later as tourists and are there any figures available?

Is the meeting industry a one-time affair or is there any promotion included for business people to return on a personal vacation?

From the guests’ satisfaction index, I am tempted to believe that the majority will return, sooner or later, and bring family and friends.

In Sava Hotels & Resorts, we try very hard to promote our hotels and Spas to attendees of international and national events, although from personal experience I regret that I rarely get to satisfy my desire of vacationing to destinations I have been to as an event attendee. Therefore, I tend not to set expectations too high.

Q: Of the Sava Hotels and Resorts (Terme Moravci, Radenci, Lendava, Ptuj, Banovci, Sava Hotels Bled), so far it has been mostly Ptuj and Bled that are most attractive for the meeting industry. Why do you think that is?

BLED & SAVA TOURISM The most obvious reason is, of course, the hotel infrastructure. With proper convention facilities such as we have in Bled and Ptuj, we can easily avoid conflicting situations, which can occur when mixing leisure guests and events.

Fortunately, leisure business is generating very good yearly occupancies in our spa destinations, so we have not really been active in promoting meetings in our spa hotels. Nevertheless, we very much welcome requests for proposals and are very proud of our excellent record of successful events.

“Much of our sales and marketing effort will be directed to identifying and attracting events between November and April. We’re happy to see that winter occupancy has almost doubled since 2012, including events.”

Q: In 2012 MICE revenue at Sava Hotels Bled represented approximately 11% of total revenue, or even more taking into account all indirect revenues. How high is this share in 2017 and how do you see Sava's strategic role in this?

The revenue structure per guest type actually has not changed very much. In regards to our occupancy of convention facilities, we can plan growth mainly from November to April. Of course, we all realize that these months are the most challenging for sales in our entire wider region, but the winter months is where our opportunities are for growth. So, much of our sales and marketing effort will be directed to identifying and attracting events between November and April. We’re happy to see that winter occupancy has almost doubled since 2012, including events.

Q: The meetings industry certainly has the potential to grow even further, but how do you think it will be possible to pursue the government's plan of returning a 4 billion revenue from tourism by 2021 (compared to 2016's revenue of 2.35 billions)?

No doubt, it is an ambitious plan. To achieve it, we will need a higher growth of spend per guest night as well as growth of guest nights overall.

Since the meeting guest generally has a higher spend per capita, MICE is certainly business that we want to grow.

I believe that the opportunities for growth in volume in Slovenia’s best known MICE destinations – Ljubljana, Portorož and Lake Bled – are somewhat limited. I do not believe that doubling the capacity of convention facilities and additional hotels in these destinations in the next five years is feasible. Therefore, growth of the meetings industry will depend very much on creativity of the existing facility providers to offer products that will encourage higher spend, and especially on promoting existing and developing new, smaller and unique offers in some of Slovenia’s lesser known destinations and locations.

So yes, it is an ambitious plan, but Slovenia’s providers are already on this path and the plan is actually a reflection of the efforts of our industry positioning ourselves on the global meetings market. It is a very good and inspiring plan.

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Insider’s In Focus Guide BUCHAREST INDIVIDUAL GRADES 2017 Natural and cultural factors:

4.31

General and transport infrastructure:

4.55

Tourist infrastructure:

4.59

Meeting infrastructure:

4.34

Subjective grade:

4.48

Marketing Buzz:

4.42

ICCA index:

4.00

Numbeo Quality of Life Index:

2.46

Numbeo Safety Index:

3.96

ACI Airport Connectivity Index

4.14

DESTINATION MARK:

4.03

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MEETOLOGUE

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA MTLG INDEX / 2017 EDITION

TEXT BY GORAZD ČAD PHOTO CREDIT BUCHAREST TOURISM

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ith its imposing urbanism and a thunderous history under the leadership of the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanian capital has not changed much since our last visit in 2009.

Acting as a gristly remainder of tough socialist times, Bucharest is still a concrete jungle with a distinctly eastern European presence that is very slowly fading, but somehow impossible to fully shake off. Not much has changed in the field of the congress industry either. The congress scene is mostly run by foreign hotel chains, filling up their spaces with great success. Sadly, a big part of Bucharest’s incredible congress potential is yet to be capitalized on, mostly due to a lack of connectivity in the offer and almost non-existant destination marketing. Bucharest can therefore be marked as a city with one of the most untapped potentials for the development of congress tourism in New Europe.

SECESSION - RECESSION DEPRESSION – REGRESSION Romania lies deep in Eastern Europe and with that come many stereotypes. Today, it is supposed to be living a life of democracy and human rights, and a quarter of a century after the revolution a life of economic growth. At least that is what the official statistics says, but looking at the huge billboards concealing decaying buildings underneath them, a life of prosperity and growth seems more like an illusion, especially understood against the fact that almost 2 million Romanians have left the country to find a job. A more thorough inspection shows that Romania has actually become a colony of western corporations, with numerous shopping centres that overpower Bucharest’s suburbs. Endless streets of apartment complexes full of jumbo-commercials and accommodation space that clearly can’t cope with the fast population growth just adds to the equation. Behind the neoliberal facades are extremely kind and welcoming faces living in the Romanian capital and the initial feeling of mistrust quickly grows into a friendly relationship, a link so often abused in the past by occupying forces and dictators. Despite mixed feelings left by the city, the kind-hearted nature of Romanian people is a great asset for the future.

URBAN GENERATION Y The Romanian urban Generation Y with the latest iphone in hand is skillfully mastering the terrain of informational technology and seems completely distanced from their Eastern European character and Romanian stereotypes, including those of secret services still controlling Eastern European countries. When talking to the locals, a different vista opens up and you start to see that Romania is actually in some sort of caste division, most noticeable in the schooling system that has become accessible only for those with money. Bucharest truly is a city of mixed emotions, torn apart by communism and a turbulent history. It is somehow unable to rid itself of the bad image, but in the last couple of years it has been starting to get back on its feet. It is the young generation that is raising hope there and I believe they will be the ones that will reorganise the city and move it forward.

A LIVELY NIGHT LIFE Numerous restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs are sprouting up like mushrooms in the old city centre. Among them are also some cool conceptual stories that can easily be compared to those in more reputed destinations and they will definitely capture your interest. Most of the bars are open into the early hours, attracting eager party travellers from all over the world. Bucharest is becoming known as a city with one of the most unforgettable nightlife experiences, which is a pleasant surprise compared to our previous visit. This can certainly broaden your congress visit, but for a more authentic experience you will have to find hidden nooks that only the locals know about. There is no lack of those in Bucharest and currently one of the most popular ones is definitely in craft breweries, offering local craft beer and great food.

WHITE ELEPHANT White elephant is a name the locals like to use when speaking about the imposing Palace of Parliament. It is actually quite hard to avoid in almost every description of Bucharest, as the building is truly monumental, towering over the city like something out of a fiction movie. It is the second largest building in the world with the

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Pentagon taking first place. It was built on the land of the former Uranus neighborhood, from which all of the residents were removed and the buildings demolished. The statistics about the palace are stupendous: from kilometers of hallways and the longest curtains and rugs to vast spaces that have remained empty to this day.

Looking at the sheer size of both the palace and the museum of modern art, it seems that an even bigger congress centre than the current one could be placed inside. But don’t be mistaken: the existing International Conference Centre, founded in 1994, is already colossal, offering 13,125 sqm of space, 8 congress halls and all the necessary accompanying facilities. The congress centre has been the host of numerous conferences at the highest level and is, at least in the field of international associations, the driving force of all events in Bucharest.

CONGRESS VOX POPULI City avenues, fountains and magnificent historical buildings quickly remind a visitor of why Bucharest is known as the 'Paris of the east'.

The largest city between Berlin and Athens is slowly waking up from its transitional congress slumber and becoming an international congress destination. A vivid creative scene and a brutal fusion of modern and socialist architecture makes for an easy comparison with the scene in East Berlin at the start of its transition.

Aside from its typically wide boulevards, the romantic charm of Paris perished during the socialist times, but Bucharest was just starting to strengthen its iron character. Right now, the capital is developing with impressive speed, offering equally impressive congress venues including the mind boggling Nicolae Ceauşescu palace, housing the congress centre. Big international congresses are a rare occurrence in Bucharest, despite the fact that it has excellent air connectivity and a rich tourist offer, both of which could transform it into a strong and developed congress destination. In addition to better marketing, connecting individual congress providers is what Bucharest has to do if it wants to escape its overwhelming existence in the congress shadow. In times of rapid digitalization, the electric city seems to be living in isolation from trends in the international congress scene.

MEETOLOGUE Destination grade: QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION Grades: 5 excellent convention destination 4 quality convention destination 3 recommendable convention destination 2 average convention destination 1 so so

4.03

Individual grades: A. Natural and cultural factors: 4.31 Along with Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade, Bucharest is one of the four capitals of the Danube region. Located in southeast Romania, the city is crisscrossed by rivers flowing into the Danube and many picturesque lakes. Bucharest is defined by parks, green spaces and seven hills, on which main city areas developed. Due to its position in the midst of the Romanian plains, the surface area of the city is vast but diverse, thanks to monumental buildings and a rich history that can speak for itself. One of the most striking buildings has to be the colossal Palace of Parliament, built by the former dictator.

B. General and transport infrastructure: 4.55 Bucharest is a city of contradictions and surprises. Other than its legendary metro, the public and traffic infrastructure seems a bit in flux and unable to cope with the fastpaced tempo of this mighty city. What shocks visitors are the modern high-fashion shopping streets on one side of the city and the depressing socialist neighbourhoods on the other – a super-modern skyscraper will share its street with an abandoned, gutted office building held together with electrical wires. Despite its many contrasts, everything seems solid and other than some quite sketchy districts the feeling of safety is surprisingly good.

C. Tourist infrastructure: 4.59 There is an endless selection of bars, cafes and restaurants, and 124 hotels providing a total of 8,000 rooms. The hotel offer in Bucharest deserves high praise, owing to some truly excellent international hotel names such as the Hilton Athenae Palace and Intercontinental Bucharest. The entire tourist offer is also incredibly rich and diverse, so it’s a shame that it is promoted and presented so shyly. Finding tourist signs or information centres is quite a task, but nevertheless there is huge tourist potential yet to be exploited.

cellent air connectivity, Bucharest seems to be isolated from the international congress industry and not capitalizing on its USPs. Despite a very positive personal impression, it’s hard to disregard the mixed feelings about its overall congress offer.

F. Marketing buzz: 3.42 The city has tremendous potential, but for now its attributes are poorly presented. Added to this is the fact that Bucharest is one of the few European capitals that does not have a convention bureau and is therefore losing out on destination marketing – its sole source of quality marketing comes from the international hotel chains. Looking at the creative array of numerous excellent marketing agencies, there is nothing stopping Bucharest from taking advantage of the many digital media and content marketing tools, but it is virtually non-existent and meeting planners have to turn to DMCs and outsider information for more insight.

Comparisons with the region Bucharest is a city of contrasts, and that can be said for its congress scene as well. Giant palaces and modern congress hotels on one side and a poorly recognizable trademark and unconnected congress offer on the other. This is one of Bucharest’s main drawbacks, compared to more active cities like Belgrade and Sofia. That aside, Bucharest is still one of the most reasonably priced congress capitals. With a little effort you will be able to find anything you need for all kinds of events, and the kindness of the staff in the hotel sector is way above-average. It seems that the city just needs a little bit more energy to position itself next to destinations in the first congress league. Looking at the pace at which Bucharest’s congress development is going, it is where it truly belongs to be. Last year, Bucharest took 81st place on the ICCA scale with 32 congresses, but we think it could do much better, since it has all the available conditions in place to do so. From the time we last visited Bucharest has seen major improvements in air accessibility and the public infrastructure is also getting better every year. The quality of living as well as the overall atmosphere for congress participants also took a turn for the better.as organisers of professional associations.

In our view, the number of events would increase with better airline accessibility - the city has great potential in the fields of science and new technologies that are not yet able to be fully exploited.

D. Meetings infrastructure: 4.43 The congress offer is concentrated inside the main international hotel chains, such as at JW Marriott, Intercontinental Bucharest and Radisson Blu Bucharest. A major boon is that there is an abundance of special venues in museums, theatres and historical buildings, capable of hosting up to 800 guests.

For bigger meetings there are always options like the staggering Palace of Parliament, Romexo Exhibition Centre, or the Chamber of Commerce’s conference centre. Congress infrastructure and some excellent DMCs and PCOs are currently the strongest links of Bucharest’s congress offer, but they are still left with the challenge of finally coming together and forming a convention centre.

E. Subjective grade: 4.48 What Bucharest is missing is a recognizable congress brand, a working and proactive convention bureau helping the city take advantage of the numerous historical and natural landmarks and a few top-notch congress hotels. Despite the ex56

MEETOLOGUE

WHAT‘S HOT 2017 1. 41st Annual Conference of European Prosthodontic Association / September 28 - 30, 2017 The multidisciplinary symposium organised throughout the meeting will truly reflect EPA’s mission to interact with other European and global organisations, with the goal of providing the best possible care for patients.

2. Internet and Mobile World 2017 / October 4 - 5, 2017 Internet & Mobile World builds an important framework in Romanian industry for learning, networking and new business generation that reunites a B2B audience in an environment designed for sharing digital, mobile or IT software & infrastructure solutions for their business.

3. CEAS 2017 Conference / October 16 - 20, 2017 The 6th CEAS Conference aims to promote new visions and trends in the fields of aeronautics, space science and technology, organised under the theme of “European Aerospace: Quo Vadis?”.

4. International Autism Conference Bucharest / October 27 - 29, 2017 The event dedicated to Autism families and specialists took place in Bucharest on October 27-29, bringing together more than 400 participants in a warm and informative environment of humanity, understanding and resources, both for specialists and for parents who came to the event.

5. DefCamp / November 9 - 10, 2017 DefCamp: the most important annual conference on hacking & information security in Central and Eastern Europe. The event, which will be organised in Bucharest, is expecting more than 1,300 participants.

BEST INCENTIVE IDEA World Caffe Teams representing countries with specific customs and identities must get into the role and put in place, right down to the smallest details… attractive cafés! Customers from all over the world will set foot in the recently opened cafés and will appreciate the originality of the services and products. www.teambuilding.ascendis.ro

DID YOU KNOW Bucharest’s Palace of Parliament, also known as the People’s Palace, is the world’s largest civilian building with an administrative function and the second-largest building in the world after the Pentagon in the US. It covers some 330,000 sqm.

DESTINATION CAPACITY The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms The number of 4* and 5* category hotels Destination population

3,640 91 2.106,144

Banquet hall maximum capacity The largest hall in the city (in m2) Maximum hall capacity in theatre style

800 5.110 m2 2.100

Cool meetings Tuica - the most popular drink in Romania is made of plums, apples or peaches, and is as strong as whiskey.

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In Focus

CIARA FELLY

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HOW TO

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GROW YOUR HOTEL'S PROFITS & MARKET SHAREIN THE NEXT 70 DAYS TEXT BY CIARA FELLY, CREATOR OF THE STEPS TO WINTM SALES PROGRAM

Buyers have changed the way they buy, has your team changed the way they sell? If not, your team’s success in winning the right business for your property, will be weakened. The power to achieve the results you want in terms of fixing seasonality issues, RevPAR, ADR, Occupancy & ultimately Profitability is driven by winning Meetings & Event business – at the right rate.

There are a number of issues that can work against winning this profitable business, let’s take a look at them briefly so you know where you stand.

• I have seen (as common) up to 80% of sales team time being spent replying to leads that just don’t book. What is your conversion rate? Industry average is 15-20%.

Valuable sales time is being spent working on leads that either aren’t the right fit for your property or the competition win the ones that are. According to MPI there is an 87% decrease in the conversion rate of RFPs in the last 5 years. This is costing you as the cost of a sale is unnecessarily high. Conversion rates or the “BIG C” as I’ve heard it termed, must increase.

• The lead-in time of the business is less and less. You have to pick up too much business in the month to meet and exceed budgets. It is very stressful. You need more business on the books 6 months plus out to ease this stress and give you more certainty.

• Perhaps your location means you have to compete more on rate to entice the profitable corporate, incentive & conference business in. Yet, you want to win the business at great rates. What are the best ways to get around this? Relationships seriously need to be managed when increasing rates for group & transient business.

The Buyer still remembers when rates hit an all time high in 2007 and then crashed.

You might be hearing from the sales team that they are dealing with the problem of trying to sell when they can’t even get to the decision maker. They are forced to sell via email or voicemail. Or they are responding to online RFPs, just posting rates and descriptions on a website and being judged on that. This is just killing the moral of your most valuable sales people who are hungry to deal directly with de-

cision makers. That is their buzz and they are just not getting enough face to face time with your ideal clients.

Laura, a hotel sales pro for 12 years commented that my techniques, in just one hour “shone a big light” for her “on how to sell more effectively and more enjoyably”.

Happy sales people, working in their zone, sell more. Read on to discover more about that technique.

The Vision: Writing a book (Steps to WIN in the Meetings Market: https://goo.gl/b37N9a) helped me to see I had a system, a system on how to WIN big in the Meetings, Event & Conference Market. It’s a simple system on how the client buys.

how to figure out what each client wants, after having done business with you & then sell that.

Most hotels are selling the hotel itself or the conference room or great service/location (features & benefits), where as the Planner is buying so much more than that.

What is essential here is to meet the client at their level and have the conversation that they want. This takes stepping back from your view point and seeing and understanding theirs. I have seen my clients make a shift in the way they talk about their venue – this has resulted in €250,000 of business within weeks of working with me - all by making a shift.

They are selling the exact same hotel – just speaking about it from the client’s perspective.

That’s key.

I am going to share parts of that system; they are the essential steps to take to ensure you are not left with big holes in your guestroom & meeting room occupancy to fill last minute. If you need help in implementing it, I will tell you towards the end how I can help you do that too. These are the 7 Steps.

A big problem I see in the industry is...

Sales teams are selling the same way they were 2-3 years ago, yet the buyers have dramatically changed the way they buy.

In fact, I go as far as saying that hotels are selling the wrong thing. Let me explain.

I did a test recently with a few hundred properties, which proves this; I will share those results towards the end. Andy Bounds (voted UK’s No. 1 Sales Trainer) puts this in a very clear way – people do not want what you are selling, they want how better off they are after having done business with you. I teach your team 59

I know from my days in hotel sales, it is very hard to take a look at the hotel from the client’s perspective. I just had not developed that “eye”. While I had great sales training and great mentors in the industry, I was always taught to sell from the hotel point of view – when I became the client 10 years ago, I saw immediately how I could have made life a lot easier for myself and sold even more.

It certainly would have helped when I faced the task of opening a new property in downtown San Francisco 3 months after 9/11. The corporate & group market was a key component of the business mix.

What I have learned through being the client is this –

HOW TO To be really successful in sales you have to be clear on the problems you solve and the results you deliver. Because that is all the client cares about.

understand price or facts. Yet most pitches are filled with facts. I show the sales team how to tap into the emotions of the buyer, so their pitch is filled with what will help the Buyer to buy.

None of what I am about to share is rocket science. In fact, my clients tell me it is very practical and most importantly, starts to get results in 2-3 months. It sounds easy and it just makes sense once it is explained and broken down. It is not easy to do on your own though. It takes a little work and “stepping back from your business”. It is looking at your business from the perspective of the Corporate and Association Buyers. And that is a very different view, one I help my clients to develop.

It’s time to stop being seen as a “Supplier”.

Being a “Partner” is a lot more lucrative.

If your aim is to • Grow your share of business against your competitors; • Grow profitability, by making an impact on Revenue, Rates & the cost of a sale, then you need to put these steps in place in the next 70 days to ensure this shift.

Then read on…

Here are 3 of the 7 Simple Steps 1. Stand Out & Sound Different – How to be of Interest to the Client Craft a compelling, desirable message that makes your target Corporate & Conference client excited to talk to you. Buyers don’t trust traditional sales messages anymore. An effective sales pitch really should be about opening the conversation, not closing the deal. Buyers won’t even entertain a conversation with a sales person until they feel a certain level of trust & confidence. So, this is the first step, building trust and confidence by your team changing how they approach this market.

Heather is a client of mine and a Director of Sales of 6 hotels. She was chasing a corporate client for 3 years, each year filling out the Meetings RFP and winning none of the business. After working together, she changed 2 things – • her pitch • her proposal Then B O O M ! She won 75% of the client’s business for that year.

It was only when she got feedback from me on what to change in her approach so that it was more interesting to her client; that she started to win the more difficult pieces of business she’d lost out on for years. An effective pitch talks about what the client wants to talk about and that is not your hotel.

I teach 30 “Killer Questions” that help the team to figure out what each client is buying.

The part of the brain that makes a decision only understands how you make it feel, it does not

2. Create your Power Sales Tools to make the Competition Irrelevant – 60% of the decision to buy or not can be made before the client even speaks to your sales team. These Power Sales Tools help Decision Makers say YES. They use them every day to “judge” your hotel or venue’s suitability. You would never ask a chef to prepare a banquet without having the right equipment? The same applies to the sales team. Planners tell me that most marketing messages, websites & proposals do not make them want to respond to the sales effort because they all sound the same.

How to know if you sound like every other hotel – do any of these typical “marketing phrases” sound familiar • • • • • •

Ideal venue Successful Event or Meeting Memorable Experience Convenient or Great Location Exceed Your Expectations Where business meets pleasure

Everyone is using these marketing phrases so how can your venue stand out? Your team has to sound “different” to everyone else. I help the team to build those Power Sales Tools and stand out and establish trust quicker with the prospective client. These tools have to be built from the point of view of the client to work and impact your profitability.

The right power Sales Tools will attract the right clients, the ones that are esier to convert.

3. Write Proposals that WIN! The quickest way to impact sales is to create an effective proposal, one that will WIN. It can take 45 minutes to respond to an RFP or “send out” a proposal. According to MPI data, there is an 87% decrease in the RFP closing ratio from just five years ago, due to RFP Technology and attracting the wrong clients.

What that means for you is that the team can spend 50 hours before booking their first meeting.

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There are 3 big mistakes out there in the industry right now when it comes to Proposals.

1. They are all about the hotel when they should be all about the client and their issues.

2. The information is not presented in the right order so the client’s attention moves to the rate.

3. They are not personalised & do not demonstrate flexibility for the client.

A lot of Directors of Sales will say to me they are happy with their proposal. When I read it, I see that 90% of it is all about the hotel or venue.

Again, I read it from the client’s perspective and once you write proposals from the client’s perspective, everything changes.

The Test Results: I mentioned these earlier and promised to share the results. I asked 500 hotel sales professionals across Europe & the US, if a client was sitting beside them when they are filling out an RFP for a meeting – what questions would they ask? 95% of the questions they would ask were about the meeting brief - Wi-Fi strength needed, times of set up and tear down etc. These are not questions that will help to open up the conversation with the prospective client because everyone is asking them. Those questions are for later on in the sales process.

There are bigger questions to ask first that will bring you closer to conversion. That is what I teach.

The better-quality questions you ask; the better-quality answers you get.

So, at this stage, after reading this far, I’m assuming you want the kind of results my system can deliver. Most people have 2 thoughts at this stage – After years of teaching teams how to use this system, I can see that results happen quicker & new ideas get implemented quicker with a little help. It is hard to be objective about your own sales approach.

Let us talk: The quickest way to shortcut your growth and learning process is to find good models. That’s what I have developed. If you are serious about winning more business from your competitors & filling your venue with more profitable business – call or email me to set up a gap analysis call.

Ciara Feely Steps to WIN; +353 86 3611428; Ciara@ CiaraFeely.com

“The most dangerous move in business today is failure to make a move.”

Jeffrey Hayzlett.

MEET BUSTERS

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MEET BUSTERS

ŠIBENIK MEET BUSTERS TEXT BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT ŠIBENIK TOURISM BOARD, TVRĐAVE KULTURE, AMADRIA PARK

What's your take on Šibenik as a host city for an event? Ever thought about hosting a MICE event there, but you weren't sure whether it would be the right place? Well then, read through 10 Šibenik myths that we've already debunked for you.

MYTH 1: Šibenik is a remote town, difficult to reach.

BUSTED As a matter of fact, Šibenik is ideally located between two popular Adriatic spots with airports – Zadar and Split – that possess the mildest and sunniest climates anywhere in Europe. For this reason it is very rare for flights to be cancelled, which makes Zadar and Split International Airports two of the most reliable in Croatia. Therefore, Šibenik is anything but a remote town!

MYTH 2: Šibenik has the biggest congress room on the Adriatic.

CONFIRMED Convention Centre Šibenik has the largest conferencing facilities on the Adriatic, including the single biggest meeting room that can seat 1,500 delegates. Moreover, if it's a number of seperate events rather than a single one that is required, then you can distribute up to 3,000

people across 11 meeting halls in total. The Amadria Park's Convention Centre Šibenik offers 4,000m2 of conference and exhibition space, state-of-the-art multimedia technology and 1,100 on-site staff.

MYTH 3: Šibenik is a city of industrial ghosts.

PLAUSIBLE During the 90s war Šibenik lost most of its industry, so as a consequence some of the buildings are still standing empty and looking rather forlorn. However, most of the buildings aren't derelict, but rather buildings either hosting new successful industries (like Impol-TLM) and undergoing present or with planned future renovation to become modern venues for hosting events. They also add a particular charm to the city's landscape that stretches from the industrial suburbs all the way to its one thousand-yearold downtown area.

MYTH 4: People are unfriendly and tell wicked jokes.

BUSTED Totally busted! The people of Šibenik are extremely friendly, approchable, chatty, kind, smiley, helpful, and overall just incredibly open – the author of this article can confirm from 62

personal experience that they offer one of the best customer services ever, from the exchange office guy to the parking lot cashier, gas station staff, bar and restaurant staff, hotel staff and even people on the street when asking for directions. Šibenik's residents are, indeed, renowned for some kind of a »wicked« humour and teasing, but this friendly teasing comes as part of the local culture and tradition. Moreover, their motto is: »there is always time for a great laugh«. Jokes are a part of Šibenik's joie de vivre.

Embrace it!

MYTH 5: Just one more over-crowded Dalmatian town.

BUSTED For a long-time hidden in the shadow of its famous brothers like Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, Šibenik is finally gaining in recognition and importance as a tourist and congress destination of its own standing. However, this does not mean that it has become over-crowded by the tourist masses comparable to those of other Dalmatian towns. Even though Šibenik has also hosted the filming staff of Game of Thrones, it remains reluctant to employ this as a promotional advantage, as it wants to keep a managable flow of tourists in order to maintain the town as pleasant for both the locals and the visitors. This has been successful, as its coastline gives you the chance to enjoy the beach and all of its offerings

MEET BUSTERS

with an enjoyable level of privacy.

MYTH 8: Has great potential for special venues.

MYTH 6: It's an expensive Dalmatian town.

CONFIRMED Not just with the already mentioned industrial buildings (see Myth 3), but Šibenik also offers special venues in its historical buildings, such as the recently renovated medieval St.Michael's fortress nesting a venue that can host 1077 guests with a view over Šibenik town and the Dalmatian sea.

BUSTED As in the previous busted myth, Šibenik is not just 'another Dalmatian town'. Prices in Šibenik are 1-2 times cheaper than in its famous Dalmatian »neighbours«.

MYTH 7: A fairly small town that is walkable in any direction.

CONFIRMED Šibenik is Croatia's medium-sized town (approx.

30,000 residents) that offers visitors a pleasant sense of cosiness and easy access to any of the town's highlights. Getting around the town on foot is easy, whether to the sea or to the fortress on the hill, and even easier by bicycle, as there is a bike sharing system called »nextbike«.

MYTH 9: In such a small town there is not enough space for incentive programmes.

VERY BUSTED The incentive programmes can be either water-focussed, offering diving, snorkeling, recreational kayaking, canoeing, rafting, sailing and wind-surfing, or done on the mainland, with either historical UNESCO heritage or natural and national parks with paths for hiking, trekking, cycling, running and mountain-biking.

One can even join in with donkey trekking,

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fishing, the Street ball school Dražen Petrović, building a dry stone wall, taking the black death tour, or joining culinary incentives like Marenda experience and cooking lesson. And then there's the Šibenik coffee tour, the Prosciutto slicing challenge and the Marendin (brunch) on a 17th Century Barone fortress, to name just a few.

MYTH 10: The town has great food, including the best Croatian restaurant.

CONFIRMED Within its medieval walls and renaissance buildings, as well as on its streets, the coastal town of Šibenik offers a rich selection of local wines and culinary surprises. Alongside the 'reinvented' seafood, its restaurants and »konobas« also offer traditional Dalmatian cuisine. The young and the young at heart will find their perfect spot for satisfying their soul in the variety of foods and wines on offer, either in a local small konoba Marenda serving traditional food, or in Pelegrini, the best restaurant in Croatia as voted

by Croatian chefs and culinary critics.

VOICE FROM THE TOP

CARINTHIA - AT THE VERY TOP IN EUROPE WHEN IT COMES TO INCENTIVES Interview with Mag. Andreas Griessler, Managing Director at Kärnten Convention & Mitgesellschafter GesbR INTERVIEW BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT KÄRNTEN CONVENTION BUREAU, NOCKBERGE-TRAIL KÄRNTEN WERBUNG, TIME STEINTHALER Q: Have you always wanted to work in the meeting industry?

It just popped up years ago – the best thing that could happen.

Q: Why is your destination/country the best in the world?

Carinthia/Austria is set amidst alpine incentive destinations that are amongst the most attractive anywhere in the world. The prestige hotels and excellent culinary offer are where Carinthia really shines and its incentive packages with numerous programmes put us at the very top of the offer in Europe.

Q: What would be the first thing you would show every visitor to your country?

From Pyramidenkogel, the tallest wooden observation tower in the world, our guests have a splendid view over our Carinthian lakes.

Q: What has been your star moment so far and your favourite project with which you would praise yourself?

Lighting the Mercedes star in Carinthia, Carinthia Convention this autumn succeeded in bringing Daimler’s Global Training Experience X-Class to Carinthia. Over 5,000 Mercedes dealers from more than 50 countries had the opportunity to test the first Premium-Pick-up from Mercedes in a training event for the market introduction. It was a great success for Daimler and the Carinthian MICE industry.

Q: What motivates you most at work?

Warmhearted colleagues with a great sense of humour.

Q: In what way do you deal with stress?

Balancing myself in nature.

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Q: What will be new in your business in 2018?

An innovative, new type of international event, taking place in Carinthia for the first time. It will be really creative with a lot of fun.

Q: Where will you spend this year’s holiday and why?

Hiking & Culinary Tour through Austria, Italy and Slovenia – multicultural, great hospitality, delicious food.

Q: If there were no time or financial constraints, where would you go?

Experiencing the magic energy of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Q: What would be the title of your autobiography?

“A road movie about life, love and freedom”

VOICE FROM THE TOP

EACH OPENING GIVES BIRTH TO A VISION Interview with Julia Ward, General Manager at Regent Porto Montenegro INTERVIEW BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT REGENT PORTO MONTENEGRO Q: Have you always wanted to work in the meeting industry?

I have been in the industry for 32 years, I naturally gravitated towards the hospitality industry. Not only is it my career, but it’s my complete passion.

Q: Why is your destination/country the best in the world?

Porto Montenegro has something for everyone. It is a cultural hub with exhibitions, live entertainment, music and opera all year round.

We have a great selection of shopping, from big luxury brands to the small local boutiques.

For those who prefer more adrenaline-fuelled activities, we have canyoning, rafting and mountain biking – all set against one of the most dramatic backdrops in Europe. The destination is rich in naval heritage, so guests can travel around by yacht, speedboat or sailboat. People can visit beautiful vineyards over the bay by yacht, or if you are a boat fanatic, learn to sail at Regent Porto Montenegro – there really is something for everyone.

Q: What would be the first thing you would show every visitor to your country?

Boka Bay – it is the southernmost fjord in Europe, a breathtaking hidden pearl of the

Adriatic and a backdrop to a dramatic history, with pirates, mercenaries and monks. Venetian, Austro-Hungarian, French and Russian influences can be traced throughout modern Montenegro. Regent offers a Discovery Cruise which is an exhilarating speedboat ride through Boka Bay to Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast and the Old Town of Kotor. That is certainly a must whilst in Porto Montenegro.

Q: What has been your star moment so far and your favourite project with which you would praise yourself?

Nine openings in my career – each one is giving birth to a vision, so it takes a great deal of creative input and energy to bring each opening to fruition.

Q: What motivates you the most at work?

It is an exciting time for Montenegro – to be working in one of the newest luxury hotels in one of Europe’s newest countries where luxury hospitality is something that is still not seen a lot of here, so it is exciting to see how we are developing as a country and to be a part of it.

Q: In what way do you deal with stress?

Exercise and mediation to clear the mind and to reset.

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Q: What will be new in your business in 2018?

This year we saw the opening of the Regent Pool Club Residence’s Aqua Wing, however the Baia Wing is still under construction and is due for completion in summer 2019. These are contemporary chic apartments, each with a landscaped terrace – inspired by the Italian Riviera, with unobstructed sea and mountain views – offering undeniably the leading real estate in Montenegro.

Q: Where will you spend this year’s holiday and why?

I will spend the holidays in my home town Cape Town, South Africa, with my family and friends. Once a year I go back to reconnect.

Q: If there would be no time or financial constraints, where would you go?

I would simply travel as far and as much as possible…

Q: What would be the title of your autobiography?

The Journey.

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VOICE FROM THE TOP

GET IMMERSED IN UNEXPECTED LOCAL EXPERIENCES

The Hit Group dazzles with smart facilities and tailored event solutions in three Slovenian MICE destinations – Nova Gorica, Kranjska Gora and Šentilj, impressive for their breathtaking landscapes and best value-for-money services.

Hit is one of the most renowned and established tourist companies in Slovenia. For decades, it has been an important co-creator of tourist landscape and offer in Slovenia. In its three safe and easily accessible key destinations – Nova Gorica, Kranjska Gora and Šentilj, MICE programs are personalized with a set of interesting and active adventures and experiences.

Events are all about bringing people together.

So a visit to the Nova Gorica Europe Square, a unique place symbolising the co-existence of Slovenia and Italy and the European unification, is an absolute must.

Nova Gorica lies at the heart of spectacular natural sites of the western Slovenia, not far from Venice. It proudly stands above the emerald Soča river, surrounded by four wine-growing regions. This Mediterranean town of great entertainment offers numerous possibilities:

The Mond hotel's offer is closely interwoven with the local wine-making tradition.

everything from cultural and historic sites to outdoor adventures and culinary delights. Hit's biggest gaming and entertainment centres Perla and Park are renowned for a holistic tourist offer, completed with Sabotin and Lipa hotels and Hit Sports Centre, which is ideal for bigger gatherings and events.

One dinner in three different Alpine regions/ states! Aperitif in Slovenia, a warm starter in Italy, main course in Austria, and a dessert in Slovenia.

This unforgettable experience is only possible in Kranjska Gora, a hearty place in the midst of the Julian Alps. Kranjska Gora is renowned for various international winter sports events, but in the summer it is a pristine green valley offering a great starting point for numerous adrenaline adventures suitable for professional training camps, active team-building events and larger professional gatherings. This is why Kranjska Gora has a long tradition of MICE events. Hit Alpinea operates three renovated hotels, two of them are placed under the famous Ramada Hotels trademark and the Kompas Hotel regularly hosts international events of up to 360 people. In addition the Špik Hotel, located in Gozd Martuljek, offers also an interesting Hotel Špik, a place to relax and enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding Julian Alps

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»Alpine Wellness« product. The tourist landscape of Kranjska Gora is complemented by the Korona gaming and entertainment centre, Larix Gaming Hall and Vitranc Sports Hall.

Looking for a new inspiration? You will find it in the midst of the Štajerska wine-growing region, in the first Slovenian »Wine-themed resort«.

On the other side of Slovenia, in Šentilj right next to the Slovenian-Austrian border, you will find Mond, a modern design hotel located within a gaming and entertainment centre of the same name. With its boutique offer it combines comfort, relaxation, entertainment and local specialities, with a special emphasis on the wine-making tradition. This is the main theme around which all the events are organized, making business gatherings a really unforgettable experience.

We will create surprising stories at the best location for your MICE event. All you have to do is trust our experienced, professional and hospitable staff. Welcome in our midst!

Perla, Casinò & Hotel in Nova Gorica ranks among the largest entertainment centers in Europe

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

BRATISLAVA – THE NEW MOTOR CITY! TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT VOLKSWAGEN SLOVAKIA, SLOVAKIA RING The KONGRES Magazine team headed to Bratislava, Slovakia, at the beginning of November to inspect the city s automotive industry. We must admit, we couldn t hide the surprise on our faces when we learned that Slovakia has been the world's largest producer of cars per capita (as an example 1,040,000 cars were produced in the year of 2016 alone, for a country of a 5 million population.)

Slovakia is attracting more and more car manufacturers due to national initiatives, low working and living costs, and its favourable logistical location. The country’s powerful car production represents 44% of its entire industry and Slovakia now has the world’s highest car production per capita. In addition to Kia, Slovakia has also managed to attract Volkswagen, Peugeot and Citroen, and has recently celebrated the start of construction of a new Jaguar and Land Rover factory in Nitra, which won the investment against competition from Poland, Hungary and Mexico. Alongside car manufacturers, Bratislava is also known for its innovation, thanks to the suppliers of optoelectronic, robotic and software sector.

The automotive sector also generates a lot of events and is helping Bratislava become more interesting for car launches.

each year. Volkswagen Slovakia is the largest company, investor and exporter in Slovakia; it is the driver of the Slovak economy and passes its share of success further. As a partner in the region we are aware of our social responsibilities which we transfer to the people of our region.”

As they say in Volkswgen, they ‘live and breathe Industrie 4.0’ and for the customers’ requirements have also deployed and are using the most modern and innovative technology, which is constantly developing. To date, about two thousand robots have been installed in their production halls, while online monitoring of production and automatic self-driven vehicles are part of their everyday working life.

As for their love for locals and visitors for Bratislava, this year the company also brought the unique project up! city to the centre of Bratislava, so visitors to the city and locals can rent the eponymous electric car right in the heart of the centre of the city. If one has a great desire to be an even deeper part of this automotive business, conference facilities can be booked at the Volkswagen factory. The central event space is called Auto Forum Congress Centre, a flexible space of 680m2 that can accommodate up to 200 participants. As befits a car factory, it is technically equipped to a superior standard and offers the same sense of quality than you would expect from such a prestige car factory.

An integral part of the experience is the exhibition with the presentation of the latest technologies. The factory’s latest acquisition is the Pulse conference venue, a modern and minimalistic-design building that includes two conference rooms and can accommodate up to 150 participants. The venue is also equipped with a 581m2 multifunctional space.

at the Slovakia Ring, a privately owned racetrack facility that is the first national racetrack facility to hold FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) homologation.

The ring is host to professional motor sports and provides clients with a unique opportunity to perfect their own driving skills, try out high speed driving, test driving techniques and experience the joy and freedom that can only be found ‘behind the wheel’.

To our surprise, the racetrack’s length makes it one of the longest road tracks in Europe, at 5.9km and with 7 left and 7 right-hand turns, as well as 4 artificial climbs.

Another benefit of the Slovakia Ring is the list of opportunities for various kinds of cooperation.

For instance, one can rent the premises and equipment at the venue for various events, including for corporate ones. For incentive ideas they offer the off-road facility, which makes a perfect polygon for testing the limits of off road vehicles. They also offer more than 21 training modules that are suitable for testing every vehicle and driver to their absolute limit, ensuring the adrenaline rushes through their veins.

MATADOR

SLOVAKIA RING

VOLKSWAGEN Slovakia At Volkswagen Slovakia we got to meet spokesperson Mgr. Lucia Kovarovič Makayová and discuss the impact of the automotive industry on the everyday life of Bratislava inhabitants. As she said, “Slovakia is an automobile superpower. We produce more cars per capita than any other country in the world. Made in Bratislava constitutes the largest share. The Bratislava plant is the pride of the entire concern. We are the only plant in the world to produce 5 car brands under one roof; around 400,000 vehicles leave Bratislava

The next stop of our automotive inspection was 68

Did you know that the MATADOR brand has also found its home in Bratislava? The company was established back in the year 1905, focusing on products made from rubber, while its true success story began after the year 1950, when the tyre production plant in Púchov was built.

The key milestone for the company happened in the year 2007, when the rubber division of the business was divested to the joint-venture partner Continental AG – but they then decided to write a new chapter, or to say, a new ‘book’

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK of a success story, with the transformation from a leading tyre producer to the first class TIER 1 supplier. It is no surprise, then, that they have managed to become the largest family owned Slovak TIER 1 supplier, a well-established CEE automotive supplier located in three countries around Europe.

THE FUTURE SEEMS BRIGHT… We could list out the companies linked to the automotive industry and production of custom made cars that have found their home in Bratislava, but for that, we would need the entire magazine dedicated only to this innovative city! Bratislava is truly the city of innovation, engineering, start-ups and home to people with great dreams, high hopes and even greater stories of success. You might just want to see it for yourself – visit Bratislava, where the automotive industry truly is a part of everyday life. Come and acquaint yourself with this metropolis of the automobile industry in the heart of Europe.

… AND YOU COULD BE A PART OF IT! In writing about the automotive industry, we wanted to just warm you up a little bit more.

The Bratislava Convention Bureau is in process of preparing a great campaign on this attractive industry with a scent of gasoline – that one could have serious difficulties escaping your temptation. Stay tuned, follow the news on the www.bratislava-motor-city.com and join us at the great car adventure in Bratislava in the beginning of the 2018!

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Meeting Star Winners 2016

GOT AN EVENT? WELL, YOU NOW ALSO HAVE AN IMMEDIATE AND CUSTOMIZED EVENT APP BY FESTIVALITY THAT ALSO ACTS AS AN ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF REVENUE AND ACTIONABLE ANALYTICS Festivality brings festivals and events to mobile fast and affordably. We deliver platform Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for events and festivals to adopt smart mobile technologies, gain new revenues through mobile and actionable event and attendee analytics.

The benefits of mobile apps might be clear, but they have historically required a large investment and substantial time and effort to come to fruition from scratch. As a result, it is not yet standard for all event teams to build and monetize mobile apps to support their events.

Product platform in a snapshot:

Festivality is changing that by making smart mobile apps easy and accessible for all events.

For event organizers and promoters: an industry-specific automated mobile apps builder with an efficient content management system (CMS) + event datalytics & mCommerce toolbox.

Powers events to launch smart, custom-branded, data-driven event apps, helping event teams to make more informed decisions from real-time and historic event and attendee data analytics. We also open access to new and additional revenue streams via mobile devices.

Want to know more?

Drop us a note hello@festivality.co or check www.festivality.co

For attendees: Intelligent, feature-rich event app (iOS, Android), helping eventgoers get more value out of events and better user experiences via mobile. Along with an ability to buy and pay at event contexts conveniently with their smartphones (cashless events).

Monetization platform for organizers from events´ partners ecosystem with commercial interests: vendors, merchants, exhibitors, artists, sponsors.

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COLUMN

SEEKING EXPERIENCES RATHER THAN LECTURES Tips and ideas for ‘Festivalising’ Events TEXT BY GORAZD ČAD PHOTO CREDIT C2 MONTTRÉAL, CONVENTA CROSSOVER, TINA RAMUJIĆ

Engagement, experience, festivalisation and the experience economy have been the world’s event industry 2017 buzzwords. This is a new era of events carrying a variety of super names, but it seems that next year we will be hit by a real attack of “new” events and formats, and the bombardment of technological innovation changing events is undoubtedly behind us.

The situation can be captured by my experiences from last week that summarize the obsession and situation in this field.

Firstly, at the Conventa Trend Bar I realized that my colleagues from the region are sincerely hoping for change and different kinds of events.

In both Belgrade and Sofia, the excitement for the Power to The Meetings methodology was unanimous. Most participants were hoping for a change in the ‘foreground’; they co-created the programme and the debates on the benefits of a new way of event organisation was clear.

They were surprised, however, that a lot of work needs to be put into a good event and that effective events are those in which the organisers bear a huge amount of empathy and goodwill.

Secondly, when as a member of journalist jury at the Best Event Award I was evaluating the 50 best European events, I was most impressed exactly by the initiatives of interactive formats.

If years ago events with technically extremely demanding and spectacular production were in the majority, now is a completely different era –

more than half of the registered projects build on the active participation of attendees and I am truly excited about this. The technical, video and background effects are solely the support to an activation of the brand or other strategic goals in a personalized way. In all of the fields content is coming to the fore.

The third story is connected to the fact that in one week I received at least 10 emails with an invitation to the ‘experience’, ‘engagement’…

This all sounds wonderful and maybe you even believe in the story, until the moment when you actually participate in the event and realize that it is just another form of packaging, but the event itselfis completely and irrevocably useless.

On first sight Festvalisation is inspiring, but it is more worrying that only a few really understand and know how to put a participant into the foreground.

sound, video and scenography. One cannot gain wisdom either on Twitter or on Facebook. In this sense, the meaning of the Best Event Award could be compared to the beginnings of the festival scene in the field of advertising.

For inspiration, check out some good examples of event festivalisation: C-HR Berlin Innovation & Creativity Festival: An interdisciplinary creative festival in Berlin lasting two weeks and for inquisitive pioneers, communication revolutionaries and avant-gardists, and the market launch of the new SUV coupé Toyota C-HR www.chr-festival.de Ynspy Festival: Offline & Online community platform for Generation Y to share their life/ work inspiration, meet key influencers, award significant personas & stories. www.ynspirology.cz

Rarer still are those who are aware that the production is extremely complex., Most agencies that are good enough stand out so much in this respect that they made the Best Event Award competition, and I dare to claim that this is the elite of the European event scene.

Teniskology: A new generation of event combining an exclusive sneaker fair with exhibition, workshops, concerts, influencers' talks and shows. www.teniskology.com

At a time when everyone knows everything about anything, the key to change still remains in knowledge, training and the connection between marketing and the event industry, as well as innovative IT staff and masters of light,

Discover Festival: Discover celebrates science and innovation, engaging young minds to stimulate interest in science education to meet the demand for future scientists. www.generationdiscover.nl

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YouTube Festival: A one-day journey allowing the German marketing community to discover the advantages of YouTube, the world’s most popular video platform.

Blend Dates Nesspreso: For 6 years, Arnaud Deschamps, CEO, has organised a federating and innovating event for all his employees: the blend dates. Breaking rules of traditional internal conventions, this event has no plenary sessions, but provide a strong experience to communicate on the key messages of the year The equation for success of these events is usually in the combination of the following elements: 1. Choice of unusual venue: often this is a pop-up venue, industrial building or a beyond-the-ordinary outdoor venue with a special energy. Often it can even be a space that fits the personality of the brand that the event is promoting.

2. Setting the event into different zones: which enables the smooth transition of attendees between different experiences.

3. Co-creation: inclusion of attendees into all phases of the project, including the co-creation of the event’s scenography and content.

Moderators with a wide set of skills have a crucial role here.

4. Extremely effective communication with the attendees: by the use of social networks, apps and classic communication tools.

5. Fans of the fan base: is crucial for the

event’s success. Good projects bring fans the feeling of affiliation and comradeship. This is also how an extremely successful social network that drives the whole project gets built.

6. Interdisciplinarity: with the professional fields that seem as though they don’t belong in the event’s topic, this creates new cognition and formats.

7. Extreme concentration of emotionally loaded experiences: that are driven by music, art, theatre, circus, stand-up, rock’n’roll, gaming.

8. Experimenting with new formats and shapes of presentations: such as Pecha Kucha, Tedx, Elevator Pitch, Open Space, Live Polls, Ingnite, JigSaw, Unconference, Interactive theatre, The Lost Lectures, Lunch Clubbing, Knowledge Cafe, Hackathon, Thinkathon, Editathon, Mashups, etc.

9. Lifestyle: that, as a rule, like minded individuals in a relaxed way unites and is demonstrated by the event’s brand and communication style. This happens at the level of personalized content.

10. Wow zones: or ‘Play & Experimental Zones’, are the constituent part of every project that aims for a viral effect. One of the participants had an interesting comment when presenting his philosophy – that participants at a good event have to say wow at least 10 times a day.

The most important thing, however, is that the younger generations of whom we often speak of 73

as alienated, extremely digitalized and atomized, positively respond to such events. This is because alongside socializing, events also allow them also to cooperate in social change and offer the personal realization that social networks do not ‘enable’, despite the pervasively fake feeling of connectivity and sociability. This is also the case for the simple reason that we, people, are social beings and simply want to socialize.

So, what’s next? It seems that more or less the creative industry knows clearly in which direction the world is actually heading. However, despite this fact the most difficult thing is always to get the most simple solutions that work. The biggest challenges are in store for all of the providers of infrastructure that still vigorously sell plain and predictable congress halls. Partners that sincerely understand the new meaning and the changes needed remain still very few.

We therefore see our own project, Conventa Crossover, as a tool for changing the whole industry. When the attendees’ fear on seeing a completely different setup of space evaporates because of the music, when the initial distrust dwindles, when the imperfect becomes perfect, and when even the biggest cynic gets caught up in the new ‘story’, then you know that you are on the right path. The main criteria, however, is to always be open to new ideas, new people, and new energies.

WHO IS WHO

AFTER COFFEE, I CAN FULL ENJOY ANYTHING Interview with Jana Mičeková, MICE specialist at Bratislava Tourist Board INTERVIEW BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDITS PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: What are you most proud of in your business life…?

In my business life I am proud to be a part of a young and dynamic team that has accepted the challenge to get Bratislava on the map of congress tourism.

Q: …and in your private life?

It has been a few times now that I have managed to get up very early to go to yoga class!

Q: Wisdom / motto?

New day - new motto.

Q: Where are you going to spend this year’s holiday?

In Mexico. I have an invitation to the wedding of my very good friends, so I am going to be one week in the city and another in the jungle of Yucatan.

Q: What was your favourite vacation?

I love exploring new countries, people’s lives, their customs and cultures wherever I can on this planet. I have been so lucky to visit quite few special places, but to mention just a few Cuba was my last vacation, but Morocco and the Danube delta are also impossible to forget.

Q: Where would you go if there were no time and financial constraints?

Everywhere.

Q: What is your favourite indoor / outdoor activity?

Apart from the usual sports activities like cycling

or skiing, I have a special passion for water, and also for trying to get my balcony green. I am very aware of the fact that this might sound creepy to many people, but I really do love cleaning my place – vacuuming is the best cardio for me.

Q: What is your favourite dish and restaurant (anywhere in the world)?

Any of my grandma’s dishes, which are always accompanied with endless stories.

Q: What is your favourite gadget?

Thanks to technological progress, I can do pretty much everything with my phone.

Q: Which song do you most often play on your iPod? There are so many of them, but I have just one problem - when I hear them I have to sing along.

Q: Which part of the day and of the week is your favourite?

After coffee, I can fully enjoy anything.

Q: What is your favourite mode of transport?

In the city during winter I use public transport, but as soon as the weather conditions allows it I grab my kick scooter and I am unstoppable.

Q: If you could return to the past or hurry to the future, how old would you like to be, and why?

I try to enjoy every single moment.

Q: If you could witness any event in history,

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which one would you choose?

The coronation of Queen Maria Theresia, and if there is anybody who missed it there is still a chance to see it in June in Bratislava.

Q: What was the best party you ever attended?

I sincerely hope that the best parties of my life are still to come, and that there will be many of them.

Q: Your last film, book and concert?

Toni Erdmann, Kate Bolick - Making a life of one´s own, Radio¬_Heads Award (Awards of Slovak alternative music).

Q: What fantasy character would you be?

Of course, I would go for Khaleesi.

Q: What did you learn to do last week?

How to cook Tom Kha Gai.

"I love exploring new countries, people’s lives, their customs and cultures wherever I can on this planet."

WHO IS WHO

A SMILE COMES TO MY FACE EVERY TIME I THINK OF MY CHILDHOOD Interview with Jelena Gluščević, Manager at Tourism Organisation of Budva INTERVIEW BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT personal archive

Q: What are you most proud of in business…?

I am proud and happy to be part of the most successful Tourism organisation in Montenegro.

We are a young, dynamic and harmonic team, working for and improving what is by far the most visited destination in Montenegro! … and privately?

Definitely my three kids!

Q: Wisdom / motto?

• Live and let live!

• Always put yourself in the other person's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

Q: Where are you going to spend this year’s holiday?

Kopaonik, Serbia. Although I love Austria and Italy for a winter vacation, this year it will be the nicest mountain in Serbia.

Q: What was your favourite vacation?

Summer is definitely my time of the year. Beach, sea, sun…nothing else matters.

Q: Where would you go if there were no time and financial constraints?

Cuba. Happiness, the beauty of nature, a perfect climate.

Q: What is your favourite indoor / outdoor activity?

Beach volleyball and biking.

Q: What is your favourite dish and restaurant (anywhere in the world)?

Cerveceria Catalana, Barcelona. The real spirit of Spain, a vibrant vivid atmosphere, fast service and perfect tapas!

Q: What is your favourite gadget?

Any that makes life easier. A computer and telephone are the basic ones.

Q: Which song do you most often play on your iPod? Gloria Estefan, Hoy Q: Which part of the day and of the week is your favourite?

Friday afternoon. I guess there is no need for explanation.

Q: What is your favourite mode of transport?

Although I definitely use the car the most, the bicycle would be fine as well – for a small city like the one I live in, it takes almost the same time to reach your destination. The best part of being a cyclist is that you don’t have to think about parking I hope we will get bike paths in Budva!

Q: If you could return to the past or hurry to the future, how old would you like to be, and why?

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I guess, more or less, everybody answers the same thing to this question: childhood. It is the period of life we always remember with joy, when our parents take care of our “problems”, help us, teach us and support us. Life has only started, we see only good in people and the positive sides of any challenge. I really try to live and enjoy every moment in the present, but a smile comes to my face every time I think of my childhood.

Q: What was the best party you ever attended?

It was a wedding party of our friends last summer – the beach, sunset, no shoes, no dress code.

Q: Your last film, book and concert?

• 12 years a Slave.

• Irving Stone “Lust for life”, a sad story about Vincent Van Gogh’s life.

• It’s not a concert, but an opera at the Bolshoi theatre: “Don Carlo”.

Q: What fantasy character would you be?

Elsa the Snow Queen, to make a dream of my daughter come true.

Q: What did you learn to do last week?

Thank you for reminding me that we have to keep learning throughout our entire life! Last week unfortunately nothing, but last month I learnt to Zumba dance.

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APP SCENE

FIELDDRIVE - GLOBAL ONSITE EVENT TECHNOLOGY fielddrive is an innovative Suite of Services for onsite attendee management across the globe, offered by Expo Logic, one of the leading US companies in event technology industry in the world, which is expanding its operations in Europe. This remarkable Suite of Services includes: - new, game-changing technology called fielddrive Facial Recognition, brought by partnering with Zenus, enabling the fastest and easiest check-in solution, by recognizing attendees as they walk-in and at the same time print their badges - Live Badging solution, which is the fastest fullcolor onsite solution for printing badges, capable of managing up to 500 visitor check-in's and registrations onsite and is fully customizable by client’s needs - both for designing badges as well as printing them - Data Integration, capable of integrating with over 40 event registration providers or association management systems in order to connect clients online and onsite data so that all the event information is exchanged consistently both ways - Track and Trace capabilities which can be implemented at the event, to get more data with attendee tracking, session scanning and lead retrieval fielddrive can be deployed to the events from anywhere across the globe thanks to network of certified fielddrive partners.

W: www.fielddrive.eu

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APP SCENE

PLANIFY - PLAN LESS, ENJOY MORE

Group Travel organizers can now share with their participants an always up-to-date program via Planify mobile app, comprising profiles of participants, maps, tips, etc.

W: www.planify.io

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APP SCENE

GOOMEO: EXHIBITIONS - CONGRESSES CORPORATE EVENTS Goomeo is an intuitive platform for branded mobile apps offering networking and engaging services to event planners: trade shows, exhibitions, congresses and corporate events.

Our solution harnesses data and content from the event to create new value-added services for the attendees.

Our mobile apps deliver interactivity, networking opportunities and a unique attendee experience to help events be more successful. To achieve this, all content and services adapt to the profile of the user (exhibitors, visitors, delegates, VIP, speakers…): • Personalisation: Profile management (In-app Exhibitor services, Attendee web portal…)

• Networking: Messaging, Meeting platform, in-app lead-retrieval • Orientation: Interactive floor plans, Indoor geolocation services • Engagement: Activity feed, Live Q&A, polling & surveys, templated selfies Event organisers beneficiate from multiple advantages using Goomeo: organising the event content and making it accessible, encouraging the participation of all attendees, offering them a personalised experience, putting people in touch and generating turnover.

It’s all about upgrading the experience people have at an event: put visitors and exhibitors in contact at a trade show, make it easier to share knowledge at a congress or help employees adopt company strategy at a corporate event.

W: www.goomeo.com 79

Hidden Congress Guest

8TH ANNUAL MCE CENTRAL & EASTERN EU FORUM (ZAGREB, 18 – 20 FEBRUARY 2018) Zagreb to host the 8th edition of MCE CEE After seven years of leading and organizing the most successful MICE B2B forum in Central and Eastern Europe, Europe Congress is contented to announce their next edition for 2018 to be held in the magnificent city of Zagreb. During this two-and-a-half-day forum, Europe Congress brings carefully selected event planners from all parts of the world, to meet with high quality destinations and MICE providers from the Central & Eastern part of Europe. Each participant will engage into 35 direct business encounters that have been match-made and prescheduled. Moreover, participants get increased possibilities to socialize, network and do business through the engaging event program with luncheons, receptions, dinners and parties.

All of this this business action will take place in Croatia’s capital Zagreb. Martina Bienenfeld, CEO of the Zagreb Tourist Board and Convention Bureau, host destination and event partner, stated: On behalf of Zagreb Tourist Board and Convention Bureau, it is my privilege and pleasure to bid a cordial welcome to all participants of the 8th Annual MCE Central & Eastern Europe Forum to be held in Zagreb in February 2018. Zagreb, the capital of Croatia,

is a city packed with historical heritage, vibrant cultural life, friendly people, relaxed atmosphere, exciting gastronomic adventures and fascinating surroundings. As you discover its many faces, Zagreb will showcase itself as an ideal destination for meetings, incentives, business and corporate events. Zagreb meetings industry bears witness to a constant growth in international events and we are delighted that you are a part of it on this special occasion. I believe that your stay in our city will be pleasant and a long remembered one and I wish you a very successful and productive forum. Welcome!

Every event planner, personally approached by the Europe Congress team, undergoes profound qualification processes so to assure the level of business potential is adequate and so to guarantee the success of MCE Central & Eastern Europe. Participating destinations and their MICE providers are convention bureaus, tourism boards, DMC’s, hotels, transportation companies, congress centers and wellestablished professionals in the field of MICE ready to showcase their best know-how in ways they are proficient and competent to deliver seamless service.

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In very close coordination with the event partners, Europe Congress is looking forward to providing all of the shareholders the meeting point with abundant possibility for exchanging great business projects.

We are very glad that Zagreb will be hosting MCE Central & Eastern Europe 2018 as this will be a great opportunity to showcase the advantages of Croatia as a MICE destination to meetings industry professionals from all over the world. We believe that the forum s 8th edition will be as successful as it was so far in bringing together international buyers with high quality suppliers from Central & Eastern Europe in order to increase the MICE business in the region – Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board stated.

LIFESTYLE

VISIBABA BEER

MONYO BREWING

text by goraz čad photo credit visibaba beer archive

text by gorazd čad photo credit monyo brewing archive

Poured beer: Oat Dirty Bastard

Poured beer: Franky Four Fingers

As the name suggests, the main actor here is oatmeal, more common in darker beers but with the purpose of Visibaba being to change the game. This Pale Ale therefore offers fruity aromas from its selected hops and a citrusy finish, with the smooth effect of oatmeal giving another dimension to the body and the mouth feel of a silky beer.

The most complex beer with a high alcohol percentage has absolutely nothing to do with any additional sugar – it's made from the traditional English ingredients of Maris Otter malt and Fuggle hop and it is aged in the bottle for a whole year to get its perfect characteristics. The result is a thick, rich, red malt drink that tastes like sherry mixed with the aromas of the Fuggle hop.

The Franky and Boris beers are limited editions and come in either in a 0.375 or a 1.5 litre bottle. Only a few thousand of them are produced and each bottle has its own number and year of production written on it. This is important, because each year we keep the first 120 beers and we plan to make a special collection in the coming years that will contain the saved bottles.

About the local area Originally coming from Belgium but having lived in Croatia for many years, after 9 years there without any good beer the brewers started to produce home brews along with another lost Belgian soul they met in Croatia. It was there that the nomad story began, when the locals started to appreciate the brews and always hankered after some more of it. After a few months the search for a brewery in the region began and after a long trawl the Kabinet Brewery was found, from which a collaboration quickly started and the production of an independent line of beers now known as Visibaba. Three years ago the beers were extended to 12 other European countries, such as The Netherlands, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Norway, Austria, France, ... and even to South Africa.

About the brewery The MONYO Brewing Co. was established in 2014 in the heart of Kobanya, Budapest, to revolutionize microbrewing in Hungary.

The main reason for creating the brewery was Adam Pein getting fed up with being unable to serve his bar guests craft beer, as their quality was unstable and breweries were unable to maintain a constant, familiar taste. To achieve his goals he won over Antal Nemeth, arguably the best and most precise beer brewer in the country. MONYO Brewing is a place where people are driven by passion, knowledge and creativity. MONYO uses the latest technology, pays close attention to hygiene and uses only the best ingredients. MONYO is one of the fastest-growing breweries in Hungary – in 2015 they won the 'Brewery of the Year' title and other foreign awards. MONYO Co. has both traditional and new wave beers.

About the brewery The hoppy tale started when two young Belgians living in Croatia met each other and became really enthusiast to ‘sync ‘their main passions: beer and music. From home brews to festivals, the adventure pushed them to explore the Balkans in order to find the proper Brewery to welcome their Gipsy Brewing Trip.

Searching from Croatia to Slovenia, it ended up hitchhiking a tractor on the country roads of Serbia where they discovered the magic fountain of the Kabinet Brewery. The two unconventional Belgian fellows then started to liquify their dreams and adapt their home brew recipes, giving birth to Visibaba Beer. Using the very best of local products combined with the finest ingredients from all around the world, they shook Belgian brewing traditions with their eccentric, innovative ways of making things differently. The Belgian connection has already been joined by the legendary ‘John Lemon’, ‘Janis Hoplin’ and ‘Bob Barley’, all ready to push the Craft Beer Revolution to another level.

Location of the brewery The brewery is in Főzdepark (Brewpark) industrial park Budapest, Hungary, which is a partnership of four local craft breweries: MONYO Brewing Co., Mad Scientist, Horizont Beers and HopTop Brewery. The Hungarian craft beer revolution started six years ago with Főzdefeszt, the first craft beer festival.

Currently around 60 craft breweries operate in the country and the popularity of craft beers is increasing day by day.

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LIFESTYLE

PROTAGONIST BEER

ZMAJSKA PIVOVARNA

text by corazd čad photo credit protagonist beer archive

text by gorazd čad photo credit zmajska pivovarna archive

Poured beer: limited edition - Imperial Stout «Protagonist»

Poured beer: Pozoj IPA

At 15% Alc, 100 IBU, 35°P and with strong doses of Demerara sugar, the Protagonist is proud to be the strongest, sweetest and darkest beer ever presented on a Greek beer label ! A very special beer, this one is a tribute to Greek sweet coffee. In fact, it is much more than a beer; it is part of a concept that started in April 2006, developing step by step ever since. A total of 6,000 bottles of Protagonist were brewed, packaged and each one signed one by one by Kjetil Jikiun.

Pozoj IPA was first brewed in 2015 as a one-off beer, but due to the great response from beer drinkers and constant demand it was brewed a few more times until at the beginning of 2017 it became a year-round beer from Zmajska pivovara. At 7.3% ABV and golden in colour, it is a showcase of the Chinook and Mosaic hops.

About the location The idea behind the founding of Zmajska pivovara was to brew innovative and different beers that would enrich the local beer offer, that at the time consisted mostly of bland, industrial lagers.

The mission was therefore to brew high quality and distinctive beer that would be pure joy in every sip. Today the Croatian craft beer revolution is at its prime, with more than 40 breweries operating and craft beer bars popping up. Zmajska pivovara is proud to have been there at the very beginning as one of the initiators of this revolution.

About the location Cretan craft beer is based on the island of Crete, the greatest and southernmost island of Greece. The brewery is set in a charming location, full of olive groves and vineyards in the Cretan countryside and just a few kilometres south of Heraklion city. We also contract brew in other countries around Europe.

About the brewery Founder and Head brewer of Protagonist beer is the world acclaimed Norwegian craft brewer Kjetil Jikiun, with whom the forces were joined to produce orange wine, craft beer and other craft beverages (like Gin) on the island at a time when the Greek craft beer industry was on the rise. That happy decision has led to the brewery being part of the craft beer revolution taking place in our country ever since.

About the brewery Zmajska pivovara was founded in 2013 at a time when craft beer was almost completely unknown in Croatia. The founder and owner, Andrej Čapka, had already been a home brewer for more than a decade and as an active member of the home brew community he was a founder of pivarstvo.info, the home brew forum, and organiser of the Croatian International Home Brew competition. His long-lasting love and passion for beer, along with his financial knowledge and help from Hrvoje Čirjak, friend and future co-owner, made the first Croatian craft brewery happen.

Its first beers – a Pale Ale and a Porter – were presented in September 2014. In the same year Zmajska pivovara was voted in Top 10 New Brewers in the World by the Ratebeer portal.

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Hidden Congress Guest

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TELESCOPE lifestyle

A FOCUS ON SEOUL

text by robert cotter photo credit seoul convention bureau

Opening an article on the annual achievements of Seoul’s meeting industry using some select superlatives supported by a list of mindboggling stats seems to be the norm these days. There’s a reason for that: because it reflects precisely what the city has been doing.

Like a hot air balloon gradually and steadily gaining height, over the past decade Seoul has year on year been surpassing its own lofty expectations, firmly consolidating its current UIA top three ranking and now soaring as the kind of global destination that those still grounded can only look up to and aspire to become. In the year 2016 alone Seoul managed to deliver 526 international congresses according to UIA stats and 137 meetings according to ICCA – remarkably that’s a minimum of an event every day, from whatever end of a telescope the stats are looked at.

As a super-advanced Asian mega-city that ticks all the boxes for delivering the highest level events to take place anywhere on the planet – think G20 Summit Olympic Games and Winter Olymics for starters – we took a ‘p-eek’ at just some of the reasons why Seoul’s hot-allure balloon keeps on flying higher and higher.

Places As befits a city of Seoul’s scale, its meeting and event venues come at scale too, none more so than the jewel in the city’s glittering convention centre crown, the COEX Centre. Located in the heart of the Gangnam area to the south of the mighty Han river that divides Seoul, COEX covers a whopping half million square metres of floorspace. This creates the volume for four exhibition halls that can be divided into twelve separate spaces, including a convention hall that can accommodate up to 7,000 people, as well as 54 meeting rooms all with state of the art AV equipment (naturally…it’s Seoul…) all handled by an expert building management team. On top of all that are four theatre spaces and vast areas of circulation floorspace for networking and break out. The facilities also extend on all sides to take in hotels, shopping (no less than Asia’s largest underground mall to hand), office facilities and different transport options, all on one site.

Despite being opened in 1979, the original design of COEX has allowed it to age with grace.

With its main curved, glass-fronted entrance overlooking the adjacent Bongeunsa Temple complex, aesthetically it could stake a claim for a 84

centre put up within the last 15 years. To ensure it remains as fresh as it looks, COEX has recently been undergoing renovation that has included reupholstering its auditorium and renovating a theatre and adjacent meeting rooms, with an eye on 2020 as the target year for a full upgrade of its facilities, a not insubstantial task for such a capacious venue.

Alongside COEX there are a plethora of options for event hosting in Seoul. The Seoul MICE Alliance publicity signals five further dedicated facilities suitable for hosting profile events, but this is the tip of an iceberg alongside which are a huge number of facilities available in special venues and within the city’s hotels. Talking of which…

Pillows …as one of Asia’s main mega-cities, Seoul offers a mega-variety of options for the weary delegate’s fatigued cranium to find a feathered cushion to rest on for the night. From the timeless elegance of the city’s more established prestige accommodation, such as the Shilla Hotel and the Grand Hyatt, through to the glistening opulence of the recently arrived Four Seasons Hotel, the city has every recognised hotel brand that you can

TELESCOPE lifestyle

find on the planet. What sets it apart, however, is that each of these offers a level of service that is second to none.

By way of example, the Grand Hyatt, preferred haunt of American Presidents when in Seoul (most recently by President Obama himself), has a setting with panoramic views of the surrounding cityscape as well as the city’s emblematic Mount Namsan. Oozing class, on entering the voluminous lobby area its huge glazed façade illuminates quality at every turn. The hotel also doesn’t disappoint with the meeting facilities it offers: its Grand Ballroom and Regency Room can cater for 300-2,000 delegates and alongside this it has a number of meeting rooms as well as external spaces suitable for business events and that can be used for further sessions and breakouts. With premier hotels naturally comes premier level cuisine, where again Grand Hyatt meets expectations. Its rooms and leisure offer are also top class – in fact, in effectively every aspect it’s fair to say that meeting presidential standards has become the norm throughout.

Also delivering high standards for those preferring to stay within the precinct of the COEX is the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, a hotel that offers direct access to the convention centre as well as to the underground shopping mall. Remodelled in 2014 and now with 516 rooms and six very high standard restaurants and bars to add to the stunning 1,500m2 ball-

room and a further 14 meeting rooms ranging from 41m2 to 407m2, the hotel makes for a very high-end enhancement of the COEX complex.

Furthermore, the on site expert meeting and event planners and dedicated team for international and corporate meetings also make it a top meeting venue in its own right.

A further attribute that is keeping Seoul ahead of the eagerly chasing pack of MICE cities is that it is a destination that is constantly refreshing and adding to its infrastructure, with hotels leading the charge. Whilst the Four Seasons opened its doors in 2016, the year 2017 has seen the arrival of the city’s first Le Méridien of the Marriott International brand, a facility in the Gangnam area that has profiled itself around an art theme (an ‘artistic lifestyle destination’) with a centrepiece 1,980m2 M Contemporary art centre. The facility also has 1,650m2 of artthemed meeting space across a ballroom and three meeting spaces that will strongly appeal to events wishing to bring a touch of art into their mix.

Just north of the river from Gangnam in the Yongsan district and yet with its paint to fully dry is perhaps Seoul’s most ambitious hotel project of 2017: the Seoul Dragon City.

Opened in October and bringing together four of the Accor hotel brands, this new ‘lifestyle hotelplex’ offers 1,700 rooms across a Grand Mercure (202 rooms), Novotel Suites (286 85

rooms), Novotel (621 rooms) and ibis Styles (591 rooms). Using shared lobby spaces and aiming to blur the lines between the expectations of differing hotel guests, a serious USP of this complex is its Sky Kingdom that consists of four full floors of entertainment suspended above the 30th floor at the top of the towers between the Grand Mercure and ibis Styles buildings. At these giddy heights can be found a lounge bar recreating a royal European vacation, various cuisines and beverages, a swimming pool, a Skywalk, a performance stage, and the Sky Beach, a private beach club with music and international cuisine. A further draw to Seoul Dragon City will be its meeting facilities within such a ‘total’ complex, with two grand ballrooms of 1,200m2 each alongside 17 meeting rooms all offering the latest in hi-tech spec and with access to 11 restaurants and bars for sustenance and refreshments.

Prandial Sustenance and refreshments is something that is not in short supply in Seoul, nor are they short of quality. The recently published Guide Michelin for Seoul sets out clearly that the city is a now a major magnet for cuisine of the highest order, at a time when Korean food is also making its mark around the globe. Promoting the national nibble, the capital city has some phenomenal spots to savour incredible Korean flavours.

TELESCOPE At the top of the foodie chain is the La Yeon restaurant in the Shilla Hotel. As befits a member of the leading hotels of the world, on the top floor and with stunning views the restaurant has attracted 3 Michelin stars, the highest accolade available from Michelin. The Korean cuisine on offer speaks for itself and the surroundings and service are graceful and mature. Also featuring in the ranks of Michelin is Dosa restaurant in the Sinsa-Dong area, an ultra-modern (and ultra-excellent) micro-restaurant with an open kitchen serving superbly creative cuisine with Korean roots.

created and set on the Han river, thereby offering both privacy and broad panoramas, not to mention good Korean fusion cuisine. In addition, the outdoor terraces also offer views of Seoul’s famous Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain, the illuminated fountain with jets of water from the bridge that operates from April to June and September to October. If you miss the fountain, the illumination of the Some Sevit Floating Islands is a light extravaganza in itself.

Pursuits

Other options to get an understanding of very high end Korean cuisine are the excellent Ondal Restaurant within the sprawling Walkerhill Hotel complex to the north-east of the Han river, as well as the Si Wha Dam restaurant in the city’s Insadong area. For the Korean food aficionado both of these will not disappoint in any way at all, and for those making their first foray into Korean tastes these restaurants guarantee an amazing entry point.

Extravaganzas are indeed in plentiful supply in Seoul for the moments that business delegates wish to let their hair down and escape the conference hall for a while. To really get on top of the city, a good starting point is to head for the Lotte World Tower. Opened in April of this year and standing at 555m, making it the 5th tallest building in the world, its Seoul Sky area on floors 117-123 really does get you on top of the city and offers breathtaking views in every direction from its rooftop observatories.

Amongst the many eating options that blend together food with venue and views, a good choice would be one of the eateries at the Floating Islands of Some Sevit. Inaugurated in 2014, these are three islands that were artificially

There are also many less vertiginous options for pleasure pursuits in an around the city, such as at the five royal palaces in the city as well as numerous markets, art galleries, traditional houses and special venues, not to mention natural at-

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tractions within and surrounding the city. A good starting point for any of this and to get a good overview of Korean culture is a visit to the Korea House, a former private ministerial house that is now used to promote the unique culture of Korea to natives and foreigners alike.

Set in lush gardens and offering traditional Korean food, the venue lends itself perfectly to weddings, but it is also suitable for meetings and special events, with everything required for boutique gatherings available on site.

Similar to the Korea House but in an even more verdant setting is the SamcheongGak, a historic venue that held a Red Cross conference feast commemorating the joint communiqué between South and North Korea, and that today is a traditional and cultural complex consisting of several buildings set in a parkland. Alongside the excellent traditional food on offer in the complex’s restaurant and its refined café area, the facility is also suitable for banquets and functions, ceremonies and weddings, lectures and, of course, smaller scale meetings and events in a very unique setting.

For the more futuristic side of Seoul, nothing can top the late Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), a spaceship of a building that has landed in the centre of the city’s shopping and

TELESCOPE fashion quarter. Housing a fashion design information centre with seminar rooms and a lecture hall, the vast and groundbreaking-design venue also includes large conference and exhibition spaces, which made it ideal for co-hosting the International Union of Architects (UIA) event together with COEX in September 2017, an event that brought together 30,000 of the world’s leading architecture and design professionals for an 8-day architectural congress marathon. Not only did DDP play host to the event, but it was a showcase piece itself on 21st century design for many visiting delegates.

If there is any walking left in your legs after these spots, a stroll around the Bukchon Hanok Village area of Seoul gives you a real flavour of how traditional Korean life was before the city mushroomed into one of Asia’s modern megacities. The low, courtyarded houses are perched on a hillside within the city offering wonderful views. Whilst this is still a residential area, it has become a top tourist attraction as well, and an area where people like to dress up in traditional Korean clothing for taking their walking tours.

People Donning this traditional attire, which you can do by renting it through a traditional attire

Hanbok experience, might make you feel a little bit more like a Korean of yesteryear. But it is in meeting the Koreans of today, and particularly those involved in the meetings industry, that you will an understanding of just how Seoul has achieved such prominence in the industry.

formed to enhance the city’s global business events competitiveness. With over 260 members of the alliance and a further 38 recently added, the strength of the partnership and commitment of all the people involved ensure that Seoul’s MICE scene continues to nurture and prosper.

Firstly there are the industry professionals encountered through the core facilities, such as the venue managers and marketing executives, and the hotel managers and their MICE specialists.

Every encounter reveals a thorough grasp of the high expectations of business events and their delegates, as well as the levels that need to be attained and maintained to ensure consistent levels of quality.

Plus…

Secondly, and even more importantly, is the work going on at city level, in particular by the Seoul Tourism Organisation (STO) and its marketing and public relations arm, the Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB). Consistently attracting high calibre staff with a commitment to the industry and to bettering the city’s global standing, over recent years the city has made huge strides in raising international awareness of Seoul as a top quality meeting and event destination. This has been boosted by STO work on the Seoul MICE Alliance, a partnership of government and private sector organisations

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After all that it’s perhaps hard to believe that there is a ‘plus’ to what Seoul has to offer, but yes, there is. The extra is a new initiative launched by the city of Seoul called ‘PLUS SEOUL Package’ and that offers various advantages to business travellers in the city with its Seoul MICE Alliance partners. These advantages can include financial support, hospitality support, administrative support and a 2017 special support for events that meet specific criteria.

As a very final little extra, Seoul has been working through its marketing campaign to showcase all of the amazing work that it has been doing, a campaign that uses the slogan: I SEOUL U. For those fortunate enough to have shared in the wonderful work the city is doing, it should be added: WE SEOUL U TOO!!

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TELESCOPE

IT&CMA AND CTW 2017: TWIN PEAKS TEXT BY ROBERT COTTER PHOTO CREDIT IT&CMA Peering over the lofty two-decade peaks of a MICE event that has enjoyed constant success, including 14-years as a double bill, this year’s IT&CMA and CTW, celebrating their 25th and 20th anniversaries respectively, had a lot to celebrate – and that’s precisely what they did.

Taking place from 26-28 September at the now regular venue of the Bangkok Convention Centre that is integral to the CentralWorld complex and adjoining the welcoming host Centara Hotel, this year’s event brought together the great and the good of Asia’s – and the world’s – meeting industry in a professional forum offering the finest of meeting opportunities, education sessions and networking gatherings.

“This year is a special one as we cross a significant milestone in our history,” said Darren Ng, Managing Director, TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd. “We are grateful and honoured to have our delegates witness this milestone together.

We have come a very long way since IT&CMA’s inception in 1993 and CTW Asia-Pacific’s in 1998, starting this series of events when we

realised that the market lacked specialisation in and around the Asia-Pacific and corporate travel market. Since then, we have propelled forward alongside the industry, benchmarked against global standards and positioned our region competitively with the trust and commitment our clients have placed in us.”

This labour of love over the decades has been bearing ripe fruit particularly in recent years, not only in having helped elevate the Asian MICE industry into a leading position globally, but also in having ensured that the world’s radar is permanently tuned into it for both innovative inspiration and best practice. This has additionally helped to ensure that the business showcase at this year’s event was continuing to descend from destinations ranging all the way from Dubai to Japan and Australia to India.

Alongside the business and networking sessions involving the broad palette of more than 800 exhibitors from almost 300 exhibiting companies and organisations with the more than 400 buyers, half of whom hailed from abroad

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(and of these the bulk from Europe), this year’s event also offered a rich variety of education sessions – with more than 50 renowned speakers on hand to share their experience and knowledge, as well as major associations there to deliver sessions – and it was all kicked off with an important keynote address on how the next wave of growth for the region’s industry might materialise.

“The industry pendulum is swinging upstream as it becomes recognised by government for the outcomes and legacies that can be achieved from a vibrant business events sector,” said James Latham, Joint Meetings Industry Council Producer for The Iceberg and moderator of a keynote address that was relevant to the global MICE industry. “Here in Thailand, for example, you see that the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is highly focused on bringing events to the country that will support the economic and transformational strategy of Thailand 4.0 and there are many other vertical priorities ahead of tourism when you look at these clusters.”

TELESCOPE The Thailand 4.0 theme was a recurrent one in event discussions as the national government moves towards a value-based economy with business events being recognised as a highvalue service forming part of one of the five key clusters. Falling into this category has made business events, and by extension the broader MICE industry, suitable for government funding, further aided by TCEB reporting directly to the Prime Minister rather than through an intermediary political department, both lessons that could prove helpful to European and other global destinations wishing to accelerate the growth of their own industries.

“Business events have the ability to boost the country’s other growth engines and exhibitions have been growing dramatically for Thailand,” said Khun Supawan Teerarat, Vice President, Strategic and Business Development at TCEB. “We are ranked first in South-East Asia in terms of available exhibition space and capacity as well as number of trade shows hosted.”

Further boosting the prowess of a destination to secure increasing levels of events is, of course, an increased level of accessibility, making one of the key announcements at this year’s event of great significance for the Thai, as well as the wider European, audience.

“Being a long-standing partner of this conference

THAI Airways realises that IT&CMA brings people and experts from around the world to a single place to share ideas and experiences,” said Khun Pariya Chulkaratana, Vice President, e-Commerce and Ancillary Marketing Department of Thai Airways. “At the same time, it reinforces both professionals and personal relationships among industry colleagues, while establishing deals and the groundwork for future business events that operate on longer lead times. On November 16th Thai Airways will launch the first direct flight from Bangkok to Vienna, which will be another gateway for our customers to reach a number of European cities.”

With government, CVB, national airline and signature event all in celebratory mood, the setting was ideal for TCEB to also unveil their new marketing strategy for the coming year, consolidating all of the collaborative work taking place across the industry.

“A noteworthy event is the launch of TCEB’s new 2018 marketing communication concept, called ‘Thailand CONNECT – A Vibrant Journey of Business Success, Decoded with Chapters of Possibilities’,” said Khun Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President of TCEB. “This initiative will reinforce Thailand’s outstanding vibrant destination, business empowerment and professional passion and a perfect mix of

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‘bleisure’ journey towards business success.”

“TCEB is honoured to have hosted this event in Thailand for sixteen consecutive years,” he continued. “It shows that business travel people around the world trust our preparations and our ability to help them achieve business success in the Asia-Pacific region. Over these last sixteen years TCEB has enjoyed a strong and successful partnership with TTG Asia Media to develop and grow IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific into a flagship event that provides an extraordinary platform for MICE events and MICE business in the region. Our partnership has worked so well that we have created a must-attend event for international players in the MICE industry. More than 2,500 global participants are coming to Bangkok to develop new business opportunities, to network with major MICE players and to discover new, exciting destinations for their events.”

The lasting impression that IT&CMA and CTW has left on the Thai and wider Asian MICE industry for the past 14 years is set to continue to do so through a 3-year extension of the partnership with strategic partner TCEB that will take the event through to at least 2020.

Kongres magazine looks forward to covering the future successes that are guaranteed to take place in the coming years.

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A BARCELONA BOUTIQUE BEAUTY

In the Tiana hillside just 20 minutes from the urban hustle and bustle of Barcelona life is one of the city’s latest boutique incentive gems. As part of the IBTM World buzz going on in town, we took the chance to escape to its tranquillity and ask the venue managers, Francesc and Anna Giró, about what makes ‘Ca l’Andreu’ in Tiana such a special place and the kind of groups it’s most suitable for.

1. Tell us a little bit about Ca l’Andreu (Tiana) and what kinds of groups it is most suitable for?

Ca l'Andreu is a unique fifteenth-century farmhouse located in a privileged countryside spot just 20 minutes from Barcelona. The house enjoys an elevated position with stunning views over Barcelona and the sea. It is surrounded by gardens, orchards and Mediterranean woodland.

The house is included in a catalogue of buildings of high value, mainly because of its façade, and it has recently been renovated with modern comforts and conveniences. At Ca l’Andreu sustainability is also one of our main principles;

we do our best to use our resources efficiently and we work actively to protect biodiversity in our property and elsewhere.

It's an ideal space for small group business meetings, where you can experience a real ‘day off’, and for longer holiday stays it’s also the perfect spot for families with children and small groups of friends.

2. What kind of activities are available to do at the property or close by?

The unique location offers a wide range of activities and we can organise tailor-made experiences for you, such as hiking and nature trails, winetasting in nearby cellars, e-bike tours and healthy cooking clases.

The beach of Montgat is also just 5km down the road. There are a couple of places where you can eat or have a drink and you can also rent windsurf, kayaks and other boats. Next to the railway station there is a wakeboard park: Malamar, as well as a skateboard park named Agora, closer to Badalona, along the coast.

3. How is the location for getting to and from Barcelona city?

There are mainly three ways to get to Barcelona, and by car is the simplest. The city is only 20km away and in fluid traffic conditions it only takes 20 min. You can also count on the public transport – it’s a 15min walk to the bus stop, which drops you by the Montgat train station,

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from where it’s only 20min ride. And finally a taxi is an option, with a drive to Barcelona costing around 30 euros.

4. When is the venue open and what kind of advance booking is required?

The house is open all year long. During high season (May - September and Christmas and New Year) we recommend booking a minimum 3 months in advance. In low season (October April) one week in advance should be enough, but bear in mind that there is a huge demand when special events take place in Barcelona, such as: MWC in February, Formula 1 and Moto GP in May and June; and Sonar and Primavera Sound in June.

5. What would you recommend as the best thing to do in Tiana and Barcelona?

The best thing to do in Tiana is walk around the village or hike along the surrounding hills of the Serralada Marina Natural Park, from where you have stunning views.

Barcelona is also one of the top world cities to enjoy its urban areas, cultural and architectural heritage, nature areas, leisure, museums, as well as the shopping or gastronomy offer.

Contact details: calandreutiana.com Francesc Giró +34 670 567 517 Anna Giró +34 610 500 065

BEEN THERE

TRAVEL TRADE ATHENS 2017

TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT TTA The annual travel trade event in Athens, already in its 5th consecutive year, was held on 2nd and 3rd October 2017. The event showcased Athens as an attractive, cultural and artistic modern city and as a desired meetings industry destination. The 5th Travel Trade Athens was organised by the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) in cooperation with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA). The host venue was the exclusive, 5-star Grande Bretagne Hotel, located right in the heart of the city.

For quite some time now, Athens has been top of the list for a great city break destination.

Over the past few years the city has taken off in the tourism industry and become a top tourist destination. In the words of the Mayor of the City of Athens, Mr Georgios Kaminis: Every 40 new visitors support one job. With 5 million visitors expected in Athens in 2017, I feel that our efforts bring results. Joining forces with AEGEAN and the Athens International Airport, we will continue to promote Athens as a year round travel destination with determination .

As is common knowledge, Athens is a vibrant city, loaded with history, arts and culture. TTA managed to highlight that the true highlights of the city are not only in their amazing landmarks and Greek hospitality, but also in their professionalism in event organisation and knowledge in the field of the meetings industry.

Athens showed their hospitality as their strongest virtue and welcomed delegates with open arms, ready to show them the true richness of the city that might sometimes be overlooked by a regular visitor.

If you might be wondering why Athens is a bona fide top-notch meetings destination, consider some of these top highlights:

1. CULTURE As a part of TTA, we were able to explore all of the cultural and artistic personality of the city though the various tours and presentations prepared by the Athens Culture Net of the City of Athens. We were taken to the renowned city landmark of the Acropolis, were able to explore the possibilities of hosting an event at the National Theatre, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, the National Opera and the city museums – The Benaki Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art and the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. As for another benefit, Athens will be World Book Capital in the year 2018, starting in April.

2. BRIGHT FUTURE In 2017 Athens is expecting a record number of visitors: 5 million in total.

3. PROMOTING ATHENS THROUGH TTA 100 foreign hosted buyers and 140 Greek tourism industry professionals came together for the two-day event to explore the possibilities of collaboration with Athens. At the Hotel Grande Bretagne, 3,000 business meetings were held with one single aim: to promote Athens as a year round tourist destination.

4. VENUES & INFRASTRUCTURE On our site inspection, we were able to visit the key facilities of the city – from museums, galleries, hotels and congress infrastructure.

The venue that we all agreed to be the most prominent and fascinating was no doubt the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, which was also the host of our welcome reception. But if one is looking for a venue in Athens for your next event, then the options are genuinely limitless!

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5. TASTE, FEEL AND ENJOY ATHENS It is well known that one can truly enjoy and understand a city through its lifestyle and food, which is why the organisers offered various FAM trips to choose from to truly experience their culture and lifestyle. From a cruise along the Athenian Riviera and a walk around Plaka, the area of the Acropolis, and its markets, to a cooking class of organic Greek food at the Margi farm and a wine and oil tasting session at Yoleni's Flagship store, delegates could sample the rich and unique experiences on offer.

Athens is without doubt a truly refreshing city for the meetings industry. The Greek melos, hospitality, sunshine and people make you feel good all day long. The reasons for taking an event to Athens are limitless, but here’s an extra one on the house: in 2018 the city will be in the spotlight as a UNESCO’S World Book Capital 2018, with celebrating books and reading for 12 months as of April 2018. So get ready to visit the vibrant and culturally thriving Athens in 2018!

BEEN THERE

THE MARGI FARM

TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT THE MARGI FARM

A date with nature: a journey of food, wine and authentic Greek farm life Whilst participating at Travel Trade Athens 2017, we were lucky enough to visit an organic garden as part of a FAM trip, being taken to The Margi Farm located in the Kalyvia area of Attica, just a short way from Athens. At the entrance we were greeted by the colours, scents, flavours and sunshine that were gracing the month of October in the city. An extra welcome with homemade lemonade further created a love at first sight!

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE We started our visit with a guided walk through the organic garden, where seasonal vegetables are ready to be picked and to later be served on our plates whilst having a culinary workshop preparing some typical Greek dishes, such as a tzatziki sauce and Greek salad. At the farm, they are very aware of the importance of the local ingredients, as they use only the high quality raw materials of organic and seasonal ingredients to highlight the special features of Greek cuisine and its local produce. Their tables were therefore naturally covered with cold pressed olive oil, rose wine from the Mesogaia region, fresh soft cheese, freshly picked herbs and vegetables, and other gifts of nature.

TAKE A PART IN THE “MOVIE” SET-UP – MEET IN A VERY UNIQUE MEETINGS SPACE! The Margi Farm is available for private and group bookings, social and corporate meetings, and gives attendees the chance to experience authentic farm life and organic Greek dining in a beautiful but still rural environment. Each menu is carefully selected and prepared in accordance with their “from farm to fork” philosophy and the dining experience is tailor made in line with the seasonal produce. The venue is available throughout the year for meetings, while they are also happy to prepare various activities to the wishes of attendees, such as live cooking demonstrations and vegetable picking. Visitors also have the opportunity to feed the animals and to enjoy a traditional Greek buffet, while observing the chef prepare the dishes. The only very minor downside to the Margi Farm is that they are limited to hosting groups of a maximum of 150 people.

On a stroll through the vineyards, olive trees and vegetable garden, we got to meet the Billy, the rescue Donkey, as well as other farm animals that have found a lovely home at this charming estate. While enjoying the October warmth of the Greek sun, one could easily imaging hosting a fairy-tale event at this amazing venue, with Greek music playing in the background and attendees enjoying their time whilst mastering the Sirtaki dance…

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The Margi Farm in Athens is a farm like no other – an extraordinary idea, rooted in sustainability and with the kind of level of hospitality that can only be dreamed about.

CONTACTS T: +30 210 9670924 E: info@ourfarm.gr W: margifarm.gr

BEEN THERE

THE GARDEN BREWERY, ZAGREB

TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT THE GARDEN BREWERY

Industrial set-up with a warm and homely feeling – a perfectly revitalized venue!

While scout watching for a venue for our Conventa Trend Bar 2017 event, we came across The Garden Brewery, a venue that immediately astounded us. It took a millisecond for us to fall in love with it and to know that it is a perfect venue that perfectly reflects our approach to meetings. The venue is located a bit out of the city centre, in an industrial area where a magnificent but abandoned industrial factory has been turned into a brewery.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN… The team behind The Garden Brewery is the same one that led that cult Garden Festival and later decided to go for the new adventure of opening the brewery. And the rest is history.

The idea of The Garden Team was to create a craft brewery that makes a difference, combining excellent craft beer, food flavours, beer tours and tasting, all accompanied by special events and ideas. The brewery found its ideal home in the Žitnjak industrial zone to the east of Zagreb and took up their idea of revitalizing the area.

With events open to the public as well as to corporate events, the brewery shows its full potential with its excellent sound and lighting space, and is also featured as the only brewery in the world that has a disco ball. The Garden team clearly embarked on another glorious adventure and the significant investment in it aims to boost the craft revolution, provide new jobs and strive to be active throughout the year with production, sales and the export of craft beer.

THEY TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR TASTE BUDS… As they say in The Garden Brewery – they care

about beer. A lot. Using only very best natural ingredients and without filter or pasteurizing, as it is unnecessary and removes the great flavours and aromas.

Drinking beer straight from the source is a dream of each and every beer lover, isn’t it? You can taste 11 different kinds of beer, from India Pale Ale, Traditional (German) Pilsner, American Pale Ale, Berliner Weiss, Porter, Breakfast Stout, Session IPA, Fresh hop IPA, as well as some other refreshing and surprising new combinations.

Have you ever tried a Stout, dark and smooth with notes of coffee, and chocolate? What about Vanilla & Chocolate Porter aged in French oak?

Put briefly, they have it all, and for each and every taste and desire. Moreover, they also offer guided brewery tours, where you can learn more about the beer making process and why they use certain hops, as well as what difference the choice of grains make and how the packaging is all integral to the finished product. You will see parts of the brewery that the general public normally doesn’t have access to.

There is no better place to enjoy The Garden beers than straight from the source, from the place where it was created. And guess what? It is also a great incentive idea – beer lovers will be highly impressed!

When talking about beer, of course we can’t overlook food, and what is the perfect combo when it comes to craft beer? Burger, of course!

They make a great couple, and The Garden Brewery had that in mind when their friends from the Submarine BBQ joined them at the venue. The burgers on offer here are not just

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any kind of burgers, however – they offer a wide variety of natural burgers, fries and organic ice cream, using only natural, local ingredients, such as 100% pure beef from a Croatian farm, burger buns from a Zagreb bakery, cheese from Zagorje, bacon from Dalmatia, lettuce and tomatoes from Slavonia, truffles from Istria…

Wow! A burger & beer – it will seriously make your day, we promise!

WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO HOST AN EVENT AT THIS EXTRAORDINARY VENUE? The venue, tap room and garden are really top choices for various events – they’ve already hosted everything, from weddings and photo shoots to private and corporate parties… As they handle each request individually, they will make sure everything you need will be steady and ready upon your arrival. From what we experienced, it’s clear that every special wish can be taken care of.

The dramatic industrial venue with a visible section of the manufacture of premium craft beers, a musical background, an indoor bar of 280m2, a large outside yard with tables and benches, professional sound and light equipment and free car parking are all ready and waiting for you!

When in Zagreb, the KONGRES magazine team is at the Garden Brewery. We can’t help ourselves gravitating there and, to be honest, we don’t care – we love it too much!

CONTACTS E: tomo@thegarden.hr | W: thegarden.hr

BEEN THERE

CREATE NEW BRIDGES IN PRAGUE The General Assembly at the 56th ICCA Congress in Prague, Czech Republic TEXT BY GORAZD ČAD PHOTO CREDIT ICCA

The ICCA Congress was a groundbreaking moment not only for the city of Prague, but even more so for the Prague Congress Centre.

We were welcomed to a part-renovated centre holding a record number of attendees and a business energy permeating the congress industry that was palpably positive. According to ICCA president Martin Sirk, more than 1,300 delegates from 81 countries and more than 40 representatives of international professional associations attended the event.

With this event ICCA has once again proven why is it known as the association with a high reputation within the international congress scene. The programme, created to the principles of Meetings Design methodology, offered an extremely wide palette of knowledge available in different formats, with the majority of participants agreeing that it fully justified its “Bridge to Inspiration” slogan. I personally believe that the variety of content satisfied even the most demanding of attendees, as it was possible to find answers to most of the challenges, but particularly to the question of the digital transformation of events and challenges with the new generation of event participants.

The Prague Congress Centre welcomed the ICCA Congress to a partially renovated appearance, also presenting the brand new complete image of the centre. As marketing director Lenka Žlebkova explained, the new image expresses the respect for the centre’s history whilst also showing the direction towards the future when the centre will get an annex, which will be an architectural masterpiece by Spanish architects from the OCA Studio bureau.

The general consensus of attendees was that the local organisers had made a genuine effort to create a great event, with the Congress Centre’s well above average standard of catering showing a genuine hospitability of the locals and also enabling good networking with views over Prague’s picturesque panorama. The professionalism continued on to the excellent evening receptions that presented Prague’s special venues in the best light, from the baroque Palác Žofín to the amazing Foruma Karlin event space and all the way through to the Art Nouveau Industrial Palace.

The event was topped off with fine music, to which Slovenian violinist and ambassador

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of culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Miha Pogačnik, made a great contribution. He also brought to Prague the message of his wish of the formative forces of musical masterpieces illuminating idealism as necessary for the rise of European identity.

Event organisers are very aware that a congress imposes the complex and demanding task of creative solutions and innovative thinking. This is particularly true for conferences that, sizewise, belong among the bigger ones. The 56th ICCA has excellently accomplished this part of the task, however on the several discussions that took place about millennials the lack of a few more of them actually at the debate, which would have given it a proper dynamic, was a shortfall.

The 57th ICCA Congress will be held on November 11-14, 2018 in Dubai. Before that, the regional congress industry will gather in Ljubljana at the ICCA Association Meetings Programme – AMP 2018, that will be held on November 9-11, 2018.

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HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST

HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL BUCHAREST ***** LUXURY A timeless hotel story

4.75

PHOTO CREDIT HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL BUCHAREST CATEGORY ***** OPEN SINCE May 1975 MEETINGS STAR City Meeting Hotel STANDARD Hotel with Conference Facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 257 rooms and suites INTERNET PRICE 216 EUR (November 2017, Trivago, single room) ADDRESS InterContinental Bucharest Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu 4 București 010051, Romania T: +40 21 310 2020 E: www.ihg.com FACILITIES Corso Brasserie, Intermezzo Piano Bar, Club InterContinental Lounge, Modigliani restaurant EXTRAS The pool at the top of the hotel – 22nd Floor and the 21st Floor 21st floor serves as a Club InterContinental Lounge; it is a kitchen serving both the club and the event space.

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS Location Accessibility First impression Lobby Employee attitude Reception Hotel room Hotel bed Bathroom and restroom Hotel breakfast Bars and restaurants Congress hall Additional offer Total: FINAL GRADE Premium Resort Meeting Hotel Luxury Premium Business Economy Budget

4.95 4.51 4.88 4.72 4.83 4.71 4.52 4.66 4.67 4.69 4.90 4.89 4.83 4.75

4.75 ***** **** *** ** *

LOCATION This iconic building was for a long time the tallest skyscraper in Bucharest, known for both its incredible architecture as well as its height. The brainchild of American investor Cyrus Eaton Jr., construction of the hotel got under way in 1968, along with that of the National Theatre building. One of the requests from the outset was that it would have views over every part of the city and this was done expertly. Despite its age, even today one would agree that the hotel was brilliantly designed; the proud building still looks fresh and appealing, and is located right next to the city centre.

ACCESSIBILITY Bucharest is a huge city and consequently the traffic is busy as well; in fact it can be loud and choked with traffic, especially at the beginning and end of the week.

It must also be said, however, that the public transport is well organised and year on year allows you to get to your destination easier. Meeting planners are also pleased at the improving airport accessibility, which is also close to town – from the hotel to the airport is just 15 km. If arriving at the hotel by car there’s an extra charge for parking, in which case the helpful concierge/porters will take care of your vehicle.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The mind behind the building, which was designed during the era of mega-megalomaniac Ceausescu, is Romanian architect Dinu Hariton. The building was conceived to be modern and furnished only by local interiors. The architecture really astonished us, firstly by its recognizable style that is not aggressive and moreover is today a part of the city’s image, but secondly its functionality is even more impressive, standing the test of time. The many retro elements in the interior are not in any way out of place, but rather they contribute to the architectural authenticity of the hotel experience, of which the lobby is a typical example, or the hotel bedrooms with balconies urging you to photograph the details – timeless! An exciting thing is that the hotel doesn’t have a 13th floor, due to the American way of building.

WARM APPETISER – Staff and Food Amongst the many luxury hotels we’ve visited, this InterContinental is truly special. The staff is exceptionally kind and seem proud of their work at the legendary hotel. Once an oasis of the west, today it is still synonymous with fantastic service and great cuisine. The breakfast is served in the Corso Brasserie restaurant that transforms into a pleasant bistro 100

Final Score

during the day. Intermezzo Piano Bar is a popular cafe and a meeting space, but top spot is reserved for the Modigliani restaurant, famous for its excellent Italian cuisine for which it is recognised by the Ospitalita Italiana certificate, which is a warranty of authenticity and in this case is entirely justifiable.

MAIN COURSE – The hotel's congress services The hotel rooms seem at first glance outmoded and from another era, but the charm of the story is in their combination of modern technology and retro looks, as well as the combination of fantastic bed linen and a well-equipped bathroom, which is all why the entire hotel still appears fresh and attractive. It is even the reason why the rooms can still today compete with more modern competitors.

The congress centre is amongst the biggest in the city and offers 14 halls, the biggest of which, the Ronda meeting hall, can host up to 450 persons and with its retro look and top of the line technical equipment is quite a stunner. The newest hall, Fortuna, is located on the 21st floor and was renovated not too long ago.

DESSERT – Additional offer Given that many top celebrities have stayed in it, we recommend a visit to the 240m2 ‘Imperial Suite’.

Alongside the luxurious furniture, a Steinway & Sons white piano rules the area – it wows every true music lover.

-

FLOP – negative surprises Noise sifts in from the street, as apparently the windows don’t really seal the best.

+

TOP – positive surprises The staff – still setting the professional standards of high category hotels.

Overall impression and credibility Celebrating its 46th anniversary this year, the hotel has hosted some famous guests and in the Romanian capital it broke the ice in the field of hotel management. It seems not to be affected by age, as the striking architecture has an allure even today.

From its very beginning the hotel has been aiming for the goal of being the best in the city. In recent years many new competitors have come along, but it is still holding on just fine. With its retro charm it excites the lovers of timeless classic and for all these years it has been a favourite among meeting planners. The final touch is the truly exceptional, professional and kind staff.

HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST

SENSE HOTEL SOFIA **** LUXURY The city’s first design hotel

4.67

PHOTO CREDIT SENSE HOTEL SOFIA

CATEGORY ***** OPEN SINCE 2013 MEETINGS STAR City Meeting Hotel STANDARD Hotel with Conference Facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 71 rooms and suites INTERNET PRICE 216 EUR (November 2017, Trivago, single room) ADDRESS Sense Hotel Sofia 16 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.

1000 Sofia, Bulgaria T: +359 (0)700 20670 E: reservations@sensehotel.com www.sensehotel.com

The HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST section is not paid for. The selection of hotels, which are evaluated by the hidden congress guest, is left to the editorial board. The hidden guest visits the hotels without prior notice.

FACILITIES Lobby Lounge Bar, Sense Restaurant, Sense Spa and Gym, Sense Rooftop bar, Conference Centre EXTRAS The rooftop bar is an amazing place for receptions and parties, with a beautiful view over the city and over the golden dome of the Aleksander Nevski cathedral.

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS Location Accessibility First impression Lobby Employee attitude Reception Hotel room Hotel bed Bathroom and restroom Hotel breakfast Bars and restaurants Congress hall Additional offer Total: FINAL GRADE Premium Resort Meeting Hotel Luxury Premium Business Economy Budget

4.95 4.22 4.85 4.78 4.51 4.49 4.92 4.83 4.77 4.45 4.87 4.45 4.62 4.67

4.67 ***** **** *** ** *

LOCATION The hotel is located next to the city’s most famous buildings and just a stone’s throw away from the famous church of Aleksander Nevski, the city’s most popular tourist attraction with its magnificent and inspiring bronze domes.

The location is actually quite a prestigious one, also being opposite parliament and other important state institutions. This part of town is very well kept and signals the city’s rapid development of the last few years. The hotel seems to stand out from the general combination of styles and architecture of the Bulgarian capital, in which one can find everything from socialist architecture to Turkish and other influences, all of which brings about mixed reactions.

ACCESSIBILITY The traffic in Sofia is a story in itself; if you’re lucky to arrive in the city outside of rush hour you might somehow manage it all. In any other case, the traffic is, at best, chaotic. The trick is to just let the taxi drivers, with whom we’ve had mostly good experiences, do their magic. The public transport is getting better, although it is still far from what you find in more organised destinations. A completely different story, though, is the modern airport connected to the city by metro that was opened in 1998. This transport is certainly the most efficient way of getting around the city and also very cheap, compared to other European capitals.

COLD APPETIZER - Architecture and Aesthetics The architectural plan was worked up by the Lazzarino Pickering Architetti bureau and it is defined by its setting wedged between two city buildings. With its separated but still unified glass façade, the building elegantly fits the city’s ‘soul’. The ‘look’ of the façade constantly changes from the illumination of individual rooms. Charming reflections in the façade of the nearby architecture further emphasize the hotel’s elegance.

The eastern part of the building is particularly interesting, slightly resembling the stores of top-notch fashion brands, and the atmosphere is heightened by the wooden floor and minimalistic equipment of the public areas.

WARM APPETIZER - Staff and Food We were most impressed by the hotel restaurant as the open kitchen raised our hopes of quality food, hopes that the cooks completely fulfilled. The culinary fusion convinced us with its quality, imagination and remarkable flavours – traditional Bulgarian cuisine is mixed with Thai, Italian and Mediterranean, and even the

Final Score

nowadays obligatory burgers are included. Breakfast is served in the rooftop bar and hits the mark for being decent with a top-quality view, although there is still some space for improvement here.

The staff is not short of a professional approach, but it sometimes feels that despite having numerous staff on hand, they are not responsive enough. This is particularly true for the hotel reception.

MAIN COURSE – The hotel's congress services The minimalistic rooms at the level one would expect of a design hotel, with the most characteristic in this regard being the panoramic windows stretching across the whole wall, making the view of the Vitosha Mountain even more attractive. The bright tones of the furniture are complemented by a series of design lights

by Flos and top-quality electric switches that, handily, work intuitively. It’s a paradise for any lover of design and clear lines and furnishings, such as the Linteloo armchairs. The story continues into the smaller conference hall that can take up to 80 participants and is airy, modern and cosy.

DESSERT - Additional offer Innovative cuisine at every service level, including the ‘cherry-on-top’ room service.

-

FLOP – negative surprises The attentiveness of staff is inconsistent and in this area there is still a lot of room for improvements.

+

TOP – positive surprises A smaller spa that is extremely elegant and a pleasant place for relaxation. Its special character comes from the minimalistic swimming pool.

Overall impression and credibility This hotel takes care of the little details and isn’t short of nice surprises. All in all, its atmosphere is boutique and prestigious, and as such in line with the expectations for a hotel that is a member of the Design Hotel chain. Unlike generic hotels, this hotel has a clear identity; the architectural and design elements give it a touch of elegance, difference and the element of ‘surprise’ in the middle of Sofia’s historical centre. We were impressed by the blurred line between the public and private spaces, between the reception and restaurant, and with this the hotel also became also a lively social point in the city. In our opinion, the hotel is one of the best choices in Sofia.

HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST Conventa Addendum

JW MARRIOTT BUCHAREST GRAND HOTEL ***** luxury Bucharest’s Way to Luxury

4.65

PHOTO CREDIT JW MARIOTT BUCHAREST GRAND HOTEL

LOCATION When visiting the Romanian capital, one quickly realises that the country is a land of great contradictions. The location of the JW Marriott hotel symbolically bears this out; the hotel is located a bit out of the city centre and next to the largest building in the world – the Romanian Parliament – a building that has cut deep wounds into the souls of the local residents. Today, however, this same building is becoming more and more a tourist attraction.

The surroundings of the hotel are on one side elite and eminent public buildings, whilst immediately behind it are rows of ugly apartment buildings from the period of the dictator Ceausescu. The contrasts at every step are certainly a strong characteristic of this city.

CATEGORY ***** OPEN SINCE 2000 MEETINGS STAR City congress hotels STANDARD Congress hotel NUMBER OF ROOMS 379 rooms and 23 suites INTERNET PRICE 192 - 287 EUR (November 2017, Trivago) ADDRESS JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel Calea 13 Septembrie 90 Bucharest 050726 Romania FACILITIES W Steakhouse, Cucina - The Italian Kitchen, Champions - The American Sports Bar & Restaurant, Vienna Lounge, The Garden (outside summer terrace), Fitness, Spa, Casino EXTRAS Besides the quite exclusive rooms, you will also be spoiled by the excellent culinary offer and space for private meetings. The executive lounge can also be a very interesting alternative for a smaller event.

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS Location Accessibility First impression Lobby Employee attitude Reception Hotel room Hotel bed Bathroom and restroom Hotel breakfast Bars and restaurants Congress hall Additional offer Total: FINAL GRADE Premium Resort Meeting Hotel Luxury Premium Business Economy Budget

4.72 4.45 4.89 4.95 4.45 4.48 4.43 4.78 4.32 4.54 4.85 4.73 4.81 4.65

4.65 ***** **** *** ** *

ACCESSIBILITY Bucharest is one of the most traffic-dominated European capitals and in rush hour your trip can easily be stretched by 50%. It’s also a big city, so for its two million residents the transport demands can be a great challenge. The public transport has been improving, however, and the same goes for air accessibility to the city. We recommend that you use Uber, that perfectly functions in Bucharest, to take you along the avenues past the Triumphal Arch and the city’s green parks. If you intend to arrive at the hotel by car then you’ll need to pay for a parking space.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The neoclassical, monolithic architecture looks magnificent and it even manages to slightly complement the scale of the huge parliament building. The entire plan has adhered to a subscribed symmetry and one must admit that the building really does look majestic. However, opinions on its aesthetics are more divided, although we can conclude that the building will be most loved by all lovers of classical hotel buildings. The hotel lobby, renovated in 2013, and its reception are particularly impressive. With the renovation the hotel also got a luxury shopping promenade, where you can find the world’s most famous brands.

WARM APPETISER – Staff and Food The self-service hotel breakfast is decent, but it doesn’t offer any special extras that one might expect from a hotel of this category, and an offer of some of the local culinary specialities would be nice too. However, praise needs to be given to the excellent quality coffee that is served, quite befitting for a hotel of this standard.

The hotel restaurants are diverse and they offer decent cuisine. We were most impressed by Cucina, the Italian restaurant, with its excellent pizzas and pastas. In addition to that, steak lovers will be very happy in the JW Steakhouse restaurant. The staff is also professional, 102

Final Score

but mostly of the cold kind, and in times of full seating are quite slow. Everything is fine until the first problem, which is when it seems they have trouble figuring out what they need to do.

MAIN COURSE – The hotel's congress services The rooms are spacious and decorated in the classical hotel style. One could say that the hotel’s age is now pretty visible and could do with a renovation, particularly in the floor covering. We had similar feelings for the bathroom, that in terms of space seems a bit tight, although the bed linen deserves praise for its comfort and higher quality.

The congress centre is located on the 1st floor and is one of the most reserved spaces in town, with the popular ballroom able to hold up to 800 participants. A key advantage is also the spacious 600m2 lobby. In total there are 12 halls, which ranks the hotel among the most important congress facilities in the city.

DESSERT – Additional offer If you swear by branded hotels and their image means something to you, then the JW Marriott Bucharest is your right choice and it won’t disappoint.

-

FLOP – negative surprises Unbelievable but true: if you’re not a member of the Marriott Loyalty Club, the hotel will charge you [expensively!] for internet use. Are we really in 2017?

+

TOP – positive surprises Very well appointed gym with the most modern fitness equipment that very closely approximates what would otherwise be understood as a proper fitness club.

Overall impression and credibility The hotel is huge and a typical business-congress hotel, in that it is most alive from Monday to Friday.

At weekends it is very popular with tourists from Israel and those on a city break. Together with the Parliament Palace, the most famous building in the city, the hotel is a part of iconic urban architecture and is known as the city’s hotel institution. This gives some advantages, but also some pitfalls, in that if the expectations are too high on the grounds of the known name, then it can come about that you might be disappointed. In order to give it the highest grade, we certainly would have expected a higher quality of rooms and a better level of staff service. If the JW Marriott is a synonym for luxury and prestige, then everyone in Bucharest still has to do some more work in order to properly achieve that.

HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST

RADISSON BLU HOTEL BUCHAREST ***** luxury Pure seduction in BLUE

4.73

PHOTO CREDIT RADISSON BLU HOTEL BUCHAREST

CATEGORY ***** OPEN SINCE 2009 MEETINGS STAR City Meeting Hotel STANDARD Congress Hotel NUMBER OF ROOMS 487 rooms and suites INTERNET PRICE 192 EUR (November 2017, Trivago) ADDRESS Calea Victoriei 63 - 81 Sector 1 010065 Bukarešta Romunia FACILITIES Cafe Citta, Blä Lounge Bar, Dark Blä Bar, Beach Bar, Casino, Health Academy with 22-metre swimming pool, Bali Spa

The HIDDEN CONGRESS GUEST section is not paid for. The selection of hotels, which are evaluated by the hidden congress guest, is left to the editorial board. The hidden guest visits the hotels without prior notice.

EXTRAS Restaurants and bars – the hotel offers 2 restaurants and 3 bars, all ideal for an after party

RESULTS OF ANALYSIS Location Accessibility First impression Lobby Employee attitude Reception Hotel room Hotel bed Bathroom and restroom Hotel breakfast Bars and restaurants Congress hall Additional offer Total: FINAL GRADE Premium Resort Meeting Hotel Luxury Premium Business Economy Budget

4.96 4.49 4.82 4.88 4.68 4.51 4.72 4.74 4.78 4.53 4.89 4.63 4.81 4.73

4.73 ***** **** *** ** *

LOCATION The hotel is located in the historical part of town and is marked out by being Art Noveau. Most of the town’s iconic buildings, such as the National Museum of Art, the Athaneum concert hall and many others besides are all in the hotel’s vicinity. The former secession pearls and bourgeois villas have been fundamentally altered, so the town’s renowned past style is today much closer to a modern style than to its past one. Despite this, in the Radisson hotel’s surroundings one can still feel the full force of the town through a present form of tangled architectural styles and influences. The Radisson is perfectly located for those who love to party, as it is close to the part of town that is full of bars, restaurants and coffee spots. The same street will also delight lovers of high-end shopping.

ACCESSIBILITY The journey from Otopeni airport is a kind of trip through the town’s complex history. Rolling images of suburban shopping centres, socialist apartment complexes and monuments of past times all pass by. The town itself is choking in traffic and it is very difficult to avoid the crowds, so the trip from the airport can take up to an hour or more. If you’d like to travel around the city we recommend taking the metro, and one of its stations is also very close to the hotel. Bucharest is one of the European cities where you can easily use Uber, which is an excellent solution and much more practical than the unpredictable taxi drivers, as was learned during our stay.

COLD APPETIZER - Architecture and Aesthetics On entering the hotel it doesn’t come across as pretentious, but rather a classical and functional architecture marked out by the Radisson logo. It’s a completely different world, however, when entering the hotel lobby, which to these days still looks fresh and dynamic, a look that is certainly aided by the central garden – and its swimming pool – located between Park Inn hotel and Radisson Blu. The concept of the interior was to create a lively space inspiring wellbeing, so in this way a central space that works as the hotel’s heart and connects the conference and other hotel offers came to life. The central space is an impressive bar that changes every day into an ice-bar. The place looks fresh and innovative, even in almost reaching the end of its first decade.

WARM APPETIZER - Staff and Food The Radisson hotel staff is renowned for its professional and slightly more relaxed connection with its guests than in other hotels. The breakfast here adheres to the chain’s new philosophy of ‘Brain Food’, familiar from

Final Score

visits to other chains of the hotel. The strong emphasis on this goes back to local inspiration that is added to breakfast and to restaurant’s general offer. The hotel catering is extremely diverse and is probably the best quality in town. The staff is experienced and professional, although could maybe at times be just a bit more kind and quicker. In any case, however, in the culinary sense you will have a great time in the hotel, although if this is not enough for you then the local offer is also very rich.

MAIN COURSE – The hotel's congress services The rooms are mostly in shades of brown and beige, which were super fashionable at the time the hotel was built. The bed is comfortable, nice on the eyes and looks design-built. According to modern trends we would have expected a bit more light, but on the whole the room works well. It is also worth mentioning the photos that show Romanian countryside life, which are interesting.

The Pleaidaes congress centre is constantly at high revolution, as it offers 12 congress halls, the biggest of which can accommodate up to 500 guests. Most of the halls are of the flexible type, so you can easily adjust them to the needs of your event.

DESSERT - Additional offer The World Class Health Academy Gym will easily satisfy even the most demanding sports enhusiasts. For this reason alone the hotel really stands out in the wider sense.

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FLOP – negative surprises At busy times the reception can get overcrowded. Considering the size of the hotel, the reception area seems a bit too small.

+

TOP – positive surprises The combination of the hotel rooms with the sister Park Inn hotel enables accommodation of big congress groups. The Park Inn hotel offers an additional 210 rooms.

Overall impression and credibility The Hotel Radisson is one of those where everything come together well; it is a well-oiled hotel that will not disappoint, neither from the service side nor from the infrastructure aspect. For this reason it also gets amongst the best rated hotels in town. In addition to this, it is located in one of the best spots in the city. Despite some of its shortcomings, the hotel gets to your heart, probably also because of the generally very friendly staff.

FACE2FACE

BUCHAREST vs. BELGRADE A current comparison of the closest competitors on the 2015 ICCA scale following the Kongres travelogue methodology – meetologues.

*Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016 2.46

Population: 1.883.425

Sunshine hours: 2.113 per year

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 81 place - 32 meetings

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 4.14 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 91

Numbeo Safety Index: 3.96

Population: 1.166.763

Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016* 2.48

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 51 place - 50 meetings

Sunshine hours: 2.079 per year

Numbeo Safety Index: 3.47

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 3.61 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 54

+ Bucharest is a city of contrasts in the field of congress tourism: great palaces and the latest congress hotels, but on the other hand a poorly recognized brand and an uncoordinated congress offer. These are the main disadvantages compared with much more active cities in the vicinity, such as Belgrade and Sofia. However, at this time it is certainly the most affordable major European Congress Capital and with just a little effort you will find everything you need for any event. Even the friendliness of hotel and congress sector staff as above average. It appears that the city is lacking that little bit more energy to be placed alongside the bigger players, where it actually comes up short with its situation and the conditions for the congress industry development.

+ Belgrade is an authentic, open and hospitable congress destination with soul. It features a plethora of floating restaurants and clubs, plus lively riverbank promenades.

Belgrade has a good basis for the development of the meetings industry with a large convention centre, the Belgrade Fair, numerous convention hotels, a long tradition and very reasonable prices. The city bases its congress story on a rich culture at the crossroads of East and West, a central position in South-East Europe and a lively social life.

In short, the zeitgeist of Belgrade is best summed up by writer Momo Kapor: “Belgrade is a low-budget New York.”

Bucharest meetings flashpoints: 1. Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest - one of the city’s most sophisticated and prestigious landmarks, built in 1914 2. Parliament Palace - the world’s largest civilian administrative building and congress centre 3. Radisson Blu Hotel Bucharest - modern venue in the heart of Romania’s capital 4. Crowne Plaza Bucharest - 16 conference rooms for events of up to 450 persons 5. Treasure hunt in 100-year-old Athénée Palace - discover the fascinating untold story of a 100-year-old grand hotel

Belgrade meetings flashpoints: 1. Crowne Plaza - new 416-room hotel with meeting space for up to 800 2. The Royal Compound - a palace built in 1924 in Serbian-Byzantine style 3. Skadarlija - The most evocative part of Belgrade, packed with traditional restaurants 4. Tito's Train - Journey back in time onboard President Tito's famous Blue Train – an art deco style hotel on wheels 5. Sava Centar - Serbia's prime convention facility with 16 meeting rooms

STAY: JW Marriott Bucharest

STAY: Radisson Blu Old Mill

4.03 / 5

4.14 / 5

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AND THE WINNER IS

Quality of Life Index (higher is better) is an estimation of overall quality of life by using empirical formula which takes into account purchasing power index (higher is better), pollution index (lower is better), house price to income ratio (lower is better), cost of living index (lower is better), safety index (higher is better), health care index (higher is better), traffic commute time index (lower is better) and climate index (higher is better). e.g. Vienna index for 2016 is 195.97

BUCHAREST BELGRADE

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EUROCITIES CONFERENCE IN LJUBLJANA HOSTED 700 EUROPEAN PARTICIPANTS The conference started with the theme of circular economy and continued with award ceremony

www.meetinljubljana.com

TEXT BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT MATJAŽ OČKO, NIK ROVAN, MUNICIPALITY OF LJUBLJANA

Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković addressed participants in the introduction conference. He emphasized the importance of cities in ensuring the quality of life for citizens and future generations through cooperation. Daniël Termont, President of EUROCITIES and Mayor of Gent, accentuated the future significance of the transition to circular economy and emphasised that cities show more ambition in this field than countries. Conference participants were also greeted by Secretary General of EUROCITIES Ana Lisa Boni who stressed that it is important to presently react to the changes we are witnessing and that EU has to work together with cities and their residents. Further on, Janez Potočnik, Co-chair of the UNEP International Resource Panel and former European Commissioner for

Environment, presented the role of circular economy in the resource story and the cities.

The conference continued with Circular Talks on living without noise, pollution and car ownership and why there is no more time to postpone sustainability. The afternoon part began with round tables with participants discussing society, partnerships, economy and further growth according to circular principles. Study visits followed during which conference participants were able to see good practice cases in the field of circular economy in Ljubljana. They visited the Reuse Centre, Hostel Celica, Hotel Park, RCERO Ljubljana and an apartment designed in line with the zero-waste principle.

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Within the framework of the EUROCITIES conference the official award ceremony Circle it! for best practices in circular economy was held Thursday night in the centre of Ljubljana.

Munich's Halle 2 won in the Cooperation category; in the Innovation Category, Brussels with the 'Be Circular, Be Brussels' innovative won; the Participation Category's award went to Brighton & Hove in Gothenburg for the Gothenbur's smart map.

Eurocities, founded in 1986, is the network of major European cities.

Anna Lisa Boni, Secretary General of EUROCITIES and Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana

Daniël Termont, President of EUROCITIES and Mayor of Gent 107

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WOOP LJUBLJANA

www.meetinljubljana.com

Are you ready for some action? Energize yourself at WOOP! TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT STUDIO N, WOOP LJUBLJANA, LUKA MAČEK

Built by the famous Dunking Devils acrobats, the WOOP! trampoline park, Slovenia’s biggest, will open its doors on December 1st 2017. The park will offer more than 100 trampolines and other sports attractions as a new way of socializing in a healthy, active way. It will also be suitable for all ages and every generation.

• LOCATION • In the middle of the city’s shopping mecca just 5 kilometres from Ljubljana’s Old Town is where the trampoline park can be found. After a visit to the park, its shopping centre surroundings offer plenty of other options for activities to spend your day on.

• VANUE ADVANTAGES • WOOP! park can accommodate 120 people at a time and will be the spot where children's birthdays, school and kindergarten sports days, teambuilding activities and company incentives will be organised. At weekends, special themed evening programmes will be held between 20:00 and 23:00 that will provide companies with an excellent opportunity for innovative “after-work” socializing.

At WOOP!, one can rent the professional section of the trampoline park that includes first-rate acrobatic equipment designed to train profes-

sionals and anyone else who wants to upgrade their acrobatic skills. Activities in the professional part of the park must be guided by qualified personnel, which can also be provided by WOOP! park.

• CATERING SERVICES • On the first floor of WOOP! park there is a shop where you can buy drinks and snacks, and by prior arrangement the trampoline park team is happy to organise catering to client requirements.

• INCENTIVE ACTIVITIES • They say that an input in employees is an input in success, so from January 2018 onwards teambuilding sessions will also be organised at the WOOP! park. The programme will take about 3 hours, but before it starts a number of goals will be set, as each programme will be tailor-made for the specific team.

In addition to WOOP! teambuilding, a “Team 108

UP!” teambuilding will also be running in the park, which has for some years already been successfully carried out by the Dunking Devils acrobatic group. Team UP! is a teambuilding activity that has a successful sports team inspire members of a business team to recognize and start consciously tapping into their personal and team potential.

• CONTATS • T: +386 (0) 30 334 443 E: info@woopljubljana.si W: woopljubljana.si

INSIDE LJUBLJANA

In addition to the free jumping trampolines, a 3,500 square metres space will also offer an adrenaline polygon, slackline, trapezoid, inflatable cushion, gymnastics pit with foam, trampoline wall, basketball basket for towing and an interactive playing wall.

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INSIDE LJUBLJANA Lifestyle

HOTEL KRVAVEC Enjoy a picturesque view from the magnificent Slovenian mountaintops TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT RTC KRVAVEC www.meetinljubljana.com

Are you the kind of person that’s always ready for an unforgettable skiing experience? Then how much would you fancy a hotel right on the slopes of the Krvavec ski resort? The Krvavec hotel would be your our ideal choice, which offers spaces for your meetings and conferences too, as well as various incentive programmes to boot.

• LOCATION • To get to the highest altitude hotel in Slovenia, namely Hotel Krvavec, it’s less than an hour’s drive from the Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana of, or just 40 kilometres away. Sitting at a height of 1,600 metres above sea level and built in a typical alpine style, the ski resort makes for the perfect base for your winter or summer activities and meetings.

• VANUE ADVANTAGES • The hotel can accommodate up to 94 attendees across its 26 rooms, while the restaurant can host up to 150 people. The conference room can sit 60 participants and allows for a variety of seating arrangements. It’s also equipped with a projector, screen and sound system.

Informal elements of a meeting or gathering can easily be held on the Krvavška Terrace, an idyllic spot in the fresh mountain air with enough space for 300 people and including a self-service bar,

making it ideal for a picnic.

• CATERING SERVICES • Hotel Krvavec focuses on local dishes prepared with local ingredients, following the mantra of ‘from garden to the table’. The menus change depending on the season and are mostly defined by Slovenian cuisine, with the same going for their catering offer.

The location of the hotel is also the perfect starting point for a herbal workshop and you are heartily invited to participate – you won’t believe how easy is to prepare tea with herbs freshly picked on the slopes, or spice up your dishes with the right-out-of-nature herbs.

(Spoiler alert: in summer only!)

If you want your attendees to feel really special, opt for an amazing culinary experience. On special/requested occasions, the Krvavec cable cars turn into small private restaurants, creating a magical culinary environment. A maximum 110

of 4 persons can enjoy a three-course dinner in their own private cable car. Dinner is served between two rides up and two rides down. The third ride is followed by a stop at the bottom of the ski slope, where a sweet surprise awaits.

Guests can make the evening complete with a glass of wine and socializing in the nearby alpine hut. The natural environment and the weather make sure that no two events are ever the same.

The event takes place in the safety of the facilities and the Krvavec cable car, even in the coldest winter season – for that occasion, special blankets are provided to keep everyone warm and comfortable while enjoying some culinary pampering.

• INCENTIVE ACTIVITIES • Various activities are offered both outdoors and indoors, so do you fancy trying the adventure park, adrenaline descent with mountain gokarts, scooters, bicycles, a guided hike to the

Lifestyle

surrounding peaks, an introduction to mountain biking, or a presentation of pasture and herbalism? Oh, sorry, this is just the start of the list of options – and it is genuinely endless, we promise!

How do you feel about a true ski competition on the AUDI route? The ski competition is an excellent opportunity for fun-filled socialising for your business partners and colleagues! If you’re not into skiing so much, you can also decide on daytime or night-time sledding, downhill on an air-tube, snow biking, snow hockey with brushes, a snow sculpture competition, biathlon (cross-country skiing and archery), target shooting with snowballs and a treasure hunt (options: on foot, wearing snowshoes or with skis over the entire Krvavec). These are all available in winter time, whilst in summer time you can decide on spending a day in the Summer park, go cycling, hiking or share a picnic in nature.

So, are you now ready to visit this welcoming oasis at any time and in any season of the year?

• CONTATS • T: +386 (0)4 20 12 800 E: booking@rtc-krvavec.si W: www.rtc-krvavec.si

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RAILWAY MUSEUM

www.meetinljubljana.com

Home to retired steam trains – a perfect industrial venue!

TEXT BY NIKA PIRNAR PHOTO CREDIT RAILWAY MUSEUM

At the end of a 15-minute stroll from Ljubljana's Old Town can be found an astounding industrial building that is today home to the Railway Museum. Formerly serving as the mechanical workshop for steam trains, the building is home to an amazing collection of steam trains that can no longer be seen operating on the tracks. With its unique and fascinating history, the building represents a perfect ‘off the beaten track’ venue for your next event.

• LOCATION • The Railway Museum found its home just 15 minutes from Ljubljana’s Old Town and right behind the Union Brewery. Set conveniently on the fringes of the city centre, the location allows for late-night events and is the perfect spot for a different kind of event experience.

• VANUE ADVANTAGES • The venue can welcome up to 250 attendees within its 400 square metre space. It has already hosted a variety of different events, from press conferences, car launches and weddings through to closing ceremonies of conferences and seminars as well as various theatre and contemporary art performances.

The central exhibition area of the museum housing the steam train exhibition has a rotunda shape. Due to the original purpose of the space the venue is unheated, but it has all of the required electrical installation in place. For these

reasons the venue makes for an ideal shelter in those hot summer days, while in the winter the heaters at the venue get a good workout.

As the venue is home to retired steam trains, when hosting an event it’s necessary to remove the dismantled trains, the exact number of which depending on the size of event. In winter and snowy conditions their removal is impossible, so due to this the hosting of bigger events in the winter period is not recommended.

As the venue is not your typical one and no bar is to be found in its surroundings, then the catering is up to the organiser. That means you can turn back time to the Agatha Christie era and the renowned Hercule Poirot – and imagine what they might be serving on the Blue Train or Orient Express… Whatever you come up with, we are sure it will sound tempting and look amazing!

However, let’s stay summery…and if your event is hosting less than 250 attendees, then allow yourself to be wonderfully surprised! You’ll be surrounded by the true historical heritage of the steam trains, allowed to move around freely and touch and feel this part of history. Sounds pretty appealing, right? We believe that this last advantage and USP is really the one that really makes this venue truly special.

No incentives are available at the museum itself, but as we are talking about trains…then we shouldn’t overlook the offer that Slovenian Railways have!

• CATERING SERVICES •

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• INCENTIVE ACTIVITIES •

You have the option to hire the Heritage Train and prepare a journey out of the event, as the atmosphere inside the train can only be described as spellbinding! And if you think it might be nice to send historical postcards to your loved ones, well, guess what? – you can do so from the post

office on board!

Another two programmes available are also truly special ones! You can jump back in time by taking a scenic steam train ride on the picturesque Bohinj railway, exploring Goriška Brda, the region of delicious wine. The second option is a train taking you to the Land of Celje and giving you the opportunity to discover the region's diverse natural landscape and historical landmarks first-hand.

Are you ready to wind back the clock and enjoy the mood of yesteryear, when time passed by much more slowly than today? With these choices we think you might be.

• CONTATS • T: +386 (0)1 291 26 41 W: www.slo-zeleznice.si E: muzej.sz@slo-zeleznice.si 113

INSIDE LJUBLJANA

LJUBLJANA MAKES ALL OF YOURFAIRYTALE DREAMS COME TRUE! The capital of Slovenia, once again, offers to its visitors one of the most beautiful December experiences in Europe www.meetinljubljana.com

TEXT BY JASMINA JERANT PHOTO CREDIT LJUBLJANA TOURISM

Slovenian people use a special phrase for the last month of the year. They call it »The Happy December« (Veseli december). As one can properly assume, the name originates in the all month festivities that spread throughout Slovenia – from villages to towns, from working places to circles of families and friends.

for one of the most beautiful and imaginative »waltzes« in Europe. Even more so, this year, for it upgrades the festivities with the 1st time opening of the Ice skating rink in Zvezda Park where one will be able to make pirouettes all the way from the last week of November until the first week of the new year.

It is that month of the year everyone looks forward to, for it brings an abundance of joy through various events and meetings, all undersigned with an optimistic view of how anything can happen. It is the month when all the dreams are allowed while being accompanied by good food, drinks, and parties. Slovenian capital undoubtedly executes the proverbial December happiness to perfection with bringing to life anyone's dreams of the fairy-tale replacing the everyday routine.

Not to mention the switch-on of its famous festive lights, on 1st of December at 17:15, that in parts resemble images of the universe taken by NASA! The ceremony consists of the simultaneous lightening up of the whole display floating above the city centre, and particularly above the December's centre of the city's social life – the Festive Fair. The setting annually cheers up Ljubljana and its visitors with mulled wine, aromatic tea and roasted chestnut smells rising from festively decorated stalls selling perfect gift for one's loved ones; let it be gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, various fashion accessories, local arts and crafts products, and tradition-

Every December Ljubljana puts on some magic clothes and makes a fairy-tale dance, renowned

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al Slovenian delights such as honey, schnapps, and various sweet treats. In addition, a life-size straw-made nativity scene and the festive fair at magical Ljubljana Castle get guests smitten when transferring them into stories and colours.

For children three generous persons are coming to town! On December 5th St. Nicholas will arrive, while Grandpa Frost (Santa's Slavic counterpart) will roll his processions through the streets in the last few days of the 2017. The third person, A Good Fairy, will not bring gifts, but it will be fulfilling everyone's wishes by the Town Hall.

If one's wishes are more of an artistic or cultural taste, then certainly one will be pleased with ballet performances of The Nutcracker and the Swan Lake, or by a concert of children's choirs.

Young and old alike will be able to enjoy performances on four of the city's main squares by street theatre groups, circus performers, pop and traditional folk concerts topped with

INSIDE LJUBLJANA

a concert of alternative rock music. Moreover, the biggest hall in Ljubljana (Dvorana Stožice Hall) will offer Royal Christmas Gala with Sarah Brightman, the Broadway and West End Star and Grammy-winning classical-crossover singer, and Gregorian, German musical artists that have sold more than 10 million albums all around the world, while Cankarjev dom will host Cantabile Symphony Orchestra.

Certainly, however, the two most important days for Ljubljana are the 24th and the 31st of December. Both of these, will furtherly build the atmosphere and fill one's senses and emotions.

On 24th, the traditional Christmas concert will be an opportunity to experience gospel and Christmas songs performed by choirs and renowned solo singers in the magical atmosphere of the festively decorated city.

And last, but not least, Ljubljana will party in the Open-air New Year's Eve celebrations. The

celebration begins in the afternoon with festivities for children, and in the evening festivities launch in four Ljubljana squares with performances by music groups for all tastes and ages.

At midnight, when the party gets to the high point, Ljubljana Castle will light up the sky with a fireworks display.

It almost feels like there is nothing missing and that one could not wish for more … However, if you still feel like there might be something more … Well, rest assured, the city thought of that too. Christmas shopping! As already mentioned earlier, one can either fulfil this at the Festive Fair, or one can go further and visit the Central Market, the city's wine shops, or numerous city centre shops and even malls – most of them traditionally offering Christmas discounts also during extended opening hours on Sunday.

Or one can just stroll along the culinary scene in a Taste Ljubljana Culinary Tour or take other guided tours of the city that are accompanied 115

by a festive flavour. It will be even possible to take a different stroll – a water stroll. Namely, tourist boat cruises along river Ljubljanica will also accompany the Christmas offer.

In any case … This should be enough, right? For such a small country with such a small capital (small in size, of course) … It is almost impossible to believe that it can hold so much programe ..

One could almost say that it is all a fairy-tale.

Well, it is not. It all is true. However, you will see the real fairy-tale on Ljubljana streets. In all colours, in all smells, in all of the meanings. A real festivity for all of the senses. And for one's soul. Honestly, nothing can be more delightful as a really charming year's ending announcing the new one to come.

Be a part of the special Slovenian Happy December and visit Ljubljana!

More information at: www.visitljubljana.com

FACE2FACE

VILLACH vs. KLAGENFURT A current comparison of the closest competitors on the 2015 ICCA scale following the Kongres travelogue methodology – meetologues.

*Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016 4.42

Population: 61.221

Sunshine hours: 1.920 per year

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 Not available

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 2.43 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 5

Numbeo Safety Index: 4.95

Population: 99.110

Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016* 3.70

ICCA Country and City rankings 2016 Not available

Sunshine hours: 1.981 per year

Numbeo Safety Index: 4.81

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 2.43 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 11

+ Villach is the second largest city of Carinthia and its tourist sights attract an enormous amount of visitors. Villach has also become established as a small Silicon Valley in the Alps, with an international character reflected in the town‘s infrastructure. The main reason for a meetings industry in this part of Austria are the numerous incentive programmes, all of which you can engage with in a very clean environment. The most charming aspects are the Carinthian way of life, cultural diversity and a general sense of ease.

In our opinion, the main advantages are the size and the feeling of familiarity, along with the modern congress infrastructure.

Locals also like to emphasise the border location, sat at the crossroads of three nations, which hasn‘t been totally picked up in a congress sense.

+ Klagenfurt is a likeable alpine congress destination with a rich cultural heritage and a high level of experiential diversity. A key advantage is definitely its fairytale-like well-maintained and pleasant environment, quality offer that is above average in a regional sense, and the professionalism of suppliers. Its position at the crossroads of important routes is also a major factor in the competitiveness of this destination – the city is an important social and European transit region that is easily reachable thanks to modern highways and rail connections.

Villach meetings flashpoints: 1. Congress Centre Villach - The impressive property, positioned right on the banks of the Drau river, offers spacious conference rooms with amazing views.

2. Thermenresort Warmbad Villach – This luxurious Thermal Spa offers four congress rooms that are perfect for smaller meetings of up to 150 participants.

3. Karnerhof resort - Amazing property, set right on the Faaker See, that has been family run for over 40 years.

4. Naturel Hoteldorf Schonleitn - The possibilities here are endless, from renting the whole village to team building academies and seminar rooms with a homely environment.

5. Lemon Garden - Special venue and peaceful lemon sanctuary offers creative incentive options such as cooking classes and lectures. It has a collection of over 280 different types of lemons.

Klagenfurt meetings flashpoints: 1. Seepark Hotel - Upscale hotel perfectly positioned on the fringe of the city centre and is an adaptable and reliable congress venue.

2. Maria Loretto Castle - One of the most idyllic locations on the shores of lake Wörthersee that provides the perfect setting for a dinner, networking session or a private luxurious gathering.

3. Pyramidenkogel - A 100-metre high wooden viewing tower offers quite a few options to organise an interesting incentive or teambuilding event.

4. Kunsthaus Kollitsch - There is a large events room available, as well as six rooms of different sizes that enable different kinds of events.

5. Messe Kärnten - The biggest fair venue in Carinthia and the main organiser of trade fairs, exhibitions, congresses and unique conferences.

STAY: Holiday Inn Villach / 4****

STAY: Seepark Hotel/ 4*****

4.06 / 5

AND THE WINNER IS

As the centre of Carinthia and with its tidiness, safety and price/quality ratio, Klagenfurt is one of the best convention destinations in the wider region. The city also builds its meetings offer on sustainable development.

3.98 / 5 116

Quality of Life Index (higher is better) is an estimation of overall quality of life by using empirical formula which takes into account purchasing power index (higher is better), pollution index (lower is better), house price to income ratio (lower is better), cost of living index (lower is better), safety index (higher is

VILLACH KLAGENFURT

better), health care index (higher is better), traffic commute time index (lower is better) and climate index (higher is better). e.g. Vienna index for 2016 is 195.97

Conventa Addendum

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CONVENTA ADDENDUM

MIHA KOVAČIČ EXHIBITION DIRECTOR

development of the industry.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

It is difficult, or almost impossible, to name the most positive one, as there are so many and they are all connected to each other. Conventa is also a development project, so things are changing every year. One of them is definitely positioning Slovenia and South East Europe on the international meetings map. The next one could be uniting the meetings industry of the region and developing its product and its potential, but also demonstrating its value and contribution to national economies.

Career high?

I am in the middle of my professional career. The first half has been great, so I am looking forward for the second half.

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best?

Work-hard, play-hard, being-me.

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

Global top innovative blue chip corporation.

How did you get into the meetings industry?

Fifteen years ago, when I was working for the largest tour operator in the country, the M&IT department head invited me to join the team and I have not left the industry since then, despite a few years after that changing to the convention hotel and eight years ago to the national convention bureau. It’s a challenging but rewarding experience contributing to the

GORAZD ČAD MARKETING DIRECTOR

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

Winter/spring/summer/autumn/alone/with partner/family/friends/ weekend/week/month/year – How many answers may I give you?

What always makes you smile?

Friends and some colleagues, but also passionate people.

event and for which much larger congress organisers envy us. The energy is the result of Conventa being prepared by highly experienced organisers who try to understand the buyers’ needs as well as those of exhibitors.

At the same time the whole event is conceived as a boutique experience.

Career high?

In my long career there have been a lot of events that could be described as peaks, depending on the period. Of the congresses, the highlight was definitely the largest congress in Slovenia's history, the Apimondia Congress, which was organised in 2003 in Cankarjev dom. Today, the greatest challenge and at the same time greatest satisfaction is managing my own firm, and I am especially excited by changes in the field of content marketing that we are trying to promote through the production of the Kongres magazine.

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best?

Rock'n'roll.

How did you get into the meetings industry?

I was first inspired by the meetings industry at Cankarjev dom, where I worked as a student. At that time it was virtually the only convention centre and PCO in Slovenia, which gave me a lot of knowledge and connections, and it was a long time infection that still lasts to this day. In the interim, I also tried my hand as a hotelier, but my passion for the meetings industry and organisation led me to start my own company which, in addition to other projects, we are co-creating Conventa.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

It is definitely the special energy that we have managed to create at the

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

As a geographer by heart, I would probably travel around the world and write travelogues about the most unusual places I visited.

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

I would travel the length and breadth of Russia and explore the endless expanse of Siberia.

What always makes you smile?

The morning walks with my flat-coated retriever, whose name is Bodo.

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CONVENTA ADDENDUM

NATALIJA BAH ČAD

because we made it happen from scratch. And every year the challenge is how to make it even more effective for providers and hosted buyers.

EXHIBITOR AND SOCIAL PROGRAMME MANAGER

Career high?

After 17 years in the meetings industry, I still see a lot of challenges. For sure I will continue my work as a congress organiser and share my experiences with younger colleagues who would also like to work in the meetings industry.

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

How did you get into the meetings industry?

During my study at the Faculty of Arts I was working as a hostess at Cankarjev dom, the Congress and Cultural Centre in Ljubljana. At that time I first had the chance to get in contact with congress participants, which was a very interesting experience. When there was an opportunity to start working in the PCO department, I knew that it was what I wanted to do. And I stayed there for 10 years…

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

I have been involved in the organisation of the biggest congresses held in Ljubljana with very complex logistics, but Conventa is special. Firstly,

JASMINA JERANT

Three words that describe you best?

3C: calm, creative, curious.

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

Hmm…if not a meeting planner, then I would probably try it as a designer.

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

I am dreaming about Africa.

What always makes you smile?

Nice sunny mornings.

Career high?

The great team that I am now working with.

CONTENT MANAGER

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best?

Adaptable, persistent, and optimistic.

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

Investigative journalism…or FBI...

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

Washington State and Oregon State, to see the locations where David Lynch filmed his Twin Peaks.

How did you get into the meetings industry?

The exciting ‘cause and effect’ track of life brought me here.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

People, peoPLE, PEOPLE!!!!

What always makes you smile?

A good ol' cup of Joe.

DANIELA DIMITROVA

Career high?

Reaching 200% of my sales target with a single sale in a month as slow as July...

HOSTED BUYER MANAGER

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best?

Emotional, fast, dreamer.

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

Actress.

How did you get into the meetings industry?

By chance, looking for a job in a gorgeous city like Prague, where I started working for Marcus Evans.

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

Australia.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

It creates a comfortable, friendly and relaxed atmosphere for business people to meet, discuss ideas and create opportunities.

What always makes you smile?

Humanity and beauty in all its forms.

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CONVENTA Conventa ADDENDUM Addendum

NIKA PIRNAR CONTENT MANAGER

Career high?

The career path is a real rollercoaster ride – at one point you’re high, but at the next you may be low. When one door closes, another will open. Besides that, it’s great to know that life will steer itself in the right direction, so there is no reason to worry about things too much.

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best Curious, organised and [very] talkative!

How did you get into the meetings industry?

Everything in my life happens by a real coincidence. Whilst a student I ran into a job in the tourism industry, and as the meetings industry represents a great branch of tourism it was a logical step to continue with it. For me, anything related to working with amazing people is always the right place to be at – so, right now, the only place is to be is at Conventa.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

Mixing serious business with real pleasure and discussing future cooperation over a cup of coffee and delicious breakfast, as business is supposed to be personal. Besides the personal touch, Conventa is a fun, relaxed and small trade show, where one can meet amazing people, get the experience of a lifetime and make connections that will last forever.

ANA ROBIČ ZIMA HOSTED BUYER MANAGER

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

That’s quite a difficult question, as I’m interested in literally everything.

As long as we’re not talking about me becoming a professional football player, then I’m in! Although, to be honest, it would be a dream come true to become a Red Nose Clown Doctor.

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

I would pick a flight ticket for a round the world trip – planet hopping sounds like a great experience.

What always makes you smile?

Random acts of kindness, people smiling for no reason, calm and sunny mornings – they are the best.

Experience.

Career high?

Well, actually, my career in the MICE Industry has just taken off and so I am looking forward to everything…all the ups and downs…

Now, let’s get a bit more personal...

Three words that describe you best: “Is there coffee?”

How did you get into the meetings industry?

Actually, it was by sweet coincidence. After last year’s Future Leaders Forum, where I got excited about the MICE industry, I was looking for a job in this field. One year later I met Natalija and Gorazd at Conventa Crossover, and the rest is history.

What is the most positive thing about Conventa?

The endless possibilities of the Conventa participants, from finding new business partners and business opportunities to a reunion with old colleagues, and all this in the friendly atmosphere that is the Conventa

If you weren’t working in the meetings industry, what other profession would you be doing?

I would probably work in the wine industry, or maybe I would have a small restaurant with local food and wine. Or maybe a dog shelter…huh…how much space do i have for this answer??

If you could fly off to any destination in the world, which one would it be?

Southern Italy.

What always makes you smile?

Dogs, new wine discoveries, honest people, fresh coffee, the first snowfall…

ŠPELA DRAŠLAR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”

– Oscar Wilde

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CONVENTA Conventa ADDENDUM Addendum

CONVENTA TREND BAR 2017 We say: no more boring meetings, let’s festivalize them!

The Conventa team had a wonderful month on the road as part of the Conventa Trend Bar 2017. We had stops in Sofia, Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana, where we met with amazing professionals from the meetings industry and the hotel scene. All the gatherings were held in a very relaxed environment and in an interactive format that was greatly enriched by the creative arrangement of space and superior catering.

The co-founder of the Conventa trade show, Gorazd Čad, warmed up attendees at each location with a “Power to the Meetings” concept presentation. During the socializing slots, attendees got to see what makes events such as the Conventa trade show and Conventa Crossover so different and interactive, with a huge added value. By the close of the event, each participant wrapped up with one idea on how and what to change at their next event, with the aim of making it different and more interactive.

1st stop: SOFIA In Sofia, more than 30 representatives of hotels, congress destinations and event agencies gathered at our favourite venue: In the Park. The socialist-realist hall was turned into a cafe and bar in which attendees really felt very relaxed, just like being at home.

Through various good case examples, we presented the “Power to the Meetings” methodology, which we have been successfully developing for the past ten years on our Conventa trade show. Most of the enthusiasm was aroused by the practical activities in which Bulgarian participants showed exceptional creativity and innovation.

There’s a lot of content that came out of the debate and presentations and is worthy of being highlighted: as we figured out, we live in a time that demands that every part of the meeting or supply chain offers added value. Our events also want excited participants rather than just satisfied delegates. “We need to tell stories, not create events” to make this possible – and this

is a statement that everybody truly believes in.

If we properly think about excited participants, then we need to adjust the programme to their needs – in this sense, less can be more and the user experience is extremely important! We should guide participants through every experience, step by step. To make them feel comfortable and relaxed, we also need to transform meeting rooms into ‘living rooms’ – and spice them up with a bit of music. Just like events, music is a universal language – it represents the essential part of every event, as we react spontaneously when we hear music.

The bottom line of all this: participant engagement can be done in many ways, but the best results occur when you do something on your own.

By far the most exciting story to come out of this sessions was the one about “SREČA-nja” (HAPPY-meetings), as the participants understood the point of it’s meaning as being the Slavic nation in a figurative sense – meetings

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bring happiness to participants and the whole point of our methodology is to make our participants happy.

CONVENTA ADDENDUM

2nd stop: BELGRADE The Belgrade gathering was held in a very relaxed and interactive format that was greatly enriched by the creative arrangement of space and the superior catering by Radisson Blu hotel.

The congress hall was turned into a very pleasant living room specifically for the occasion in question.

The co-founder of the Conventa trade show, Gorazd Čad, warmed up attendees with a »Power to the Meetings« concept presentation.

This was followed up by Macedonian event cook Vartan Sumerjan presenting his recipes for a successful event. During the three hours of socializing, attendees got to see what makes events like the Conventa trade show and Conventa Crossover so different and interactive, with a huge added value. By the close of the event, each participant wrapped up with one idea on how and what to change at their next event with the aim of making it different and more interactive.

Of the content of the debate and presentations there are really many highlights, but focussing on just a few…

We learned that the power of personal contact between participants and organisers is at the core of our thinking. You can call this live experience, human2human marketing, experience marketing… However you name it, we all love to look at and create a unique experience that is nothing other than authentic and spiced up with nostalgic stories.

The Power to the Meetings way of organising events is based on making great stories and making guests feel like they are at home by the fireplace – case studies have shown that Slovenians, as well as European participants, feel best in a casual and relaxed environment.

Whilst imagining being next to the fireplace at an event, can you imagine this scene without music? Of course not, as music is an essential part of any event, setting the tone and creating harmony. And what else is an essential part of an event? Having an appropriate moderator who will connect the programme segments, of course, which is crucial for the success of an event – trust us! The moderator can either elevate attendees or leave them intact.

And there’s more – have you ever heard about sustainability? Let us no longer use it as a buzzword, as our participants and our lifestyle crave for green services that should be intelligently delivered. Participants are always seeking added value – and this is not just about the sustainable offer, it’s literally about giving back. An event is a marketing and sales investment. As with any investment, one should expect a return.

Do it the way you should – keep it relaxed, in a pleasant atmosphere, give attendees what they crave – knowledge, good case practices and a wide network!

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CONVENTA ADDENDUM

3rd stop: ZAGREB We continued the revolution on to the organisation of events in Zagreb. The Garden Brewery proved to be a great place to hold the event, as the industrial scene inspired Croatian event organisers with its raw industrial set-up, whilst also furnishing one with a feeling of homeliness and warmth.

Nick Colgan, former manager of the British pop band UB40 and owner of the brewery, deserves a special mention. He has been living in Croatia for over 12 years and his simple formula for success is to listen to the needs of customers.

The idea for the brewery came about by listening to guests at the legendary Garden Festival, which wanted a better taste of beer. Without any prior experience, Nick then embarked on a new adventure and opened The Garden Brewery.

The key point of Gorazd Čad’s presentation at

this session was that it is necessary to listen carefully to the needs of congress participants.

The event was rounded up by a guided tasting of craft beers produced by the brewery, which is run by Nick Calder from New Zealand. The most popular beers to leave the barrel are the pale ale beer and the excellent stout, which received the most nods of approval from attendees at the tasting.

The Conventa team and our colleagues from Zagreb agreed that we are very eager for change to come about in the meetings industry and for a different kind of event. Enthusiasm for the Power to the Meetings methodology was unanimous, the main reasons being that they are in the foreground for the change, they have co-created the programme, and because of the clear rationale for the advantages of a new way of organising events. Colleagues were surprised,

however, that a great deal of work still needed to be done and that superficiality was not tolerated; events with a huge understanding by the organisers and a ‘pulse’ will be the only successful ones, it was agreed.

So what’s next? It seems that the creative industry has a clear vision of where the world is actually turning. Nevertheless, it is always difficult to get to the simplest solutions that work. The biggest challenge will be for all those infrastructure providers who still sell their standard and soulless congress halls. Partners who sincerely understand the meaning and the changes ahead are still very rare.

4th stop: LJUBLJANA In pursuit of our dream of a meetings industry revolution, we then decided to meet up in Ziferblat, a special venue in Ljubljana where time truly means money. It’s a place for socialising and where you can really make yourself feel at home, enjoy a cup of coffee, help yourself to some biscuits or make your own pancakes.

When the bill comes, the only thing you pay for is the time spent there. It’s neither a flat nor a cafe, but rather something in between – a space of freedom where you can do whatever you want: play the piano, play chess, talk to complete strangers, read a book, prepare a snack and

share it with friends, perhaps do some work or even have a meeting.

The group that gathered in Ljubljana was a bit smaller than in other cities, but there was a high-quality conversation, as event organisers were predominantly organising events that face similar challenges on a daily basis. As a result, together with some of the attendees new event formats will be developed together in the near future. The highlight of the meeting was to release the participants of any event through the "Power to the Meetings" methodology and

enable them to properly accomplish and express themselves at it. In this sense, the event in Ljubljana was the perfect match.

Ziferblat might indeed be the only venue where you will really feel like being at home while being in Ljubljana – you can kick off your shoes, look through the drawers and talk to everyone and anyone there. The venue is a one-kind-ofthe-conference-room, which is right up anyone’s street for the new generations of digital nomads (which is also the new generation of event organisers).

After great meetings in 4 amazing cities, we are extremely excited to meet you all at the 10th anniversary of the Conventa trade show, which will be held from 24th to 25th of January in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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CONVENTA ADDENDUM

FAM TRIPS The fam trips are organised in cooperation with the convention and visitor bureau of the region. Hosted buyers are accepted by the host destination on the basis that they meet its criteria. Flights are co-ordinated between the organiser and the host destination. Accommodation is the sole responsibility of the host destination for the duration of the trip. After the maximum number of hosted buyers per fam trip is reached, participation in a given fam trip will not be possible. Attendance on a fam trip is subject to availability of arriving/departing flights. Conventa 2018 fam trip locations are the following:

Ljubljana, Slovenia 22- 23 January 2018 (pre-tour) “Our attentively designed programme is a shortcut to unveiling the many qualities of Ljubljana for meetings & incentives in just over one day. The positive participant feedback over the past four years is our motivation to be even more creative in 2018. Hosted Buyers are therefore invited to embark on a 24-hour journey (sleep excluded) in order to get a real feel of the capital of Slovenia – which was also the European Green Capital in 2016.

The concept is to showcase the destination in a different, experiential and fun way, combined with professional knowledge. Our guests will have the opportunity to see a selection of meeting and special event venues alongside the main city attractions. There will also be time set aside for tasting the enticing local cuisine and the surprising Slovenian wines, even in a very “hands on” way. Small tasks and encounters with interesting characters from various backgrounds will spice up the Ljubljana experience.

We don’t wish to reveal each and every detail just yet, but if we have awaken your curiosity and you are keen to discover a cosy and vibrant city offering a very good value for money meeting & incentive product, then don’t hesitate to join us for a very special welcome to Ljubljana!”

Mrs Tatjana Radovič, Ljubljana Tourism / Convention Bureau

Maribor - Pohorje, Slovenia 22 – 23 January 2018 Dear participants of Conventa, we kindly invite you to explore a real pearl that hasn’t yet been discovered by the crowds! Experience Maribor, the city of the oldest vine in the world!

Maribor is Slovenia’s second city, but is still a cosy and hospitable place surrounded by natural beauty and set in a picturesque landscape that reaches all the way to city centre… The oldest vine in the world, outstanding Styrian winemakers, quality chefs, top-notch cultural as well as numerous outdoor opportunities, and relaxation in the embrace of green forests, sunny wine hills and beautiful parks are the constant companions of the cheerful hosts who will provide for a genuine and quality experiences for their guests.

Ms Bernarda Karo, Maribor Tourism

Bled, Slovenia 25 – 27 January 2018 (post-tour) “Connecting the meeting experience with the local traditions of the Alpine Region will be the leading theme of the Conventa FAM TRIP 2018 to Bled. As a destination for small to medium sized events, Bled offers breathtaking views over a glacial Alpine lake. Bled can host events for up to 550 delegates, with first-rate meetings and accommodation facilities all within walking distance. Special venues and gourmet cuisine all make Bled a very special experience. The Fam Trip programme will blend the practical business aspect of site inspections with the venues, as well as traditional and local customs and regional gastronomy. In the stunning and unspoilt setting of Bled, our guests will relish the time spent in the fun, creative and authentic programme of the Conventa FAM TRIP 2018 to Bled.”

Ms. Vesna Klemenčič, Convention Bureau Bled 124

CONVENTA ADDENDUM

Portorož & Piran, Slovenia 25 – 27 January 2018 (post-tour) “Portorož & Piran easily fits your schedule. You won’t lose any of your precious time with us, as here everything is at your fingertips and you will enjoy your business meetings with a breathtaking view of the sea. It’s also easy to achieve success and wellbeing surrounded by air full of natural scents that promote brain activity. And after the business is done, you can restore your energy by taking advantage of one of the most comprehensive wellness offers in Europe, enjoying your favourite sports activities or simply savouring the beauty of the many natural and cultural gems of this charming region. Enjoy your business with ‘a pinch of the Mediterranean’.”

Mr Igor Novel, Tourist Board Portorož

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia 25 – 26 January 2018 (post-tour) “Winter time in Kranjska Gora is really magical, and by joining us on our Fam trip to Kranjska Gora we will take you to our winter wonderland and offer you active time in Kranjska Gora with lots of outdoor activities, great food, casinos and hotel presentations… We’ve designed the Fam Trip to show you all the secrets of organising a great event in Kranjska Gora, a place surrounded by mountains, wonderful nature, with great people and many traditional culinary adventures.

We warmly welcome you to join us on our Fam trip and discover 8 great reasons for coming to Kranjska Gora, where business and nature go hand in hand.”

Mrs Tjaša Šuvak, HIT Alpinea

Zagreb, Croatia 25 – 27 January 2018 (post-tour) “Allow us to present to you Zagreb, one of the oldest European cities and since July 2013 the youngest metropolis of the European Union. By taking part in the Zagreb Fam Trip you will get a unique opportunity to explore and get to know Zagreb, its conference and event venues, and facilities both historical and new, as well as get fresh ideas for incentive programmes, see major landmarks, enjoy tasty local dishes and learn about the proverbial Zagreb hospitality.

We take pride in being your hosts and look forward to welcoming you in Zagreb!”

Mr Zlatan Muftić, Director of Zagreb Convention Bureau

Belgrade, Serbia 25 – 27 January 2018 (post-tour) We warmly invite you to join us in Europe’s unique new destination for meetings – Belgrade!

It is here that the Sava River meets the Danube (Dunav) and old-world culture gives way to a new, vibrant city with tonnes of interesting sights and attractions, splendid architecture, great people, fast-paced nightlife, affordable shopping and a thriving cultural and gastro scene.

Belgrade is definitely a starting point of every successful business gathering and with our dedicated programme you will discover the matchless charm of a city that never sleeps, as well as enjoy the Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel, a multiple award-winning business and design hotel with a unique historical background, diverse possibilities for events organisation and exquisite local cuisine.

Looking forward meeting you in 2018!”

Mrs Ksenija Lubarda, Radisson Blu Old Mill Hotel, Belgrade and Igor Kovačević, Serbia Convention Bureau 125

Conventa SPECIAL VENUES Addendum 2017

TOP 30 ALPE ADRIA SPECIAL AND UNUSUAL VENUES, 2017 VOTED BY THE READERS OF KONGRES MAGAZINE

The Editorial Board of Kongres Magazine has this year – once again and for the third year in the row – prepared a shortlist of the most Special Venues in the Alpe Adria region.

Event organisers want their participants to remember the experience as much as possible

and for all the right reasons. The first step is in choosing a venue that is special in itself.

The listed venues are suitable for larger, smaller or boutique events and they all have the potential for implementing a technical programme. In most cases they also offer organisation and

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catering. Not only from a technical perspective, but also from cultural, historical, technical and architectural standpoints do the venues have outstanding value.

We asked our readers to cast their votes and here are the results:

Conventa SPECIAL VENUES Addendum 2017

1. Porto Montenegro, Tivat,

2. Ethno Village Stanišić, Bijelina, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Montenegro

The Mediterranean's leading luxury yacht homeport and marina village, Porto Montenegro welcomes groups of every kind, from large scale business and incentive programmes to smaller VIP groups.

The Stanišić Ethno Village is a village of some 20 authentic wooden houses, including a milk house, a smithy, an "ambar" (a wooden structure for storing grain), old houses and a large guesthouse, all of them brought there from villages of the Vares Municipality and villages of Mount Zvijezda and Mount Romanija.

3. Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade,

4. Lady of the Rock Island, Perast, Montenegro

Serbia

Kalemegdan Fortress was one of the most powerful military strongholds in Europe. The Belgrade fortress is today a cultural property of great importance and a venue for frequent cultural, artistic and entertainment events.

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The island was created artificially by scuttling old ships and depositing stones around a small crag.

Conventa SPECIAL VENUES Addendum 2017

5. Otočec Castle, Otočec ob Krki,Slovenia

6. Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria

Otočec Castle’s setting on an islet affords a great deal of privacy and exclusivity to business events and state ceremonies. The energy of the medieval castle – a cultural and natural monument – ensures an unforgettable experience.

The Kunsthaus floats between the roofs of the historic city centre like a mysterious blue balloon. Kunsthaus Graz functions as a multifunctional exhibition and events space for contemporary art, new media and photography. It has no depot or permanent collection of its own.

7. Ljubljana Castle, Ljubljana, Slovenia

8. Aman Sveti Stefan, Budva, Montenegro

Ljubljana Castle is the symbol of Ljubljana and its most recognisable feature. The 11th century castle is an important event venue and most of the events take place in its Stanovska Hall, although smaller halls are also available. For protocol receptions the castle is one of the most attractive spots set in a picturesque environment.

The island, together with its Villa Miločer, is closed to the public. Events can be organised on it, however, directly through the chain and Aman Sveti Stefan offers venues for every occasion and event experts to ensure that every detail is unique.

9. Čatovića mlini Tavern, Morinj, Montenegro

10. Roman amphitheatre – Arena Pula, Pula, Croatia

With a stone structure, refined wood, picturesque nature, cold water, a flock of ducks, peacocks and luxurious terraces, a very special atmosphere has been created here. The interior of the tavern, which is made of stone and wood, is perfect for all types of events.

Elliptic in shape, the largest ancient building in Istria is open for sightseeing during the day, after which it becomes the perfect place for pop/rock concerts, operas and ballets at night-time, as well as its own film festival with a 50-year tradition.

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SPECIAL VENUES 2017

11. Revelin and Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik, Croatia

15. Šipčanik Wine Cellar, Podgorica, Montenegro The tasting room has a 50-seat capacity and is technologically fully equipped, thus being an ideal venue for meetings, seminars and conferences. In addition to conferences and presentations it is also possible to organise buffet cocktails in the cellar.

16. Postojna Cave, Postojna, Slovenia

For a real experience of historic Dubrovnik there is the possibility to organise an event at the Revelin fortress that guards the town to the eastern side, or the Lovrijenac fortress to its west. The large space behind the wall and the outdoor terraces cater for events and offer magnificent views over the town.

The world-renowned Postojna Cave is a natural phenomenon and one of the most unusual locations for organising events. The experiential value of the cave itself is complemented by the quality congress infrastructure of Mansion Jamski dvorec. This makes Postojna Cave one of the most unique and special congress venues in the world.

17. Bled Castle, Bled, Slovenia

12. Blue train, Belgrade, Serbia ‘Blue Train’ is a popular name for the special train used for the needs of Josip Broz Tito, ex-President of the previous Socialistic Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The train will take you back in time to the era of Marshall Tito’s incredible life.

13. Meneghetti Estate, Bale, Croatia Bled Castle is undoubtedly the symbol of both Bled and Slovenia. It is a remarkable venue for protocol events, ceremonial receptions and anniversaries. The image of the castle set above the lake with a romantic island in the middle is one of the most recognised in the world.

18. Smederevo Fortress, Smederevo, Serbia Whether it is a business deal struck over delicious food and good wine, a meeting of board members or a corporate event for clients, colleagues and shareholders, with its luxurious accommodation, superb chefs and impeccable service Villa Meneghetti is able to meet all of your needs.

Smederevo Fortress has been described as "one of the most striking and monumental pieces of architecture surviving from medieval Serbia”. The fortress is currently used as a venue for festivals, concerts and events. A stage has been built in the inner city.

19. Pyramiden Kogel, Wörthersee, Austria

14. Morića Han, Sarajevo, BIH

Pyramidenkogel is a 100-metre high wooden viewing tower, the highest such wooden tower in the world, making it a unique tourist attraction. The location offers quite a few options for organising an interesting incentive or teambuilding event, ranging from an adventure slide to coffee drinking in a panoramic restaurant.

20. The Golden Hall Zagreb, Croatia Morića Han is the only surviving hotel of the Ottoman era and has been turned into restaurants with a varied offer. Its beautiful cobbled courtyard is surrounded by old stables, storehouses and lodging rooms upstairs resting on large wooden pillars.

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This is a neo-baroque hall with frescoes and sculptures by the most famous Croatian artists of the time. It is for this reason that some call it an 'eternal gallery of Croatian painting'. The Golden Hall is the right place for organising exclusive meetings, banquets or cocktail parties.

MEETINGS STAR 2017

21. Sečovlje salt-pans, Piran, Slovenia

26. Švicarija, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The saltpans hide another treasure besides their top quality salt: where some parts of the saltpans are deserted but production is still taking place around it is where you will find the Lepa Vida Thallasso Spa, a venue unique in the world and perfect for different meetings and events.

22. Strmol Castle, Cerklje, Slovenia

With this new venue one can decide on hosting an event in the middle of the city, but at the same time in the middle of a natural setting, thereby enjoying the best of both worlds. The multipurpose space is available for hosting various events, next to which a smaller coffee shop is located.

27. The Garden Brewery, Zagreb, Croatia Strmol Castle has retained its original form, making it one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in Slovenia. Today, Strmol Castle is a hotel offering a unique living experience and a luxurious venue for business meetings and personal occasions.

23. St. Michael's Fortress, Šibenik, Croatia The fortress of St. Michael rises above the city as a particularly attractive monument and a unique stage with a perfect atmosphere for concerts and many other staged events. The fortress has become an indispensable historical, cultural and geographical landmark of the town of Šibenik, as well as a venue for top cultural events.

24. Viječnica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Garden Brewery team revived the industrial area of Zagreb by putting a production facility into this newly renovated venue. It is now a place where you can have a craft beer straight from the source and enjoy some delicious burgers made by Submarine, the best in town.

28. Castle Hochosterwitz, Carinthia, Austria.

In a spectacular medieval castle, the restaurant atmosphere invites you to savour the Carinthian cuisine. In addition, they offer the opportunity for corporate events, incentives and much else besides to be celebrated in a unique setting.

Vijećnica is the most extravagant building constructed in Sarajevo. Since it first opened on April 20, 1896, the building has become the most important symbol of Sarajevo and is featured as an iconic motif in many photographs of the city.

29. Ethno village Sirogojno, Serbia The “Old village” Museum of Folk Architecture in Sirogojno is the only open-air museum in Serbia. One of its houses serves as a gallery for the exhibitions, promotions, seminars and summer schools, for which it has different interiors.

25. Herbal Glamping Resort Ljubno, Ljubno ob Savi, Slovenia A luxurious environment set in an oasis of peace and surrounded by wonderful nature, this is the ideal location to make your business ideas and social goals come true.

30. Villa Polesini, Poreč, Croatia This finely renovated 19th century villa captivates with its elegance and superb location. The garden that allows for accommodating larger groups is especially impressive, as are the four halls available for events.

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MEETINGS BRIEFING STAR 2017

ŠIBENIK TOURIST BOARD & AMADRIA PARK

Eating proscuitto on the Baron's fortress The fortress Barone in Šibenik is not only proud of having received The Best Cultural Attraction 2016, the most prestigious award in Croatian tourism, but also of Marendin, its already well established traditional event.

'Marendin', the regional expression for a slow and light meal between breakfast and lunch, is the event that brings both local and foreign guests to the award-winning fortress looking for a different experience of Dalmatian gastronomy and culture. The event, organised in either pre- or postseason, offers local delights to a musical background and with an amazing view of the Dalmatian sea.

With Marendin you can immerse yourself in local pancetta, prosciutto spreads, several selections of cheese and, of course, olive oil. The experience gives you a rare opportunity to be taken on a tour of Šibenik flavours and savours, which will naturally be paired with the best wines from the area too.

This year's Marendin, accompanied by the music of Indigo Duo as well as the area's excellent weather, began on the weekend of October 22 and will be recurring every weekend until and including December 10. The snacking event itself always kicks off at 10am.

One of The Largest investments into the National Park Kornati Kornati, the archipelago in the Dalmatian section of the Adriatic sea, is one of the most beautiful stretches of water and coastline anywhere in the world. Fully aware of this fact, the combined state and local authorities have launched 'Rediviva', a project for the sustainable use of their protected natural heritage that is part of the 'Competitiveness and Cohesion' programme for the financial period 2014-2020.

Of the project's 16 programmes, the flagship ones are the renovation and construction of three information centres for education, interpretation, promotion and marketing. The three centres will aim to attract more tourists to the islands, as well as offer a harmonious coexistence with the islands' local communities.

The first of the centres' three locations, in Betina on the island of Murter, has been open since May 2017. The cultural and presentation centre that was the fruit of an almost ş1 million investment covers 450 square metres and has an additional exhibition space called Škrinja tajni ('The Chest of Secrets'). It is set in the midst of the historical and cultural life of Betina and carries the official name of the Information Centre for Kornati National Park and Vransko Lake. The presentation centre offers cultural and tourist exhibitions of the natural values of the area's two main gems: the Kornati Islands national park and the Vransko Lake natural park.

The other two centres 'Coronata' in the centre of Murter town and the 'Kuča okrunjenog mora' (House of the Crowned Sea) in the island of Kornat's bay Vrulje will be completed by 2019.

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RAGGA GORGE ADVENTURE The “Gorge of all Gorges” Over thousands of years the Ragga river has carved out one of the most beautiful canyons of all the Alps. Wooden bridges and steps offer you the chance to safely traverse this magical and magnificent natural wonder covering a length of around 800m long and 200m high. On the way you’ll pass several waterfalls, impressive rock formations and gorges so narrow that they almost block out the sky.

There are also forests as you take the trail overlooking the Möll valley, the village of Flattach and the surrounding mountain ranges of the Hohe Tauern. The Ragga trail takes about an hour and a half to complete and if you bring your Kärnten Card the admission is free.

Company name: Tourismusgemeinschaft Mölltaler Gletscher Contact person: info@flattach.at Location: Flattach, Austria Company web site: www.flattach.at

Best time of the year: Beginning of May – Middle of October Number of participants: Minimum: 5 Maximum: 50 Duration (in hours): 1.5 hours Address: Flattach 99, 9831 Flattach | T: +43 4785 333

CARINTHIA CONVENTION BUREAU SKIING WITH SKI LEGEND FRANZ KLAMMER Conquering the black slopes of Bad Kleinkirchheim It may still be dark outside, but hopefully you will be wide awake just before 6:00 am - because the slopes are calling for you! And guess who else is waiting for you at the slopes – no less than Olympic medalist and ski legend Franz Klammer, who will be your skiing companion for the day. You start at the Kaiserburg cable car station and make your way up Bad Kleinkirchheim, to then carve your way back down the perfect slopes, including the world cup slope named after him (which boasts sections with a gradient of up to 80%).

When the sun finally peeks out from above the mountain tops your ski experience will be simply perfect. After so much activity and fresh air, you won’t have to wait long for hunger to strike. It’s then time to simply head back up to the Klammerstubn where you will enjoy a wonderful brunch with regional treats.

Company name: Kirchleitn Family Holiday Village Contact person: Registration until 5:00 pm the day before, at the Bad Kleinkirchheim tourism office | +43 (0) 4240/82 12 | ferien@ kirchleitn.com Location: Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria Company web site: www.kirchleitn.com

Best time of the year: Winter Number of participants: Minimum: 5 Maximum: 50 Duration (in hours): 2 – 3 hours Address: St. Oswald - Rosennockstrasse 13, A-9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim

TREKKING ON THE PASTERZE GLACIER

Hiking across the largest glacier in Austria The largest glacier in Austria, the Pasterze, lies within the Glockner Group of the High Tauern mountain region in Carinthia and directly beneath Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner (3,798m). A glacier hike under the watchful eye of a nationally approved mountain guide is a unique experience that will make you appreciate the world’s natural wonders that have not yet been affected by human progress. Equipped with crampons, a hip belt and a rope you’ll start off the journey by taking a funicular and then make your way along the mighty glacier. The guide will share their knowledge about the glacier whilst you have the chance to admire its shimmering blue crevasses and icy rock formations. A very special point of the hike is the so-called Hufeisenbruch, where you can view the mighty towers of ice that have formed over centuries right at the foot of the Grossglockner.

Company name: Info- & Buchungscenter Heiligenblut am Großglockner Contact person: office@heiligenblut.at Location: Heiligenblut am Großglockner, Austria Company web site: www.heiligenblut.at

Best time of the year: From: mid June To: mid September Number of participants: Minimum: 1 Maximum: 8 Duration (in hours): 6 hours Address: Hof 4 | 9844 Heiligenblut (from booking center), 132 Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe, 9844 Heiligenblut

BRIEFING BRIEFING

THE EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY WILL BE HELD IN LJUBLJANA IN 2020 At this year's 50th European congress of Pediatric Nephrology (ESPN) in Glasgow, Ljubljana competed for the organization of the ESPN congress 2020 and won against rivalling and prestigious destinations such as Dublin and Moscow. The ESPN 2020 candidacy was presented by prof. Tanja Kersnik Levart (Head of the Paediatric Nephrology Department, Ljubljana University Medical Centre) and Dušica Todorovi‟, representative of CD Congress Centre Ljubljana, event venue.

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THE ECML-PKDD 2017 IN MACEDONIA ORGANIZED BY CANKARJEV DOM Besides maintaining the leading role as the central Slovenian congress centre with the largest number of international congresses, Cankarjev dom also focuses on being professional congress organizers (PCO) on other locations, one of the leading PCO´s in the region. One of their latest successful congresses was the ECML-PKDD 2017 in Skopje, Macedonia, organized together with the Slovenian Jo‟ef Stefan Institute from 17th to 22nd September 2017. Three different locations, one congress abroad, 615 experts – great success of the Slovenian PCO, Cankarjev dom, home to the CD Congress Centre Ljubljana.

IT ALL STARTS WITH A GOOD PLAN...

Exactly 40 years ago, the renowned architect Edvard Ravnikar (student of notable Slovenian architect Jo‟e Ple‟nik) started to plan the prestigious building of Cankarjev dom complex, home to the CD Congress Centre Ljubljana. In October 2017, they’ve commemorated this special anniversary by opening a remarkable exhibition titled “RAVNIKAR'S LINE. The architectural planning of the Republic Square and Cankarjev dom complex”.

Cankarjev dom, Slovenia's largest cultural institution, was built between 1982 and 1983 following the designs of the architect Ravnikar.

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GR - GREAT STORIES WITH 5 EVENTS IN JUST ONE DAY On 5th of October 2017 GR successfully hosted 5 totally different events under their roof and their halls were busting with lively happening and energy from early morning till the end of the day: the conference INFOSEK 2017 at »Povodni mož” hall and lobby of Marmorna hall, CleanMe B2B trade fair in the Kupola hall, the international conference iPROCEEDS Project in Urška hall and SVIZ event at multifunctional Marmorna hall, welcoming more than 1,000 participants. And the evening was all about the fashion – with the opening event of the prominent three-day fashion event, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

PHOTO FASHION WEEK PHOTO CREDIT ŽIGA INTIHAR

RUNNING EXPO AT GR OPENED LJUBLJANA'S BIGGEST SPORT EVENT The Volkswagen 22nd Ljubljana Marathon Running EXPO fair, held at GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre from 26th to 29th October 2017, opened the official programme for the Ljubljana’s sport event of the year. More than 18,300 runners took over the streets of Ljubljana, Slovenian capital at the biggest running event in Slovenia, organized every year since 1996 by the city of Ljubljana, traditionally held in October.

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DEKON.SI WITH SUCCESSFUL FIRST MONTHS In May 2017, the Dekon Group, an International PCO, announced the opening of their new offices in Ljubljana, Slovenia.The Dekon.SI, first international PCO in Slovenia, dig into work immediately, working on bringing new congresses and other events to Slovenia and the region and presenting wonderful venues of this boutique congress destination. One of the latest congresses brought to Slovenia were also the 29th EUROSON and 47th EABCT held at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre in September 2017.

PHOTO ANA BOŽIČ, MICHAEL KERN, LUKA ZAJC - DEKON.SI TEAM PHOTO CREDIT ARCHIVE GR

BRATISLAVA CONVENTION BUREAU Bratislava’s unique urban project: up! city Stará Tržnica, the renowned and popular meeting spot for both the locals and visitors from all around the world is the place where the “up! city” project came to life. The project has combined motion, relaxation and fun all in one place, as it connects aspects of mobility, modern technologies and chill-out zones. Right in front of the Stará Tržnica historic building you can find the electric Volkswagen e-up! cars parked there that are ready and waiting to “up&go” for you, either to get down to business or to just to enjoy and explore the city with your loved ones. The native, Bratislava-born car knows the city by heart and as an added bonus you can choose one of the six routes of the built-in navigation system that help you get to know the city as you drive around in an urban car with a fully electric engine. Each of the routes are thematically focused on architectural attractions, monuments and the natural beauty of the capital, as well as the city surroundings for an even more attractive driving experience. If you’re more into sports or two-wheeled-transportation, fear not, as the “up&bike” project awaits you! In addition to the typical city bike you can also rent the trendy e-bikes, cargo bikes, and even electric scooters.

PUOJD – SOUVENIRS YOU WOULD WANT TO WEAR! Puojd is a Slovak designer brand, represented by Michaela Bednarova, who focuses on the textile design since 2008. Michaela got her inspiration in the Slovak national coat of arms style in various designs – descriptive or just funny allusion to current events in Slovakia. Puojd stands for a fresh young label, with bold ideas mixed with (traditional) national emblems, which, today, proudly represent Slovakia. Clothing and accessories covered with stylish national symbol, spikelet of Slovak fields or map of Slovakia creating a cow pattern became characteristic feature of the brand and were popular not only among individuals but also among international companies such as Volkswagen Slovakia, ZSE, Slovnaft, the Slovak National Gallery, Office of the President of the Slovak Republic and others. Yes, you read correctly: Puojd also provides you with various PR materials, advertising products, merchandise materials and others – all for their clients. Puojd stands for Slovakia that you would want to wear and Slovakia that you would want to live in.

BRATISLAVA CONVENTION BUREAU NEHERA – FROM MANUFACTURER TO CONSUMER Bratislava has many interesting brands and successful companies. One of them that has been revived and is now proud to carry on its Slovak tradition is the clothing company Nehera. The back story of Nehera extends to the 1930s, when the brand was originally founded in Czechoslovakia by visionary businessman Jan Nehera, and at that time the brand had more than 130 retail stores in Europe, the United States and Africa. Having entirely disappeared from the High Street, the brand was resurrected in 2014 and today proudly re-employs its timeless heritage of Slovak and Czech tailor studies and factories originally founded by Jan Nehera himself.

Since September 2015, Nehera is also a part of the official Paris Fashion Week, although the revived brand has no ambition to attract the attention of extravagance; on the contrary, it now meets customer desires for a more discreet form of luxury, combining unique shapes and quality materials with an emphasis on detail.

They depend on their tine-honoured strong tradition and high-quality production processes, building a global innovative brand that provides materials that are produced locally. Nehera is a story of a success resurrected from the last century to nowadays create fashion must-have pieces, all with the thinking that started out in the 1930s: if you wear Nehera, you dress for success. Locally manufactured, high quality and globally innovative.

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HOTEL LEV – ALWAYS READY TO PAMPER ITS GUESTS In Hotel Lev there always is a good time for the refurbishment!

The lobby bar, breakfast room, gym and hairdresser located in the mezzanine of the hotel and last, but not the least, even their conference hall got a new look. With 7 conference halls and 173 hotel rooms and suites the staff at the Hotel Lev always seems to reach out to the next level, day by day and year by year offering more comfort to their guests.

Hotel Lev's public areas were ready to get a new style and setting.

Not only the lobby bar and the breakfast room, but they even created a new Wine Corner to offer their guests wines from all around the globe to comply with their desires. After a rich and delicious breakfast served in the renovated breakfast room with a little urban herb garden, one would feel ready to start the day – but first, the healthy spirit needs to take care of a healthy body!

Every day, 24/7, Hotel Lev is welcoming you in the mezzanine of the hotel in their new gym! They have it all – from exercise bikes, rowing machine, weight lifting, running track, to the device for strengthening the abdominal muscles and more! Their gym offers also the devices for cardio training as well as devices to keep the strength intended for the various body muscles. Keep in shape even when traveling!

KEYNOTE LECTURES OF THE 23RD GOLDEN DRUM HELD IN

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UNION HOTELS HOSTED THE PRIVATE MICE AUTUMN 2017

GRAND HOTEL UNION From 18 to 21 October 2016, Ljubljana with Ljubljana Castle, Grand Hotel Union and Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, hosted communication and advertising professionals from around the globe. The 23rd Golden Drum, International festival of creativity, welcomed more than 700 participants, 1215 creative entries from 26 different countries competed for the Golden Drum awards, while more than 40 different guest speakers took the stage. In 2016, Golden Drum indeed turned a new chapter by switching from a long-time seaside location to a lively city center of Ljubljana. With a new main location at Ljubljana Castle offering several micro programme locations, the festival turned to Union Hotels in search of a congress hall with a suitable capacity. The Grand Union Hall was chosen as the venue for keynote lectures, while Union Hotels were also the main accommodation provider of the festival, accommodating VIP guests in Grand Hotel Union, Grand Hotel Union Business and Hotel Lev.

With the event organisers seeking a developed meetings industry city that would give attendees the intimate touch, Ljubljana was the only sensible choice, and so the event was hosted in Slovenia’s capital and largest city. A series of networking activities and dinners provided a great opportunity for independent properties and small collections to build great business relationships. The opening night was hosted at Modna Hiša (“Fashion House”), which was once a thriving shopping hall and recently became the venue for unique events with a fashion-inspired setting. The networking and activity opportunities were held in the renovated Union Hall, which can host up to 850 attendees. The exclusive location of the Grand Hotel Union, located in the heart of the city centre and overlooking Prešeren Square and the Triple Bridge, gave its guests the perfect base to explore Ljubljana and its surroundings during their free time.

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