November 2007 by Go.Mice

REVIJA SLOVENSKE INDUSTRIJE SREČANJ • SLOVENIAN MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE • ŠTEVILKA 4, NOVEMBER 2007; ISSUE 4, NOVEMBER 2007

POSEBNA PRIZORIŠČA Special Venues NOVI KONGRESNI STANDARDI New Congress Standards

URADNO GLASILO ZAVODA-KONGRESNOTURISTIČNI URAD • OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SLOVENIAN CONVENTION BUREAU

HOW DO LJU DO? * KAKO SI KAJ?

Plečnikova zapornica na Ljubljanici (detajl).

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PRIJETNA PRESTOLNICA ZA ODLIČNA SREČANJA LJUBLJANA v letu 2007 praznuje leto velikega arhitekta Jožeta Plečnika.

Plečnik`s Watergate (detail).

A COOL CAPITAL FOR GREAT MEETINGS LJUBLJANA celebrates in 2007 the year of the famous architect Jože Plečnik. Read more on:

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Kongresna dvorana Mercurius Mercurius Congress Hall BTC City, Ljubljana

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Kazalo REVIJA KONGRES – REVIJA SLOVENSKE INDUSTRIJE SREČANJ Glavni in odgovorni urednik: Gorazd Čad Izvršna urednica: Jakica Jesih Pomočnica urednika: Danaja Besnard Uredniški odbor: Christer Carlsson Tony Carey Gorazd Čad Miha Kovačič Srečo Peterlič Tatjana Radovič Petra Čuk Maja Vidergar Ustanovna podjetja in svet revije: Adria Airways, Auditoria, Avditorij Portorož, Cankarjev dom, Kulturni in kongresni center, City Hotel, Domina Vacanze, GH Union, Globtour d.o.o., Gospodarsko razstavišče, GO.Mice, Hiša Kulinarike Franc Jezeršek, HIT d.d., Hoteli Bernardin d.d., Portorož, Intours, Kompas, Kongresni servis Albatros d.o.o., Liberty Slovenija d.o.o., Lifetrek, Luka Koper pristan d.o.o., M-hotel, d.o.o., Micro Cocktail Software d.o.o., Postojnska jama, turizem d.d., Prevajalska agencija Alkemist, Robotrade, RS Klan Jazbec & Co. d.n.o., Sava Hoteli Bled, Terme Čatež, Terme Laško, Terme Maribor, Terme Olimia, Terme Spa Rogaška, Terme Radenci, TSE d.o.o. Audio video inženiring, Vivo Catering, Zavod-Kongresnoturistični urad Slovenije, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana, Zdravilišče Laško Oblikovanje: Tatjana Zupan, Propagarna d.o.o. Tehnični urednik: Marko Čopi, Grafika Paradoks d.o.o. Prevod: Alkemist d.o.o., Alasdair Green Lektoriranje: Alasdair Green, Jakica Jesih Tisk: Collegium Graphicum d.o.o., Ljubljana Naklada: 7.000 izvodov ISSN številka: 1854-9292 Revija izhaja 4x letno: april; junij/julij; oktober; november

Uvodnik: Gorazd Čad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Intervju – mag. Dimitrij Piciga, STO: Slovenija ima še velike možnosti za razvoj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Intervju – Ksenija Benedetti: Predsedovanje EU bo odlična promocija . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Kratke novice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Novice Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Kolumna Paul Kennedy: Na svidenje na SIMEX-u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Kolumna Tony Carey: Užitek pričakovanja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Rok V. Klančnik: Pismo iz Bruslja: Posebne lokacije za snubljenje kupcev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Intervju – Matjaž Berčon: Postojnska jama je prvovrstna naravna vrednota . . . . . . . . 38 Intervju – Darko Brlek: Ljubljanski grad je ekskluzivna kongresna lokacija . . . . . . . . . 42 Kongresne vinske zgodbe: Vino je za Slovenijo odlična priložnost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Posebna prizorišča: Posebna prizorišča za posebne dogodke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Vodno mesto Atlantis – idealno za organizacijo najrazličnejših dogodkov . . . . . . . . 54 Cvetličarna – prostor z neomejenimi možnostmi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Javni gospodarski zavod Protokolarne storitve RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Hiša Franko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Poslovna srečanja v Kobilarni Lipica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Hiša Refoška . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Narodni muzej Slovenije . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Grad Mokrice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Stara mestna elektrarna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Tehniški muzej Slovenije . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Terme Krka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Planinska koča Merjasec na Voglu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Ptujski grad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Podzemlje Pece – turistični rudnik in muzej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Grad Fužine – renesančni užitek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Posestvo Ugar – vrhunski konjeniški center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Primeri dobre prakse: Družabni dogodki na neobičajnih lokacijah – rdeča nit EUREKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Kdo je ukradel Tartinijevo violino? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Novi kongresni standardi: Standardizacija za promocijo in konkurenčnost kongresnega turizma . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Kolumna Gorazd Čad: Okolju prijazna srečanja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Izdajatelj, produkcija in trženje: GO Mice, Štihova 4 SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E: kongres@go-mice.eu

Kongresni standardi in kakovost storitev: Organizacija družabnih dogodkov na neobičajnih prizoriščih . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Datum izida: November 2007

Kongresna statistika: Mednarodna statistika kongresnih prireditev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Cena: 3,50 EUR Za reproduciranje vsebine je potrebno pisno soglasje uredništva.

Kongresne osebnosti: Maša Martinčič: Diagnoza: doživljenjsko okužena s kongresi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Terme Maribor d.d.: Naravno okolje za poslovna srečanja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 HelmsBriscoe: Storitev iskanja prizorišč odslej tudi v Sloveniji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Uredniški koledar 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Index Editorial: Gorazd Čad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Intreview – Dimitrij Piciga, MSc, The Slovenian Tourist Board: Slovenia has great development Potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Interview – Ksenija Benedetti: The EU Presidency set to be outstanding promotional Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Short News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 News from the Slovenian Convention Bureau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Column Paul Kennedy: See you at SIMEX! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Column Tony Carey, CMP, CMM: The Pleasure of Anticipation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Rok V. Klančnik: A Letter from Brussels: Special Venues for attracting Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Interview – Matjaž Berčon: Postojna Cave - a First-class Natural Asset . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Interview – Darko Brlek: Ljubljana Castle - an exclusive Congress Venue . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Congress Wine Stories: Wine is an excellent Opportunity for Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Special Venues: Special Venues for special Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Atlantis Water Park – Ideal for any Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Unlimited Possibilities at Cvetličarna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 State Protocol Services of the Republic of Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Hiša Franko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Business Meetings at Lipica Stud Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 The House of Refosk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 The National Museum of Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Mokrice Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Old City Power Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Slovenian Technical Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Terme Krka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Merjasec Mountain Hut on Vogel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Ptuj Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 The Underworld of Peca Mountain – tourist Mine and Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Fužine Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 The Ugar Estate – top Equestrian Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Good Practice Case Study: Social Events at unusual Venues – EUREKA’s main Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Who stole Tartini’s Violin? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

CONGRESS – SLOVENIAN MEETING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad Executive Editor: Jakica Jesih Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Danaja Besnard Editorial Board: Christer Carlsson Tony Carey Gorazd Čad Miha Kovačič Srečo Peterlič Tatjana Radovič Petra Čuk Maja Vidergar Founding Companies and Magazine Board: Adria Airways, Auditoria, Avditorij Portorož, Cankarjev dom, Kulturni in kongresni center, City Hotel, Domina Vacanze, GH Union, Globtour d.o.o., Gospodarsko razstavišče, GO.Mice, Hiša Kulinarike Franc Jezeršek, HIT d.d., Hoteli Bernardin d.d., Portorož, Intours, Kompas, Kongresni servis Albatros d.o.o., Liberty Slovenija d.o.o., Lifetrek, Luka Koper pristan d.o.o., M-hotel, d.o.o., Micro Cocktail Software d.o.o., Postojnska jama, turizem d.d., Prevajalska agencija Alkemist, Robotrade, RS Klan Jazbec & Co. d.n.o., Sava Hoteli Bled, Terme Čatež, Terme Laško, Terme Maribor, Terme Olimia, Terme Spa Rogaška, Terme Radenci, TSE d.o.o. Audio video inženiring, Vivo Catering, Zavod-Kongresnoturistični urad Slovenije, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana, Zdravilišče Laško Design: Tatjana Zupan, Propagarna d.o.o. Technical Editor: Marko Čopi, Grafika Paradoks d.o.o. Translation: Alkemist d.o.o., Alasdair Green Proofreading: Alasdair Green, Jakica Jesih Printing: Collegium Graphicum d.o.o., Ljubljana Circulation: 7.000 copies

New Congress Standards: Standardisation to promote Congress Tourism Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

ISSN Number: 1854-9292

Column Gorazd Čad: Environmentally friendly Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Quarterly Magazine issued in: April; June/July; October; November

Congress Standards and Service Quality: Organising social Events at unusual Venues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Congress personalities: Maša Martinčič: Diagnosis: Lifelong infected with Congresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Meeting Statistics: International Meeting Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Terme Maribor d.d.: A natural environment for business Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 HelmsBriscoe: Venue search Service comes to Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Editoral Calendar 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Publisher, Production and Marketing: GO Mice, Štihova 4 SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E: kongres@go-mice.eu Issue date: November 2007 Price: EUR 3,50 For the content reproduction it is required to get the written editorial consigment.

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Uvodnik

Kako dobri smo? Družbo, v kateri živimo danes, zaznamuje hiter tempo in zasičenost z mnogimi informacijami. Kako se uveljaviti, je ključni problem vseh, ki kakorkoli delujemo v tem okolju. Rojstvo nove blagovne znamke je običajno pospremljeno z dvomi in skepticizmom. Ob rojevanju nove revije Kongres je bilo podobno. Spočeli smo jo z namenom, da tudi v poslovnem turizmu izbor strokovnih informacij predstavimo na enem mestu. Po izdanih štirih številkah ugotavljam, da je projekt pomemben uspeh kongresne Slovenije. Bralcev, ki jih objavljene teme zanimajo, je vedno več. Gre predvsem za uspeh slovenskega kongresnega gospodarstva, ki je od prve številke dalje podpiralo izdajanje revije. Gre tudi za uspeh naših mednarodnih partnerjev, ki z nami sodelujejo vsebinsko in promocijsko. Zagotovo je revija tudi uspeh Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad. To je ena stran medalje. Pa poglejmo še drugo. Revija ima pomembno vlogo pri promociji Slovenije kot kongresne destinacije. Tega uradna politika v enem letu še ni spoznala. Uradna razlaga je, da je projekt zasebne narave. Če pogledamo malce širše, s tem ni nič narobe. Podobno pa je številnim slovenskim podjetniškim projektom, ki najprej uspejo v tujini, da jih kasneje prizna tudi domače okolje. Glede uspehov pa še tole. Leto 2008 bo zagotovo med uspešnejšimi kongresnimi sezonami. Že zaradi projekta predsedovanja bo v strokovni in drugi javnosti veliko besed o tem, kako dobri smo. Vsi, ki delujemo na tem področju, pa vemo, da smo dobri toliko, kot je dober in kvaliteten naš zadnji projekt. Neprestano je potrebno utrjevati svoj položaj na kongresnem zemljevidu in dnevno iskati najboljše rešitve, izboljševati storitve, delati in skrbeti za napredek vseh. Revija Kongres se bo trudila tudi v letu 2008 delovati v tej smeri. Gorazd Čad, glavni in odgovorni urednik Editor-in-Chief (Foto/Photo: B. Zupančič)

Gorazd Čad, glavni in odgovorni urednik

Editorial

How Good are We? The society in which we live today is marked by a quick tempo and information saturation. The key problem had by anyone who’s in any way working in this environment is how to win recognition. Doubts and scepticism usually greet the birth of a new trademark. Such was the case when we first started the new Kongres magazine. We started it intending to showcase a selection of professional in formation in business tourism. After four editions, I conclude that the project is an important success on the Slovenian congress scene. There are ever greater numbers of readers interested in the topics published. It’s mainly about the success of the Slovenian congress economy, which has supported the magazine from the first edition onwards. It’s also about the success of our international partners, who work with us in content and promotion terms. The magazine is certainly also a success for the Slovenian Convention Bureau. This is one side of the coin. Let’s look at the other side as well. The magazine has a significant role in the promotion of Slovenia as a congress destination. In a year, official politicians have yet to realize that. The official explanation is that the project is private. If we look a little bit more broadly, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s similar to numerous Slovenian entrepreneurial projects which first succeed abroad and are only then also recognized at home. Regarding successes, the following must be mentioned as well. 2008 is certainly going to be among our most successful congress seasons. Due to the EU Presidency, there’s going to be a lot of talk among professionals and general public about how good are we. All those who work in this field are aware of the fact that we’re only as good as the quality of our last project. It’s necessary to constantly strengthen our position on the congress map as well as to look daily for the best solutions, improve our services, work and provide for the progress of everyone. In 2008, Kongres magazine is also going to try to work in this direction. Gorazd Čad, Editor-in-Chief

Mag. Dimitrij Piciga, STO

Slovenija ima še velike možnosti za razvoj Ob koncu leta smo za mnenje o kongresni sezoni 2007 in načrtih za prihodnost povprašali mag. Dimitrija Picigo, direktorja Slovenske turistične organizacije. Poudaril je, da so letošnji turistični rezultati v Sloveniji boljši od pričakovanj in da zaradi predsedovanja EU lahko pričakujemo uspešno kongresno sezono 2008 in nadaljnjo rast kongresnega turizma.

Kako ocenjujete sezono kongresnega turizma 2007? Če ocenjujemo letošnjo turistično sezono, jo lahko ocenimo kot uspešno. Razen kakovostnih kapacitet kongresnega in MICE turizma v večjih slovenskih (turističnih) središčih – predvsem v Ljubljani, Portorožu, Bledu, Mariboru, Novi Gorici – naraščajo tudi kapacitete in pomen tega segmenta slovenskega turizma v drugih krajih (Ptuj, Dolenjske Toplice, nekatera zdravilišča kot so Rogaška, Radenci, Čatež, Olimia in Laško) in manjša mesta. Slovenija je v prvi vrsti destinacija za izvedbo srednje velikih kongresnih dogodkov, pri čemer naj omenimo, da je prav med kongresi za 50 do 1000 udeležencev konkurenca na svetovnem trgu kongresnih ponudnikov najostrešja. Ali je po vašem mnenju slovenski kongresni produkt konkurenčen na globalnem trgu? Kongresni turizem je že danes pomemben segment ponudbe slovenskega turizma, zagotovo pa ima še velike možnosti za razvoj. Pred kongresnim turizmom so v Sloveniji še velike priložnosti, kar dokazujejo tudi izvedene in načrtovane številne investicije v kongresne kapacitete. Kongresni turizem v Sloveniji je razvit, ponudba kongresnih centrov je kakovostna, primerjalno pogosto celo bolj elastična od konkurenčne ponudbe v Evropski uniji. V prid kakovosti kongresnega turizma pri nas pričajo med drugim tudi reference uspešno izvedenih domačih in tujih kongresov, slovenski organizatorji poslovnih in kongresnih dogodkov pa uživajo v tujih združenjih ugled. Slovenija ima na področju MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Congresses/Conventions in Exhibitions/Events) dobre možnosti za razvoj, saj ima pred ostalimi državami kar nekaj prednosti, ki definirajo njeno konkurenčnost: centralna lega v Evropi, dobra dostopnost, ugodno razmerje med ceno in kakovostjo storitev ter ugled naše stroke in znanosti v tujih združenjih. Slovenija je tudi varna dežela, kar ima v današnjih časih vse večji pomen. Atraktivnost Slovenije na področju kongresnega turizma povečuje tudi njena majhnost, saj organizatorji kongresov po sami izvedbi kongresa udeležencem vse bolj ponujajo tudi različne turistične oz. izletniške programe. Zaradi raznolikosti slovenske turistične ponudbe na relativno kratkih razdaljah znotraj države je možno ta potencial izkoristiti ne glede na samo lokacijo kongresa. Naj navedemo še en pomemben podatek, ki priča v prid konkurenčnosti tega turističnega produkta v Sloveniji: skoraj 60 % vseh mednarodnih kongresov v svetovnem merilu se odvija v Evropi. Tako Evropa na svetovnem turističnem trgu v MICE turizmu ohranja prevladujoč položaj. Vse večje je tudi zanimanje za izvedbo kongresov v novih članicah Evropske unije, kar za nas predstavlja nove priložnosti. Kakšne aktivnosti načrtujete v času predsedovanja EU? STO pri pripravi na ta pomemben dogodek intenzivno sodeluje tako z Uradom vlade za komuniciranje (UKOM), Ministrstvom za zunanje zadeve, Ministrstvom za kulturo in vsemi ostalimi subjekti, ki so aktivno vključeni v pripravljalne aktivnosti ob predsedovanju Slovenije EU. Seveda gre pri pripravah na ta pomemben dogodek za zelo obsežne aktivnosti, kar je od nas zahtevalo porazdelitev vseh aktivnosti. Vsi vpleteni imamo na tem področju svoje zadolžitve, svoje naloge. STO je pri tem zadolžena v prvi vrsti za promocijo predsedovanja Slovenije EU v tujini. V ta namen naj omenimo najpomembnejšega ali enega od najpomembnejših projektov za promocijo ob tem dogodku, ki ga izvajamo v sodelovanju z UKOM ter z Ministrstvom za kulturo in Ministrstvom za zunanje zadeve »EU Road Show«. Tako bomo v 26-ih članicah EU v 26-ih tednih predsedovanja EU izvedli 26 dogodkov promocije Slovenije. Gre za predstavitev ob izbranih dogodkih v naši organizaciji ali ob odmevnih dogodkih, dogodek pa bodo spremljale ustrezne oglaševalske kampanje. Temati-

ke predstavitev bodo potekale predvsem na področju kulture, turizma, športa, znanosti in drugih izbranih vsebin. STO se zaveda pomena in enkratne priložnosti, ki jo prinaša predsedovanje Slovenije Evropski uniji v prvi polovici leta 2008, še posebej medijskega pomena predsedovanja EU za Slovenijo in slovenski turizem. Prav to so razlogi, zaradi katerih se je STO v sodelovanju z drugimi naštetimi institucijami odločila za organizacijo in izvedbo obsežnega in zahtevnega projekta EU Road Show. Kako inovativni so slovenski kongresni ponudniki? Na področju inovativnosti beležimo v zadnjem času pozitivne premike na področju kongresnega oz. MICE turizma. Predvsem na področju t.im. team buildingov je bilo v zadnjih letih v Sloveniji ponujenih več turističnih produktov, med njimi številni inovativni. Omenim naj teambuildinge v Postonjski jami, na Soči ... Poslovnežem so na voljo tudi posebne inovativne ponudbe, ki jih je moč priključiti klasični MICE ponudbi (npr. posebni programi Rudnika Mežica), ki osnovno ponudbo za poslovnega gosta popestrijo in naredijo inovativno ter še posebej privlačno. Ali bo predsedovanje po vašem mnenju prispevalo k večji prepoznavnosti kongresnega produkta Slovenije? Predsedovanje Slovenije Evropski uniji bo imelo velik pozitiven učinek za slovenski turizem, predvsem pa velik medijski pomen za Slovenijo in njen turizem. Gre za odlično in skoraj enkratno priložnost za povečanje prisotnosti Slovenije v evropskih in globalnih medijih, kar lahko bistveno prispeva k povečanju prepoznavnosti naše države na globalni ravni ter na pravilno umestitev Slovenije na globalni zemljevid – seveda tudi turistični zemljevid. Gre tudi za odlično priložnost vsebinske predstavitve države in njenega turizma – v okviru le-tega pa tudi kongresnega produkta oz. ponudbe – ciljani tuji javnosti.

Kaj bi na področju kongresnega turizma spremenili? Česa manjka? Prostora za dodatne kongresne kapacitete je v Sloveniji še veliko, saj gre za segment turizma, ki je v vzponu. Slovenija je namreč v prvi vrsti destinacija za izvedbo srednje velikih kongresov, za pridobitev večjega števila velikih kongresov bi potrebovali dodatne kapacitete, širitev tovrstnih kapacitet pa je povezana tudi z zagotavljanjem dodatnih nočitvenih kapacitet (še posebej visokega kakovostnega razreda in pretežno enoposteljnih sob) ter razvoj spremljajočih produktov (organizacija dogodkov, kakovostna ponudba wellnessa, vrhunske kulinarike). Seveda si na tem področju želimo še več inovativnih in kreativnih turističnih produktov, ki bi pritegnili predvsem tisto ciljno skupino, ki ne želi samo »storitve«, temveč tudi doživetja in je za tak turistični produkt tudi pripravljena plačati ustrezno ceno. Kaj lahko pričakujemo od kongresne sezone 2008? V času predsedovanja pričakujemo, da bo iz naslova samega predsedovanja Slovenijo obiskalo za 20.000 do 30.000 več tujih gostov. Seveda bo to pomenilo tudi večjo zasedenost turističnih kapacitet v Sloveniji. Turizem je dejavnost z izrednim multiplikativnim učinkom (4-kratni multiplikativni učinek), kar se bo seveda odrazilo tudi ob tem dogodku, še posebej na področju MICE turizma.

Mag. Dimitrij Piciga, direktor STO

Dimitrij Piciga, MSc, The Slovenian Tourist Board

Slovenia has great development Potential At the end of the year, we asked the Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, Dimitrij Piciga, MSc, about his opinion on the 2007 congress season and the plans for the future. He stressed that this year’s results in Slovenia were better than expected and that we can expect a successful 2008 congress season and further growth of congress tourism on account of Slovenia’s Presidency of the EU Council. How has the 2007 congress tourism season been? We can say this year’s tourist season has been a success. Quality congress and MICE tourism capacities in larger Slovenian destinations - mainly in Ljubljana, Portorož, Bled, Maribor and Nova Gorica - are increasing, as are the capacities and significance of this Slovenian tourism segment in other places - Ptuj, Dolenjske Toplice, spas such as Rogaška, Radenci, Čatež, Olimia and Laško, and smaller towns. Slovenia is first and foremost a destination for medium sized congress events and I have to point out that competition in the congress providers’ global market is toughest in the field of events for 50 to 1000 participants. Do you find the Slovenian congress product competitive on the global market? Congress tourism is already an important segment of the Slovenian tourism offer, but there are definitely many ways it can develop. Slovenian

congress tourism has great opportunities, as the numerous completed and planned investments into congress capacities prove. Slovenian congress tourism is developing; the congress centres’ offer is good quality and, if you compare it to our competition in the EU, often even more flexible. Our CV of successfully carried out domestic and international congresses speaks for the quality of Slovenian congress tourism while our business and congress event organisers enjoy a good reputation in foreign associations. Regarding MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Congresses/Conventions and Exhibitions/Events), Slovenia has favourable development conditions as its competitive position has quite a few advantages over other countries - our central geographical position in Europe, good accessibility, favourable price/service quality ratio, and the good name of our industry and science in foreign associations. What’s more, Slovenia’s a safe country, a fact that’s gaining in significance nowadays. In congress tourism, Slovenia’s attractiveness is further increased by its compact size, as ever more often congress organisers are offering participants various post-congress tourist or excursion programmes. This potential can be exploited regardless of the congress location due to the Slovenian tourist offer’s diversity over relatively short distances within the country. Let’s point out an additional important fact proving the competitive quality of this tourist product in Slovenia - nearly 60% of all international congresses world-wide take place in Europe. This means that in MICE tourism Europe is in a dominant position on the global tourist market. Interest in holding congresses in the EU’s new Member States is also increasing, and that’s another opportunity for us. What are you planning for the period of Slovenia’s EU presidency? In preparing for this important event, the Slovenian Tourist Board is actively working with the Government Communication Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and everyone that’s actively involved in getting ready for Slovenia’s EU presidency. Naturally, preparing for this important event involves extremely extensive activities, and that’s why we’ve had to delegate them. Everyone involved has their own tasks and assignments in this field. The Slovenian Tourist Board’s main role is promoting Slovenia’s EU presidency abroad. Let me highlight the most important or one of the most important projects in promoting our Presidency, which we’re doing with the Government Communication Office and the Culture and Foreign Ministries. That’s the ‘EU Road Show’. There are going to be 26 events promoting Slovenia in the other 26 EU Member States during the 26 weeks of Slovenia’s presidency. There are going to be presentations at selected events organised by us and other high-profile events, with suitable advertising campaigns. The themes of these presentations will mostly be related to culture, tourism, sports, science and so on. The Slovenian Tourist Board is aware of the significance and the unique opportunity Slovenia’s EU presidency in the first half of 2008 presents, and of the media significance of the presidency for Slovenia and its tourism. That’s why the Slovenian Tourist Board, with our partners, has decided to organise and carry out the extensive and demanding EU Road Show project. How innovative are Slovenian congress providers? In terms of innovation, we’ve seen some positive changes lately in congress or MICE tourism. Many tourist products have been on offer in Slovenia in recent years, particularly in teambuilding, and several of them have been innovative.

For example, there was the teambuilding in Postojna cave and on the Soča River and others. Business people can also choose from special, innovative offers that can be ‘add ons’ to the classic MICE offer such as special programmes in the Mežica mine, making our basic offer more diverse, innovative and even more attractive.

products in this field - products that would mainly attract the target group not just looking for ‘the services’, but also for new experiences, and who’d also be willing to pay the appropriate price for such tourist products. What can we expect in the 2008 congress season? During the EU presidency, we expect around 20,000 to 30,000 more foreign visitors in Slovenia due to this fact alone. There’s no doubt this is going to mean higher occupancy. Tourism is an activity with an extraordinary multiplicative effect – as much as factor four – which will also be evident during the presidency, mainly in MICE tourism.

In your opinion, will the EU presidency lead to greater awareness of the Slovenian congress product? Slovenia’s EU presidency is going to have a major positive impact on Slovenian tourism and particularly large media significance for Slovenia and its tourism. This is a fantastic and almost unique opportunity to increase Slovenia’s presence in European and global media, and so add to the global awareness of our country and the proper positioning of Slovenia on the global map. As well as the tourist map. It’s also a great chance to showcase the country and its tourism - and, within tourism, the congress product or offer – to the target international audience. What would you change in the field of congress tourism? What does it lack? There’s still plenty of room for adding more congress capacities in Slovenia as this tourism segment is on the increase. Slovenia is first and foremost a destination for medium sized congresses and we’d need additional capacities to get a larger number of big congresses. The expansion of these facilities goes hand in hand with increasing accommodation capacities - mainly of the high quality class and mostly single bed rooms - and developing accompanying products, such as organisation of events, a quality wellness offer and a first-rate culinary offer. Naturally, we’d like to see even more innovative and creative tourist

Dimitrij Piciga, MSc, director of the Slovenian Tourist Board

Intervju – Ksenija Benedetti

Predsedovanje EU bo odlična promocija Predsedovanje Slovenije Evropski uniji se hitro približuje. Za bralce revije Kongres želimo preveriti, kako se na predsedovanje pripravlja Protokol Republike Slovenije. O poteku priprav smo se pogovarjali s Ksenijo Benedetti, šefinjo protokola RS.

Kako potekajo priprave na slovensko predsedovanje v Protokolu RS in kakšna ekipa sodeluje pri projektu? Priprave na slovensko predsedovanje v Protokolu Republike Slovenije potekajo že od leta 2005; zdaj, tik pred predsedovanjem, so v zaključni fazi in postopoma se že prehaja v izvedbeni del. Pri projektu priprav in izvedbe z logističnega vidika sodelujejo vsi naši zaposleni (40), vsak s svojim področjem dela. S kakšnimi težavami se soočate pri načrtovanju aktivnosti? Težave oziroma izzivi so povezani predvsem s trajanjem izvedbe celotnega projekta (šest mesecev), ki je najdaljši v slovenski zgodovini, in seveda posledično s kvantitativnimi zalogaji, ki jih tak projekt prinaša – poskrbeti bo potrebno za približno 20 tisoč ljudi, ki se bodo udeležili dogodkov predsedovanja v Sloveniji na različnih ravneh. Pri tem ne gre pozabiti, da bodo seveda redne dejavnosti naše države nemoteno potekale tudi v prvi polovici leta 2008, kar za Protokol Republike Slovenije seveda pomeni veliko dodatne obremenitve. Kako ocenjujete aktualno predsedovanje sedanje predsedujoče Portugalske? To je težko oceniti, preden se njihovo predsedovanje dejansko ne zaključi, zaenkrat je mogoče reči le, da so z vsebinskega vidika dosegli veliko in da bo zadnji Lisbonski dogovor gotovo pustil zgodovinski pečat njihovega predsedovanja. Ali bo Slovenija do začetka prvih uradnih srečanj lahko zagotovila ustrezne protokolarne objekte? Po sedanjem koledarju da. Kaj za slovenski kongresni turizem pomeni predsedovanje Evropski uniji? Trenutno je slišati veliko tarnanja na račun tega, da na splošno nastanitvene zmogljivosti ne zadoščajo kongresnemu potencialu Slovenije – nekateri so to celo povezali z nastanitvami dogodkov predsedovanja. Vendar je tu potrebno pogledati in razumeti širšo sliko: 20 tisoč ljudi bo spoznalo slovenske hotele, ki imajo večinoma tudi kongresno ponudbo. Boljšo promocijo bi že skoraj težko zagotovili. Verjamem, da bodo dogodki predsedovanja, ki se bodo odvijali v Sloveniji, na dolgi rok odprli marsikatera vrata za slovenski kongresni turizem. Kakšne direktne učinke lahko po vašem mnenju pričakujemo ponudniki kongresnih storitev? O direktnih učinkih je težko govoriti, to bodo znali bolje oceniti sami ponudniki kongresnih storitev že v času predsedovanja. Kakšna bo vloga prestolnice v okviru predsedovanja? Ljubljana bo v prvi polovici leta 2008 pravzaprav tudi prestolnica Evropske unije. Ali so poleg uradnih dogodkov na protokolarnem objektu Brdo že znani kakšni večji spremljevalni dogodki v Ljubljani in v ostalih kongresnih središčih Slovenije? Da, nekateri večji spremljevalni dogodki v Sloveniji, ki niso del uradnega koledarja predsedovanja Slovenije Svetu EU, so že identificirani. Nosilci oziroma gostitelji so v večini primerov ministrstva, izvedeni pa bodo tako v Ljubljani kot v nekaterih drugih mestih (Portorož, Bled, Maribor).

Ksenija Benedetti (Foto: Agencija Bobo)

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Interview – Ksenija Benedetti

The EU Presidency set to be outstanding promotional Tool Slovenia's EU Presidency is fast approaching. We'd like to give readers of Kongres magazine an insight into how the Government Protocol Office is getting ready for it. To that end we had a chat with Ksenija Benedetti, Head of the Protocol Office.

tation project demands the active participation of all 40 of our staff, each with their own working area. What kind of problems do you have to deal with while planning these activities? Above all, the problems or challenges are related to the 6-month length of the Presidency, making it the longest such project in Slovenian history so far, and of course with the numbers in such a project – we will have to take care of approximately 20,000 people who will take part in events during our EU Presidency at various levels. And we must bear in mind that all our country’s regular activities will also have to continue without disruption in the first half of 2008, which will mean an additional burden for the Government’s Protocol Office. What’s your assessment of Portugal’s EU Presidency, which is going on at the moment? It’s hard to say before their Presidency has actually finished; for the time being, I can only say that they’ve achieved a great deal from the content point of view, and the Treaty of Lisbon will leave a historical mark on their Presidency. Will Slovenia be able to provide appropriate protocol facilities by the beginning of the first official meetings? According to the schedule so far, yes. What does the EU Presidency mean for Slovenian congress tourism? Many comments have been made about how accommodation facilities in general are insufficient for Slovenia’s congress potential – some people have even linked these comments to the accommodation facilities for events connected to our Presidency. But we need to see and understand the bigger picture – 20,000 people will get to know Slovenian hotels which, in most cases, offer congress services as well. We simply cannot think of a better promotion. I think that the events that take place in Slovenia during the Presidency are going to open many doors for Slovenian congress tourism in the long term. In your opinion, what kind of direct effects can congress service providers expect? It’s hard to say now, but the service providers themselves will be able to assess the effects during the Presidency.

How are the preparations for Slovenia's EU Presidency going at the Protocol Office of the Republic of Slovenia, and what kind of team is working on the project? The Government’s Protocol Office has been working on preparations for Slovenia's EU Presidency since 2005; now, with the Presidency approaching, we’re in the last phase and are gradually moving towards the execution phase. From a logistical point of view, the preparation and implemen-

What will be the role of the capital city within the framework of the Presidency? In the first half of 2008, Ljubljana will actually be the capital city of the EU. Apart from official events at the Brdo estate, have plans for any major accompanying events in Ljubljana and other congress centres in Slovenia been made? Yes, some major accompanying events, which are not a part of the official agenda of the Slovenia's EU Presidency, are already planned around Slovenia. In most cases, these events are being organised or hosted by our ministries and will take place in Ljubljana as well as in other locations such as Portorož, Bled and Maribor.

Kratke novice Turistična sezona v Ljubljani Turistični obisk vseh treh turistično informacijskih centrov TIC v Ljubljani je v mesecu juliju in avgustu 2007 znašal 96.177 obiskovalcev, kar je za 13,8 % več kot v istem obdobju lani. Pozitivni trend se je nadaljeval tudi v septembru, ko so v TIC-ih beležili 39.659 obiskovalcev, kar je 25% več kot v istem mesecu lani, pa tudi v oktobru (18.670 obiskovalcev, +5% ). V desetih mesecih letošnjega leta, od 1. januarja do 31. oktobra, je vse TIC-e obiskalo 252.528 obiskovalcev, kar je za 21% več kot v istem obdobju lani. Tudi statistika nočitev v desetih mesecih letošnjega leta beleži 13,7% porast glede na isto obdobje lani. V objektih, ki jih zajema statistika TIC – to so predvsem hoteli, je bilo realiziranih 535.659 nočitev (od tega 519.058 tujih gostov), uradna statistika pa bo številko zaokrožila navzgor, saj zajema vse nastanitvene objekte v Ljubljani. Povprečna zasedenost namestitvenih zmogljivosti, ki jih na dnevni osnovi spremlja TIC, v prvih desetih mesecih 2007 znaša 66,3% skupnega števila sob. www.ljubljana-tourism.si

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Kateri bodo glavni dogodki med predsedovanjem Slovenije Svetu EU? Slovenija bo kot predsedujoča Svetu EU v šestmesečnem obdobju predsedovala dvema zasedanjema Evropskega sveta (13.-14. marca in 19.-20. junija), več kot 30 ministrskim zasedanjem, okrog 50 zasedanjem Odbora stalnih predstavnikov (Coreper I in II) ter okoli 3000 zasedanjem delovnih skupin in različnih odborov. Slovenija bo tako kot vse predsedujoče države Svetu EU objavila koledar glavnih dogodkov en mesec pred predsedovanjem, tj. 1. decembra 2007. V času predsedovanja Svetu EU se bo tako v Sloveniji zvrstilo najmanj 150 dogodkov. V Sloveniji bo predvidoma organiziranih 12 dogodkov na ministrski ravni, katerih delovni programi bodo prilagojeni prioritetam slovenskega predsedstva: (1) neformalno srečanje ministrov za pravosodje in notranje zadeve (haaški program); (2) neformalno srečanje ministrov za obrambo; (3) neformalno srečanje ministrov za zunanje zadeve (Gymnich); (4) neformalno srečanje finančnih ministrov (ECOFIN); (5) neformalno srečanje ministrov za okolje; (6) neformalno srečanje ministrov za kmetijstvo in ribištvo; (7) neformalno srečanje ministrov za zaposlovanje/socialne zadeve/enake možnosti ter ministrska konferenca o enakosti spolov; (8) neformalno srečanje ministrov za konkurenčnost; (9) neformalno srečanje ministrov za zdravje; (10) neformalno srečanje ministrov za promet; (11) neformalno srečanje ministrov za šport; (12) ministrska konferenca o upravljanju zunanjih meja). Slovenija bo sicer v Bruslju na ministrski ravni organizirala še ministrsko konferenco o večjezičnosti v sodelovanju z Evropsko komisijo in neformalno večerjo ministrov za trgovino. Prvi dogodek Slovenije po prevzemu predsedovanja Svetu EU bo srečanje Vlade RS z Evropsko komisijo v začetku januarja, ko bo v Slovenijo prispela delegacija 27 komisarjev pod vodstvom predsednika EK Joséja Manuela Barrosa. Namen srečanja bo razprava o agendi in prioritetah slovenskega predsedovanja. Istega dne bo potekal še eden večjih kulturnih in medijskih dogodkov slovenskega predsedovanja, otvoritveni dogodek ob Evropskem letu medkulturnega dialoga z visoko udeležbo tudi s strani Evropske komisije in Evropskega parlamenta. Poleg tega bo v Sloveniji organiziranih še veliko drugih vsebinsko zahtevnih konferenc in dogodkov na podministrski ravni. Če naštejemo samo nekatere: • Konferenca o raku; • Konferenca »e-government«; • Konferenca »Vključevanje novih držav članic v 10. Evropski razvojni sklad«; • Konferenca »Teritorialni dialog 2008« in Zasedanje Upravnega odbora (predsedstva) Odbora regij; • Konferenca »Uporaba strukturnih skladov za pospešen razvoj raziskovalne infrastrukture«; • Konferenca o visokem šolstvu; • Konferenca o carinskem sodelovanju v jugovzhodni Evropi; • Konferenca »Vpliv izobraževanja na družbo in vizija 2020«; • Konferenca »Vključevanje mladih na trg dela«; • Konferenca »Demografija – medgeneracijska solidarnost«; • Konferenca »e-zdravje«; • Konferenca »i2010«; • Konferenca o evropski kulturni politiki; • Konferenca »Konvencija o pravicah invalidov – črka na papirju in/ali realnost?« z neformalnim srečanjem ministrov, pristojnih za invalide; • Konferenca o e-pravosodju; • Konferenca »Evropska listina o malih podjetjih«; • Mednarodna konferenca »Digitalne kulturne vsebine«; • Konferenca »Vloga NVO v ozaveščanju in izobraževanju za razvoj«; • Konferenca »Clearinghouse za JVE« (SEEC) – z neformalnim regionalnim srečanjem obrambnih ministrov jugovzhodne Evrope; • Sestanek generalnih direktorjev direktoratov za ribištvo in Konferenca o ribištvu; • Konferenca vodij arhivov Ministrstev za zunanje zadeve držav članic EU in EU institucij. Vir: Služba vlade RS za evropske zadeve, www.svez.gov.si

Kratke novice Terme Ptuj odprle nov hotel Primus Terme Ptuj, d.o.o., ki delujejo v okviru blagovne znamke Panonske terme, so po letu dni od pričetka gradnje odprle vrata novega štirizvezdičnega Grand Hotela Primus, ki bo predstavljal pomemben prispevek k dopolnitvi dosedanje vrzeli na področju pomanjkanja namestitvenih kapacitet in turistične ponudbe v Spodnjem Podravju. Okrog 20 milijonov evrov vreden hotel je letošnja največja naložba v Poslovni skupini Sava in v slovenskem turizmu. Dobra 2 milijona evrov je prispeval Evropski sklad za regionalni razvoj. Naložbo je vodilo investicijsko podjetje SAVA IP, d.o.o., na čelu z direktorjem Jožetom Kavčičem, ob tesnem sodelovanju z vodstvom družbe Terme Ptuj, d.o.o. Hotel, ki je dobil ime po Marcusu Antoniusu Primusu, vplivnem rimskem generalu, vladarju Rima ter mojstru retorike, se razprostira na skupno 13.493 kvadratnih metrih in ima 250 ležišč, od tega so trije luksuzni predsedniški apartmaji, ki imajo na razpolago vsak

svoj jacuzzi in savno. S ponudbo kongresnega oz. poslovnega turizma Grand Hotel Primus zapolnjuje vrzel v siceršnji nezadostni ponudbi tovrstnih storitev na širšem območju Ptuja in Spodnjega Podravja. V hotelu je na voljo več dvoran, namenjenih najrazličnejšim poslovnim srečanjem, vsi prostori pa so opremljeni z najmodernejšo multimedijsko tehnologijo. www.terme-ptuj.si

Obnova Apartmajev Golf Družba Sava Hoteli Bled začenja obnovo Apartmajev Golf, največjega apartmajskega objekta na Bledu. Za

3,6 milijone evrov vreden projekt, ki bo največja Savina naložba v blejski turizem v prihodnjem letu, je družba uspela pridobiti tudi 900 tisoč evrov evropskih sredstev. Čez šest mesecev bo tako na Bledu odprt prvi družinam prijazen hotel v Sloveniji. Apartmajska hiša, ki ima v petih nadstropjih in mansardi šestdeset apartmajev, sedaj deluje kot depandansa hotela Golf. Objekt, ki je bil zgrajen leta 1983, je dotrajan in zato nujno potreben prenove. V družbi Sava Hoteli Bled so se odločili, da ga preuredijo v sodoben trizvezdični hotel, prijazen družinam. S tem se bo učinkovito zapolnila potreba po kakovostnih namestitvenih zmogljivostih srednjega cenovnega razreda, ki jih na Bledu primanjkuje. Nov hotel pa bo obenem pomenil pridobitev tudi na področju poslovno-kongresnega turizma, saj v kongresno najbolj intenzivnih mesecih na Bledu pogosto prihaja do ozkih grl z namestitvami, kar bo še posebej pomembno v času predsedovanja Evropski uniji. www.sava.si

Kratke novice Hit v Umagu odprl prvi igralniško-zabaviščni center na Hrvaškem Skupina Hit je v Umagu odprla igralniško-zabaviščni center Kristal, ki obsega hotel s 151 ležišči (80 sobami), igralniško-zabaviščni del z 245 najsodobnejšimi igralnimi avtomati, 13 igralnimi mizami, dvema elektronskima ruletama, prireditveno areno s 120 sedeži, konferenčni center z dvema dvoranama za skupaj 140 oseb, dve restavraciji in dva bara. Celotna investicija je znašala preko 17 milijonov evrov, od tega so investicije v hotelski del znašale dobrih pet milijonov evrov, v igralniško-zabaviščni del pa 12 milijonov evrov. Kristal naj bi na leto obiskalo preko 60.000 gostov, glavne ciljne trge pa ob-

MPI sodeluje pri pripravi 1. evropske konference o srečanjih in dogodkih v letu 2008 Evropske konference o srečanjih in dogodkih (The European Meetings and Events Conference), ki bo potekala med 18. in 20. aprilom 2008 in pri pripravi katere sodeluje združenje MPI (Meeting Professionals International), naj bi se po pričakovanjih udeležilo več kot 600 mednarodnih strokovnjakov za srečanja in dogodke. Dogodek, prej znan kot Konferenca strokovnega izobraževanja v Evropi (The Professional Education Conference-Europe), je prva izobraževalna konferenca o mednarodni industriji srečanj in dogodkov, ki bo potekala v Londonu. Čeprav je sprememba imena najbolje vidna prvina razvoja tega srečanja, bo udeležencem izkušnjo najbolj oplemenitil radikalno nov pristop združenja MPI pri zasnovi in izvajanju te zdaj največje vseevropske izobraževalne konference, namenjene strokovnjakom za srečanja. Na Evropsko konferenco o srečanjih in dogodkih (The European Meetings and Events Conference) se lahko prijavite na naslovu www.mpiweb.org. Več: nina.gardiner@cut-coms.

segajo Trst z okolico in obalni pas jadranske obale od Trsta do Benetk ter celotna hrvaška Istra, ki predstavlja atraktivno turistično destinacijo, še posebej v poletnih mesecih, ko ta del Hrvaške obiščejo številni gostje iz vse Evrope. Kristal je poleg obnovljenega starega hotelskega dela igralniško-zabaviščnega centra Perla in popolnoma prenovljenega igralniško-zabaviščnega centra Park v Novi Gorici že tretja letošnja dokončana večja investicija. V mesecu decembru bo v Šentilju, tik pred mejo z Avstrijo, odprt igralniškozabaviščni center Mond; ta investicija znaša kar 45 milijonov evrov. Skupina Hit danes obsega že deset odvisnih družb v Sloveniji in tujini, zaposluje pa že skoraj 3000 ljudi. www.hit.si

Zastopstvo družbe HelmsBriscoe v Sloveniji V mesecu septembru je v Sloveniji začelo delovati zastopstvo družbe HelmsBriscoe International. Zastopa jo podjetje GO®MICE d.o.o., oziroma kot njihov »associate« Gorazd Čad. Zastopstvo se bo ukvarjalo z dejavnostjo na trgih Slovenije in Hrvaške, pozneje pa tudi v drugih državah regije. Družba HelmsBriscoe je vodilna svetovna organizacija za svetovanje pri iskanju lokacij za srečanja in dogodke, ki letno ustvari preko 3, 2 miljona nočitev. Organizacija pomaga podjetjem in združenjem pri iskanju ustreznih lokacij in idej za izvedbo srečanj in združuje preko 500 predstavnikov po celem svetu. Dodatne informacije: gcad@helmsbriscoe.com www.helmsbriscoe.com

ICCA – statistika za leto 2006 ICCA – International Congress and Convention Association že 30 let sistematično analizira trende in statistiko mednarodnih srečanj. V mesecu oktobru so objavili tri poročila: 1. ICCA country and city rankings 2006 2. The International Association Meetings Market 2006 3. The International Association Meetings Market 1997-2006 Poročila lahko naročite tudi nečlani ICCA na spletni stran: www.iccaworld.com

Kompasov Prince of Venice Ali prirejate dogodek in nimate primernega prostora za do 300 udeležencev? Lahko uporabite katamaran ter ob dobri hrani, pijači in glasbi priredite križarjenje ob slovenski ali drugi obali. Katamaran je odlično vzdrževan, ima lastne sanitarije ter zaprto in odprto palubo. Več informacij: congresses@kompas.si

Sistem SPOTME dobitnik EIBTM nagrade za tehnološko odličnost EIBTM je za tehnološko odličnost (Technologiy watch award) v letu 2008 nagradil podjetje SHOCKFISH SA za najnovejši sistem SPOTME. Sistem je dobil nagrado zaradi svoje inovativnosti, kompleksnosti in dodane vrednosti za uporabnike. Gre za brezžično ročno komunikacijsko napravo, ki udeležencem zagotavlja vse pomembne informacije o dogodku z možnostjo komuniciranja. www.spotme.com

Večji pomen družbene odgovornosti podjetij Planerji srečanj v Veliki Britaniji napovedujejo večji pomen družbene odgovornosti podjetij pri načrtovanju in rezervaciji dogodkov v naslednjih desetih letih. To so pokazali rezultati raziskave »U.K. Conference Market Survey«, ki jo je izvedelo združenja MIA (Meeting Industry Association). Več kot 77 % korporativnih kupcev meni, da bo to področje eno izmed pomembnejših v prihodnosti. www.mia-uk.org

Singapore Airlines predstavil nov potniški razred Največje potniško letalo na svetu Airbus A380 je po dveletni zamudi opravilo svoj prvi komercialni let na relaci-

Kratke novice ji Singapur – Sydney. Singapurska družba Singapore Airlines je na letu prvič predstavila nov nadstandardni potniški letalski razred kot »A class beyond first«. Notranjo opremo je zasnoval sloviti francoski designer jaht Jean-Jacques Coste. Potovanje v 12 kabinah predstavlja posebno doživetje tudi zaradi menijev, ki sta jih sestavila znana chefa Gordon Ramsay in Georges Blanc. www.singaporeair.com

Revija Kongres v letu 2008 V letu 2008 lahko pričakuje pet številk. Prva bo posebna izdaja, ki bo izšla v mesecu januarju v obliki kataloga ob drugi kongresni borzi SIMEX. Prva redna številka bo izšla ob sejmu IMEX v mesecu aprilu. Številke bodo tematsko posvečene pomembnim konkurenčnim prednostim slovenske kongresne industrije. V vsaki številki bomo izpostavili štiri glavne konku-

renčne prednosti po izboru uredništva. Prva številka bo posvečena ekološkim temam in pogojem za t.i. zelena srečanja. V drugi številki bomo obravnavali raznolikost Slovenije kot eno ključnih konkurenčnih prednosti. V tretji številki se bomo posvetili kulinarični in enološki pestrosti Slovenije, v zadnji pa človeškemu potencialu kot dodani vrednosti slovenske kongresne ponudbe. Poiskali bomo zgodbe o uspehu, ki bodo zaznamovale leto 2008. Dodali bomo zanimive intervjuje in se potrudili predstavljati ustvarjalnost v slovenski kongresni industriji na najboljši način.

Vivo catering za Gazele 2007 V mesecu oktobru so bili dogodki v cateringu Vivo poslovno obarvani. Naše goste smo razvajali z izvirno kulinariko na Managerju leta 2007 v Smeltu, »’podjetniškem oskarju« Gazele 2007 v Cankarjevem domu ter na protokolarni prireditvi ob državni proslavi. V mesecu pred nami vas pričakujemo v renesančnem okolju na gradu Fužine, kjer se lahko prepustite grajskemu utripu.

Eskimska vas na Krvavcu Podjetje Koren Sports na Krvavcu “gradi” Eskimsko vas. Nova zimska atrakcija bo popestrila ponudbo zimskih srečanj in omogočila, da se dan in noč preživita na drugačen način. www.koren-sports.si

Razglasitev najboljših na področju poslovnega turizma za 2007 – Business Traveller Awards V septembru so v Londonu razglasili dobitnike nagrad najboljših na področju poslovnega turizma za leto 2007 po izboru revije Business Traveller. Tekmovanje poteka v 46 kategorijah, letos pa so kategorije prvič regionalno razširili tudi v Afriko. Podelitev nagrad temelji na anketiranju poslovnih gostov med aprilom in junijem 2007, ki jih je izvedla neodvisna raziskovalna agencija. Evropske nagrade za leto 2007 so prejeli:

3. Malev Hungarian Airlines 4. Wizzair Najboljši nizkocenovni prevozniki 1. easyJet 2. Ryanair 3. Air Berlin 4. Flybe Najboljše kabinsko osebje 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Virgin Atlantic 3. Cathay Pacific 4. British Airways

Najboljše svetovne letalske družbe 1. British Airways 2. Virgin Atlantic 3. Qatar Airways 4. Singapore Airlines 5. Swiss

Najboljše hotelske verige v Evropi 1. Hilton 2. Sheraton 3. InterContinental 4. Marriott

Najboljši klub letalskih ugodnosti 1. British Airways Executive Club 2. Lufthansa Miles & More 3. Air France/KLM Flying Blue 4. bmi Diamond Club

Najboljši poslovni hoteli v zahodni Evropi 1. Four Seasons George V, Paris 2. Hotel Arts, Barcelona 3. Hilton, Copenhagen 4. InterContinental Le Grand, Paris

Najboljše evropske letalske družbe 1. LOT Polish Airlines 2. CSA Czech Airlines

Najboljši poslovni hoteli v vzhodni Evropi 1. Warsaw Marriott 2. Four Seasons Hotel, Prague

3. Hilton, Prague 4. Four Seasons Hotel, Gresham Palace, Budapest Najboljša letališča na svetu 1. Singapore Changi Airport 2. Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok 3. Dubai 4. Amsterdam Schiphol Najboljša letališča v Evropi 1. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport 2. Zurich 3. Munich 4. Copenhagen Najboljše rent a car agencije na svetu 1. Avis 2. Hertz 3. Budget 4. Sixt Najboljše rent a car agencije v Evropi 1. Avis 2. Hertz 3. Europcar 4. Sixt Vir: www.businesstraveller.com

Short News Ljubljana tourist season in numbers The three tourist information centres in Ljubljana received 96,177 visitors in July and August 2007, up by 13.8 % on the same period last year. The positive trend also continued in September when TICs recorded 39,659 visits, 25% up on September 2006, and in October (18,670 visitors, up 5%). In the first ten months of this year to 31 October, the TIC centres welcomed 252,528 visitors, 21% more than in the same period last year. Statistics for overnight stays in the first ten months of this year saw a 13.7% increase over last year. In facilities covered by the TIC statistics – these are primarily hotels - there were 535,659 actual overnights (of which 519,058 were by foreign guests), while the official statistics will round this number upwards as they cover all Ljubljana’s accommodation facilities. The average occupancy rate of accommodation facilities monitored on a daily basis by TIC was 66.3% of the total number of rooms for the first ten months of 2007. www.ljubljana-tourism.si

KONCEPT

GIBA PODOBE

OBLIKOVALNIK

MOTION & GRAPHICS CONGRESS READY

Proizvajalec zagotavlja, da sporočila, ideje, g raf ike in animacije ustrez ajo standardom najnovej ših komunikacijskih tehnolog ij.

www.o blikova lnik .c om

What will be the main events during Slovenia’s EU presidency? Slovenia, as the country presiding over the Council of the European Union for a 6-month period is to host 2 meetings of the European Council (13–14 March and 19–20 June), more than 30 ministerial meetings, around 50 meetings of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee (Coreper I and II) and around 3000 meetings of working groups and various committees. Slovenia, like all the countries that hold the EU Presidency, is to publish a calendar of main events on 1 December 2007, a month before the Presidency starts. During the EU Presidency, at least 150 events will unfold in Slovenia. There will be 12 ministerial level events in Slovenia whose working programmes will be adapted to the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency: (1) informal meeting of justice and interior ministers (the Hague Programme); (2) informal meeting of defence ministers; (3) informal meetings of foreign ministers (Gymnich); (4) informal meeting of finance ministers (ECOFIN); (5) informal meeting of environment ministers; (6) informal meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers; (7) informal meeting of ministers of employment /social affairs /equal opportunities and the ministerial conference on gender equality; (8) informal meeting of competitiveness ministers; (9) informal meeting of health ministers; (10) informal meeting of transport ministers; (11) informal meeting of sports ministers; (12) ministerial conference on the management of external borders. Slovenia is to organise a ministerial conference on multilingualism in Brussels in co-operation with the European Commission and an informal dinner of ministers of trade. The first event in Slovenia after it takes over the EU Presidency will be a meeting of the Slovenian Government with the European Commission at the start of January when a delegation of 27 commissioners will arrive in Slovenia lead by José Manuel Barroso, the Commission President. The meeting will be a discussion of the agenda and priorities of the Slovenian Presidency. A larger cultural and media event to kick off the Slovenian Presidency takes place the same day, namely the Inaugural Event of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue that will see major attendance from the European Commission and Parliament. In addition to the above, many other substantially demanding conferences and events at sub-ministerial level are to take place in Slovenia. Some of these include: • cancer conference; • e-government conference; • conference on the process of integrating of new Member States into the 10th European Development Fund; • conference entitled ‘Territorial Dialogue 2008 and the Meeting of the Bureau (presidency) of the Committee of the Regions’; • conference entitled ‘Use of Structural Funds for the Accelerated Development of Research Infrastructure’; • conference on higher education; • conference on customs co-operation in South-Eastern Europe; • conference entitled ‘Effect of Education on the Society and Vision 2020’; • conference entitled ‘Inclusion of the Young in the Labour Market’; • conference entitled ‘Demographics – Intergeneration Solidarity’; • conference entitled ‘e-Health’; • conference entitled ‘i2010’; • conference on European cultural policy; • conference entitled ‘Convention on the Rights of the Disabled – A Letter on a Sheet of Paper and/or Reality?’ with an informal meeting of disability affairs ministers; • conference on e-judiciary; • conference entitled ‘European Charter for Small Enterprises’; • international conference entitled ‘Digital Cultural Content’; • conference entitled ‘The Role of NGOs in Awareness Building and Education for Development’; • conference entitled ‘Clearinghouse for South-Eastern Europe’ (SEEC) with an informal regional meeting of South-Eastern European defence ministers; • meeting of the directors-general of the directorates for fisheries and the Conference on Fisheries; • conference of the heads of archives with the ministries for foreign affairs of EU Member States and EU institutions. Source: Slovenian Government Office for European Affairs , www.svez.gov.si

Short News Terme Ptuj spa opens its new Primus Hotel Terme Ptuj, which operates under the Panonske terme trademark, has opened a new 4-star hotel a year after construction got underway. The new Grand Hotel Primus is set to make an important contribution to making up the current gap in the Lower Podravje region’s accommodation capacities and tourist offer. The cost of the hotel, a hefty € 20 million, is this year’s largest investment by the Sava Business Group and in Slovenian tourism. Over € 2 million came from the European Regional Development Fund. The investment was managed by the SAVA IP investment company led by director Jože Kavčič and in close co-operation with the management of Terme Ptuj. The hotel takes its name from Marcus Antonius Primus, a powerful Roman general, ruler of Rome and master of rhetoric. It has a total area of 13,493m2 and 250 beds, of which three are luxury presidential suites, each

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featuring its own jacuzzi and sauna. The Grand Hotel Primus congress or business tourism offer fills a gap in the market in the wider Ptuj and Lower Podravje area. There are several halls at the hotel intended for various business meetings. All spaces are equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia technology. www.terme-ptuj.si

Facelift at the Golf Apartments Renovation of Sava Hoteli Bled’s Golf Apartments, the largest apartment complex in Bled, is underway. The

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company has managed to obtain €900,000 of EU funds for the €3.6 million project that is to be Sava’s largest investment into Bled tourism. In 6 months time, the first family-friendly hotel in Slovenia opens in Bled. The apartment building that houses 60 apartments on 5 floors and a loft currently operates as an annexe of the Golf Hotel. The facility, built in 1983, is run down and thus urgently in need of a facelift. Sava Hoteli Bled has decided to upgrade the facility into a modern 3-star family-friendly hotel. This will effectively meet a need for quality accommodation facilities in the mid-price range that Bled currently lacks. Simultaneously the new hotel will be an asset in business and congress tourism area as, during the most intensive months for congresses, bottlenecks in accommodation supply often arise at Bled. The new hotel will therefore be especially important during the EU Presidency. www.sava.si

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kongresi, poslovni dogodki, teambuilding, banketi Kongresni ured: tel. 051 710304, 710323 • kongresi@liburnia.hr • www.liburnia.hr

Short News Hit opens its first casino and entertainment center in Umag, Croatia The Hit Group has opened the Kristal casino and entertainment centre in Umag that includes a hotel with 151 beds (80 rooms), a casino and entertainment centre with 245 state-of-theart gaming machines, 13 gaming tables, two electronic roulette machines, an events arena with seating for 120 guests, a conference centre with two halls for a total of 140 guests, two restaurants and two bars. The entire investment cost over €17 million, of which the investment in the hotel took up well over €5 million and the casino and entertainment centre €12 million. It’s expected that Kristal will greet more than 60,000 guests annually with the main target markets being Trieste and environs, the coastal belt of the Adriatic from Trieste to Venice and all of Croatian Istria, which is an attractive

MPI engages to help create 2008’s premier Pan – European Conference More than 600 international meeting and event professionals are set to attend The European Meetings and Events Conference, co-created by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), April 18-20, 2008. The event, formerly known as the Professional Education Conference-Europe, is the first international meetings and events industry educational conference to be hosted in London. While the name change is the most visible element of the evolution, it’s the radically new approach taken by MPI to design and execute what is now the largest pan-European educational conference for meeting professionals that will elevate the experience for all. Registration for the European Meetings and Events Conference is available at www.mpiweb.org. For more information please contact: Nina Gardiner nina.gardiner@cut-coms.co.uk

tourist destination, especially in the summer months when it welcomes numerous guests from all over Europe. Alongside the restoration of the old hotel, part of the Perla casino and entertainment centre and the complete renovation of the Park casino and entertainment centre in Nova Gorica, Kristal is the third large investment completed this year. The Mond casino and entertainment centre opens at Šentilj just before the Austrian border in October; this investment amounts to €45 million. Today the Hit Group comprises 10 subsidiaries in Slovenia and abroad and employs almost 3000 people. www.hit.si

Representative office for HelmsBriscoe in Slovenia In September, a representative office of Helms Briscoe International began operating in Slovenia. It is represented by the GO®MICE company or their associate Gorazd Čad. The representative office is to take care of activities on the Slovenian and Croatian markets, and in other countries in the region later. Consulting firm Helms Briscoe is a global leader in the search for meeting and event venues generating over 3.2 million overnights annually. The organisation helps companies and associations in the search to find suitable venues and ideas for the implementation of meetings and unites over 500 representatives worldwide. Additional information available at gcad@helmsbriscoe.com. www.helmsbriscoe.com

ICCA – Statistics for 2006 ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association has been systematically analysing international meeting trends and statistics for 30 years. In October, they published three new reports: 1. ICCA country and city rankings 2006 2. The International Association Meetings Market 2006 3. The International Association Meetings Market 1997-2006 Anyone, including non-ICCA members, can order the reports at www.iccaworld.com. www.iccaworld.com

The Kompas “Prince of Venice” Are you preparing an event but don't have a suitable place for up to 300 participants? You could have a catamaran cruise along the Slovenian or other coast, with good food, beverages and music. The catamaran is very well maintained, has its own bathroom facilities and covered and open deck areas. For more information: congresses@kompas.si

‘SPOTME’ system wins EIBTM Technology Watch Award EIBTM has bestowed its 2008 award for technological excellence on SHOCKFISH for their latest SPOTME system. The system took the award for its innovativeness, complexity and added value for users. The system is a wireless handheld communication device that gives attendees all they need to know about the event and the chance to communicate with organisers. www.spotme.com

Companies’ social responsibility set to gain in importance British meeting planners are predicting rising significance for companies’ social responsibilities in their planning and booking of events in the next decade. This is spotlighted by the results of the ‘UK Conference Market Survey’ carried out by MIA, the Meeting Industry Association. More than 77% of corporate buyers see this area being among the most important in the future. www.mia-uk.org

Singapore Airlines unveils new passenger class The largest passenger aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380, has done its first Singapore–Sydney commercial flight after a two-year delay. For this flight, Singapore Airlines unveiled a new above-standard airline passenger class as ‘a class beyond first’. The interior furnishing was by famed French yacht designer Jean-Jacques Coste. Travelling in the 12 cabins is a special experience, as it also features

Short News menus by famous chefs Gordon Ramsay and Georges Blanc. www.singaporeair.com

Kongres magazine in 2008 You can expect 5 editions in 2008. The first will be a special edition, issued in January in the form of a catalogue to mark the 2nd SIMEX congress exhibition. The first regular edition is to come out at the time of the IMEX fair in April. The editions will be thematically dedicated to the Slovenian congress industry’s important competitive advantages. In each edition, we are going to point out four main competitive advantages selected by the editorial board. In the first edition, we plan to devote attention to ecological topics and conditions for so-called green meetings. In the second edition, we intend to cover Slovenian diversity of as one of our key competitive advantages. In

the third edition, we will pay attention to the added value of the Slovenian congress offer. We want to look for success stories that mark the year 2008. We are going to add interesting interviews and try to showcase creativity in the Slovenian congress industry in the very best way.

An Eskimo Village on Krvavec Koren Sports is ‘building’ an Eskimo village on Krvavec. The new winter attraction will bring variety to the winter meetings offer and enable a day or

two to be spent in a different way. www.koren-sports.si

Vivo catering for Gazele 2007 Events at Vivo catering in October were a colourful business. Our guests were treated to some exceptional cuisine at the 2007 Manager of the Year at Smelt, the Gazele 'business Oscars' at Cankarjev dom and at protocol events at State celebrations. In the month ahead we look forward to seeing you at the renaissance environment of Fužine Castle where you can give yourself up to the pulse of castle life.

Business Traveller awards best in the business tourism field 2007 Award winners for best in the field of business tourism as chosen by Business Traveller magazine were announced in London in September. The awards comprised 46 categories, which were for the first time regionally expanded to include Africa. The prizes are based on interviews with business guests between April and June 2007 carried out by an independent survey agency. European awards for 2007

3. Malév Hungarian Airlines 4. Wizzair Best Economy Class Carrier 1. easyJet 2. Ryanair 3. Air Berlin 4. Flybe Best Cabin Crew 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Virgin Atlantic 3. Cathay Pacific 4. British Airways

Best Airline in the World 1. British Airways 2. Virgin Atlantic 3. Qatar Airways 4. Singapore Airlines 5. Swiss

Best Hotel Chain in Europe 1. Hilton 2. Sheraton 3. InterContinental 4. Marriott

Best Frequent Flyer Programme 1. British Airways Executive Club 2. Lufthansa Miles & More 3. Air France/KLM Flying Blue 4. BMI Diamond Club

Best Business Hotels in Western Europe 1. Four Seasons George V, Paris 2. Hotel Arts, Barcelona 3. Hilton, Copenhagen 4. InterContinental Le Grand, Paris

Best European Airlines 1. LOT Polish Airlines 2. CSA Czech Airlines

Best Business Hotels in Eastern Europe 1. Warsaw Marriott 2. Four Seasons Hotel, Prague

3. Hilton, Prague 4. Four Seasons Hotel, Gresham Palace, Budapest Best Airport in the World 1. Singapore Changi Airport 2. Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok 3. Dubai 4. Amsterdam Schiphol Best Airport in Europe 1. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport 2. Zurich 3. Munich 4. Copenhagen Best Rent-a-Car Agency in the World 1. Avis 2. Hertz 3. Budget 4. Sixt Best Rent-a-Car Agency in Europe 1. Avis 2. Hertz 3. Europcar 4. Sixt Source: www.businesstraveller.com

Novice Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad Slovenci v Talinu Slovenija je letos beležila rekordno udeležbo na poletni šoli European Cities Marketing, bivše EFCT Summer School, ki je potekala od 25. do 29. avgusta v Tallinnu v Estoniji. www.efct.com

Standardizacija članov Kongresnega urada Kongresni urad je začel s projektom standardizacije članov urada. Standardizirani bodo vsi člani Kongresnega urada. Projekt se je začel v poletnem času in bo končan do konca leta.

Več o standardizaciji in prednostih tako za organizatorje kot za člane predstavljamo v nadaljevanju te številke.

Uspešni tuji obiski Kongresni urad je v sodelovanju s Slovensko turistično organizacijo in še 12 člani Kongresnega urada (Adria Airways, Albatros, Auditoria, Cankarjev dom, Gospodarsko razstavišče Ljubljana, Grand hotel Union, Hoteli Bernardin, Kompas, LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Sava hoteli Bled, Terme Maribor, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana) izvedel največja trženjska projekta za kongresno dejavnost do sedaj. Od 28. do 30. septembra

• 4 hoteli (5*, 4*, 3*) • Konferenčni center v Grand Hotelu Metropol ***** • 7 dvoran (do 250 oseb) • Popolna tehnična podpora • Dnevna svetloba v vseh dvoranah • Wellness center in bazen z morsko vodo • Izvrstna mediteranska kulinarična ponudba • Grand Casino' in Night Club Metropol

smo v sodelovanju z agencijo Moulden Marketing iz Velike Britanije v Sloveniji gostili skupino 31 predstavnikov angleških agencij in organizatorjev dogodkov. Od 12. do 14. oktobra smo v sodelovanju z agencijo Travel Marketing Factory iz Nemčije spoznali 23 predstavnikov

Metropol Hotels PortoroÏ Obala 77, 6320 PortoroÏ, Slovenija Tel.: 05 690 70 00 / Faks: 05 690 78 77 e-pošta: sales@metropolgroup.si www.metropol-hotels.com

Zavod za turizem Ljubljana je s svojim kongresnim oddelkom vaš profesionalni partner in osrednji vir informacij o raznoliki kongresni ter turistični ponudbi slovenske prestolnice. *www.ljubljana-tourism.si*

Projekt obnove kompleksa Hotel Golf Grad Mokrice je delno financiran s sredstvi EU.

Grajski ambient za moderne zahteve Srednjeveški grad Mokrice je priljubljeno mesto za protokolarna, poslovna in družabna srečanja. Možnost najema: • 2 dvoran in 2 poslovnih apartmajev v gradu Mokrice • konferenčne dvorane Barbara v Depandansi

Hotel Golf Grad Mokrice • Rajec 4, Jesenice na Dolenjskem • T: 07/45 74 240, 49 36 759 • www.mokrice.si; info@terme-catez.si

Novice Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad agencij iz Nemčije in Avstrije. Namen obiska obeh skupin je bil seznanitev s Slovenijo kot kongresno destinacijo in da se osebno spoznajo s ključnimi ponudniki kongresnih storitev na našem trgu. V dveh dneh in pol so gostje na kratko spoznali Bled, Ljubljano, Postojnsko jamo in Portorož. Gostje in ponudniki so se podrobneje spoznali v obliki poldnevnega workshopa in na družabnih dogodkih. Oba študijska obiska sta bila glede na odziv tako s strani gostov kakor tudi ponudnikov storitev uspešna.

Strokovno usposabljanje v Termah Olimia Kongresni urad je 10. oktobra v Termah Olimia izvedel strokovno usposabljanje na temo »gostinstvo v kongresni dejavnosti«, v ang. »Catering for conferences«, ki ga je izvedel mednarodno uveljavljeni strokovnjak na področju kongresne dejavnosti g. Tony Carey. Predavanje sta obogatila ga. Mojca Polak Zupan, predavateljica na Višji strokovni šoli za gostinstvo v Mariboru in g. Dušan Brejc, direktor Vinske družbe Slovenije. Udeleženci predavanja so bili tako predstavniki prodaje kakor tudi s področja gostinstva iz različnih hotelov iz cele Slovenije.

Mednarodne aktivnosti Kongresni urad se je v sodelovanju z Zavodom za turizem Ljubljana in STO 16. oktobra v Amsterdamu udeležil workshopa za organizatorje dogodkov iz Nizozemske. To je prva predstavitev slovenske kongresne ponudbe na tem trgu, ki spada med perspektivna tržišča. Slovenija ima preko Adrie Airways dobre povezave med Amsterdamom in Ljubljano. Slovenija se je tudi letos predstavila na največji mednarodni poslovni borzi na italijanskem tržišču, borzi BTC, ki se je preselila iz Firenc v Rim in je potekala od 8.do 9. novembra. Borze se je skupaj z Zavodom za turizem Ljubljana udeležilo še devet slovenskih podjetij. www.btc.it

Rekordna udeležba na EIBTM Letošnja poslovna borza EIBTM, ki se vsako leto organizira v Španiji in se bo tokrat odvijala od 27. – 29. novembra

2007, bo po zagotovilih organizatorja največja do sedaj. Rekordna udeležba se predvideva tudi s slovenske strani, saj se bo borze udeležilo poleg ZTL-ja še 16 slovenskih podjetij in preko 20 predstavnikov. Svoje mesto na borzi bo premierno imela tudi revija Kongres, ki bo predstavljena na področju medijev. www.eibtm.com

Pred nami je drugi SIMEX Kongresni urad se vneto pripravlja na drugo poslovno borzo SIMEX, ki bo od 24. do 25. januarja 2008 na Gospodarskem razstavišču v Ljubljani. Tudi ta borza bo potekala ločeno v sklopu sejma Turizem in prosti čas. Drugo borzo Simex bomo nadgradili in poleg slovenskih organizatorjev dogodkov povabili tudi preko 50 tujih organizatorjev dogodkov. Ti bodo imeli možnost se tudi osebno seznaniti s slovensko kongresno ponudbo. Več o borzi SIMEX na www.simex.si in v rubriki Simex 2008.

Organizirate konferenco, kongres ali sejem? Postanemo lahko vaš uradni ekskluzivni prevoznik. Udeležencem in organizatorju nudimo posebne ugodnosti.

Adria Airways, The Airline of Slovenia Tel: +386 (0)1 369 1317 Fax: +386 (0)1 230 1325 events@adria.si www.adria-airways.com

Vaš partner pri pripravi in izvedbi strokovnih in poslovnih srečanj! — POPOLNI TURISTIČNI SERVIS: — hotelske namestitve za posameznike in skupine, izleti, prevozi — gostinsko — turistični, kulturni, družabni programi in programi za spremljevalce — “welcome service” na letališču in prevozi z letališč — P.C.O. — profesionalna kongresna organizacija in koordinacija; finančno vodenje (kotizacije)

— KONFERENČNE STORITVE: — priprava in organizacija vseh vrst srečanj — kongresov, simpozijev, konferenc, seminarjev ... — priprava in oprema konferenčnih dvoran — gradivo za udeležence: imenske značke, mape, torbe, pisala, informacijsko gradivo ...

— TEHNIČNE STORITVE: — konferenčna tehnika: aparature za simultano tolmačenje, avdiovizualni pripomočki in oprema — tisk kongresnih edicij — tehnično osebje, hostese, posredovanje konferenčnih tolmačev

News from the Slovenian Convention Bureau Slovenes in Tallinn This year, Slovenia registered a record attendance at the European Cities Marketing Summer School, the former EFCT Summer School, which took place 25-29 August in Tallinn, Estonia. www.efct.com

Standardization of Convention Bureau members SCB has started a project to standardize its members. All members are to be standardized. The project started in the summer and will is to finish by the end of the year. More information onstan-

dardization and its advantages, both for organizers and members, is in the Standards section.

Successful foreign visits In partnership with the Slovenian Tourist Board and 12 SCB members (Adria Airways, Albatros, Auditoria, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana Fairgrounds, Grand Hotel Union, St Bernardin Hotels, Kompas, LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Sava Hoteli Bled, Terme Maribor and Ljubljana Tourist Board), SCB has carried out the two largest congress marketing projects thus far. From 28 to 30 September, working with UK agency Moulden

• 4 hotels (5*, 4*, 3*) • Conference centre at the Grand Hotel Metropol ***** • 7 halls (up to 250 guests) • Full technical support • Natural daylight in all halls • Wellness centre and sea-water pool • Outstanding Mediterranean culinary offer • Grand Casino and Metropol Night Club

Marketing we hosted a group of 31 representatives of British agencies and event organizers in Slovenia. From 12 to 14 October, working with German agency Travel Marketing Factory we met 23 representatives of agencies from Germany and Austria. The purpose of both groups’ visits was to acquaint them

Metropol Hotels PortoroÏ Obala 77, 6320 PortoroÏ, Slovenija Tel.: +386 5 690 70 00 / Fax: +386 5 690 78 77 e-mail: sales@metropolgroup.si www.metropol-hotels.com

The Ljubljana Tourist Board / Convention Bureau is your objective professional contact and prime source of know-how on the meetings offer and general destination features in the Slovenian capital. *www.ljubljana-tourism.si* Renovation of the Hotel Golf Castle Mokrice complex is part-financed by EU funds.

A castle ambience for modern requirements Medieval Mokrice castle is a popular place for protocol, business and social meetings. Hire options: • 2 halls and 2 business suites at Mokrice Castle • Barbara conference hall in the Annexe

Golf Hotel Mokrice Castle • Rajec 4, Jesenice na Dolenjskem • Tel: +386 7 45 74 240, 49 36 759 • www.mokrice.si; info@terme-catez.si

News from the Slovenian Convention Bureau Maribor, and Dušan Brejc, director of the Slovenian Wine Association. The lecture was attended by sales representatives as well as staff from the field of catering at various hotels from around Slovenia.

International activities with Slovenia as a congress destination, as well as to personally meet key congress services providers in our market. In two and a half days the guests briefly got to know Bled, Ljubljana, Postojna Cave and Portorož. Both guests and providers got to know each other in greater detail at an afternoon workshop as well as at social events. Judging by guests and service providers’ comments both study visits were a success.

Professional training at Terme Olimia Internationally renowned congress expert Tony Carey led SCB professional training on ‘Catering for conferences’ at Terme Olimia on 10 October. Contributions were also made by Mojca Polak Zupan, lecturer at the Vocational College for Catering and Tourism in

With Ljubljana Tourist Board and the Slovenian Tourist Board, SCB attended a workshop for event organizers in Amsterdam on 16 October. This was the first showcase of the Slovenian congress offer on this market, which is among our prospective markets. Adria Airways gives Slovenia good connections between Amsterdam and Ljubljana. This year, Slovenia again showcased itself at BTC, the largest international business exhibition on the Italian market. The exhibition, which has moved from Florence to Rome, took from 8 to 9 November. Together with the Ljubljana Tourist Board, ten Slovenian companies also attended the exhibition. www.btc.it

Record attendance at EIBTM This year’s EIBTM business exhibition, an annual fair in Spain that is to take place from 27 to 29 November, will be the largest so far, according to event organizers. A record attendance is also expected from Slovenia, as, beside the Ljubljana Tourist Board, 16 Slovenian companies and more than 20 representatives will also attend. For the first time, Kongres magazine takes a place at the exhibition in the media area. www.eibtm.com

Second SIMEX upcoming SCB is eagerly preparing for the second SIMEX business exhibition, which is to take place from 24 to 25 January 2008 at Ljubljana Fairgrounds within the framework of the Tourism and Leisure Fair. The second SIMEX will be bigger, as, apart from Slovenian event organizers, we will also invite more than 50 foreign event organizers. They will have the chance to get to know the Slovenian congress offer at first hand. More information on SIMEX exhibition is at ww.simex.si and in the SIMEX 2008 section.

Do you organize conference, congress or exhibition? We could become your official carrier for the event. Special benefits are offered to participants and organisers.

Adria Airways, The Airline of Slovenia Tel: +386 (0)1 369 1317 Fax: +386 (0)1 230 1325 events@adria.si www.adria-airways.com

Your partner for preparing and holding professional and business meetings — COMPLETE TOURIST SERVICE: — Arrangement of hotel accommodations — Hospitality, tourist, cultural, and socializing programs and programs for accompanying persons — Welcome service at airport and transfer from airport — P.C.O. — professional congress organization and coordination, financial management

— CONFERENCE SERVICES: — Preparation and organization of all types of meetings — congresses, symposiums, conferences, seminars ... — Preparation and furnishing of conference halls — Materials for participants: name badges, folders, bags, stationery, information materials, brochures, gifts ...

— TECHNICAL SERVICES: — Conference equipment: equipment for simultaneous interpretation, audiovisual equipment — Printing of conference materials — Technical staff, hostesses

Kolumna: Paul Kennedy

Na svidenje na SIMEX-u Medtem ko se moja ekipa približuje izdelavi končnega podrobnega načrta za EIBTM, pozornost namenjamo tudi podpori nekoliko manjšega poslovnega dogodka SIMEX, ki ga organizira Slovenija. SIMEX podpiramo (čeprav sem mnenja, da bi bilo ustreznejše ime za vaš dogodek »Meetings Slovenia«) s pridobivanjem povabljenih strank iz gospodarskih panog in geografskih območij, ki so jih izbrali organizatorji SIMEX-a.

Poleg tega pripravljam tudi svojo predstavitev za strokovni pogovor na kongresu ICCA ter sejmu, ki bo naslednji teden na Tajskem. Povabili so me, da predstavim svoje poglede na najboljšo prakso za pripravo prodajnih sejmov, pri tem pa sem se spomnil, da lahko z nekaj smernicami pomagam tudi kolegom v Sloveniji, ki se pravkar pripravljajo na svoj lastni prodajni sejem. Ključne točke: 1. Bodite jasni glede svojih poslovnih ciljev. Ali so ti: • izboljševanje prepoznavnosti vaše znamke/izdelka, • generiranje prodaje in poslov, vodenje odnosov z obstoječimi naročniki, • raziskave trga oz. konkurentov, • mreženje? Če med vaše poslovne cilje spadajo vsi zgoraj navedeni cilji, kateri izmed njih ima prednost? Če ne razjasnite svojega poslovnega namena, ne morem z gotovostjo trditi, da bodo vsi poslovni dogodki optimalno koristili vašemu poslovanju. 2. Naslednje temeljno dejstvo, ki ga je treba upoštevati, je jasnost glede tega, kaj poskušate prodati. Beseda »edinstveno« je prepogosto uporabljana in je, po pravici povedano, izgubila svoj pomen pri poskusu diferenciacije izdelkov. Ključnega pomena je upoštevati, da široko zastavljena raziskava pokaže veliko ključnih dejavnikov, ki jih je treba upoštevati pri srečanjih z načrtovalci/strankami, ko se ti odločajo, ali bodo sklenili posel ali ne. Ti dejavniki so: dostopnost, cena in cenovna prilagodljivost, kakovost objektov, kakovost storitve, varnost in zaščita ter (na podlagi raziskave EIBTM) novosti oz. nova destinacija. Osebno bi dodal še dolgo veljavno stališče, da je naloga dobavitelja dodajanje vrednosti. Razstavljalci na SIMEX-u, ki to razumejo in izkazujejo v svojih tržnih obljubah, bodo naredili veliko ugodnejši vtis na stranko. Tisti pa, ki ne … Letos sem se že udeležil enega prodajnega sejma v azijsko-pacifiški regiji, kjer se trenutno tudi nahajam. Še vedno sem osupel nad primerom, kako se na prodajnem sejmu ne sme predstaviti. Ne da bi razstavljavec navedel vsaj državo, iz katere prihaja, je bila edina tehnika, ki jo je uporabil, ta, da je delil brošure, pri čemer pa nihče izmed njegovih predstavnikov ni znal niti besedice angleško; dogodek, ki je potekal v angleško govoreči državi, je gostil stranke iz okoli 20 držav. Pri tem ni bilo nobene komunikacije s strankami – brez pripravljenosti in želje, da bi vsaj skušali razumeti, kaj stranke iščejo. Posledica tega so bile razočarane potencialne stranke, oz. natančneje, potencialnih strank sploh ni bilo, ter zapravljena naložba v sejem. Prepričan sem, da se bodo vsi SIMEX-ovi razstavljavci takim težavam izognili … Paul Kennedy, direktor grupacije strokovni sejmi v korporaciji Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Meetings and Incentive Events

Paul Kennedy

Column: Paul Kennedy

See you at SIMEX! As my team approach final detailed planning for EIBTM, we’re also turning our attention to supporting Slovenia's own somewhat smaller SIMEX trade event. We’re supporting SIMEX (though I do think that ‘Meetings Slovenia’ would be a better name for it) by recruiting quality hosted buyers from industry sectors and geographical areas chosen by the SIMEX organisers. As well as this, I’m preparing my presentation for a panel discussion at an ICCA congress and exhibition in Thailand over the next week. I’ve been asked to give my views on best practices for preparing for trade shows and it’s struck me that, as my Slovenian colleagues prepare for their own trade show, some guidelines might help.

The key points are: 1. Be clear about your business objectives. Are they on the following list? • enhancing awareness of your brand/product, • the generation of sales and business leads, • managing existing client relationships, • market or competitor research, • networking. If your objectives are all of these, then which has priority? If you don’t get your business purpose clear, I don’t see how any trade event can be of maximum benefit to your business. 2. The next basic consideration is to be clear what it is you want to sell. The word ‘unique’ is overused and frankly has become meaningless when trying to differentiate your product. It’s vital to remember that widespread research points to a number of key considerations for meeting planners/buyers when they are deciding whether or not to place business. These include ease of access, price and price flexibility, quality of facilities, quality of service, safety and security, and – from EIBTM's research – the novelty factor or the newness of a destination. I’d personally add a long held view that the supplier is there to add value. Exhibitors at SIMEX who understand these issues and demonstrate this in their marketing will create a much more favourable impression on the buyer. Those who don’t, well ... I went to a trade show in the Asia-Pacific region earlier this year. The worst examples of how not to perform at a trade show still amaze me. Without naming the country, their only marketing technique was to hand out brochures without the ability to speak any English whatsoever – and the event was in an English speaking country with buyers from some 20 countries. There was no interaction with buyers – no preparation or attempt to understand what buyers were looking for. The result was disappointed potential customers – or, more accurately, NON potential customers – and a wasted investment in the show by the exhibitor. I’m sure all SIMEX exhibitors will avoid these mistakes ... Paul Kennedy MBE is Group Exhibition Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions' Meetings and Incentive Events.

Kolumna: Tony Carey

Užitek pričakovanja Slavni popotnik je nekoč zapisal, da je »bolje potovati kot prispeti na cilj«, kar naj bi pomenilo (vsaj mislim tako), da so naša pričakovanja o nekem kraju pogosto boljša od resničnosti same. Vsekakor je res, da polovico užitka ob potovanju v nek nov kraj predstavlja občutek vznemirjenja in radovednosti o neznanem, ki ga občutimo prav vsi. Odgovornost organizatorjev konferenc in lokalnih kongresnih uradov je, da s skupnimi močmi zagotovijo vsem sodelujočim, da jih pred prireditvijo spreletava ta prijeten občutek pričakovanja. Iznajdljiv načrtovalec srečanja se bo pozanimal o odnosu potencialnih delegatov do izbrane lokacije, saj imajo lahko ti do nje pozitivne in negativne občutke. Delegati, ki bodo Slovenijo obiskali prvič, imajo morda v naprej ustvarjene predstave o hotelih, hrani in standardu storitev, ki temeljijo na zgodbah o stari Jugoslaviji, ki so jih morda slišali od sorodnikov ali prijateljev. Nekatere od teh predstav Sloveniji niso ravno naklonjene.

Kljub temu, da bodo marsikoga pritegnile čudovite fotografije Blejskega jezera, jih bo le malo znalo izgovoriti besedo »Ljubljana«. Jih bo ob tem morda zaskrbelo o možnih jezikovnih preprekah? Vsi, ki sodelujejo pri izpeljavi dogodka – ne le organizatorji – morajo poudarjati pozitivne vtise in čim bolj zmanjšati negativne. To pa zahteva dobro mero premišljenega in usklajenega oglaševanja. Ker dolžnost organizatorjev konferenc ni le zagotavljanje povpraševanja za svoje dogodke, temveč tudi vzpodbujanje občutka prijetnega pričakovanja, morajo tesno sodelovati z lokalnimi sodelavci: kongresnimi uradi, podjetji za destinacijski management, hoteli in znamenitostmi. Seveda si udeleženci zaslužijo, da jim po elektronski pošti ali na CD-ju pošljete vabljive fotografije kongresne destinacije. Seveda morajo biti na spletni strani konference navedene tudi glavne lokacije in znamenitosti. In seveda je treba delegatom posredovati osnovne informacije, na primer o vremenu in lokalni valuti. Vendar pa obstaja še mnogo sredstev za povečanje njihovega pričakovanja in naklonjenosti. Nekaj zgodovinskih podatkov o kraju bo obiskovalcem pomagalo lokacijo postaviti v nek kontekst, pri čemer bodo informativne spletne strani v veliko pomoč. Za delegate so vedno zanimive povezave med njihovo državo in kongresno destinacijo, prav tako jim je potrebno opisati in pojasniti morebitne poslovne povezave. Če bodo delegati obiskali vinorodno pokrajino (ali v Sloveniji sploh obstaja nevinorodna pokrajina?), jih bodo zanimale sorte vin. Drugi bodo želeli poskusiti lokalne specialitete. Zakaj jim jih ne bi predstavili na spletni strani konference – morda celo z recepti? Spremljevalni izleti in ogledi so bili od nekdaj običajni del paketne ponudbe, ki so jo pripravili lokalni organizatorji. Vendar internet zdaj organizatorjem kongresov omogoča predstavitev najrazličnejših sprostitvenih dejavnosti, ki si jih lahko udeleženci konferenc sami izberejo v naprej. Destinacije se ne da približati samo z bleščečimi fotografijami. Da bi obiskovalec lahko resnično cenil Slovenijo, mora slišati odmeve v Postojnski jami, okusiti vina Goriških brd in čofotati v smaragdni vodi Soče (med drugim). Kongresnoturistični uradi bi morali najti način, kako potencialnim obiskovalcem približati takšne izkušnje. Na srečo se tehnologija razvija v smer, da je že mogoče posredovati zvoke, vonjave in okuse. Verjamem, da bo organizator konference, ki se bo potrudil in »zapeljal« prisotne, vedno zasenčil konkurenco. Govorimo o tem, da sodelujoče pripravimo do tega, da pričakujejo imenitno izkušnjo – in da jih ne razočaramo. Na žalost se za marsikatero skupino konferenca začne in konča z grenkim priokusom. Varnostni postopki ob začetku in koncu potovanja so lahko precej dolgotrajni in stresni. Bi se lahko temu izognili? Naša poklicna odgovornost je prepričati oblasti, naj bodo bolj praktične, in zagotoviti delegatom, da ne bodo imeli neprijetnosti. Nobena od teh nalog ni lahka. Dandanašnji delegati so veliko bolj izkušeni popotniki kot njihovi starši in tudi veliko bolj zahtevni, vendar jim z dobrim sodelovanjem organizatorjev in dobaviteljev lahko zagotovimo, da bo njihovo pričakovanje izkušnje prav tako prijetno kot resničnost sama.

Tony Carey, CMP, CMM Tony je pisatelj, govornik in svetovalec na področju mednarodnih konferenc. Dosegljiv je na elektronskem naslovu tonycarey@psilink.co.je. Tony Carey

Column: Tony Carey, CMP, CMM

The Pleasure of Anticipation A famous traveller once wrote that ‘it’s better to travel than to arrive’ - meaning (I think) that the anticipation of a place is often better than the reality. It’s certainly true that half the fun of going somewhere new is the sense of excitement and curiosity about the unknown that we all have.

And it’s the responsibility of the conference organiser and the local Convention Bureau, working together, to ensure that all the attendees share this delightful frisson of anticipation before an event. Good meeting planners research potential delegates’ opinions about the chosen location. They may have positive and negative perceptions. Delegates visiting Slovenia for the first time may have preconceived

ideas about hotels, food and service standards based on stories from family and friends of the old Yugoslavia; some of these notions may not be entirely favourable. Although many will be attracted by the magical pictures of Lake Bled, few will be able to pronounce ‘Ljubljana’. So will this make them nervous about a possible language barrier? Everyone involved in running an event – not just the organiser – has a responsibility to emphasise positive impressions and minimise the negatives. This requires some smart and co-ordinated marketing. Because conference organisers have a duty not just to create a demand for their events but also to encourage a sense of pleasant anticipation, they need to work closely with their local contacts – the convention bureau, DMC, hotels and attractions. Of course, attendees deserve to be sent glamorous e-mail or CD pictures of the destination. Of course, the conference website should show key locations and attractions. And of course delegates should know the basics such as the weather and the local currency. But there’s much more that can enhance their anticipation and generate goodwill. A little about the history of a place helps to put it in context, so references to informative websites can help. Connections between the delegates’ countries of origin and the destination are also always interesting and you should explain any professional links. If delegates are going to visit a wine-growing region, (is there anywhere that isn’t in Slovenia?) they’ll be interested in the types of grapes. Others will look forward to tasting the local food. So why not explain this on the conference website – maybe with recipes? Conference side trips are traditionally pre-packaged by a local advisor, but the internet now lets PCOs offer details of a wide range of leisure activities so attendees can select them in advance. A destination can’t be portrayed in glossy pictures alone. To fully appreciate Slovenia, the echoes in Postojna caves must be heard, the wines of Goriška Brda have to be tasted and you have to splash in the emerald waters of the Soča river, among other things. CVBs should find ways to communicate these sensory experiences to potential visitors. Luckily, technology is taking us in that direction and it’s now possible to communicate sounds, smells and tastes. I think that conference organisers who take the trouble to seduce attendees will always eclipse their competitors. We’re talking about preparing participants so that that they expect a great experience – and are not disappointed. Unfortunately, for many groups, the conference experience starts and ends on a sour note. Security procedures at both ends of a journey tend to be long and stressful. Can we overcome this? As a profession we have a responsibility to persuade the authorities to be more practical and to reassure delegates that they won’t be inconvenienced. Neither of these is easy. Today’s delegates are more experienced travellers than their parents and much more demanding, but if planners and suppliers work together we can make the anticipation of the experience as enjoyable as the reality.

Tony Carey, CMP, CMM Tony is a writer, presenter and consultant to the international meetings industry. He can be reached at tonycarey@psilink.co.je

Rok V. Klančnik: Pismo iz Bruslja

Posebne lokacije za snubljenje kupcev Organizatorji potovanj so za vsako destinacijo kot nevesta, ki ima po enega snubca na prst vsake roke in noge. V času že prav »božjastnega« organiziranja vseh mogočih dogodkov in srečanj, namenjenih organizatorjem potovanj, je dobra izbira kraja dogodka pogosto usodna. Ne gre zgolj za turizem, temveč za vse gospodarske panoge, ki so vezane na sezonskost.

Vzemimo primer. Da sta bili jesenski delavnici slovenskega turizma v Beneluksu dokaj dobro obiskani, ne gre zahvala samo temu, da je Slovenski turistični urad v Bruslju ure in ure prečepel na telefonu vabeč zaželene partnerje. Prva napovedana workshopa za začetek maja sta bila tako ali tako prestavljena na september, saj si ciljna skupina ni mogla vzeti časa. Tudi zdaj je šlo za las. Ko smo se v Haagu družili z zvestimi partnerji, so se v istem mestu, v Amsterdamu in v hotelih okoliških vasi odvijale predstavitve zimskih katalogov velikanov kot so Oad, Hotelplan, Alltours, Neckermann, Vrij Uit in Odysseus. Workshope sta imela Kuoni in Travel Trend, DTI Travel je bil na svojem roadshowu, Holland International pa je predstavljal svoj produkt Karibov. Po podatkih strokovne revije Reisbureau Actuel na Nizozemskem dnevno potekata povprečno dva dogodka, namenjena tour operatorjem in agencijam. Vseh se kajpak ne morejo udeležiti. Zato se odločajo po kriteriju poslovnega pomena (udeležijo se dogodkov, ki jih organizirajo velike destinacije, velike hotelske verige, velike letalske družbe, kjer se valijo veliki denarji, kjer gre za velike množice ljudi, itd.) in – heh – recimo, primerne »socialne atraktivnosti« (kjer je veliko lepih žensk, kjer se dobro zastonj je in pije ter kjer vsakemu obiskovalcu v roke stisnejo kakšno lepo darilce). Če ne bi imeli Slovenci workshopa v Madurodamu, ki je na Nizozemskem znan vsakemu vaškemu pobalinu, kjer je ogromno parkirišče in udobna dvorana za delo, ne bi prišlo kar 50 udeležencev, enih bolj, drugih manj pomembnih. Prizorišče je posebnega pomena za uspeh dogodka. Udeleženci, pa tudi organizatorji, so po malem že siti dragih dvoran v Hiltonih in Sheratonih. Raje se srečujejo v kakšnem golf klubu, gradu, na ladji, muzeju lokomotiv itd. Odlična delavnica v Parizu je konec oktobra npr. potekala v Vinskem muzeju, pred katerim raste »hčerka« mariborske Stare trte. Druga ključna stvar so strateške povezave. V Belgiji je letos slovenski workshop potekal v vasi Bornem, kakih 30 km zunaj Bruslja. Prostor sicer ni bil sapo jemajoč, imel pa je parkirišče in udeležencem je bil dobro znan. Slovenci smo se pri tem strateško povezali z združenjem belgijskih tour operatorjev in agencij Travelcoop, ki je imel sredi oktobra v Portorožu tudi svoj letni kongres. Tako da je zadeva uspela, kljub temu, da se nismo drenjali kje v središču Bruslja, kjer je potekal workshop francoskega mesta Lille. V prihodnje pa bi bilo treba razmisliti, ali ne bi veljalo delavnici organizirati s kakšno na videz konkurenčno destinacijo, npr. Češko, Slovaško in Madžarsko, ali pa celo z balkanskimi državami, pri čemer bi imela Slovenija vodilno vlogo. Gre za »coopetition«, sodelovanje v konkurenci. Že nekaj let v Bruslju skupni MICE workshop organizirajo Velika Britanija, Francija, Nizozemska in Švica. Na tak način vsi privarčujejo čas in denar. Na velikem evropskem turističnem odru je Slovenija premajhna za monodrame. Zato potrebuje dobre prijatelje, kreativnost, dobra prizorišča in »začutiti nekaj ljubezni«. Skratka, atraktivnost prizorišča in strateške povezave lahko odločilno vplivajo na število in kakovost udeležencev dogodka. Povsem druga zgodba pa je, ali odlično izbrane lokacije in dobri partnerji tudi zagotavljajo uspeh naših, slovenskih partnerjev. Če so ti prvi v vrsti pred toplo-hladnim bifejem oziroma če slabe volje sedijo prilepljeni pred svojim panojem, jim ne bo koristilo niti še tako dobro pripravljeno srečanje v še tako ekskluzivnem okolju.

Rok V. Klančnik

Rok V. Klančnik, Slovenski turistični urad, Beneluks

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Kje so obdavčene posredniške storitve in storitve potovalnih agencij?

1. odstavek 25. člena ZDDV-1 določa, da je kraj opravljanja storitev posrednikov, ki delujejo v imenu in za račun druge osebe tam, kjer je opravljena glavna transakcija. Vendar pa, če je naročnik storitev, ki jih opravi posrednik, identificiran za DDV v državi članici EU se šteje, da je kraj opravljanja storitev na ozemlju države članice, ki je naročniku izdala identifikacijsko številko za DDV, pod katero mu je bila storitev opravljena (2. odstavek 25. člena ZDDV-1). Izjema od pravila navedenega v 1. odstavku pa je v primeru, če se honorar posrednika nanaša na posredovanje naslednjih storitev: a) storitve prenosa in odstopa avtorskih pravic, patentov, licenc, blagovnih znamk in podobnih pravic; b) storitve oglaševanja; c) storitve svetovalcev, inženirjev, svetovalnih pisarn, odvetnikov in notarjev, revizorjev in računovodij, tolmačev, prevajalcev in podobne storitve ter obdelava podatkov in dajanje informacij; d) storitve v zvezi s prenehanjem ali opustitvijo poslovne dejavnosti; e) bančne, finančne in zavarovalne transakcije, vključno s pozavarovanjem, razen najema sefov; f) storitve posredovanja osebja; g) storitve dajanja premičnin v najem, razen vseh vrst prevoznih sredstev; h) storitve zagotavljanja dostopa do distribucijskih sistemov za zemeljski plin in električno energijo ter prevoz ali prenos po teh sistemih ter opravljanje drugih, s tem neposredno povezanih storitev; i) storitve telekomunikacij; j) storitve radijskega in televizijskega oddajanja; k) elektronsko opravljene storitve. Kraj opravljanja posredovanja zgoraj citiranih storitev, ki se opravijo za naročnika s sedežem zunaj Skupnosti ali za davčnega zavezanca s sedežem v drugi državi članici, je kraj kjer ima naročnik sedež svoje dejavnosti ali ima stalno poslovno enoto, za katero je storitev opravljena, oziroma če takega kraja ni, kraj, kjer ima stalno prebivališče ali običajno prebiva. Če se posredovanje storitev opravi za davčnega zavezanca izven EU, je, skladno z 29. členom Pravilnika o izvajanju Zakona o davku na dodano vrednost (Uradni list RS, št. 141/2006 in 52/2007), kraj obdavčitve izven Skupnosti le, če se storitve dejansko uporabijo in uživajo zunaj Skupnosti. ZDDV-1 pa v členih od 97. – 100. določa posebno ureditev za potovalne agencije. V kolikor potovalna agencija deluje v svojem imenu in če pri zagotavljanju potovalnih zmogljivosti uporablja dobave blaga ali storitev drugih davčnih zavezancev, obračunava in plačuje DDV na podlagi posebne ureditve.Vendar pa se posebna ureditev ne uporablja v primeru, če potovalna agencija deluje le kot posrednik (v imenu in za račun potnika). Transakcije v zvezi s potovanjem, ki jih opravi potovalna agencija pod pogoji iz 97. člena ZDDV-1, se obravnavajo kot enotna storitev, ki jo potovalna agencija opravi potniku in so obdavčene v državi članici, v kateri ima potovalna agencija sedež svoje dejavnosti ali poslovno enoto, iz katere je opravila storitev. V kolikor so transakcije, ki jih potovalna agencija zaupa v izvedbo drugim davčnim zavezancem, opravljene zunaj Skupnosti, se storitev potovalne agencije skladno z 99. členom ZDDV-1 šteje kot oproščena storitev posredovanja, če pa so opravljene tako znotraj Skupnosti kot zunaj nje, je oproščen samo tisti del storitev potovalne agencije, ki se nanaša na transakcije zunaj Skupnosti.

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Rok V. Klančnik: A Letter from Brussels

Special Venues for attracting Customers For any destination, travel organizers are like a bride, which has one suitor for each finger and toe. A good selection of event venue is often crucial for travel organizers at this time of genuinely ‘dizzying’ choices for every possible event and meeting. This does not apply only to tourism, but any industry tied to certain seasons of the year.

Let’s look at an example. Gratitude for the rather good attendance at the Slovenian tourism’s autumn workshops in the Benelux countries does not go only to the Slovenian Tourist Office in Brussels for spending hours and hours on the telephone inviting prospective partners. The first workshops scheduled for the beginning of May were postponed to September anyway, since the target group didn’t have time then. It nearly didn’t happen in September either. When we were hosting our faithful partners in the Hague, it, Amsterdam and hotels in the nearby villages had showcases of the winter catalogues of giants such as Oad, Hotelplan, Alltours, Neckermann, Vrij Uit and Odysseus. There were workshops by Kuoni and Travel Trend, DTI Travel was at its roadshow, while Holland International was showcasing its Caribbean product. Trade magazine Reisbureau Actuel says there’s an average of two events daily in Holland for tour operators and agencies. Naturally, they can’t go to all of them. That’s why they select on the basis of business importance, going to events organized by major destinations, large hotel chains, large airlines, where large amounts of money and people are involved and so on. They also – huh, let’s be frank – go to events that have the right ‘social attractiveness’ featuring lots of beautiful women, free food and drink and where a nice little gift is put into the hands of every visitor. If we’d organized our workshop at the Madurodam, which is known to every village youngster in Holland, where there are a lot of parking spaces and a hall that’s comfortable to work in, we wouldn’t have had 50 participants, some more and some less important. The venue is especially important for the success of an event. Participants and organizers are little by little getting fed up with expensive halls at the Hilton or Sheraton. They’d rather meet at a golf club, castle, ship, locomotive museum and so on. There was an excellent workshop in Paris at the end of October, at the Wine Museum, in front of which grows a ‘daughter’ of the Old Vine of Maribor. Strategic connections are another key element. This year’s Slovenian workshop was at the village of Bornem, some 30 km out of Brussels. The place is not breathtaking, but it has a car park and participants know it well. In this project, we strategically linked ourselves with Travelcoop, the association of Belgian tour operators and agencies, which also held its annual congress in Portorož in mid-October. So the project was a success, even though we didn’t squeeze together somewhere in the middle of Brussels where the French city of Lille was having a workshop. In future, we’ll need to think whether both workshops should be organized together with a destination that seems to be a competitor, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, or even the Balkan countries, with Slovenia playing a leading role. This involves ‘co-opetition’, co-operation in competition. Britain, France, Holland and Switzerland have had a joint MICE workshop in Brussels for years, meaning everybody saves time and money. On the great European tourist stage, Slovenia is too small for monodramas. That’s why we need good friends, creativity, good venues as well as ‘to feel some love’. In short, a venue’s attractiveness and strategic connections can decisively affect event participants’ numbers and quality. It’s an entirely different matter whether excellently selected locations and good friends are a guarantee our Slovenian partners will succeed. They’re not going to see any benefits from a meeting if they’re first in the queue in front of the hot and cold snack bar or if they are sitting moody and glued in front of their posters, however wellprepared with an exclusive setting it may be. Rok V. Klančnik, Slovenian Tourist Office in Brussels

(koristno s prijetnim)

Intervju – Matjaž Berčon

Postojnska jama je prvovrstna naravna vrednota Med največje posebnosti slovenske kongresne ponudbe zagotovo sodi Postojnska jama. Postojnska jama je podzemni splet 20 kilometrov čudovito zakapanih rovov, galerij in dvoran, ki predstavljajo enega izmed najbolj nenavadnih prizorišč za posebna srečanja. O trenutnem stanju in načrtih Postojnske jame smo se pogovarjali z direktorjem družbe Turizem Kras, Matjažem Berčonom.

Kaj Postojnsko jamo ločuje od ostalih ponudnikov v Sloveniji? Postojnska jama je posebna, ker kot turistični produkt predstavlja izkoriščanje naravnih virov, z ostalimi blagovnimi znamkami, kot so Predjamski grad, Jamski dvorec in npr. Modrijanova domačija pa posega tudi na področje kulturne dediščine ter cele vrste dopolnilnih turističnih storitev. Postojnska jama je posebna tudi v tem smislu, da po številu obiskovalcev, zgodovini organizirane turistične dejavnosti in obsegu promocije daleč prevladuje med primerljivimi slovenskimi turističnimi znamenitostmi. Mednarodna ocena konkurenčnosti turizma Sloveniji daje precej nizko oceno glede izkoriščanja naravnih virov. Samozavestno trdimo, da zagotovo ne na račun Postojnske jame. Vsaj ne z vidika že omenjenega množičnega obiska, ustvarjenih prihodkov, števila delovnih mest in dodane vrednosti, ki jo ustvarjamo v podjetju. Kako ste se lotili preoblikovanja tržne znamke Postojnska jama? Pravzaprav ne gre za preoblikovanje tržne znamke Postojnska jama. Gre v prvi vrsti za širitev dejavnosti, povezanih s tem pojmom. Tukaj najbolj izstopajo team building programi, podzemne pustolovščine in pa Postojnska jama kot prizorišče za posebne dogodke. Vse te dejavnosti so močno vezane na komplementarno blagovno znamko Jamski dvorec, s katero pa posegamo na področje poslovnega turizma. V osnovi gre za bogato ponudbo prireditvenih in gostinskih storitev. Postojnska jama tako ostaja pojem in sinonim za prvovrstno naravno vrednoto. Večji premik se je zgodil s tem, ko smo se odločili za preimenovanje podjetja iz Postojnska jama, turizem v Turizem KRAS, destinacijski management. Ta sprememba pa kaže na našo novo strategijo premika od atrakcijskega k destinacijskemu managementu in podpira uvajanje krovne destinacijske blagovne znamke KRAS. Prosimo, da izpostavite trženjske produkte kongresnega turizma v Postojnski jami, po katerih je največje povpraševanje? Izpostavil sem že Jamski dvorec kot osrednji prireditveni in gostinski objekt, ki se nahaja tik pred vhodom v Postojnsko jamo. Po lanskoletni obnovi smo vzpostavili sodobno zasnovan in opremljen konferenčni del ob že obstoječem gostinstvu v pri-

Matjaž Berčon (Foto: Arhiv Postojnske jame)

Foto: Arhiv Postojnske jame

tličju. V celotni stavbi je v različnih postavitvah in dvoranah na voljo skoraj 1000 sedežev, optimalna organizacija pa je možna v prostorih za 20-25, 100-120 ali 200-300 ljudi v razredni postavitvi. Paradni konj Jamskega dvorca je seveda izvrstna kulinarika, kjer izpostavljam slavnostne postavitve za 200-250 ljudi ali pa npr. hladno-tople bifeje za do 700 ljudi. Vsekakor smo največje zanimanje vzbudili s ponudbo team buildingov v jamskem okolju, s katerimi se tudi v ožjem izoboru potegujemo za pridobitev nagrade »Sejalec«. Najbolj prodajana kombinacija pa so sproščene jamske pustolovščine z našimi vodniki in gostinsko ponudbo v Jamskem dvorcu.

Katere ovire premagujete pri vodenju Postojnske jame? Največjo oviro, ki jo že rešujemo, je do nedavnega predstavljala omejenost koncesijske pogodbe za upravljanje s Postojnsko jamo. Ta se izteka naslednje leto, vendar je vlada že sprejela ustrezno uredbo, ki predvideva podelitev za 20 let. Poleg tega smo imeli kar nekaj usklajevanj na temo urbanizma in umeščanja novih programov v prostor, ki pa jih prav tako po sprejemu nove prostorske zakonodaje pospešeno zaključujemo. To sta bila tudi temeljna vzroka, da kljub intenzivni notranji rasti in konsolidaciji poslovanja v zadnjih letih še nismo mogli narediti pravega preboja na investicijskem področju. Razen seveda obnove Jamskega dvorca, medtem ko hotel Jama še spi kot Trnjulčica, a se bo kmalu prebudila! Zagotovo je velika ovira zelo velika naravovarstvena nefleksibilnost, kar omejuje razvoj nekaterih programov v jamah. Kako pri razvoju ponudbe sodelujete z lokalnim okoljem in lokalno skupnostjo? Kot rečeno, v zadnjem času zelo intenzivno z vidika rabe prostora in dogovorov o skupni infrastrukturi, zlasti prometni. Tečejo pa tudi pogovori o javno-zasebnih partnerstvih pri večjih investicijah, ki nas še čakajo.

Kakšna je struktura vaših kongresnih naročnikov? Največ, preko 80 % naročnikov v tem segmentu predstavljajo podjetja, ostalo pa bodisi vladne ali nevladne organizacije.

Ali v prihodnjem letu v svoji ponudbi načrtujete kakšne novosti in investicije? Nadaljevali bomo s prenovo dotrajane zunanje infrastrukture. Umestili bomo še nekaj dodatnih trgovinskih in gostinskih lokalov, v načrtih imamo prenovo Modrijanove domačije ob reki Pivki. Največ posegov bo še vedno v zvezi z urejanjem parkirišč v Postojni in Predjami. Načrtujemo za 1,5 mio evrov naložb.

Ste zadovoljni s poslovnimi rezultati v tem letu? Glede na to, da bo letos prvo leto poslovanja in je primerjava nemogoča, vseeno lahko rečem, da smo visoko nad pričakovanimi rezultati.

V kateri smeri bi se po vašem mnenju moral razvijati slovenski kongresni turizem? Mislim, da se razvija v pravo smer, zlasti, ker je vse več specializacij posameznih ponudnikov. V glavnem je potrebno delati na dobri ponudbi. In držati cene. To velja nasploh za turistično dejavnost. Sami sebi zbijamo ceno in ustvarjamo vtis cenene destinacije.

Foto: Arhiv Postojnske jame

Interview – Matjaž Berčon

Postojna Cave a First-class Natural Asset Postojna Cave is definitely among the greatest specialities of the Slovenian congress offer. It's an underground network of 20 kilometres of wonderful tunnels, galleries and halls, which is one of the most unusual venues for special meetings.We talked to Matjaž Berčon, Director of Tourism Kras, about the current position and plans for Postojna Cave.

the promotion range, it’s head and shoulders above other comparable Slovenian tourist sights. An international assessment of tourism competitiveness gives Slovenia rather low marks for the exploitation of our natural assets. With a great deal of certainty and self-confidence, we can say that that’s not on account of Postojna cave. At least not from the point of view of visitor numbers, turnover generated, the numbers employed or the added value generated in our company. What was your concept for the remodelling of the Postojna Cave trade mark? Actually, it wasn’t really a remodelling of the trade mark, but more an enhancement of the activities within this framework. The segments that stand out are the team building programmes, underground adventures and Postojna cave as a venue for special events. All these activities are closely linked to the complementary Jamski dvorec mansion trade mark via which we touch the business tourism segment. We offer a wide range of event and catering services. Postojna cave is therefore a synonym for first-class natural value. A bigger shift happened when we decided to change our company name from ‘Postojna Cave Tourism’, to ‘Kras Tourism, Destination Management’. This change signifies our new strategy of moving from attraction management towards destination management, and it supports the implementation of the KRAS destination trademark.

What makes Postojna cave different from other providers in Slovenia? Postojna cave is special because its tourist product exploits naturally existing assets, and at the same time, interacts with the cultural heritage segment with other trade marks such as Predjama Castle, Jamski dvorec mansion, Modrijan's Mill and Winery and so on, and includes a whole range of supplementary tourist services. Postojna cave is also very special because in terms of visitor numbers, the history of organised tourism and

Which Postojna cave congress tourism products are most in demand? I’ve already mentioned Jamski dvorec mansion, right by the entrance to Postojna cave as our central event and catering facility. When we restored it last year, we added a modern and well-equipped conference section next to the existing catering facility on the ground floor. The entire building has a capacity of almost 1000 seats in several halls and layouts; the optimal organisation is possible in the rooms for 20-25, 100-120 or 200-300 people classroom style. Jamski dvorec mansion’s speciality is, of course, their excellent cuisine, where I’d highlight formal luncheons for 200-250 guests or cold-warm buffets for up to 700 guests. The greatest interest in every sense was aroused by our offer of team building programmes in the cave environment, which put us in the running to win the ‘Sejalec’ award. Our best-selling combination is guide-led relaxed cave adventures with the catering offer at Jamski dvorec mansion.

Foto: Arhiv Postojnske jame

What is your client profile? The vast majority, over 80%, of our customers in this segment are companies, and the rest are governmental and non-governmental organisations. Are you pleased with this year's business results? Considering that this year’s been our first year of operation and hardly any comparisons can be made, I still can say that our results are better than we’d expected. What obstacles do you have to overcome in your management of Postojna cave? The major obstacle, which is already being resolved, was until recently the limited nature of the concession contract for our management of the cave. The contract was to have ended next year, but the Government has already adopted an appropriate regulation to grant the concession for a 20-year period. We’ve also had some work to do regarding planning issues and placing our programmes in the physical space. They’re being resolved successfully too, as a result of new spatial planning legislation. These are the main reasons why, despite intensive internal growth and business consolidation, we still haven't been able to make a successful breakthrough in terms of new investment. Except, of course, the restoration of Jamski dvorec mansion. Meanwhile the Jama hotel is still asleep, like ‘Sleeping Beauty’, but it’s about to wake up! Another major obstacle is the inflexibility that restricts the development of some programmes in the caves for environmental reasons. How are the local environment and local community involved in developing your offer? As I’ve mentioned, we’ve had intensive co-operation recently, in terms of using the facilities and arrangements about joint infrastructure, above all traffic infrastructure. And we’ve got

some negotiations under way – about public-private partnerships in larger investments still to come. Are you planning anything new or investment in your offer for the next year? We’re going to carry on restoring the run-down infrastructure. We want to put in some additional sales and catering facilities and we plan to restore Modrijan's Mill and Winery by the Pivka River. The biggest things are our plans to upgrade the car parks at Postojna and Predjama. The cost of planned investments is eur 1.5 million. In what direction, in your opinion, should Slovenian congress tourism develop? I think it’s developing in the right direction, especially as there’s an increasing amount of specialisation of individual providers. On the whole, we have to do our best to provide our customers with a quality offer. And to keep prices steady. That goes for our tourist industry in general. By lowering our prices, we create an image of a cheap tourist destination.

MANAGERSKI PROGRAM preventivni specialistiËni pregledi 2, 3 ali veË dni v TERMAH RADENCI

Visoke delovne zahteve, nenehna tekma s Ëasom in stresne situacije so naπi vsakdanji spremljevalci. Redni specialistiËni preventivni pregledi za managerje in poslovne ljudi so v razvitem svetu nekaj obiËajnega, spremljanje psihofiziËnega stanja poslovneæev pa æe kar vsakdanja praksa.

Zdraviliπka ekipa specialistov in njihovih sodelavcev opravi osnovne preglede in po potrebi ciljne preiskave, programi pa se lahko sestavijo tudi glede na spol in starost. Preventivni specialistiËni pregled v Termah Radenci vsebuje: kliniËni pregled s podrobno anamnezo (z razgovorom o dosedanjih druæinskih, socialnih in drugih vplivih okolja); laboratorijske preiskave: osnovna preiskava krvi in urina, krvne preiskave na dejavnike tveganja (holesterol, HDL, LDL, trigliceridi, krvni sladkor, seËna kislina, urea, kreatinin, bilirubin, AST, ALT); kontrola telesne teæe in ugotavljanje idealne teæe; EKG kompletni odvod; jutranja gimnastika, mineralna kopel, savna; konËni pregled in mnenje Na priporoËilo specialista ali po svoji æelji lahko opravite πe dodatne preiskave: • Cikloergometrija (obremenitveni test) • Vasoscan (preiskava perifernega oæilja) • Barvni doppler vratnega oæilja ali oæilja spodnjih okonËin • Ehokardiografija (ultrazvok srca z barvnim doplerjem) • Spirometrija (meritev kapacitete pljuË) • Ultrazvok trebuπne votline ali πËitnice • Laboratorijske preiskave PSA (za prostato) ali TSH (za πËitnico) • Denzitometrija (merjenje kostne mase)

Informacije in rezervacije

Terme Radenci Tel.: 02 520 27 -20

terme@terme-radenci.si www.terme-radenci.si

Intervju – Darko Brlek

Ljubljanski grad je ekskluzivna kongresna lokacija Ljubljanski grad je najbolj opazna značilnost in privlačna turistična točka Ljubljane ter prizorišče številnih kulturnih prireditev, koncertov, gledaliških predstav, razstav, kongresov in protokolarnih sprejemov, ki v slikovitem okolju gradu dodajajo poseben pečat utripu mesta. O dejavnostih Festivala Ljubljana na področju kongresnega turizma smo se pogovarjali z direktorjem Darkom Brlekom.

Kako ste zadovoljni z zasedenostjo kapacitet na Ljubljanskem gradu? Z zasedenostjo smo zelo zadovoljni in tudi za prihodnje leto se dvorane lepo polnijo.

Kakšna je vloga Festivala Ljubljana pri upravljanju s prostori na gradu? Ali se obetajo kakšne spremembe? Festival Ljubljana je upravljalec Ljubljanskega gradu od leta 2000. Poleg večjih in manjših del investicijskega vzdrževanja, so bili v tem času dokončani naslednji projekti: Stanovska dvorana (Trakt D, E), Virtualni muzej (skupaj s povezovalnimi stopnišči – Trakt H2, H3), Palacij (skupaj z garderobami in sanitarijami – Trakt F, G), vodohran, lapidarij ABCM in tirna vzpenjača. Lastnik Gradu je MOL, kar seveda pomeni, da obliko upravljanja in upravljalca določa MOL. Kakšna je struktura naročnikov dogodkov? Katere vrste kongresnih prireditev prevladujejo? V petih večnamenskih dvoranah Ljubljanskega gradu se skozi vse leto odvijajo zelo raznolike prireditve, tako poslovne (seminarji, predavanja, tiskovne konference, predstavitve, sprejemi, gala večerje), kot kulturne (koncerti, recitali, gledališke predstave ...). Glede kongresne dejavnosti prevladujejo spremljevalne prireditve kongresov, to so gala večerje ali sprejemi po zaključenem uradnem delu konference. Ali se v prihodnjem letu obetajo nove investicije v infrastrukturo? Da. Načrtovana je obnova prostorov, ki bodo namenjeni gostinski in trgovski dejavnosti, v drugi fazi pa sledi še obnova prostorov za kulturno dejavnost. Ali bo Ljubljanski grad v času predsedovanja Evropski uniji prostor za kakšna pomembnejša srečanja? Da, imeli bomo nekaj prireditev v okviru spremljevalnih programov pomembnejših dogodkov, ki se bodo odvijali v tem času v Ljubljani oz. na drugih prizoriščih. Kakšna je dodatna ponudba Ljubljanskega gradu? Ali se obetajo kakšne spremembe? S tehničnega vidika zagotavljamo organizatorjem prireditev tehnično podporo (svetlobni park, ozvočenja, projekcije in usposobljeno osebje za izvedbo teh del), s turističnega vidika pa organiziramo skozi vse leto vodene oglede gradu, ki so lahko prirejeni glede na razpoložljivi čas obiskovalcev in tematiko, s katero se želijo podrobneje seznaniti (poudarek na zgodovini, arheologiji, arhitekturi ali življenju gradu). Skozi vse leto organiziramo ustvarjalne delavnice, vsako leto organiziramo tudi okoli 25 razstav, ki jih obišče približno 90.000 obiskovalcev. Kako vidite nadaljnji razvoj Ljubljanskega gradu z vidika kongresnega turizma? Upamo, da bomo v prihodnjem letu pridobili še vsaj eno večnamensko prizorišče z vso potrebno infrastrukturo in tehnično opremo. Ljubljanski grad je v resnici zelo atraktivna lokacija za en segment kongresne ponudbe. Nismo primerni za množične kongresne prireditve – smo pa idealni za vse, ki bi želeli kongresu dodati ščepec eksluzivnosti in kulturnega sozvočja.

Darko Brlek (Foto: Manca Juvan)

Kaj po vašem mnenju manjka v slovenski kongresni ponudbi? V slovenski kongresni ponudbi manjka predvsem podpora države pri promociji v tujini. Kongresnoturistični urad in Zavod za turizem Ljubljana odlično promovirata slovensko kongresno dejavnost v tujini, vendar menim, da bi bili skupni nastopi, usklajeni tudi z STO, še učinkovitejši.

Kakšno je vaše mnenje o trenutnih kongresnih in namestitvenih kapacitetah v Ljubljani? V času velikih mednarodnih kongresov so vse ljubljanske kapacitete zasedene, v času, ko teh kongresov ni, pa ne dosegajo polne zasedenosti. Povečevanje kapacitet je smiselno v primeru povezovanja z drugimi prireditvami ali dogodki v mrtvi sezoni. Še bolje pa bi bilo, če bi izboljšali turistično ponudbo in dosegali višjo zasedenost nastanitvenih objektov skozi vse leto. Žal ugotavljamo, da so turisti, ki pridejo v Ljubljano, nizkoproračunski gosti, kar velja tudi za nekatere kongrese. Kaj v Ljubljani kot kongresni destinaciji najbolj pogrešate? V Ljubljani najbolj pogrešam hotelske zmogljivosti, ki so, glede na trend naraščanja obiska turistov, še vedno precej majhne. Festival Ljubljana Trg francoske revolucije 1 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija Tel.: 01 / 241 60 00 Faks: 01 / 241 60 37 E-pošta: info@ljubljanafestival.si www.ljubljanafestival.si

PREDJAMSKI GRAD

POSTOJNSKA JAMA

JAMSKI DVOREC

| W ~ - incentive dogodki v Predjamskem gradu, Postojnski jami in njeni okolici - jamske in grajske pustolovš~ine - plesno glasbeni in zabavni dogodki - izvrstna notranjsko-kraška in mednarodna kulinarika - osebni pristop Gostje nam zaupajo že ve~ kot 180 let. Dobrodošli tudi vi!

- incentive events at Predjama Castle, Postojna Cave and in the surrounding area - cave and castle adventures - dancing, music and entertainment - ﬁrst-class local and international cuisine - personal approach Visitors have been relying on us for more than 180 years. Why not join them?

www.turizem-kras.si 43

Informacije in rezervacije Information and bookings: Turizem KRAS d. d. Jamska cesta 30 6230 Postojna Tel.: +386 (0) 5 7000 100 Faks: +386 (0) 5 7000 130 E-mail: events∞postojnska-jama.si

Interview – Darko Brlek

Ljubljana Castle - an exclusive Congress Venue Ljubljana Castle is the most noticeable feature and attractive tourist spot in Ljubljana as well as a venue for numerous cultural events, concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, meetings and diplomatic receptions. These add a special seal to the heartbeat of the city in the castle's picturesque environment. We talked to Director Darko Brlek about Festival Ljubljana's activities in the congress tourism field.

How pleased are you with occupancy rates of Ljubljana Castle’s facilities? We’re very pleased, and we’re glad to see reservations coming in for next year. What’s Festival Ljubljana’s role in managing the Castle facilities? Are there any changes in sight? Festival Ljubljana has managed Ljubljana Castle since 2000. As well as some larger and smaller scale works of extraordinary significance,

we’ve finished the following projects in this period – the Estate Hall (Tract D, E), the Virtual Museum (together with linking staircases – Tract H2, H3), the Palatium (with cloakrooms and toilet facilities – Tract F, G), the Water Supply Reservoir, the Lapidarium ABCM and the Funicular Railway. The Castle is owned by the City of Ljubljana, which means that they determine the form of management and the manager. What’s the profile of clients who book events? What’s the main type of congress services? Throughout the year, five multi-purpose halls serve as venues for a wide range of business events (seminars, lectures, press conferences, presentations, receptions and gala dinners), as well as cultural events (concerts, recitals, theatre performances and so on). In congress terms, we mainly organise accompanying events, i.e. gala dinners or receptions after the official part of conferences has concluded. Do you have any plans for new infrastructure investments in the next year? Yes, we have some plans for the restoration of catering and sales facilities, followed in a second phase by the restoration of facilities for cultural events. Is Ljubljana Castle going to be a venue for any important events during the EU Presidency? Yes, we’re going to organise some accompanying programmes for important events which are to take place in Ljubljana and various other locations during that period. What is Ljubljana Castle’s additional offer? Are there any changes in sight? From the technical point of view, we provide event organisers with technical support (lighting, loudspeakers, projectors and qualified technical personnel). From the tourist point of view, we organise guided tours of the castle all year round and we can adapt them to the available time and interests of the visitors (with an emphasis on history, archaeology, architecture and the life of the castle). We organise creative workshops all year round, and every year we have about 25 exhibitions with approximately 90,000 visitors. How do you see Ljubljana Castle’s future development in terms of congress tourism? Next year we hope to acquire at least one new multi-purpose hall with all the necessary infrastructure and technical equipment. Ljubljana Castle is actually a

very attractive location for one segment of the congress offer. We’re not suitable for mass congress events, but we’re an ideal location for all those who would like to add some exclusivity and cultural harmony to their congress. What, in your opinion, is the Slovenian congress offer lacking? The Slovenian congress offer is above all lacking state support in promotion abroad. The Congress Tourism Office and Ljubljana Tourist Board are doing a great job promoting Slovenian congress activity abroad, but I think that a joint presence, in co-ordination with the Slovenian Tourist Board, would prove even more effective.

What’s your opinion of Ljubljana’s contemporary congress and accommodation facilities? During large international congresses, all the capacities in Ljubljana are fully booked, but when there are no congresses, they are not fully occupied. The enhancement of our facilities would be logical in terms of linkage with other concerts, shows or events in the off-season. But it would be even better to improve the tourist offer and ensure a better occupation of our facilities all year round. Unfortunately, we’ve seen that many tourists coming to Ljubljana are low-budget tourists, and the same goes for some congresses as well. What is Ljubljana as a congress destination missing? As far as I’m concerned, most of all, our hotel capabilities are still quite small, bearing in mind growth trends in tourist visitor numbers. Festival Ljubljana Trg francoske revolucije 1 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: +386 (1) / 241 60 00 Fax: +386 (1) / 241 60 37 E-mail: info@ljubljanafestival.si www.ljubljanafestival.si

Kongresne vinske zgodbe

Vino je za Slovenijo odlična priložnost Dušan Brejc se z vinom ukvarja že petindvajset let. Prvo polovico tega obdobja enološko, s podiplomsko specializacijo v Franciji, drugo marketinško – od Tokia, New Yorka in Londona do Ljubljane, kjer si je nabiral bogate mednarodne izkušnje v trženju različnih vin, žganih in brezalkoholnih pijač. Napisal je na stotine poljudnih in strokovnih člankov o vinu v domačih tiskanih medijih in imel vrsto predavanj za domače in tuje slušatelje. Dušan Brejc je mednarodni degustator in direktor Vinske družbe Slovenije. Kakšen bo po vašem mnenju vinski letnik 2007? Odličen za vse tiste vinarje, ki so se znali prilagoditi hitremu zorenju grozdja v zadnjih tednih pred trgatvijo. Večina pravi, da bo leto še posebej dobro za rdeča vina in to kar v vseh treh deželah. Barve, polnosti in sortnih arom ne manjka. Pri belih sortah pa je bilo veliko odvisno od pravega trenutka trgatve: za sortne značilnosti pri npr. sauvignonu je treba trgatev opraviti v treh delih – najprej iščemo primarne arome, ki dajo vinu osnovno značilnost, potem sredino okusa in pri zadnjem delu trgatve še polnost. Tako se sestavi grozdje, ki da končno podobo vinu. Ali bo to letnik stoletja? To vprašanje je vedno manj pomembno, saj se z napredovanjem enološkega znanja možen negativen vpliv narave zmanjša. Marsikdo je pri letniku 2004

zmajeval z glavo, češ, vreme nagaja. Potem pa se ni izkazalo tako slabo. V zadnjem desetletju smo priča segrevanju planeta, zato so tudi trgatve za dva tedna bolj zgodnje kot običajno. Na to morata biti pripravljena dva: vinogradnik in vinar, in le njuno skladno delo bo prineslo medaljo. Letniki 2003, 2006 in 2007 so bili zgodnji in primerljivi. A v teh letnikih so vina počasi zorela, zato bi bilo za vse nas najbolj prav, da z oceno letnika počakamo do marca za bela vina in verjetno do jeseni (če ne še dlje) za rdeča. Ker so torej razlike med letniki manjše, tudi ni več tiste želje po napovedovanju letnika stoletja. Na splošno lahko rečemo, da zadnjih petnajst let nismo imeli usodno slabega leta. Zato je kakovost rasla in z njo zvestoba domačega pivca. Vino v kongresni industriji marsikje razumejo kot ambasadorja dežele in glavno konkurenčno prednost. Kako je s tem v Sloveniji? Ker smo tradicionalna vinogradniška država, prav nič manj kot npr. Italija ali Francija, in ker od himne naprej ali nazaj, kakor že hočete, dihamo z vinom, je vino za Slovenijo zares fantastična priložnost. Ker ga vsi podpiramo, o njem stalno govorimo, ker je del vsakdana in ker imamo mednarodni sortni izbor, kar ni tako samoumevno, kot se zdi (Avstrija in Švica tega nimata), bi morali to dejstvo še bolje izkoristiti. Pravilno izpeljana degustacija ni samo vinska govoranca. Vključuje estetiko, zgodovino naše civilizacije, etnološke posebnosti, je torej zakladnica bogatih vsebin, ki, če so podane na prijazen način, zlahka osvojijo zainteresiranega poslušalca – degustatorja. V edukativnem in informativnem smislu priložnosti še nismo do konca izkoristili. Slovenci se radi primerjamo s svetom. Na kakšni kakovostni ravni so po vašem mnenju slovenska vina, ki jih ponujamo našim in tujim kongresnim gostom? Slovenska vina v prav ničemer ne zaostajajo. Morda nas malo bremeni dejstvo, da nas ni na mednarodni polici in zato na mednarodnem trgu ne moremo imeti

Dušan Brejc

niti slabega niti dobrega ugleda. Na splošno se ve, da imamo odlična vina. Le najti jih je težko. Vsi skupaj, veliki in manjši vinarji, izvozimo le 4 odstotke letne pridelave ali okoli 4 milijone litrov, kar ni zadostna količina »sporočila«, da bi se o nas govorilo po celem svetu. V mednarodnem gostinstvu pa nas poznajo predvsem po naših najbolj znanih briških, delno tudi vipavskih vinarjih, čeprav so se jim v zadnjih letih pridružili tudi vinarji s Krasa, iz Vipave, Štajerske Slovenije (nov okoliš iz leta 2006), Slovenske Istre, Bizeljskega, Metlike – tako da se paleta vin uspešno širi. Če naša vina ne bi bila odlična, tudi 93 odstotkov domačih pivcev (anketa iz leta 2006) ne bi prisegalo na domača vina. Kongresnim gostom moramo predvsem pokazati, da smo celovit vinski ponudnik. Menim, da smo pri tem preveč ozki, saj menimo, da moramo ponuditi vina predvsem tistih vinarjev z vrha piramide. A včasih si gost ne želi samo, kot pravijo Angleži, »blockbusterjev«, temveč želi pridobiti vednost o celotni paleti, v kakovostnem in cenovnem smislu. Vsa naša vina so vredna pozornosti, seveda v odvisnosti od dane priložnosti. Če se osredotočimo samo na najbolj polna, resna vina, izgubimo občutek za razvoj okusov po »vertikali«. V tem smislu smo pretirani snobi. Brez vina si sprejemov ob konferencah in dogodkih ne znamo predstavljati. Kako pomembna je po vašem mnenju pravilna izbira in predstavitev vina? Tudi poroke ali rojstnega dne si brez vina težko predstavljam. Pri nas se pogosto že pri predjedi poseže po izrazito polnem vinu, ki kakšni testenini ni v pomoč. In potem je težko iti navzgor. In gostu se bo na koncu vse zdelo podobno. To je najbolj pogosta napaka, ki jo opažam v zadnjih letih. Še posebno so škodljive pretirano dogmatske sodbe, kar se dogaja tudi someljejem. Vino je družabna pijača, ki je ne sme ovirati pretirano enostran-

ska komunikacija. Odvečna je osladna romantika, kot tudi suhoparno naštevanje podatkov, saj veste, ima toliko alkohola, kislin, sladkorja ... Predstavitev bi morala odsevati trenutno razpoloženje, zato si ni pametno v naprej pripraviti traktata. Organizacija dogodka mora biti perfektna, tiha, hitra in v tempu, ki goste drži v napetosti. Iz izkušenj vem, da je tisto, kar se pove v pravem trenutku, največkrat pomembnejše od vina. Prodaja, ponudba vina je PR projekt! Kako ocenjujete poznavanje vinske kulture med slovenskimi organizatorji dogodkov in hotelirji? Menim, da je poznavanje zgledno, da pa je vse skupaj preveč stereotipno zastavljeno. Nasploh manjka »korajže«. Vendar ne na način, da se poskuša gosta očarati z ekstravaganco, ki nima pokritja. Kuhar, natakar, managerji – bi morali najprej poskusiti kombinacijo in ob tem ugotoviti, da je takšna, da bi se jo dalo jesti in piti pet dni na teden! Treba bo zaupati okusu tistega, ki se je večkrat izkazal s pravo izbiro. To so posamezniki z razvitim estetskim čutom, kar ni odvisno samo od šolanja. Še vedno pa imamo težave s kozarci (ali jih je preveč ali pa so neprimerni), ki ne sledijo razvoju vinske senzorike. Tudi prava temperatura je dostikrat neustrezna. Še nas čaka delo ... Predvsem pa bi vsi morali čimprej opustiti trditev, da je pri nas vinska kultura nizka. To preprosto ni res. Če je nizka, je nizka tudi splošna, srčna kultura in to bi bilo slabo. A ni tako! V petek zvečer ni v Tokiu, New Yorku ali Londonu nič drugače kot je pri nas. Naša vinska kultura je primerljiva z drugimi tradicionalnimi vinogradniškimi državami. Povsod pretira le manjšina pivcev! Vina pripovedujejo svojo zgodbo. Kako spretni smo pri predstavljanju teh zgodb tujcem? Spet odvisno od dogodka. Še posebno od velikosti dogodka. Najlažje je zgodbo pripovedovati zainteresirani, manjši skupini. Pri velikih srečanjih je največ odvisno od organizacije. Prevečkrat se posipamo s pepelom in premalo poslušamo gosta. Imamo izrazito spretne posameznike in takšne, ki bi o vsem morali še zelo razmisliti. Zunanji in zato »drugačni« svetovalci, kot je bil Tony Carey na GTZ, prinesejo sveže poglede, ki sprožijo nove ideje. A nikar ne mislimo, da bo »nakladanje« nadomestilo ohlapno izvedbo ... Katera vina so trenutno »v modi«? Mednarodni trg še vedno raste na podlagi rdečih vin. Pričelo se je govoriti o modi belih, svežih, a vendar tudi polnih vin. Napovedi do 2010 kažejo izrazito dobro rozejem in peninam. Imamo dve smeri: kompleksno in butično ter množično in mladostno. Vmes je vedno težje. Chardonnay in cabernet sauvignon sta še vedno modna, čeprav obstoji slogan ABC – Anything but chardonnay/cabernet sauvignon. Nekaterim sortam se tudi napoveduje rast, ampak moda se pri tem hitreje spreminja. Kaj bi v zvezi z vini svetovali slovenskim kongresnim organizatorjem in ponudnikom? Kaj pa kupcem kongresnih storitev? Vinske zgodbe so zanimive, kadar so drugačne, manj konvencionalne. Torej bi vsem svetoval, da se vino obravnava celostno, brez osebnih preferenc, vključujoč modo in trende, da se vidi, da vemo in razumemo, kaj se trenutno dogaja. Bolje je postaviti ožji koncept in ga dosledno izpeljati, kot pa narediti veliko, pregledno degustacijo in jo spremeniti v razvlečeno seanso. Ne da se odgovoriti na pamet. Ciljanje na konkretno publiko je odločilno. Biti informativen in izobraževalen. Oboje na priljuden način. Vino je prijazno.

Congress Wine Stories

Wine is an excellent Opportunity for Slovenia Dušan Brejc has been in the wine business for 25 years now. He spent the first half of this period studying wine, with a postgraduate specialisation in France, and the rest in marketing – from Tokyo, New York, London to Ljubljana, where he gathered rich international experience in marketing various wines, spirits and non-alcohol beverages. He’s written a large number of popular and professional articles on wine in the local press and held a number of lectures for home and foreign audiences. Dušan Brejc is an international taster and the Director of the Slovenian Wine Society.

Dušan Brejc

In your opinion, what will the 2007 vintage be like? It will be excellent for those winemakers who knew how to adapt to the rapid maturing of grapes in the last weeks before the harvest. Most say that this year will be particularly good for red wines in all three wine-growing regions. There’s no lack of colour, fullness and variety in aromas. For white varieties, a lot depends on harvesting at the right time - for the wine characteristics of, say, sauvignon, the harvest has to be performed in three parts – first we look for the primary aromas giving the wine its basic characteristic, then the flavour in the middle, and lastly its fullness. This is how we compose grapes that give the wine its final image. Will it be the vintage of the century? This question is becoming less and less important as the progress in knowledge in winegrowing decreases the chances of negative effects due to nature. For the 2004 vintage, many said with despair that the weather was awful, but the final result wasn’t so bad. In the last decade, the harvest has been two weeks earlier than usual, due to global warming. Both the winegrower and the winemaker have to be prepared for this as only their combined effort will bring a medal. 2003, 2006 and 2007 vintages were early and comparable. However, wines of these vintages matured slowly which is why it would be best to reserve judgment about them until March for white wines and probably until autumn (if not longer) for red wines. Because the differences between vintages are smaller, the desire to announce the vintage of the century has disappeared. Generally speaking, we can say that in the last 15 years we haven’t had a disastrously bad year. Consequently, the quality has gone up, and with it the loyalty of the home consumer. Wine is often seen in the congress industry as the ambassador of a country and its main competitive advantage. What about in Slovenia? As we are a traditional wine-growing country, the situation is the same as in Italy or France, and because we breathe wine from our national anthem downward, wine is a truly excellent opportunity for Slovenia. We all support wine and talk about it; it’s part of our everyday lives and we possess an international selection of varieties, which is not as common as one might think – Austria and Switzerland don’t have this – and we should use it even better. A properly executed tasting is not just a talk about wine. It includes aesthetics, the history of our civilisation, the ethnological particularities – when presented in a friendly manner; this treasury of rich content can easily win over the interested listener and taster. We have yet to use this opportunity to its fullest potential in the educational and informative sense. We Slovenes like to compare ourselves to the world. In your opinion, what’s the quality level of Slovenian wines offered to our domestic and foreign congress guests? Slovenian wines are not inferior in any way. Perhaps we are a little burdened by the fact that our wines are not seen on international shelves and therefore can’t have any kind of reputation on the international market. It’s generally agreed that we have excellent wines – they’re just hard to find. Larger and smaller winemakers together export only 4% of the annual harvest or around 4 million litres, which is not enough to carry any ‘message’ about us around the world. We are known in the international hospitality industry mainly for our most well-known winemakers from the Brda region, and partly also from Vipava, although they have in recent years been joined by winemakers from Kras, Styrian Slovenia (a new region since 2006), Slovenian Istria, Bizeljsko,

Metlika – the range of wines is growing successfully. If our wines were not exceptional, 93% of home consumers in a 2006 poll wouldn’t have said they preferred them to foreign ones. We have to show congress guests that we’re a comprehensive wine maker. I think we’re too narrow-minded in this because we think we have to offer wines from just the winemakers at the top of the pyramid. Sometimes, guests want to get to know not only, as the English say, blockbusters, but also the rest of the range, in the sense of quality and price. All our wines are worthy of attention, of course with regard to the individual occasion. If we focus only on the most full, serious wines, we lose the ability to sense the ‘vertical’ development of flavours. We’re too snobbish in this sense. We cannot imagine receptions at conferences and events without wine. How important is the correct selection and presentation of a wine, in your opinion? I can’t imagine a wedding or a birthday party without wine either. Here we often drink distinctly full wines, which do not help any kind of pasta, as early as with the starter. It’s hard to go upwards from there. In the end guests find everything similar, which is the most common error I’ve seen in the past few years. Excessively dogmatic judgments are especially harmful and this also happens to sommeliers. Wine is a social drink and must not be obstructed by communication that’s too one-sided. Mawkish romance is superfluous, together with a dull enumeration of facts such as how much alcohol, acids or sugar it has ... A presentation should reflect the mood and one should not prepare a treatise in advance. Organisation of an event must be perfect, silent, fast and at a pace that keeps the guests in anticipation. I know from experience

that things said at the right moment are more often than not more important than the wine. The wine offer and sales are a PR project! How do you rate the familiarity of Slovenian event organisers and hoteliers with the wine culture? I find their knowledge exemplary, but too stereotypically designed. There’s a general lack of courage. However, attempts to fascinate the guests with extravagance without any cover must not be made. The chefs, waiters, managers should all first try the combination and see if you can eat and drink it five days a week! It’s necessary to trust the taste of those who’ve proven themselves with the right choice on several occasions. These people have a highly developed aesthetic sense which doesn’t just depend on schooling. We still have problems with glasses – either there are too many of them or they’re unsuitable – as they do not follow the wine sensory development. The temperature is also often inappropriate. We still have work to do. But most of all, we should abandon the idea that our wine culture is low, and as quickly as possible. It simply isn’t true. If it were low, the general culture or our heart culture would also be low, and this would be bad. However, this isn’t the case. It’s no different here on a Friday evening than in Tokyo, New York or London. Our wine culture is comparable to other traditional wine-growing countries. Only a minority of consumers drink to excess. Wines have stories to tell. How skilful are we at telling these stories to foreigners? Again, it depends on the event, especially on its size. It’s easiest to tell a story to an interested smaller group. At larger meetings, a great deal depends on the organisation. We’re often apologetic and we don’t listen to our guests enough. Some of our people are really skilful, but there are also those who should put a great deal more thought into everything. Overseas and therefore ‘different’ advisers, such as Tony Carey at the Tourism and Hospitality Chamber introduce fresh points of view that create new ideas. But let us not think that ‘babbling’ will make up for poor execution. Which wines are currently ‘in vogue’? The international market is still growing due to red wines. There’s talk that a fashion of fresh, but still full, white wines, is spreading. Forecasts up to 2010 show that rosés and sparkling wines will do really well. There are two directions – the complex and smaller and the youthful and larger. It’s increasingly difficult in between. Chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon are still trendy despite the existence of the ABC slogan – Anything but chardonnay/cabernet sauvignon. We can expect some varieties to expand, but fashions here are changing more rapidly. What would be your advice about wines to Slovenian congress organisers and providers? What about the users of congress services? Wine stories are interesting when they’re different, less conventional. That’s why my advice to them would be to treat wine comprehensively, without personal preferences, and including the fashion and trends to show that they know and understand the current situation. It’s better to design a narrower concept and execute it in its entirety than to create a large, transparent tasting and turn it into a lengthy séance. It can’t be answered easily. Targeting a specific audience is key. Be informative and educational in a popular way. Wine is friendly.

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V treh hotelskih objektih je na voljo deset prostorov različnih velikosti za različne priložnosti. Ob podpori tehnične opreme vam bomo s strokovno pomočjo, prizadevanjem in prijaznostjo zaposlenih omogočili, da bo vaše srečanje nepozabno.

In three hotels there are ten rooms of different sizes for different occasions. With our technical support and our experts, help, with effort and kindness of our employees, your meeting will be just what you wanted.

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Posebna prizorišča

Posebna prizorišča za posebne dogodke Posebna prizorišča postajajo vedno bolj zanimiva za izvedbo dogodkov. Kaj sploh so posebna prizorišča? In mogoče predhodno vprašanje: zakaj sploh so »posebna« prizorišča? Organizator dogodka oz. njegov naročnik želi, da bi si udeleženci čim bolje zapomnili izkušnjo, ki so jo doživeli. Ali ni to najlažje narediti na mestu, ki je samo po sebi nekaj posebnega, nekaj, kar ne moremo doživeti vsak dan? In kaj so prizorišča za posebne dogodke? To so lahko katere koli lokacije, ki imajo možnost organizirano gostiti tudi večje skupine ljudi in ki imajo možnost izvedbe tehničnega programa ter

v večini primerov tudi pogostitve udeležencev. Meje glede števila oseb ponavadi določa ravno to zadnje. Prizorišča za posebne dogodke so lahko muzeji, gradovi in drugi zgodovinski objekti. To so tudi mestni trgi, tržnice, parki, podzemne jame, vinske kleti, ladje, igrišča za golf, bazeni, športni objekti in druga prizorišča, ki imajo kulturno, zgodovinsko, tehnično ali arhitekturno vrednost. Teh imamo v Sloveniji veliko, samo odkrili še nismo vseh. Pri odločitvi o izvedbi dogodka na posebnem prizorišču moramo biti pozorni na mnogo stvari – na dostopnost za udeležence, parkirišče, primernost dostopa za invalide, opremljenost prizorišča z mizami, stoli, tehnično opremo, toaletami (vsaj en wc na vsakih 100 udeležencev). Vprašati se moramo tudi, kako je z ogrevanjem oz. klimatizacijo, pa tudi z garderobo. Kako je z ozvočenostjo prostora in dovoljenji za izvedbo dogodka, pa z zavarovanjem dogodka in udeležencev. Če je to zunanja lokacija, moramo v primeru slabega vremena obvezno imeti alternativni plan. Vsi, ki organizirate dogodke, veste, kako zahtevna je že sama organizacija. Zakaj se potem spuščamo v nevarne vode in se odločamo za organizacijo dogodka na posebnem prizorišču? Kot že prej napisano, organizator vlaga ves trud in denar v enkratnost izkušnje. Naročniku je končni cilj, da udeleženec dogodka oz. kupec njegovih storitev doživi nepozaben dogodek. Posebno prizorišče je idealno za to. Če bo dogodek uspešen, bo tudi naročnik pri tej svoji nalogi uspešen. Miha Kovačič

Special Venues

Special Venues for special Events Special venues are becoming ever more interesting for the performance of events. What are special venues in reality? And perhaps a preliminary question - why are they special venues at all?

An event organizer or his assistant wants participants to remember an experience that they have attended as well as possible. Is it not true that this is most easily done in a place that is special in itself, something that we can’t experience every day? What are venues for special events? Practically, these may be any locations that have an option to also host a large group of people in an organized way, as well as a chance to carry out a technical programme, and in many cases also to organise banquets for participants. The latter usually also sets limits regarding the number of people. Venues for special events may be museums, castles or other historical facilities. These may be town squares, marketplaces, parks, underground caves, wine cellars, ships, golf courses, swimming pools, sports facilities or other venues of cultural, historical, technical or architectural value. There are lots of those in Slovenia – we just haven’t discovered them all yet. When deciding to hold an event at a special venue, we must pay attention to a number of things, such as accessibility for participants, parking space, and suitable access for the disabled, how venues are equipped with tables, chairs, technical equipment and toilets, with at least one for every 100 participants. We must also ask ourselves how if the venue has heating or air-conditioning, as well as a cloakroom. How the sound system, if any, is set up in the room and what the situation is with permits for the event, as well as with event and participant security. If it’s an outdoor location, you have to have an alternative plan in case of bad weather. All of those who organize events know how demanding it is to organize an event in itself. Why is it then that we enter such dangerous waters and decide to have an event at a special venue? As I’ve mentioned, an organizer invests every effort and money into the uniqueness of the experience. The client’s final objective is that its participant or client experiences a memorable event. A special venue is ideal for that. And if the event is a success, that is a further achievement. Miha Kovačič

Posebna prizorišča

Vodno mesto Atlantis – idealno za organizacijo najrazličnejših dogodkov Rekreacijsko-zabaviščno središče Vodno mesto Atlantis se razprostira na 15.000 m2 površin, po svoji bogati vsebinski zasnovi in ponudbi pa se uvršča med najsodobnejše evropske vodne parke. V Atlantisu se razgibano prepletajo različni tematski sklopi (Svet doživetij, Termalni tempelj in Dežela savn), vsakega med njimi pa zaznamujejo svoje zgodbe, ki so vpete v čudovito kombinacijo umetne in na-

ravne svetlobe ter naravnih elementov. Vodno mesto Atlantis omogoča organizacijo najrazličnejših dogodkov, od preprostih rojstnodnevnih zabav za najmlajše obiskovalce, novinarskih konferenc, izobraževanj ali team buildingov do prestižnih prireditev, kot so Miss Hawaiian Tropic, Model Bernarde Marovt, predstavitev modelov Audi R8 in A5 ali Cosmopolitan party. Atlantis je odprt vse dni v letu. Vodno mesto Atlantis Tel: 01 585 21 00 www.atlantis-vodnomesto.si vodnomesto@btc.si

Finalni izbor Miss Hawaiian Tropic / Miss Hawaiian Tropic Finals (foto: Miran Juršič)

Smart Cosmo žur / Smart Cosmo Party (foto: Arhiv Atlantis)

Cvetličarna – prostor z neomejenimi možnostmi Ob otvoritvi Cvetličarne, sredi zime, smo pripravili zabavo na dvajsetih tonah mivke in prostor ogreli na 30 stopinj C. Ozadje odra za konceptu primerno skupino je bilo video obzorje s prekrasnim sončnim zahodom, na mivki pa napeta mreža. Igrali smo odbojko. Tako kot se za plažo spodobi, so gostje uživali ob koktajlih, ritmih glasbe, masažah in lepotičenju. Pred sončnim zahodom smo v dvorani zakurili še čisto pravi ogenj. Dejansko gre za prostor, kjer lahko uresničimo vsako idejo. Potem pa nekaj talnih oblog, dekoracij po stropu in stenah, video projekcij, več lokacij dogajanja, scenskih elementov, lučnih efektov – in bili smo v povsem drugem prostoru za korporativni dogodek. Poleg dogodkov, zasnovanih posebej za naročnike, pa na javnih prireditvah gostimo tudi številne domače in tuje glasbene goste. Za naročnike, ki želijo za svoje poslovne partnerje ali zaposlene hitro, enostavno in cenovno

ugodno rešitev za dogodek s kvalitetno vsebino, jim kot vsebino ponudimo kar javno prireditev. Na VIP balkonu pripravimo ločen prostor za njihove goste, kjer poskrbimo za udobje, intimnost in pogostitev. Cvetličarna je primerna za vse prireditve! TNT events d.o.o. ponuja vse storitve za kvaliteten dogodek – od ideje do realizacije. Kapaciteta dvorane: Stojišča: 650 v dvorani + 100 VIP balkon / Sedišča: 350 v dvorani + 90 VIP balkon / Kombinacija sedišča – stojišča: za 300 – 500 oseb / Dogodek v dogodku – zakup VIP balkona: 100. www.tntevents.net damir@tntevents.net (041 582 894) jasna@tntevents.net (041 799 644) Foto: Arhiv TNT Events

Special Venues

Atlantis Water Park – Ideal for any Event Atlantis Water Park is a recreation and entertainment centre covering 15.000 m2. Its broad range of activities and additional offer puts it among the most modern European water parks. In Atlantis, various themed areas are actively interwoven, including Adventure World, Thermal Temple and Sauna Land, each of which is marked by its own stories united in a wonderful combination of artificial and natu-

ral light as well as natural elements. Atlantis Water Park is suitable for organisation of a wide range of events – from simple birthday parties for our youngest guests, press conferences and educational training to team building programmes. Our CV already boasts prestigious shows such as the ‘Miss Hawaiian Tropic Beauty Contest, ‘Bernarda Marovt Model Search’, the launches of the new Audi R8 and A5 models and the Cosmopolitan party. The Atlantis Water Park is open 365 days a year. Atlantis Water Park Tel: +386 1 585 21 00 www.atlantis-vodnomesto.si, vodnomesto@btc.si

Smart Cosmo žur / Smart Cosmo Party (foto: Arhiv Atlantis)

Finalni izbor Miss Hawaiian Tropic / Miss Hawaiian Tropic Finals (foto: Miran Juršič)

Unlimited Possibilities at Cvetličarna At the mid-winter opening of Cvetličarna, we prepared a party on 20 tons of beach sand and warmed the venue to 30 °C. A video horizon with a beautiful sunset formed the backdrop for the stage where a good band played, and a net was stretched over the sand. We played volleyball. As it should be on a beach, our guests enjoyed cocktails, musical rhythms, massages and beauty activities. We lit a real fire in the hall before sunset. It’s really a place where we can make any idea a reality. If you add some floor decking, ceiling and wall decorations, video projections, multiple activity locations, scenic elements, lighting effects – suddenly, there’s an entirely different place for a corporate event. In addition to events tailor-made for clients, we also host numerous local and foreign musical guests at public events. We offer this event type to clients seeking a quick, simple and low-cost solution for a high-quality

event for their business partners or employees. We prepare a separate room for the client’s guests on the VIP balcony, where comfort, intimacy and entertainment are ensured. Cvetličarna is suitable for any event. TNT events offers every service necessary for a quality event – from the idea to the implementation. Hall capacity: Standing room: 650 in the hall + 100 VIP balcony / Seats: 350 in the hall + 90 VIP balcony / A combination of standing room and seating: 300500 people / Event within an event – hire of the VIP balcony: 100. www.tntevents.net damir@tntevents.net (+386 (0)41 582 894) jasna@tntevents.net (+386 (0)41 799 644) Photo: TNT Events Archive

Posebna prizorišča

Javni gospodarski zavod Protokolarne storitve RS Brdo je znano kot vrhunski gostitelj in izvajalec poslovno kongresnih prireditev: konferenc, seminarjev in protokolarnih srečanj tako na vladni, diplomatski kot kraljevi ravni. Vse dvorane, predvsem pa novi Kongresni center Brdo, so odlično opremljene s tehničnimi pripomočki in sprejmejo od 10 do 550 udeležencev. Poskrbijo za vse podrobnosti, od imenskih napisov, fotokopiranja gradiva, pogostitve med odmori, do kosil in večerij. Svoje partnerje pa lahko ob zaključku srečanja povabite tudi na svečano kosilo ali večerjo v grad Brdo ali grad Strmol. Kot dodatne aktivnosti priporočajo Vrelec Brdo v hotelu Kokra in sproščujoče aktivnosti v čudovitem okolju: sprehode, jahanje, vožnjo s kočijo ali sanmi, ribolov, vadbo golfa. Ne nazadnje, Brdo ima vse v bližini:

mednarodno letališče Jože Pučnik (10km), mejni prehod Ljubelj (30 km), mejni prehod Karavanke (30 km) in našo prestolnico (30 km). Vse je kot na dlani. V tem obdobju se intenzivno pripravljajo na predsedovanje EU, kajti vsi najpomembnejši dogodki iz tega naslova se bodo odvijali na Brdu, v njihovem novem kongresnem centru. Prvo polovico leta 2008 bo Brdo namenjeno izključno temu dogodku. JGZ Brdo Protokolarne storitve RS, Predoslje 39, 4000 Kranj Tel.: 04 260 10 00, faks: 04 202 15 51 brdo.recp@gov.si, www.brdo.com, Foto: arhiv JGZ Brdo

Hiša Franko Hiša Franko, znana kot izvrstna restavracija z lastno vinsko kletjo in kletjo sirov, stoji v bližini Kobarida, kjer razvaja manjše skupine gostov (do 18 oseb) – tudi s prenočišči v trinajstih dvoposteljnih sobah. Poleg osnovnih storitev (nočitve in doma pripravljene dobrote) v Hiši Franko nudijo tudi organizacijo sprostitvenih dejavnosti (vodni športi, voden ribolov), or-

ganizacijo obiska vinskih kleti, organizacijo piknika v naravi ob reki Nadiži ... Bližnja okolica je polna zgodovinskih in naravnih znamenitosti, kot so Kobariški muzej, Kostnica, slap Kozjak in kobariška zgodovinska pot, na drugi strani meje pa sta blizu Čedad in Videm z možnostjo zanimivih nakupov in ogledov kulturnih dogodkov. Njihove glavne značilnosti so osebni pristop, dobra hrana, prijetni ljudje. Lokacija je s svojimi lepotami Soške doline zelo primerna za team buildinge. V prihodnosti nameravajo obdržati kvaliteto in povečati dodatno ponudbo tudi z izgradnjo malega zunanjega bazena ter senčnih teras v sadovnjaku za popoldanski počitek. Hiša Franko, Staro Selo 1, 5222 Kobarid Tel.: 05 389 41 20 info@hisafranko.com www.hisafranko.com

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Hiša Franko

Special Venues

State Protocol Services of the Republic of Slovenia The Brdo estate is well known for its excellent organization of business and congress events, such as conferences, seminars and protocol meetings at state, diplomatic and royal levels. All the conference halls, especially those in the new Brdo congress centre are excellently technically equipped and have capacities of 10 to 550 participants. Every detail is taken care of name tags, photocopying of materials and catering services between breaks, lunches and dinners. Once the meeting is over, you can invite your partners to a formal lunch or dinner at Brdo Castle or Strmol Castle. Additional activities are also worth doing, such as visiting the Brdo spring at Kokra Hotel and relaxing activities in a wonderful environment, including walks, horse-back riding, carriage or sleigh rides, fishing and playing golf.

Brdo is only 10 kilometres from the Jože Pučnik international airport, 30 kilometres from the border crossings at Ljubelj/Loiblpass or Karavanke/ Karawankentunnel, and 30 kilometres from Ljubljana, our capital city. Everything is literally in the palm of your hand. Intensive preparations for the Slovenian EU Presidency are underway at present, as all the most important events during the Presidency will take place in their new congress centre at the Brdo estate. During the first half of next year, everything is to be focused exclusively on this event. JGZ Brdo Protocol Services of the Republic of Slovenia, Predoslje 39, 4000 Kranj Tel.: +386 4 260 10 00, Fax: +386 4 202 15 51 brdo.recp@gov.si, www.brdo.com, Photos by: JGZ Brdo Archives

Hiša Franko Hiša Franko is known as an excellent restaurant with its own wine and cheese cellar near Kobarid. They like to spoil their guests – smaller groups of up to 18 persons – and they offer accommodation in 13 two-bedded rooms. As well as lodging and home cooked specialities, Hiša Franko is happy to organise a range of relaxation activities (water sports, fishing and so on), visits to wine cellars, picnics in the natural environment by the Nadiža river and others. There are numerous historical and

natural sights nearby, for example Kobarid Museum, a First World War Ossuary, the Kozjak waterfall and the Kobarid Historical Trail, and on the Italian side of the border, Čedad and Videm offer interesting shopping opportunities and cultural events. Franko’s main characteristics are their personal attitude, delicious food and friendly people. The location in the beautiful Soča Valley is very suitable for team building programmes. In the future, they plan to maintain their present quality and to enhance their additional activities’ offer by building a small outdoor swimming pool and shady terraces in the orchard for a pleasant afternoon's rest.

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Hiša Franko

Hiša Franko, Staro Selo 1, 5222 Kobarid Tel.: +386 5 389 41 20 info@hisafranko.com www.hisafranko.com

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Hiša Franko

Posebna prizorišča

Poslovna srečanja v Kobilarni Lipica Lipica je zelena oaza na Krasu, obdana s parki, skrivnostnim podzemnim kraškim svetom in znamenitostmi, ki jih je človeška roka skozi stoletja negovala in oblikovala. Ob pomembnejših vstopnih poteh Kobilarne Lipica so zasajeni drevoredi z oblikovanimi portali, enotne bele lesene ograje pa so danes prepoznavni element Kobilarne Lipica. Hotela Maestoso in Klub (oba s tremi zvezdicami) sta idealno središče za prirejanje poslovnih, seminarskih in drugih srečanj, tudi v kombinaciji z igralnico Grand Casino Lipica. Golf igrišče Lipica se razteza na razgibani kraški pokrajini s stoletnimi lipami in hrasti in obsega devet igralnih polj, vadišče, pitching in putting green. Dolžina igrišča je 3163 m, par 37, SR 71,9, CR 116. Zgrajeno je bilo leta 1989 po zasnovi svetovno znanega

projektanta golfskih igrišč, Donalda Haradina. Ugodno podnebje z mediteranskimi vplivi omogoča igralcem in ljubiteljem golfa igro skozi vse leto. V neposredni bližini golfskega igrišča se za ljubitelje rekreacije in tenisa nahajajo štiri teniška igrišča ter igrišče za mini golf. Organizacijo poslovnih srečanj lahko dopolnite s poslovnimi kosili v restavracijah hotela Maestoso ali Klub. Kobilarna Lipica Lipica 5, 6210 Sežana Tel.: 05 739 15 80, faks: 05 739 17 30 info@lipica.org Foto: Arhiv Kobilarne Lipica

Hiša Refoška V kleti Vinakoper, največji slovenski kleti po lastništvu vinogradov, so aprila 2007 ob osrednjem praznovanju 60letnice kleti slavnostno otvorili Hišo Refoška, nov prodajno-degustacijski objekt, ki predstavlja poklon vinarstvu v Slovenski Istri. V Hiši Refoška organizirajo vse od običajnih ogledov kleti z degustacijo do poslovnih srečanj, predstavitev novih avtomobilov, knjig, dosežkov v znanosti, novinarskih konferenc, družabnih dogodkov in izobraževanj. Na željo naročnika lahko pripravijo tudi obsežnejše dogodke z bogatejšo pogostitvijo. Goste sprejmejo ob kozar-

čku penine v avli, jih nato popeljejo v klet, kjer jih lahko presenetijo z glasbeno točko in nato posedejo k streženemu kosilu – ob vsakem hodu ponudijo drugo vino, seveda s strokovno razlago. Prav tako poskrbijo za celotno organizacijo drugačnih, specifičnih dogodkov. Njihova prednost je njihova klet, ki je zaradi svoje urejenosti in izjemnosti – zgrajena je iz istrskega peščenjaka – vedno znova predmet občudovanja. Ambient Hiše Refoška je prav poseben in nudi posebno vzdušje. Izdelan iz temeljnih istrskih elementov – kamna in hrasta – prav gotovo pričara nekaj enkratnega. Poleg tega goste ob zaključku prireditve povabijo še v prodajni del objekta s ponudbo tipičnih proizvodi Slovenske Istre: od vina do oljčnega olja, soli, medu … Vinakoper d.o.o., Šmarska 1, 6000 Koper, Slovenia Tel.: 05 663 01 15 Faks: 05 663 01 06 www.vinakoper.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Vinakoper

Special Venues

Business Meetings at Lipica Stud Farm Lipica is a green oasis in Slovenia’s Karst region, surrounded by parks, a mysterious karst underworld and sights nurtured and shaped by human hand over many centuries. Trees have been planted with shaped crowns along the more important roads to Lipica Stud Farm, while the uniform white wooden fences are today an identifiable element of Lipica Stud Farm. Hotel Maestoso and Hotel Klub are ideal venues for business, seminar and other meetings, perhaps also in combination with the Lipica Grand Casino. The Lipica golf course stretches over the diverse karst landscape with century-old lime and oak trees. It boasts 9 holes, a practice range, as well as a pitching and putting green. In total the golf course is 3163 metres long, par 37, SR 71.9, CR 116.

It was built in 1989 and designed by world renowned golf architect Donald Harradine. The favourable climate with Mediterranean influences enables golf players and lovers to use the course all year round. Close to the golf course, there are four tennis courts and a mini-golf course for lovers of recreation and tennis. Business meetings may be complemented with business lunches at the restaurants at the Hotel Maestoso or Hotel Klub. Lipica Stud Farm Lipica 5, 6210 Sežana Tel.: +386 5 739 15 80, Fax: +386 5 739 17 30 info@lipica.org, Photo: Lipica Stud Farm Archive

The House of Refosk The Vina Koper winery, the largest Slovenian winery by vineyard area, celebrated its 60th anniversary in April 2007. One part of the celebration was an official opening ceremony of the House of Refosk’s new sales and tasting facility, as a mark of respect to viniculture in Slovenian Istria. The House of Refosk provides the organisation of various events, ranging from the usual visits to wine cellars and wine tasting, to business meetings, launches of new car models, books or scientific achievements, press conferences, social events and educational training.

Customers may also arrange to have larger events with richer catering. The guests are welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine in the lobby and then invited to the cellar, where some music is performed, and then they sit down to eat – every course is accompanied by a different wine and an expert explanation. Any number of different, specific events can be organized as well. Their main advantage is their cellar – it is due to its elegance and exceptionality (it is made of Istrian sandstone) that the cellar is always an object of admiration. The very particular ambience of the House of Refosk offers a special atmosphere. Made of basic Istrian elements – stone and oak, it definitely adds up to a unique experience. At the end of an event, guests are invited to the sales section of the building where they can choose from a variety of products typical of Slovenian Istria, such as wine, olive oil, salt, honey and so on. Vinakoper d.o.o., Šmarska 1, 6000 Koper, Slovenia Tel.: +386 5 663 01 15, Fax: +386 5 663 01 06 www.vinakoper.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Vinakoper

Posebna prizorišča

Narodni muzej Slovenije Narodni muzej Slovenije je najstarejša in osrednja muzejska ustanova v Sloveniji. Ponaša se z bogato arheološko zbirko najdragocenejših predmetov od kamene dobe do novega veka, numizmatično in grafično zbirko, zgodovinsko zbirko in zbirko uporabne umetnosti. Sedanja muzejska stavba je bila odprta za javnost leta 1888 in je prvo iz-

ključno kulturi namenjeno poslopje pri nas. Stoji v samem središču mesta. Muzej razpolaga z notranjim pokritim atrijem v izmeri 420 m2. Kadar prostor ni zaseden z razstavami, ga je mogoče najeti za različne priložnosti: tiskovne konference, predstavitve, sprejeme, koncerte … V njem je mogoče pripraviti stoječi sprejem za največ 700 gostov oziroma organizirati banket za največ 200 gostov. K posebej svečanemu vzdušju v dvorani ob lepoti arhitekture pripomore tudi patina muzejske stavbe, v osrčju katere se nahaja. Zato se vanjo vedno znova vračajo organizatorji protokolarnih in kulturnih dogodkov, tuja veleposlaništva v Sloveniji in gospodarske družbe, saj lahko dostojno pogostijo povabljene. Postavitev prostora in gostinsko preskrbo si najemniki lahko zagotovijo pri različnih ponudnikih gostinskih storitev.

Narodni muzej Slovenije Prešernova cesta 20 (vhod za obiskovalce: Muzejska ulica 1) 1000 Ljubljana info@nms.si; www.nms.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv NMS

Grad Mokrice Grad Mokrice, preurejen v hotel visoke kategorije, stoji ob vznožju gričevnatih Gorjancev, skrit v tišino grajskega parka. Priporočamo ga gostom, ki znajo uživati v grajskem ambientu in v bujnem zelenju dvestoletnega angleškega parka. Mednje zlasti sodijo poslovni gostje. V grajski restavraciji baročno razkošje okusov pričarajo kulinarični mojstri, udeležence poslovnih in družabnih srečanja pa vabimo tudi na ogled in degustacijo v grajsko vinsko klet, kjer hranimo najboljša slovenska vina. V prenovljenih grajskih kaščah smo uredili sodobno opremljeno dvorano Barbara, ki sprejme do 110 gostov, in ponudili dodatno možnost bivanja ter nastanitve v novih sobah v Depandansi Hotela Golf grad Mokrice. Znesek celotne investicije prenove mokriškega kompleksa je znašal 2,27 milijona eur, od tega so 40 % nepovratnih sredstev pridobili iz skladov EU. Pod srednjeveškim obzidjem se sredi stoletnih grajskih gozdov na 70 hektarih razprostira igrišče za golf z 18

igralnimi polji, ki zaradi svoje razgibanosti predstavlja pravi izziv izkušenim igralcem golfa in začetnikom. Poleg kakovostne ponudbe kongresnih storitev je pestra tudi ponudba atraktivnih spremljevalnih programov na Mokricah in tudi v Čatežu: v idiličnem grajskem okolju ponujajo srednjeveško večerjo v grajski restavraciji ali predstavitveno uro golfa na enem najlepših igrišč v Sloveniji. Udeleženci se lahko odločijo tudi za obisk bližnjih Term Čatež. Terme Čatež d.d., tel.: 07 493 67 00, faks: 07 493 50 05 info@terme-catez, www.terme-catez.si/si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Terme Čatež

Special Venues

The National Museum of Slovenia The National Museum of Slovenia is the central and oldest Slovenian museum institution. It prides itself on its rich archaeological collection of the most valuable artefacts from the Stone Age to modern times, a numismatic and graphical collection, historical collection and a collection of applied arts. The present museum building opened in 1888, and was the first building in Slovenia exclusively intended for cul-

ture. It’s in the very heart of Ljubljana. The museum has an internal covered atrium covering 420 m2. When the space is not being used for exhibitions, it can be hired for various occasions, such as press conferences, presentations, receptions, concerts and so on. It can host standing receptions for a total of 700 guests, or banquets for up to 200 guests. In addition to its architectural beauty, the patina of the museum building in which the hall is located also contributes to the particularly festive atmosphere in the hall. That’s why those organising protocolar and cultural events, foreign embassies in Slovenia and commercial companies keep coming back again and again, as here they can treat their guests in a suitable style. Clients can arrange the space layout for themselves, and various catering service providers may be hired to provide food and beverages. The National Museum of Slovenia Prešernova cesta 20 (Visitors’ Entrance: Muzejska ulica 1) Ljubljana info@nms.si www.nms.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv NMS

Mokrice Castle Mokrice Castle, which is now a highquality hotel after being refurbished is at the foot of the Gorjanci hills and nestles in the calm of the castle park. It’s highly recommended to all those, especially business people, who know how to enjoy the castle’s traditional atmosphere and the luxuriant greenery of the medieval English-style park. Its culinary masters prepare a baroque luxury of flavours at the castle restaurant. Those attending business and social meetings are welcome to visit the castle wine cellar where the best Slovenian wines are kept, and take part in wine tasting. The refurbished castle granaries feature the modern wellequipped Barbara hall with a capacity of up to 110 guests, and an additional accommodation option in the new rooms at the four-star annexe of the Golf Hotel Castle Mokrice. The total cost of the restoration of the Mokrice complex was eur 2.27 million, 40% of which was covered by EU funding. An 18-hole golf course reaches out from the foot of the medieval walls

amidst the castle woods, over an area of about 70 hectares. Its varied terrain is a real challenge for experienced players as well as beginners. As well as our high-quality congress services offer, guests can choose from a variety of attractive accompanying programmes in Mokrice and Čatež. These include a medieval dinner served in an idyllic castle atmosphere at the castle restaurant, or an introductory golf lesson on one of Slovenia’s most beautiful golf courses. In addition, guests may wish to visit the nearby Terme Čatež. Terme Čatež, Tel: + 386 7 / 49 36 700, Fax: + 386 7 / 49 35 005 info@terme-catez, www.terme-catez.si/en

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Terme Čatež

Posebna prizorišča

Stara mestna elektrarna Ljubljanska mestna elektrarna je od leta 1898, ko se je začel proces njene gradnje, preživela mnogo sprememb. Skladno z modernizacijo so jo posodabljali in razširjali vse do konca druge svetovne vojne, ko je zastarelo tehnologijo zamenjala toplarna na obrobju mesta. Stavba je danes zaščitena kot kulturni, tehniški in zgodovinski spomenik in je še vedno v lasti Elektra Ljubljana. Že pred leti so jo odkrili umetniki in začeli prostor napolnjevati z umetniškimi vsebinami. Danes je znana predvsem kot prostor za uprizoritvene umetnosti, ki ga programsko upravlja zavod Bunker. Del stavbe je sedaj osrednja dvorana, manjši del pa je ohranjen kot muzejski del, kjer je še vedno viden del dimnika, turbine in nekatere merilne naprave elektrarne, postavljeni pa so tudi panoji, ki pojasnjujejo zgodovino elektrarne. Lokacija je namenjena predvsem va-

jam, pripravi in izvedbi kulturnih prireditev, pretežno s področja sodobnih uprizoritvenih umetnosti ter izobraževalnim programom s tega področja. Le redko jo namenijo komercialnim dogodkom, saj prostor v te namene lahko oddajo le trikrat v letu. To jim prinaša neko pozitivno prednost, saj je zato prostor res ekskluziven. Njihova storitev vključuje vse – od »golega« najema dvorane do popolne storitve, skupaj z organizacijo in umetniškim programom, odvisno od naročnikovih želja. Stara mestna elektrarna Slomškova 18, 1000 Ljubljana Lastnik: Elektro Ljubljana Programski upravitelj: Bunker, Ljubljana (bunker@siol.net) Foto: Urška Boljkovac

Tehniški muzej Slovenije Tehniški muzej Slovenije domuje v nekdanjem samostanskem oz. grajskem kompleksu v Bistri pri Vrhniki, na prekrasni lokaciji, kjer se združujeta zgodovina in narava. Prostor je primeren tako za seminarje, sprejeme, koncerte, piknike, poslovna kosila oziroma večerje kot tudi za novinarske konference, kongrese in konference, družabna srečanja, poroke, tematske dogodke, razstave in še

marsikaj drugega. Na voljo sta dvorani, park in travnik z možnostjo postavitve šotora in gostinske pogostitve. Organizirajo tudi vodstvo po zbirkah ter posebne predstavitve. Obiskovalce lahko seznanijo s starimi tehnikami in načini dela ter z orodji, napravami in stroji, ki so jih naši predniki uporabljali pri vsakdanjih opravilih. Nudijo oglede delovanja žage venecijanke, krožne žage v furnirnici, tekstilnih strojev, lokomobile in stabilnega bencinskega motorja. Prikažejo lahko, kako so nekoč tkali in predli, kovali podkve, izdelovali leseno kolo in papir. Več informacij na www.tms.si

Tehniški muzej Slovenije / Technical Museum of Slovenia (Foto / Photo: Peter Svete)

Dvorišče Tehniškega muzeja Slovenije / Courtyard of the Technical Museum of Slovenia (Foto/Photo: Jože Seljak)

Special Venues

Old City Power Plant Since 1898, when its construction began, the Ljubljana city power plant has undergone many changes. It was modernised, upgraded and expanded until the end of the Second World War, after which its then obsolete technology was replaced by a heating plant on the outskirts of the city. The building is still owned by the electricity distributor Elektro Ljubljana and is today protected as a cultural, technical and historical monument. Some years ago it was discovered by artists, who started to fill the space with artworks. It is now mainly a space for the performing arts in the framework of a programme managed by the Bunker Institute. The building is divided into the central hall, while a smaller part has been preserved as a museum, where part of the chimney, the turbines and several power plant measuring devices are on show, while boards explaining the history of the power plant have also been put up.

The location is mainly used for rehearsals, the preparation and performance of cultural events, mostly in the modern performing arts field, as well as for educational programmes in this area. Only rarely is it used for commercial events, since the space can be leased out for these purposes only three times a year. This gives them a certain positive advantage as for this reason the space is really exclusive. Their service includes everything from the ‘bare’ rental of the hall to a complete first-to-last service including organization and artistic programme according to the client’s wishes. Old City Power Plant, Slomškova 18, 1000 Ljubljana Owner: Elektro Ljubljana Programme director: Bunker, Ljubljana (bunker@siol.net) Photo: Urška Boljkovac

Slovenian Technical Museum The Slovenian Technical Museum is in a former monastic castle complex at Bistra near Vrhnika. It boasts a splendid location, where history and nature combine. The facilities are suitable for seminars, receptions, concerts, picnics, business lunches or dinners, as well as for press conferences, congresses and conferences, social gatherings, weddings, themed events, exhibitions and many others.

They offer two halls, a park and a lawn where it’s possible to put up a tent and organise an event with catering. In addition, the Museum can also organise guided tours through their collections and special presentations. Visitors can find out about old techniques and working methods, as well as tools, devices and machines used by our ancestors in their everyday tasks. Guests can see a Venetian sawmill in operation, a circular saw at the veneer sawmill, textile machines, mobile steam engines and a stationary petrol engine. They can look at how people used to weave and knit, forge horseshoes, manufacture wooden wheels and paper. www.tms.si

Pogled na bajer v parku Tehniškega muzeja Slovenije. / A view of the pond in the park of the Technical Museum of Slovenia (Foto: Dejan Habicht)

Posebna prizorišča

Terme Krka Podjetje Terme Krka poleg medicinske, turistične, gostinske, sprostitvene in športnorekreacijske ponudbe ponuja obilo možnosti tudi za organizacijo seminarjev, kongresov, sestankov, izobraževanj, prireditev, tiskovnih konferenc in drugih poslovnih srečanj. Prostori za kongresni turizem so na voljo v termah v Dolenjskih in Šmarjeških Toplicah, Hotelu Krka v Novem mestu, obmorskem centru Talaso Strunjan in v Hotelih Otočec, ki imajo tudi največje prostorske zmogljivosti. Ponujajo organizacijo VIP teniških turnirjev, igro golfa, družabno-zabavni program ter izlete po Dolenjski in Beli Krajini. Na Otočcu sta za namestitev na voljo Hotel Šport in luksuzni hotel Grad Otočec. Z vidika kongresnega turizma je za goste zanimiv tudi Hotel Krka, ki leži v starem mestnem jedru Novega mesta. Ima več sodobno opremljenih dvoran za izvedbo seminarjev, sre-

čanj, konferenc in kulturnih prireditev. Bogato hotelsko ponudbo dopolnjuje Krkin hram z vinsko kletjo, depandanso in prekrasno teraso. Kulinarična ponudba hrama obsega vrhunske jedi, vodene pokušnje vin somelierov pa so prvovrsten uvod v poslovno kosilo. V Termah Dolenjske Toplice ponudbo kongresnega turizma dopolnjuje sprostitveni center Balnea s programi, ki so namenjeni izboljšanju kakovosti življenja posameznika. Gostom je na voljo pravo kraljestvo bazenov, osvežilnih kopeli, poživljajočih masaž in krepilnih savn. Nudijo namestitev v hotelu Vital in Kristal. Terme Krka d.o.o., Novo Mesto Tel.: 07 37 31 943 renata.zorman@terme-krka.si www.terme-krka.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Terme Krka

Planinska koča Merjasec na Voglu Planinska koča Merjasec na Voglu, na 1.535 m nadmorske višine, je edinstvena koča z zanimivo etnografsko zbirko, odlično kulinarično ponudbo in hišnimi specialitetami. V Planinski koči je možno organizirati družabna in strokovna srečanja, predavanja in manjše prireditve. Ko vas gondola pripelje na Vogel, sledite napisom in po manj kot petih minutah hoje boste zagledali kočo, ki slovi po domači kuhinji in prekrasni etnografski zbirki. V notranjosti koče je 50, na terasi pa 100 sedežev. S tera-

se se odpira prečudovit razgled na smučišče in na Alpsko vas, katere del je tudi planinska koča Merjasec. Na prekrasni lokaciji lahko vedno pripravijo kaj novega, zanimivega in unikatnega. Od pomladi, preko celega poletja in tja do pozne jeseni organizirajo beg v neznano, team buildinge, sprostitev v naravi s sprehodi ter možnost pohodov na bližnje vrhove. Po napornih dneh na delovnem mestu so pravi naslov za sprostitev in uživanje. Ko pa zapade sneg, pripravijo pravo zimsko olimpijado, smučarske tekme, sankanje, treking in še obilo zanimivih aktivnosti. Na Voglu lahko ostanemo tudi več dni, saj v Alpski vasi nudijo prenočišča z 80 ležišči. www.alpska-vas-bohinj.si, www.agencijafibula.com agencija-fibula@s5.net Tel./faks: 04 531 54 13 Foto: Borut Kokelj

Special Venues

Terme Krka In addition to its medical, tourist, catering, wellness and sports and recreational offer, Terme Krka also offers a number of possibilities for organizing seminars, congresses, meetings, educational courses, events, press conferences and business meetings. There are congress tourism facilities at the spas of Dolenjske Toplice and Šmarješke Toplice, at the Krka Hotel in Novo Mesto, at the Talaso Strunjan seaside centre and the Otočec Hotels, which also have the largest capacities. They enable the organization of VIP tennis tournaments, golf, social and entertainment programmes, and excursions around the Lower Carniola and Bela Krajina regions. At Otočec, accommodation is available at the 4-star Šport Hotel and the luxury 5-star Otočec Castle Hotel. From the congress tourism viewpoint, the 4-star Krka Hotel, in Novo Mesto old town centre, is also attractive to guests. It has several halls with modern

equipment, intended for seminars, meetings, conferences and cultural events. The rich hotel offer is supplemented by the Krka Wine Room, an annexe and a beautiful terrace. The wine room’s culinary offer includes top dishes, while wine-tasting led by our sommeliers is a great way to start a business meal. At the Dolenjske Toplice spa, the congress tourism offer is supplemented by the Balnea Wellness Centre with programmes aimed at improving an individual’s quality of life. There is a true paradise of swimming pools, refreshing baths, invigorating massages and relaxing saunas available to guests. They offer accommodation at the 4-star Vital and Kristal Hotels. Terme Krka, d.o.o., Novo Mesto Tel.: +386 (7) 37 31 943 renata.zorman@terme-krka.si, www.terme-krka.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Terme Krka

Merjasec Mountain Hut on Vogel The Merjasec mountain hut on Vogel mountain at an altitude of 1535 metres above sea level, is a unique hut with an interesting ethnographic collection, delicious meals and house specialities. Once the cable car has carried you to the top of Vogel, just follow the signs and it'll take you less than five minutes to walk to the hut, which is famous for its delicious home cooked meals and wonderful ethnographic collection. The hut boasts 50 seats inside and 100 more on its panoramic

terrace, which offers magnificent views of the ski slopes and the Alpine Village, of which Merjasec alpine hut is part. You can always experience something new, interesting and unique in these wonderful surroundings. Various activities are organized from spring, throughout the summer and into late autumn, such as an escape into the unknown, teambuilding programmes, relaxation surrounded by nature and walks and hikes to the nearest peaks. After exhausting days at work, this is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the countryside. And, when the snow falls, we organise the 'Winter Olympics' for you – skiing contests, sledding, trekking and other interesting activities. You are welcome to stay a little longer, as the Alpine Village has accommodation for 80 guests. www.alpska-vas-bohinj.si, www.agencijafibula.com agencija-fibula@s5.net, Tel./Fax: +386 4 531 54 13 Photos by Borut Kokelj

Posebna prizorišča

Ptujski grad Grajski grič je bil poseljen že od 5. tisočletja pr. n. št. V 11. stoletju, ko sta bila grad in mesto v posesti salzburške nadškofije, je na njem nastala srednjeveška utrdba. Nadškofi so grad oddali gospodom Ptujskim. Med letoma 1656 in 1802 so na gradu bivali grofje Leslie. Zadnji lastniki, grofje Herbersteini, so imeli grad med letoma 1873 in 1945, ko je bil nacionaliziran in z bogato opremo priključen Ptujskemu muzeju. Slavnostna dvorana je najbolj reprezentativen prostor

na gradu, primeren za svečane priložnosti. Že v času nastanka je bila namenjena slavjem, plesom in prireditvam. Krasi jo slikovita zbirka eksotičnih lepotic in znamenitih orientalskih ter evropskih vojskovodij. Danes je dvorana namenjena porokam, koncertom, simpozijem, sprejemom in poslovnim srečanjem. Sprejme do 200 ljudi in je opremljena s sodobno tehnično opremo. Za prireditve in pogostitve je primerno tudi grajsko dvorišče. V muzeju po predhodnem naročilu organizirajo živo glasbo (pianist, solistka …) ter fotografiranje. Grajska kapela z oltarjem iz konca 17. stoletja je posvečena, v njej je možno opraviti obred cerkvene poroke ali krst. Pokrajinski muzej Ptuj, Muzejski trg 1, 2250 Ptuj Tel.:02 787 92 30, faks: 02 787 92 45 uprava@pok-muzej-ptuj.si, muzej-ptuj.uprava@siol.net

Foto / Photo: Boris Farič

Podzemlje Pece – turistični rudnik in muzej Tradicija rudarjenja na Koroškem sega v leto 1665. Rudnik svinca in cinka je eden od starejših rudnikov v tem delu Evrope, kjer se je med Peco in Uršljo goro rudarilo preko 330 let. Leta 1988 se je začel projekt zapiranja rudnika, del tega pa je bil tudi projekt ohranitve naravne, tehnične in kulturne dediščine. Turistični rudnik in muzej je julija letos praznoval deseto obletnico delovanja. Za ohranitev tehnične dediščine so pustili v uporabi 3,5 km Glančnik ro-

va, po katerem obiskovalce vozijo z avtentičnim rudarskim vlakom do rudišča Moring, v katerem je ohranjena stacionarna rudarska oprema na mestih, kjer je bila tudi v uporabi. Ti stroji so bogata tehnična dediščina, ki je v svetu le redkokje dobro ohranjena. Ob vpadniku Moring je urejen prostor za razne kulturne dogodke, med katerimi ima najdaljšo tradicijo božično-novoletni koncert. V delu rudnika so uredili 5,4 km dolg transportni rov, po katerem se obiskovalci lahko peljejo z gorskimi kolesi. Z vodičem in svetilkami lahko varno prekolesarijo edinstvene podzemne poti iz ene doline v drugo in doživijo nepozabno pustolovščino. Kolesarska pot skozi rudnik pa je tudi edinstven turistični produkt na svetu. www.podzemljepece.com

Foto / Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik

Special Venues

Ptuj Castle The castle hill has been inhabited since the 5th millennium BC. In the 11th century, when the castle and the town were part of the property of the Salzburg archdiocese, a medieval fort was built upon it. The Archbishops leased the castle to the Lords of Ptuj. Between 1656 and 1802, the castle was home to the Counts of Leslie. The last owners, the Counts of Herberstein, owned the castle between 1873 and 1945, when the castle was nationalised and, together with its rich collection of furniture, became part of the Ptuj Museum. The Festival Hall is the most representative room in the castle and is suitable for formal occasions. Even when built, it was intended for celebrations, balls and other events. It is adorned with a collection of artworks of exotic and beautiful ladies, as well as renowned Oriental and European

military commanders. Today, the Hall is intended for weddings, concerts, symposiums, receptions and business meetings. It seats up to 200 people and is equipped with modern technical equipment. The castle courtyard is also suitable for events and banquets. By prior arrangement, the Museum can organize live music (a pianist, solo performer, etc.) and a photographer. The castle chapel, with an altar dating from the end of the 17th century, has been consecrated and can be used for church wedding and baptism ceremonies. Regional Museum of Ptuj, Muzejski trg 1, 2250 Ptuj Tel.: +386 2 787 92 30, Fax.: +386 2 787 92 45 uprava@pok-muzej-ptuj.si muzej-ptuj.uprava@siol.net

Foto / Photo: Boris Farič

The Underworld of Peca Mountain – tourist Mine and Museum The mining tradition in Carinthia dates back in 1665. The Mežica lead and zinc mine is one of the oldest mines in this part of Europe, where mining went on between the mountains of Peca and Uršlja Gora for more than 330 years. In 1988, a project to close the mine started, part of was also a project to preserve its natural, technical and cultural heritage. In July this year, the tourist mine and museum celebrated the tenth anniversary of its opening. To preserve technical heritage, 3.5

kilometres of the Glančnik shaft have been left in use, through which the visitors can take a ride on an authentic mining train to the Moring ore deposit, in which the stationary mining equipment is preserved in situ. These machines are rich technical heritage, which has been well-preserved only rarely around the world. At the Moring shaft, there is a well set up space where we organize various cultural events, of which the Christmas and New Year Concert has the longest tradition. Visitors can take a ride on mountain bikes through a 5.4-km transport shaft in a section of the mine. With a guide and lamps, they can safely ride their bicycles along unique underground routes from one valley to another, thus experiencing a memorable adventure. The cycling route through the mine is also a unique tourist product. www.podzemljepece.com

Foto / Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik

Foto / Photo: Arhiv RSCM

Posebna prizorišča

Grad Fužine – renesančni užitek Fužinski grad je značilen renesančni dvorec iz 16. stoletja. Stoji na levem bregu Ljubljanice, na vzhodnem obrobju slovenske prestolnice. Njegovi prvotni lastniki so bili iz plemiške rodbine Khisl, vendar pa je grad skozi zgodovino zamenjal kar nekaj lastnikov. Pred gradom so v 19. stoletju uredili park, ki daje lokaciji še danes prav poseben pečat. Danes je v njem sedež Arhitekturnega muzeja Ljubljana in glavnina prostorov je namenjena stalni razstavi arhitekta Jožeta Plečnika,

ki je lahko odlično izhodišče za organizacijo dogodka. Grad Fužine ponuja za najem šest dvoran različnih velikosti. Večje dvorane sprejmejo tudi do 250 ali več oseb, odvisno od vrste dogodka. Nekatere so kot nalašč za manjše, bolj zaključene družbe, druge pa za javne predstavitve, konference, zabave ali razstave. Na voljo za najem je tudi grajsko dvorišče, ki sprejme do 1000 gostov. S pomočjo odlične ponudbe Vivo Catering d.o.o. vas na gradu Fužine pričakuje vrhunska postrežba v čudovitih renesančnih dvoranah. Arhitekturni muzej Ljubljana, Pot na Fužine 2, 1000 Ljubljana Tel.: 01 540 03 46, 01 540 97 98 Faks: 01 540 03 44 aml@aml.si www.aml.si

Foto / Photo: Pristop

Foto / Photo: Agencija Promo

Posestvo Ugar – vrhunski konjeniški center Le dobrih 40 km jugovzhodno od slovenske prestolnice Ljubljane se v idiličnem okolju neokrnjenih ribniških gozdov razprostira okoli 1500 hektarov veliko posestvo Ugar, ki je v lasti družine Rudež. Na zgodovinskih temeljih več kot dvestoletne tradicije upravljanja z gozdovi sta v zadnjih petih letih z izjemnim čutom za ekologijo in ohranjanje kulturno-zgodovinskih prvin kraja ter ljudi Jurij in Maja Rudež osnovala sodoben konjeniški center, v katerem se poleg vseh ostalih odli-

čnosti zrcali tudi prespektivni poslovni model, ki na najvišji ravni združuje vrhunski mednarodni konjeniški šport, sodobne marketinške prvine in napredno vizijo povsem sonaravno zasnovanega ekskluzivnega turizma. Posestvo je letošnjega septembra že drugič zapored gostilo odmevno mednarodno konjeniško tekmovanje v preskakovanju zaprek Ugar FEI World Cup, ki je Slovenijo in Ugar dokončno zarisalo na karto srednjeevropskih kvalifikacijskih turnirjev Mednarodne konjeniške zveze, ki štejejo za svetovni pokal. Na Posestvu Ugar z velikimi načrti zrejo v prihodnost, ko bodo na svojevrsten način zaživeli tudi divjega življenja polni ugarski gozdovi, ki bodo po besedah upravnika Maksa Riosse postali čudovita kulisa ekskluzivnega turizma, s katerim se na posestvu spogledujejo že kar nekaj časa. www.ugar.si

Foto / Photo: Sibil Slejko

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Ugar

Special Venues

Fužine Castle Fužine Castle is a characteristic 16th century Renaissance mansion. It’s on the north bank of the River Ljubljanica, on the eastern side of the Slovenian capital. It originally belonged to the aristocratic Khisl family, but the castle’s had several owners over the centuries. In the 19th century a park was laid out in front of the castle to give the place the special character that remains to the present day. Today, the castle is used by the Ljubljana Architectural Museum, and most of the

rooms are venues for the museum's permanent exhibition on architect Jože Plečnik, which can be an excellent starting point for organisers of an event. Fužine Castle has six halls of different sizes for hire. The larger halls can accommodate up to 250 guests or more, depending on the nature of the event. Some halls are more appropriate for smaller private parties while others are suitable for public presentations, conferences, parties or exhibitions. The castle courtyard, with a capacity of 1000 guests, is also for hire. With excellent service provided by Vivo Catering, you can enjoy exquisite culinary delights in Fužine Castle’s magnificent Renaissance halls.

Foto / Photo: Arhiv AML

The Architectural Museum of Ljubljana, Pot na Fužine 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Tel.: +386 1 540 03 46, +386 1 540 97 98, Fax: +386 1 540 03 44, aml@aml.si, www.aml.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv AML

The Ugar Estate – top Equestrian Centre Some 40 kilometres southeast of Slovenian capital Ljubljana, in an idyllic forested environment near Ribnica, there lies the Rudež family’s approximately 1500-hectare Ugar estate. Jurij and Maja Rudež have strong respect for the historical basis of the more than 200-year forest management tradition, an exceptional sense for ecology and preserving the cultural and historical characteristics of the region and the people. In the past five years they’ve also set up a modern equestrian centre

that, in addition to all its other excellent qualities, is a prospective business model, combining top international equestrian sport, modern marketing elements and an advanced vision of completely sustainable exclusive tourism at the highest level. This September, for the second consecutive year the estate hosted the Ugar FEI World Cup, a well-known international show jumping competition. This finally puts Slovenia and Ugar on the map of International Equestrian Federation central European qualification tournaments that count for the World Cup. The Ugar Estate has great plans for the future. Ugar’s forests, which teem with wildlife, are set to come to life in a unique way. Thus, in the words of manager Maks Riossa, becoming an amazing setting for exclusive tourism, an idea with which they’ve been flirting at the estate for quite some time now. www.ugar.si

Foto / Photo: Arhiv Ugar

Foto / Photo: Vivo Catering

SIMEX 2. borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma SIMEX SIMEX 2. borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma SIMEX Organizator: Zavod-Kongresnoturistični urad Soorganizatorji: Slovenska turistična organizacija, Slovensko zdravniško društvo, Slovensko farmacevtsko društvo, Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije, Institut Jožef Stefan, Trgovinska zbornica Slovenije, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana Tehnični organizator: Gospodarsko razstavišče d.o.o. Programski odbor: mag. Jelka Dolinar, Farmacevtsko društvo Slovenije, dr. Jadran Lenarčič, Institut Jožef Stefan, Mojca Osojnik, Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije, Srečo Peterlič, Predsednik Sveta Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad, mag. Dimitrij Piciga, Slovenska turistična organizacija, dr. Pavel Poredoš, Slovensko zdravniško društvo, Tatjana Radovič, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana, Špela Terpin, Gospodarsko razstavišče d.o.o., mag. Viktor Vauhnik, Trgovinska zbornica Slovenije Organizacijski odbor: Gorazd Čad, Tevž Korent, Miha Kovačič, Špela Terpin, Srečo Peterlič

2. Borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma www.simex.si

24. in 25. januar 2008, Gospodarsko razstavišce Ljubljana

SIMEX 2008

24 and 25 January 2008, Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre

2nd Slovenian Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events Organiser: Slovenian Convention Bureau Coorganisers: Slovenian Tourist Board,Slovene Medical Association,Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society,Chamber of Commerce and Industry Slovenia,Jožef Stefan Institute,Slovenian Chamber of Commerce,Ljubljana Tourist Board Technical Organiser: Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Programme Committee: mag. Jelka Dolinar, Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society, dr. Jadran Lenarčič, Jožef Stefan Institute, Mojca Osojnik, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Srečo Peterlič, President of the Council of the Slovenian Convention Bureau, mag. Dimitrij Piciga, Slovenian Tourist Board, dr. Pavel Poredoš, Slovene Medical Association, Tatjana Radovič, Ljubljana Tourist Board, Špela Terpin, Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, mag. Viktor Vauhnik, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce Organising Committee: Gorazd Čad, Tevž Korent, Miha Kovačič, Špela Terpin, Srečo Peterlič

2nd Slovenian Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events SIMEX 2nd Slovenian Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events

Borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma Kongresni urad že drugič organizira dvodnevno borzo ponudbe in povpraševanja, na kateri se bomo srečali najpomembnejši predstavniki kongresne dejavnosti in organizatorji kongresov, seminarjev, konferenc in drugih dogodkov. Borza predstavlja močno orodje za predstavitev vašega podjetja in storitev. Na 2. borzi, ki bo potekala v okviru sejma Turizem in prosti čas, od 24. do 27. januarja 2008, pričakujemo 60 slovenskih ponudnikov in preko 150 vabljenih kupcev. Ključna prednost borze je, da organizator razstavljavcem zagotovi kakovostne in zanimive potencialne kupce oziroma organizatorje prireditev. Borza torej omogoča vzpostavitev komunikacije med ponudniki in organizatorji. V imenu razstavljavcev organizator povabi potencialne kupce dogodkov in kongresov, da se seznanijo s kongresno ponudbo Slovenije. Vabljeni gostje si termine sestankov s posameznimi razstavljavci rezervirajo vnaprej preko spletne strani www.simex.si. Borza bo v svoji drugi izvedbi postregla s številnimi novostmi, med katerimi bi izpostavili: 50 skrbno izbranih mednarodnih vabljenih kupcev 15 predstavnikov največje svetovne organizacije za selekcijo lokacij dogodkov HelmsBriscoe International Program spremljevalnih izobraževalnih dogodkov Dodatne promocijske možnosti za predstavitev vaše ponudbe Možnost sodelovanja na pokongresni turi za tuje vabljene goste Pošiljanje borznega kataloga na celotno listo vabljenih gostov - preko 3.500 naslovov Osebna asistenca razstavljavcem v primeru dodatnih zahtev glede sestankov Vse borzne aktivnosti so namenjene vzpoztavitvi in poglobitvi poslovnih in osebnih stikov z vabljenimi gosti, izmenjavi izkušenj in bodo organizirane v smislu najboljšega izkoristka časa, ki ga boste preživeli na borzi. Lanske borze se je udeležilo 60 razstavljavcev in 79 vabljenih kupcev iz Slovenije. Na enem mestu nam je uspelo zbrati ključne predstavnike slovenske kongresne industrije in organizatorje kongresov, seminarjev, konferenc in drugih strokovnih oziroma poslovnih dogodkov. V procesu informiranja vabljenih kupcev pa smo v lanskem letu o dogodku obvestili preko 3.500 slovenskih organizatorjev dogodkov, ki so po dogodku prejeli borzni katalog z informacijami o sodelujočih razstavljavcih. Na osnovi ankete med vabljenimi kupci in razstavljalci je bilo ugotovljeno, da je bilo več kot 90 % vabljenih kupcev zadovoljnih z organizacijo in preglednostjo prireditve.

Odzivi vabljenih kupcev in razstavljavcev na Simex 2007: SIMEX borza uspešno, prijetno presenečenje; najpomembnejše, da so bili vsi kongresni ponudniki na enem mestu; združili smo koristno s prijetnim. Urša Križaj, Inštitut za varovanje zdravja RS Glede na to, da je bil SIMEX pri nas prvič organiziran, je bila udeležba presenetljiva z obeh strani. Iz sestankov, ki so bili pripravljeni s strani organizatorja, sicer nismo iztržili veliko, vendar nam je jasno, da se zadeva šele razvija in v naslednjem letu pričakujemo komercialno uspešnejše razgovore. Marko Križnik, Agencija Promo Podjetje Albatros Bled se je udeležilo letošnje 1. kongresne borze Simex v Ljubljani. Srečanje organizatorjev kongresov, konferenc in podobnih dogodkov direktno s potencialnimi kupci se nam zdi koristno. Toliko bolj se nam zdi udeležba na borzi smislena in primerna, ker je organizirana doma in je s tem zagotovljena tudi večja udeležba vseh zaintresiranih subjektov. Za letošnjo lahko rečemo, da je izpolnila naša pričakovanja (bila je pač prva, zato morda nekoliko manjša udeležba), naslednja, v letu 2008, ki bo tudi mednarodna, bo vsekakor še bolj zanimiva in produktivna, zato se je bomo z veseljem udeležili. Boris Ljubič, Albatros Bled Odlična priložnost, da na enem mestu spoznaš celo vrsto različnih ponudnikov in tudi uporabnikov, predvsem pa možnost, da vzpostaviš s predstavniki oseben kontakt, ki je tudi pri nadaljnjem sodelovanju zelo pomemben. Z veliko ponudniki v preteklosti še nisem sodelovala, glede na to, da je ponudba dokaj velika, pa si želim v prihodnje na Borzi Simex spoznati predvsem tiste kvalitete, ki predstavljajo pri ponudnikih dodano vrednost, prednosti, ki jih ločujejo od drugih in jih delajo boljše. Maja Likar, Nebra d.o.o. Vsak začetek je seveda težek, kaj šele v dejavnosti, ki šele dobiva na veljavi pri nas. Vse pohvale organizatorju. SIMEX je bil organiziran na ravni mednarodnih tovrstnih dogodkov. Seveda si razstavljavci želimo večji obisk in več razgovorov z organizatorji. Upam, da bodo vsi, ki se v Sloveniji ukvarjajo z prirejanjem poslovnih dogodkov in srečanji prepoznali priložnosti, ki jih ponuja SIMEX - združeno predstavitev slovenske ponudbe za poslovne dogodke na enem mestu. Matjaž Žnidaršič, Hoteli Bernardin d.d.

SIMEX 2008

Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events For the second year, the Slovenian Convention Bureau has been organising a two-day exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events where the representatives to the meetings industry and the organisers of congresses, seminars, conferences and other events will meet. The exhibition represents a powerful tool for the presentation of your company and services. We are expecting 60 Slovenian providers and over 150 hosted buyers to attend the 2nd exhibition.The main advantage of the exhibition, that will take place as part of the Tourism and Leisure Fair taking place from 24 January to 27 January 2008, is that the organiser provides the exhibitors with high quality and interesting potential buyers or event organisers. The exhibition therefore enables communication between providers and organisers. On behalf of the exhibitors, the organiser invites potential purchasers of events and congresses to familiarise themselves with Slovenia's meetings and incentive travel offer. Hosted buyers will be able to make appointments with individual exhibitors online via www.simex.si. In its second year, the exhibition will present several new features, in particular: 50 carefully chosen hosted international buyers 15 representatives of the world's largest organisation for site selection of events, HelmsBriscoe International Accompanying educational programmes Additional promotional options for the presentation of exhibitors offer The possibility to participate in organised study tours for hosted foreign buyers after the show Dispatch of the exhibition catalogue to the complete list of hosted guests - over 3,500 addresses Personal assistance for exhibitors in case of additional demands concerning meetings All activities at the Simex are aimed to establish and strenghten professional and personal contacts between buyers and suppliers. At last year's exhibit, there were 60 exhibitors and 79 hosted Slovenian buyers. We managed to bring together key representatives of the Slovenian meetings industry and organisers of congresses, seminars, conferences and other expert or business events. In the process of informing hosted guests after the venue, last year we dispatched catalogues to over 3,500 Slovenian event organisers, which included information about the participating exhibitors. On the basis of a survey conducted among the hosted buyers and exhibitors, it has been established that over 90% of the hosted buyers were pleased with the organisation and transparency of the event (the “one-stop shop” principle). The response of the hosted buyers and exhibitors at Simex 2007: SIMEX exhibition a successful and pleasant surprise. The most important thing is that all the congressional providers were in one place. We combined the useful with the pleasant. Urša Križaj, Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia Considering that SIMEX was organized for the first time, attendance from both sides was surprising. We did not achieve a lot with the meetings prepared by the organiser but we are well aware that the matter is still evolving and that next year we expect more commercially successful talks. Marko Križnik, Promo Agency st

The Albatros Bled company attended this year's 1 congressional exhibition Simex in Ljubljana. We find the meetings between the organisers of congresses, conferences and similar events directly with potential buyers to be useful. There is even more sense in participating in the exhibition as it is organised at home, thus ensuring an increased attendance from all the interested parties. For this year's exhibition we can say that it has fulfilled our expectations (it was the first so maybe this might be the reason for a slightly low attendance) and the next one organised in 2008, which will also be international, will definitely be even more interesting and productive so we will gladly attend. Boris Ljubič, Albatros Bled An excellent opportunity to meet a number of different providers and users all in one place and, above all, the possibility of establishing personal contact with the representatives, which is very important for further cooperation. I haven't cooperated with many of the providers in the past but, with the offer being rather extensive, at future Simex exhibitions I would like to see those qualities that represent the added values of the providers, the advantages that distinguish them from the others and the things they do better. Maja Likar, Nebra d.o.o. Each beginning is hard, let alone in an activity that is just gaining in importance in Slovenia. My compliments to the organiser. SIMEX has been organised on the level of internationally comparable events. Of course, exhibitors desire higher attendance and more talks with organisers. I hope that all who deal with organising business events and venues in Slovenia will recognise the opportunities being offered by SIMEX a united presentation in one location of the Slovenian offer for business events. Matjaž Žnidaršič, Bernardin Hotels d.d.

SIMEX 2008

Borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma Kdo sodeluje na borzi: Kategorija A: Lokalne in regionalne turistične organizacije Kategorija B: Profesionalni kongresni organizatorji Kategorija C: DMC ter incentive agencije Kategorija D: Event organizatorji Kategorija E: Kongresni in razstaviščni centri Kategorija F: Kongresni hoteli Kategorija G: Hoteli s konferenčnimi zmogljivostmi Kategorija H: Ponudniki drugih kongresnih storitev Kategorija I: Posebna prizorišča Vabljenim gostom zagotavljamo: da boste deležni VIP obravnave (na vašo željo bomo poskrbeli za prevoz z vaše inštitucije), da boste na borzi srečali glavne slovenske kongresne ponudnike in njihove zastopnike, da vas bomo na dogodku seznanili z najnovejšimi trendi in spoznanji kongresne industrije v okviru spremljevalnih predavanj, da boste pred borzo vse sodelujoče razstavljalce lahko podrobneje spoznali preko spletne predstavitve na portalu www.simex.si da boste lahko utrdili obstoječe poslovne povezave in razvili nove, da boste po končani borzi prejeli borzni katalogi s celovitim pregledom slovenske kongresne ponudbe, da bo dogodek organiziran na visokem nivoju in bo omogočal številne možnosti za druženje. Kako borza deluje? Prijave razstavljavcev bomo zbirali do 15. decembra in jih nato objavili na spletni strani www.simex.si, vabljeni gostje boste dobili informacijo o ponudnikih preko spletne strani najkasneje teden pred začetkom borze, vabljeni gostje bodo lahko preko spletne strani izbrali termine sestankov z razstaljavci. Razstavljavci bodo sestanke potrdili glede na razpoložljivost terminov; ponudniki se bodo na borzi predstavili na tipskih razstavnih prostorih velikosti 3 m2, opremljenih z razstavnimi panoji Octanorm (dolžina panojev: 2 m., višina panojev: 2,40 m.), mizo in 2 stoloma za razgovore, srečanje z vsakim razstavljalcem traja največ 15 minut, v popoldanskem času bo organizirano strokovno predavanje. Kdo se lahko kvalificira kot vabljeni kupec? vsi, ki se v podjetjih in institucijah ukvarjajo s pripravo in organizacijo dogodkov iz Slovenije in tujine, organizatorji kongresov, konferenc in dogodkov iz strokovnih združenj, direktorji marketinga in prodaje v podjetjih in javnih zavodih, PR managerji v podjetjih in javnih zavodih, predstavniki medijskih hiš, ki organizirajo dogodke, predstavniki PCO, DMC in event agencij, komunikatorji dogodkov.

SIMEX 2008

Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events Who participates at the exhibition: Category A: Local and Regional Tourist Boards Category B: Professional Congress Organisers Category C: DMC's and incentive agencies Category D: Event Organisers Category E: Congress and Exhibition Centres Category F: Convention Hotels Category G: Hotels with Conference capacities Category H: Other Providers to the Meeting Industry Category I: Special Venues We guarantee that the hosted guests: Will be given a VIP treatment (if you desire, we will arrange for transportation from your institute), Will meet the main Slovenian providers to the meeting industry and their representatives, Will be introduced to the newest trends and insights of the meeting industry within the framework of the accompanying lectures, Will be able to learn in detail about all participating exhibitors before the actual exhibition with the help of the online presentation on the www.simex.si portal, Will be able to strengthen existing business connections and develop new ones, Will receive the exhibition's catalogue after the show, including a comprehensive review of the Slovenian congressional offer, That the event will be organised on a high level and will offer numerous opportunities for making contacts. How does the exhibition work? Registrations for exhibitors will be accepted until 15 December and will subsequently be published on the www.simex.si webpage, Hosted guests will receive information concerning participating exhibitors at least one week prior to the exhibition, Hosted guests will be able to use the webpage to schedule meetings with the exhibitors. The exhibitors will confirm the meetings depending on the available times, The providers will present themselves at the exhibition in standard 3m2 exhibition areas equipped with Octanorm exhibition boards (2m long by 2.4m high), a desk and 2 chairs to conduct the talks, Each meeting with an individual exhibitor will last 15 minutes at most, An expert lecture will be organised in the afternoon. Who can qualify as a hosted buyer? Everyone, from Slovenia and from abroad, who deal with organising events in their companies or institutions. Organisers of congresses, conferences and events coming from professional associations, The marketing and sales directors of companies and public institutions, PR managers of companies and public institutions, Representatives of medias organising events, PCO, DMC and event agency's representatives, Event communicators.

SIMEX 2008

Prednosti sodelovanja na borzi Vabljenim gostom zagotavljamo brezplačen VIP status, ki vključuje: prevoz iz vaše inštitucije do Gospodarskega razstavišča in nazaj (znotraj AC obroča Ljubljane), delovno kosilo, odmore s kavo, neomejen vstop na borzo, osebni urnik srečanj, poseben prostor za druženje vabljenih gostov. Vsi ponudniki na enem mestu Na enem mestu bodo zbrani vsi ključni ponudniki slovenske kongresne industrije. Udeležba na borzi vam bo prihranila veliko dragocenega časa in vam omogočila realno primerjavo kongresne ponudbe. Izmenjava izkušenj Na dogodku boste srečali domače in tuje organizatorje dogodkov, s katerimi boste lahko izmenjali izkušnje in se pogovorili o prihodnjih načrtih. Možnost druženja V okviru borze bo obilo priložnosti za druženje tudi v času odmorov za kavo, delovnega kosila in večernega druženja na prvi dan dogodka. Učinkovitost Borza omogoča zelo racionalno izrabo časa, saj bodo vse aktivnosti skoncentrirane na dva intenzivna dneva, koristno pa bo izrabljen tudi čas za neformalno druženje. Predstavitev mednarodnega združenja MPI Oba dneva bomo udeležencem predstavili delovanje mednarodnega združenja MPI, katerega predstavnica bo pripravila tudi strokovno predavanje. (www.mpiweb.org) Predstavitev mednarodnega združenja ICCA Svoje aktivnosti bo v okviru borze predstavilo mednarodno združenje ICCA. Njihov predstavnik nam bo podal strokovno temo. (www.iccaworld.com) Delavnica o kongresnih standardih Oba dneva se bodo udeleženci lahko brezplačno seznanili s kongresnimi standardi in prednostmi standardizacije za dvig kakovosti svojih kongresnih produktov. Strokovna predavanja Na dogodek smo povabili vrhunska strokovnjaka in predavatelja, ki bosta predstavila aktualna dogajanja in trende na področju kongresnega turizma. Svoje poglede in razmišljanja nam bosta predstavila: Christian Mutschlechner, Dunajski kongresni urad in Paul Kennedy, MBE, Reed Exhibitions (direktor borze EIBTM). DODATNE INFORMACIJE O 2. BORZI SIMEX g. Miha Kovačič Zavod-Kongresnoturistični urad, Dunajska 156, 1000 Ljubljana Telefon: 01/569 1262, faks: 01/ 569 1261 E-pošta: miha.kovacic@slovenia-convention.com

SIMEX 2008

The Advantages of Participating at the Exhibition Hosted guests are assured free VIP status including: Working lunch, Coffee breaks, Unlimited admission to the exhibition, Personally scheduled meetings, Special area for socialising for the hosted guests. All the providers in one place All the key providers of the Slovenian meetings industry will be present in one space. Participating at the exhibition will save you a lot of valuable time and give you a realistic comparison of the congressional offer. Exchange of experiences At the event, you will meet domestic and foreign event organisers with which you will be able to exchange experiences and talk about future plans. Socialising options There will be numerous opportunities for socialising at the exhibition during the coffee breaks, working lunch and the evening social event on the first day of the exhibition. Efficiency The exhibition allows a very rational use of time, as all activities will be concentrated into two intensive days, while the time for informal socialising will be spent usefully as well. The presentation of the international MPI Association On both days, the participants will be introduced to the International Association MPI , the representative of which shall also prepare an expert lecture. (www.mpiweb.org) Presentation of the international ICCA Association Within the framework of the exhibition, the International Association ICCA will present its activities. Their representative will hold an expert lecture. (www.iccaworld.com) The workshop on congress standards On both days, participants will have the opportunity to learn about congress standards and the advantages of standardisation to increase the quality of their congress products. Expert lectures We invited top-level experts to attend the event who will present current activities and trends in the field of meetings business. To present their views and thoughts, we will be joined by: Mr. Christian Mutschlechner, The Vienna Convention Bureau, Mr. Paul Kennedy, MBE, Reed Exhibitions, Group Exhibitions Director, Meetings & Incentive Events. ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS REGARDING THE 2

SIMEX EXHIBITION

Mr. Miha Kovačič Slovenian Convention Bureau, Dunajska 156 , 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Telephone: +386 (0)1 569 1262, fax: +386 (0)1 569 1261 E-mail: miha.kovacic@slovenia-convention.com

SIMEX 2008

SIMEX 2. borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma SIMEX SIMEX 2. borza ponudbe in povpraševanja poslovnega turizma SIMEX Dan združenj in javnega sektorja - četrtek, 24. januar 2008 Na dnevu združenj in javnega sektorja pričakujemo predstavnike slovenskih in mednarodnih združenj, inštitutov, vladnih in drugih javnih služb, ki organizirajo lokalne in mednarodne dogodke. 09:00-10:00 Kongresni zajtrk in predstavitev primerov dobre prakse, Delavnica - Kongresni standardi 10:00-13:00 Borzni sestanki 13:00-14:30 Družabno kosilo in predstavitev slovenskega cateringa 14:30-15:15 Borzni sestanki in vzporedno predstavitev mednarodnega združenja ICCA 15:15-16:00 Strokovno predavanje s tujim predavateljem 16:00-17:00 Okrogla miza 19:00 Druženje v izbranem lokalu (velja za udeležence obeh dnevov). Dan podjetij in javnega sektorja - petek, 25. januar 2008 Na dnevu podjetij in javnega sektorja sodelujejo posamezniki, odgovorni za organizacijo dogodkov, incentive programov, predstavitev izdelkov in drugih poslovnih srečanj v podjetjih. 09:00-10:00 Kongresni zajtrk in predstavitev primerov dobre prakse, Delavnica - Kongresni standardi 10:00-13:00 Borzni sestanki 13:00-14:30 Družabno kosilo in predstavitev slovenskega cateringa 14:30-15:15 Borzni sestanki in vzporedno predstavitev mednarodnega združenja MPI 15:15-16:00 Strokovno predavanje s tujim predavateljem 16:00-17:00 Okrogla miza 17:00 Zaključno druženje

www.simex.si

Preliminarni program borze

SIMEX 2008

Preliminary programme of the exhibition

Associations and the Public Sector Day - Thursday, 24 January 2008 On the Day for Associations and the Public Sector, we are expecting representatives of Slovenian and international associations, institutes, government and other public offices organising local and international events. 09:00-10:00 Congress breakfast and case studies presentation, Workshop - Congress standards 10:00-13:00 Exhibition meetings 13:00-14:30 Lunch and a presentation of Slovenian catering 14:30-15:15 Exhibition meetings and a parallel presentation of the international ICCA Association 15:15-16:00 Expert lecture with a foreign lecturer 16:00-17:00 Round table 19:00 Social event in a chosen restaurant (for participants in both days). Companies and the Public Sector Day - Friday, 25 January 2008 On the Day for Companies and the Public Sector, participants are the individuals responsible for the organisation of events, incentive programmes, the presentation of products and other company business meetings. 09:00-10:00 Commercial presentations of the exhibitors , Workshop - Congress standards 10:00-13:00 Exhibition meetings 13:00-14:30 Lunch and a presentation of Slovenian catering 14:30-15:15 Exhibition meetings and a parallel presentation of the international MPI Association 15:15-16:00 Expert lecture with a foreign lecturer 16:00-17:00 Round table 17:00 Final networking

2nd Slovenian Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events SIMEX 2nd Slovenian Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings and Events

Primeri dobre prakse

Družabni dogodki na neobičajnih lokacijah – rdeča nit EUREKE Naslov dogodka: Projekt EUREKA, Slovensko predsedovanje Naročnik: Ministrstvo za visoko šolstvo, znanost in tehnologijo RS Izvajalec: Auditoria d.o.o. Slovenija je prevzela enoletno predsedovanje EUREKE. V okviru predsedovanja so predvidene štiri konference, in sicer v Mariboru (oktober 2007), na Bledu (januar 2008), v Portorožu (april 2008) in v Ljubljani (junij 2008). Na vseh konferencah so prisotni delegati iz več kot 40 evropskih držav. Pred Slovenijo sta EUREKI predsedovali Češka in Italija. Približno 140 delegatov bo v enem letu prisotnih na štirih konferencah na različnih koncih Slovenije, organizatorji (Auditoria – PCO) pa smo se soočili z izzivom: kako udeležencem predstaviti Slovenijo? In smo se odločili: družabni do-

godki na neobičajnih lokacijah. V Mariboru smo morali »prebiti led«. Prvi, neformalni večer, smo organizirali v hotelu Habakuk, drugi večer smo jih z gondolo peljali na Pohorje, za tretji, najpomembnejši večer, pa smo organizirali ogled mesta, predstavitev Vinagove vinske kleti in večerjo s kulturnim programom v mariborskem gradu. Kako nam je to uspelo, govorijo fotografije. In še komentar enega od delegatov: »Za prvič vse odlično, upam, da imate za naslednja srečanja še kakšno presenečenje na zalogi«. Imamo jih, presenečanja, na vseh lokacijah! Srečo Peterlič, direktor Kongresne dejavnosti, Auditoria Foto: Jaka Vinšek

Kdo je ukradel Tartinijevo violino? Naslov dogodka: Konferenca PHD Izvajalec: Lifetrek d.o.o. Naročnik: PHD Češka (60 oseb)

ko zavzame še druga, tista bolj športno obarvana Lifetrekova ekipa, ki pripravi dodatno presenečenje in nič hudega sluteče udeležence razdeli v skupine, jih opremi s scenarijem, ter jih napoti novim dogodivščinam naproti ... … Od Zdravljice na Tartinijevem trgu, do pandola pri svetilniku, skozi ozke ulice očarljivega, mediteranskega Pirana, kjer so se ekipe celo ujele v ribiško mrežo, se tudi rešile in se dodobra spoznale s pristno klimo mesta. Vse skupaj je postajalo bolj in bolj razigrano, potegnilo jih je vzdušje neznanega ter seveda zdrava tekmovalnost in duh timskega sodelovanja. Vrhunec pa je doseglo pri stolni cerkvi Sv Jurija, kjer so se ekipe pomerile še z zadnjo nalogo in kjer smo tudi razglasili zmagovalce. »Kdo je ukradel Tartinijevo violino« je naš nov in povsem svež urbani lov za zakladom, ki je udeležence navdušil, saj gre za aktivno doživetje Pirana skozi igro, zgodovino, mediteransko tradicijo, v tesnem sodelovanju ekip z domačini. Tako smo s piranskim zaokrožili naš urbani trojček lovljenja za zakladom; na Bledu z Iskanjem potopljenega zvona, v Ljubljani pa z Zmajčkovo skrivnostjo.

Sončno, prav vzpodbudno toplo in prijetno jesensko popoldne v Piranu. Mednarodna ekipa IT managerjev lenobno uživa in se razvaja na prijetni leseni barkači, ki kroži po zalivu. Za njimi sta dva polna dneva sestankovanj, strategij, razmišljanj in dogovorov, kar je kljub udobju na barki precej utrujajoče. Ampak, poglej ga »hudička«, kar naenkrat, pravzaprav od nikoder, bar-

Good Practice Case Studies

Social Events at unusual Venues – EUREKA’s main idea Event title: EUREKA Project, Slovenian Presidency Client: Slovenian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology Provider: Auditoria, d. o. o. Slovenia has taken over the one year presidency of EUREKA. Four conferences are envisaged within the scope of the presidency, in Maribor (October 2007), Bled (January 2008), Portorož (April 2008) and in Ljubljana (June 2008), with about 140 delegates from over 40 European countries attending each. Prior to Slovenia, EUREKA was presided over by the Czech Republic and Italy. Auditoria – PCO, the organisers have decided to step up and face the challenge of how to present Slovenia to participants, and decided to use social events at unusual venues. We had to ‘break

the ice’ in Maribor. We organised the first informal meeting at the Habakuk hotel. On the second evening, we took participants to Pohorje by cable car, and for the third – the most important evening – we organised a tour of the city, a showcase of Vinag wine cellar and dinner with a cultural programme at Maribor Castle. How we did it is outlined in the photographs. One delegate commented “This being the first time, it was excellent. I hope you have another surprise in store for meetings to come”. We surely do, surprises at every venue! Srečo Peterlič, Congress Activity Director, Auditoria Photo: Jaka Vinšek

Who stole Tartini’s Violin? Event title: PHD Conference Contractor: Lifetrek Client: PHD Czech republic A stimulatingly warm, pleasant sunny autumn afternoon in Piran. An international team of IT managers is lazily enjoying and spoiling themselves on a nice wooden sailboat in the bay. Their last two days have consisted entirely of meetings, strategies, deliberations and agreements, which is quite tiring despite the comfort of the sailboat. But – would you look at that – suddenly, out of nowhere, the sailboat is occupied by the more sports inclined Lifetrek team which has an extra surprise ready, and divides the unsuspecting participants into groups, provides them with scenarios and sends them off to find new adventures. From ‘Zdravljica’, the Slovenian national anthem on Tartinijev trg square, to a game of pandolo (similar

to baseball) at the lighthouse, and through the narrow streets of the charming, Mediterranean Piran, where the teams got captured in a fishing net, managed to escape, and grew quite familiar with the town’s authentic atmosphere. Things were getting more and more lively, they were drawn in by the unfamiliar atmosphere, the healthy competition and the team spirit. The highlight was at St. George’s cathedral, where the teams performed their final tasks before the winners were announced. ‘Who stole Tartini’s Violin’ is our new and completely fresh urban treasure hunt. Participants really like it as it’s an active way to experience Piran’s history and Mediterranean tradition through a game, and to co-operate closely with local people. The Piran treasure hunt rounds off our urban trio of treasure hunts, with ‘The Search for the Sunken Bell’ in Bled and ‘The Little Dragon’s Secret’ in Ljubljana.

Novi kongresni standardi

Standardizacija za promocijo in konkurenčnost kongresnega turizma Zavod-Kongresnoturistični urad je v sodelovanju s podjetjem Go®Mice d.o.o. po več mesecih priprav uvedel standarde za svoje člane, ki so po svojem obsegu edinstveni v svetu. Standarde vidi urad kot strateško orodje za dvig kakovosti in prodor na nove kongresne trge.

Priprava standardov je temeljila na obstoječih standardih in priporočilih s področja poslovnega turizma, kot jih priporoča DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm), ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers), APEX (Accepted Practice Exchange), AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres), MPI (Meetings Professional International) ter druga strokovna združenja na področju kongresne dejavnosti. S standardi bo zagotovljena večja preglednost za naročnike, enotna obravnava primerljivih kategorij članov in dvig kakovosti slovenskega kongresnega turizma ter izpostavitev najboljših članov. Standardi omogočajo slovenskim ponudnikom lažje pozicioniranje na lokalnem in mednarodnem trgu ter uvajanje izboljšav v lastnem okolju. V letošnjem letu se bodo standardizirale vse kategorije obstoječih in potencialnih članov Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad. Člani, ki bodo izpolnjevali kriterije, pridobijo znak »Certificirani član« za posamezne kategorije. Dosežena stopnja ni povezana s kategorizacijo nastanitvenega obrata ali drugimi turističnimi kategorizacijami.

Kategorije članov, ki se bodo standardizirale v letu 2007 so: Kategorija A: Lokalne in regionalne turistične organizacije Kategorija B: Profesionalni kongresni organizatorji Kategorija C: DMC ter Incentive agencije Kategorija D: Event organizatorji Kategorija E: Kongresni in razstavni centri Kategorija F: Kongresni hoteli Kategorija G: Hoteli s konferenčnimi kapacitetami Kategorija H: Ponudniki drugih kongresnih storitev Kategorija I: Posebne lokacije (Special Venues) Prvi del ocenjevanja v letu 2007 temelji na presoji tehničnih kriterijev, ki jih mora izpolnjevati vsak član. Izpolnjevanje tehničnih pogojev je hkrati pogoj za redno članstvo v Zavodu-Kongresnoturistični urad Slovenije.

V prihodnosti načrtujejo ocenjevanje v skladu z modelom poslovne odličnosti. V procesu zunanje in notranje presoje članov Kongresnega urada bodo tako v skladu z zgoraj zapisanimi izhodišči poleg tehničnih kriterijev ocenjevali tudi vodstvo in strokovne reference ekipe, upravljanje ka-

drov, vizijo, strategijo in politiko, obvladovanje procesov, zadovoljstvo zaposlenih, zadovoljstvo potrošnikov, družbeni vpliv in položaj podjetja ter poslovne rezultate. Na ta način bodo standardi omogočali nadaljnji razvoj v smeri celovitega upravljanja kakovosti in ustreznega nagrajevanja ter izbor najboljših članov ZavodaKongresnoturistični urad. Tak pristop je hkrati nadgradnja klasičnega tehnicističnega pristopa k standardizaciji. Letošnji standardi bodo prvič uradno podeljeni na rednem letnem srečanju Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad v decembru.

Miha Kovačič, direktor Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad sov in njihovi udeleženci pričakujejo od destinacije in vseh ponudnikov v kongresni verigi vrhunsko storitev, izvedeno na profesionalni način. To se najbolje naredi s standardizacijo ponudbe. S tem zagotovimo, da domači ali tuji organizator dogodkov točno ve, katere in kakšno kvaliteto storitev lahko pričakuje od ponudnika.

Miha Kovačič

Kateri so glavni razlogi za uvajanje standardizacije? V današnjem kaotičnem tempu življenja kupci vedno bolj iščejo hitre rešitve. Vse manj so pripravljeni iskati in primerjati. Hočejo tudi rešitev s čim manjšimi stroški in seveda s čim večjo dodano vrednostjo. Verjetno se v tem prepozna vsak, saj nas že okolje sili v to. S standardizacijo ponudnikov se kupcu storitev proces iskanja destinacije, organizatorja, hotela in drugih ponudnikov, močno olajša. Na zelo pregleden način dobi jasen vpogled kdo nudi kaj. Moramo vedeti, da Kongresni urad pomaga organizatorju dogodka najti najustreznejšo rešitev za svoj dogodek in da pri tem deluje nepristransko. Kupcu svojega dela Kongresni urad ne zaračuna, prav tako hotel oz. organizator uradu ne plačata ničesar. Poleg tega organizatorji kongre-

Ali v svetu obstajajo primerljivi modeli standardizacije? Tako obširne standardizacije se ni lotil še nihče. V Evropi najdemo primerljive modele, vendar so v manjšem obsegu ali pa so kvečjemu priporočila. Na primer v Nemčiji je njihov Kongresni urad za svoje člane pripravil pogoje za članstvo za kongresni hotel, profesionalnega kongresnega organizatorja, drugih področij se niso dotaknili. Zavedamo se, da bodo standardi dobri samo toliko, kolikor se bodo tudi uveljavljali. Pridobljeni standardi veljajo tri leta, nato se bodo ponovno preverili. Kakšne koristi bodo imeli od standardov vaši člani? Z uvedbo standardov bomo dosegli večjo preglednost za organizatorje dogodkov, torej za naše kupce storitev. Dvignila se bo kakovost ponudbe, lažja bo tudi primerljivost ponudnikov. Standardi imajo tudi močno edukativno vlogo. Vsak član bo iz formularja videl, na katerem področju mora izboljšati oz. dopolniti svojo ponudbo. Nadaljnje bodo standardi pripomogli k učinkovitejšem trženju dejavnosti.

Kako bo potekal proces standardizacije? Kdo bo podelil naziv? Ali bo to povezano s kakšnimi stroški? Standardizacija poteka v večih korakih. Po pripravi obrazcev, ki jih je strokovno dopolnila ocenjevalna komisija in potrdil Svet Zavoda, so jih člani prejeli za izvedbo samoocene. Po pridobitvi izpolnjenih formularjev bo ocenjevalna komisija preverila točnost podatkov in v primeru izpolnjevanja pogojev bo član prejel izbrani standard. Standarde bo podelil Kongresni urad na naslednjem srečanju članov. Stroške standardizacije članov v celoti nosi Kongresni urad. Kje vidite slovenski proces standardizacije v naslednjih petih letih? Menim, da bodo standardi v prihodnosti še bolj pridobili na pomembnosti, saj bodo pričakovanja in zahteve naročnikov vedno večja. S standardizacijo ponudbe je celoten proces iskanja in izbire možno tudi informatizirati, kar pomeni, da bo lahko kupec preveril in rezerviral želene storitve v realnem času. Trenutna standardizacija vključuje samo tehnične zahteve. Zavedamo se, da bo standardizacija v prihodnosti nadgrajena in bo vključevala tudi druga področja, kot so zadovoljstvo kupcev, odnos podjetja do zaposlenih, finančne kazalnike in druga področja.

New Congress Standards

Standardisation to promote Congress Tourism Competitiveness After several months in preparation, the Slovenian Convention Bureau in partnership with the Go®Mice company has introduced standards for its members that are unique in the world in terms of their scope. The SCB sees these standards as a strategic tool to enhance quality and penetrate new congress tourism markets.

The preparation of standards was based on existing standards and recommendations in the business tourism field as put forward by Deutsche Industrie Norm, ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers), APEX (Accepted Practice Exchange), AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres), MPI (Meetings Professional International) and other professional associations in the congress field. The standards are set to ensure greater transparency for clients, uniform treatment of comparable categories of members and give a boost to Slovenian congress tourism quality as well as exposure for the best members. The standards enable facilitated positioning on local and international markets for Slovenian providers as well as the introduction of improvements in their own environment. All existing and potential SCB members’ categories will be standardised this year. Members who meet the criteria will receive the ‘Certified Member’ mark for individual categories. The level attained is not linked to the categorisation of the accommodation facility or other tourist categorisations.

Member categories to be standardised in 2007 are: Category A: local and regional tourist organisations Category B: professional congress organisers Category C: DMCs and incentive agencies Category D: event organisers Category E: congress and exhibition centres Category F: congress hotels Category G: hotels with conference capacities Category H: providers of other congress services Category I: special venues The first part of the 2007 assessment is based on the evaluation of technical criteria that every member must meet. The fulfilment of the technical conditions is simultaneously a condition for regular SCB membership.

Looking forward, they plan to carry out the assessment in line with the business excellence model. In the process of internal and external evaluation of SCB members, they will assess the management teams and the staff’s professional references, human resources management, vision, strategy, policies, process

management, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, social impact, the company’s position and performance in line with the basic premises outlined above in addition to technical criteria. In this way, the standards enable further development in the direction of comprehensive quality management and adequate rewards as well as the selection of the best SCB members. Such an approach is at the same time an upgrade of the classical technical approach to standardisation. This year’s standards will be officially awarded for the first time at the regular SCB annual meeting in December.

Miha Kovačič, SCB Director What are the main reasons behind the introduction of standardisation? In today’s chaotic pace of life, buyers are increasingly looking for fast solutions. They’re increasingly less inclined to search and draw comparisons. They also want solutions at minimum cost and, of course, with the highest possible added value. We’ll all probably recognise something of ourselves in this as the environment forces us to be that way. With provider standardisation, the process of searching for a destination, organiser, hotel and other providers is significantly simplified for service buyers. They get a clear insight into who is offering what in a very transparent way. It should be noted that SCB aids the organiser to find the most appropriate solution for each event and that in doing so it acts impartially. SCB does not charge the buyer for its work, nor does the hotel or organiser pay anything to SCB. Additionally, congress organisers and participants expect a destination and all the providers in the congress chain to put on a top-level service that is implemented professionally. This is best done through offer standardisation. With it, we ensure that domestic and foreign event organisers know exactly the services and quality level they can expect from the provider.

Are there comparable standardisation models around the world? No one has yet tackled such an extensive standardisation. We can find comparable models in Europe, but all of a smaller scope or in the form of recommendations. In Germany, for example, their convention bureau has prepared membership conditions for congress hotels and professional congress organisers that apply for membership, but has not touched upon other areas. We’re aware that standards will only be as good as their enforcement. The standards acquired apply for three years and are reassessed afterwards. How will your members benefit from the standards? By introducing standards, we are going to achieve greater transparency for event organisers – that is our service buyers. The offer quality will be boosted and comparing providers will be made easier. The standards also have a strong educational role. Each member will see where they need to make improvements or supplement their offer from the form. Moreover, the standards will contribute to more effective marketing. How will standardisation proceed? Who will award the title? Will this entail any costs? Standardisation will be implemented in larger steps. After the forms have

been prepared, professionally supplemented by the assessment committee and confirmed by the SCB Board, the members receive them for performing a self-assessment. When it gets the completed forms back, the assessment committee will verify the correctness of data and, if the conditions are fulfilled, the member will receive the selected standard. SCB will award the standards at the next members’ meeting. The costs of standardising members will be entirely borne by SCB. How do you see the Slovenian standardisation process in the next five years? I think standards will gain in importance in the future as clients’ expectations and demands are going to get ever greater. Via offer standardisation, it will be possible to computerise the entire search and selection process, meaning that the buyer will be able to examine and book the services desired in real time. The current standardisation includes only technical requirements. We recognise the fact that standardisation will be upgraded in the future and will incorporate other areas as well such as customer satisfaction, a company’s attitude towards its staff, financial indicators and others.

Kolumna: Gorazd Čad

Okolju prijazna srečanja Pred časom me je poslovni partner spraševal, zakaj smo v kongresne standarde, ki jih uvaja Kongresni urad, uvedli tudi neobvezne ekološke pogoje, češ saj na našem področju ni moč prav veliko storiti za varovanje okolja. Vprašanje me je sprva presenetilo, kasneje pa sva skupaj ugotovila, da gre verjetno za enega najpomembnejših vidikov naše dejavnosti v prihodnosti.

Ključna zmota, ki sem jo pri tem izpostavil, je, da kongresni hotel, center ali sam dogodek ne more biti dober za okolje, lahko pa je manj slab od drugih. Zavedanje o tem je še posebej pomembno v času intenzivnih marketinških kampanj, ki z ekološkimi sporočili pogosto zavajajo javnost. Vse skupaj se torej začne z majhnimi koraki pri

našem vsakodnevnem delu. Zelo malo ljudi ve, da je iz vidika porabe električne energije prenosni računalnik manj potraten od klasičnega PC-ja, da o porabi papirja v modernih pisarnah ne izgubljamo besed. Ne zavedamo se, koliko CO2 proizvede naša pot z letalom od Ljubljane do Londona. Pomagamo si lahko z orodjem, ki ga je razvil British Airways in ki nam ob našem poletu izračuna emisijo CO2 in stroške okoljske kompenzacije, ki se zbira v posebnem ekološkem fondu. V zgornjem primeru je ustvarjena emisija 0,14 ton CO2, kompenzacija pa je 1,61 evra. Na tem področju v Sloveniji zaostajamo za razvitimi državami. Vse skupaj se začne pri izobraževanju in osveščanju. Zanimivo je, da so najdlje na tem področju prišli v ZDA, ki slovijo po ekološki kontradiktornosti. Na eni strani zavračajo podpis Kiotskega protokola, na drugi pa Al Gore dobi Nobelovo nagrado za mir prav na osnovi svojega okoljskega delovanja. Njihova iniciativa za t.i. zelena srečanja (Green Meetings), ki jo vodi Agencija za varovanje okolja (EPA – Environmental Protection Agency), je med prvimi v svetu začela načrtno osveščati javnost. Iniciativa deluje kot izobraževalna in informacijska platforma za organizatorje dogodkov in ponudnike storitev. Od zapisanih navodil si lahko obetamo veliko, dejstvo pa ostaja, da nas lahko pred spreminjajočim se podnebjem zaščiti le lastna proaktivnost. Kje lahko začnemo s prijaznejšim odnosom do okolja? Področje je zelo kompleksno in ponuja številne možnosti za izboljšave. Prvo področje je strateško in predstavlja odločitev vodstva za okolju prijazno politiko in vodenje podjetja. Sledi varčno upravljanje z električno energijo, vključno s senzorskim upravljanjem razsvetljave, varčnimi žarnicami in zmanjšanjem svetlobnega onesnaževanja. Če imamo možnost, izberimo podjetje, ki dobavlja elektriko iz obnovljivih virov. Upravljanje z odpadki in njihovo ločevanje se začne v pisarnah in ni samo stvar oddelka gostinstva in gospodinjstva v hotelih. Fotokopirni stroji porabijo največ energije na enoto v pisarnah. Kopiramo lahko obojestransko, kar prispeva k zmanjšanju porabe energije, stroškov papirja in odpadkov. Pomembno vlogo v celotnem procesu ima nabavna služba s strateško odločitvijo za nabavo ekoloških izdelkov. Kot primer se vprašajmo, ali ste svojega dobavitelja pisarniškega papirja že vprašali, ali vam bo dobavil papir, ki ga sestavlja najmanj 30 % recikliranega papirja. Drugo vprašanje je vezano na zelo potratne sisteme označevanja ali »brandinga dogodkov«. Zelo redko se odločimo za oznake, sisteme obveščanja in nove elektronske medije, ki jih je moč večkratno uporabiti. Običajno se oziramo na stroške in izberemo najcenejšo možnost, ki pa je okolju največkrat neprijazna. Zgornje primere bi lahko razširili v nedogled, kažejo pa kompleksnost problematike in hkrati enostavnost reševanja. Tudi majhni koraki pa so glede na odzive ekološkega dela kongresnih standardov v Sloveniji težki, saj bomo morali opraviti domačo nalogo in izpeljati vrsto mehkih ukrepov na področju osveščanja in informiranja s ciljem okolju prijaznejših srečanj. Odločitev je v vaših rokah, le sprejeti jo morate! Več o okolju prijaznih srečanjih lahko preberemo na: www.bluegreenmeetings.org www.greenseal.org www.greenmeetings.info www.energystar.gov www.climatecare.org

Gorazd Čad

Gorazd Čad, Go.Mice

Column: Gorazd Čad

Environmentally friendly Meetings A business partner asked me recently why we included non-obligatory environmental requirements in the congress standards, introduced by the Slovenian Convention Bureau. In his opinion, he added, not much can be done for the protection of environment in our business area. The question surprised me at first, but later we established it is probably one of the most essential aspects of our activity in the future.

The key misconception that I pointed out, is that a congress hotel or centre or the event itself cannot be environmentally friendly, but it can be less bad compared to others. The awareness thereof is of a great importance, especially in the time of intensive marketing campaigns that often mislead the public with their ecological messages. So everything starts with taking small steps in our everyday work. Very few people know that, from the view of electricity consumption, a portable computer is less wasteful than a classic desktop PC, not to mention the paper consumption in modern offices. We are not aware of the amount of CO2 produced by the plane during our

flight from Ljubljana to London. We can use a tool developed by British Airways which calculates the CO2 emission caused by your flight and the environmental compensation costs to be deposited in a special environmental fund. In the above mentioned example, the CO2 emission amounts to 0.14 ton of CO2, with the compensation costs of 1.61 EUR. In this area, Slovenia is far behind the developed countries. Everything starts with education and raising of awareness. An interesting fact is that the country that has come the longest way is the USA which is famous for its environmental contradictoriness. They refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol on one hand, but on the other hand, Al Gore won the Nobel price precisely because of his environmental activism. Their iniciative for the so-called Green Meetings, promoted by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), was one of the first in the world to systematically start raising public awareness. The iniciative operates as an educational and information platform for event organisers and service providers. The written instructions can promise a lot, but the fact remains that the only thing to protect us from the changing climate is our own proactivity. Where can our more friendly behaviour towards the environment start? It is a very complex area and it offers numerous opportunities for improvement. First of all, the strategic area represents the management's decision for an environmentally-friendly policy and managing the company. Economical electricity consumption is the next issue, including auto sensor lighting, energy saving light bulbs and reduction of the light pollution. If you can, choose a company that supplies electricity from restorable sources. Waste management and their separation starts in the offices and is not just an issue of the catering and housekeeping departments of the hotels. Photocopiers use the highest amount of energy per unit in an office. By making duplex copies, we contribute to the reduction of energy consumption, paper costs and the amount of waste. An important role in the whole process is played by the purchasing department and their strategic decision to purchase ecological products. For example, have you ever asked your office paper supplier whether they are going to supply you with paper with minimum 30% recycled fibre? The second question applies to very wasteful event branding systems. Very rarely we decide for reusable signs, informing systems and new electronic media. We usually consider the costs and choose the cheapest option which, in most cases, is not environmentally friendly. Problems like these could be discussed infinitely, as they show the complexity of the problems and at the same time the simplicity of the solutions. But even small steps are hard to take, considering the response to the environmental component of the congress standards in Slovenia. We will have to do our homework and take a whole range of soft measures in the area of raising awareness and spreading information in order to achieve a higher level of environmental friendliness of the meetings. The decision is in your hands, you just have to take it! Read more on environmentally friendly meeting at: www.bluegreenmeetings.org www.greenseal.org www.greenmeetings.info www.energystar.gov www.climatecare.org

Gorazd Čad, Go.Mice

Kongresni standardi in kakovost storitev

Organizacija družabnih dogodkov na neobičajnih prizoriščih Ali ste se kdaj vprašali, zakaj se ljudje udeležujejo kongresov, simpozijev, predstavitev in sorodnih prireditev: ali samo zato, da so informirani, da spremljajo razvoj znanosti, novih dognanj, da se dokazujejo s svojimi referati, predavanji ali predstavitvami svojih dolgoletnih raziskovanj oziroma tržnih programov? Večina najlepših spominov udeležencev prireditve je povezanih z druženjem na neobičajnih lokacijah, originalnim programom, dobro hrano in pijačo.

In če se vprašamo, zakaj potrebujemo pri skoraj vsaki prireditvi tudi družabni program: osnovni cilj organizatorjev vseh vrst prireditev je druženje in komuniciranje med udeleženci, najboljši način za to pa so družabni dogodki na neobičajnih prizoriščih. Družabni dogodki seveda niso sami sebi namen, temveč odločilno prispevajo k uspehu celotne prireditve. Izbor in izvedba teh dogodkov morata dopolnjevati in podpirati namen, cilje in tematiko vsake posamezne prireditve in njenih organizatorjev.

Kje in kako organiziramo družabne dogodke? Osnovne lokacije so predvsem banketne dvorane, hoteli in restavracije, kongresni centri in podobno. Namensko grajene lokacije imajo običajno vse optimalne pogoje za izvedbo vseh vrst družabnih dogodkov. Organizatorji, udeleženci prireditev in gostje pa si vse bolj pogosto želijo drugačnih, atraktivnih lokacij, kot so npr. muzeji, galerije, gradovi, mestne hiše, cerkve, parki, trgi, vinske kleti, nočni klubi itd. Te neobičajne lokacije so za izvedbo bistveno zahtevnejše in dražje, saj nimajo na voljo niti najbolj osnovne opreme za te vrste dogodkov – ozvočenja, osvetljave, scenske in gostinske opreme. Na vse to mora pomisliti organizator dogodka, vendar izvedba dogodka na takšni neobičajni lokaciji ponavadi povzroči pravo navdušenje med gosti. Različne lokacije se močno razlikujejo po ambientu, stilu, tehničnih možnostih, dostopnosti in omejitvah. Pred dokončno odločitvijo o lokaciji, ki je v skladu z vsebinskimi željami, moramo podrobno preveriti predvsem: • Dostopnost (vhodi, parkirišča, dostop za avtobuse in VIP vozila, dostop za invalide); • Velikost in primernost prostorov za predvideno število gostov; • Toaletne prostore (ali jih je dovolj, ali so vzdrževani in čisti); • Garderobe; • Varnost in zavarovanje; • Tehnične in druge možnosti (oder, ozvočenje, osvetlitev itd.); • Omejitve in prepovedi (hrup, ples, osvetlitev, čas zapiranja itd.); • Časovne omejitve (priprava in pospravljanje). Družabni program predstavlja splet različnih dogodkov, različne hrane in pijače ob različnih urah, različnih pravil oblačenja; na vse to je potrebno pomisliti pri načrtovanju in izbiri vrste dogodka. Ne glede na lokacijo in dogodek:

Foto: Zoran Hochstaetter

predviden program (predstavitve, govore itd.) moramo podrobno načrtovati in koordinirati z osebo, zadolženo za catering; v nasprotnem primeru ne bo pravočasno pripravljen mikrofon za govornika, hrana bo hladna, kozarci pa prazni, ko bo govornik želel nazdraviti. Običajno imajo na vseh lokacijah, na katerih redno izvajajo družabne dogodke, svoje pogodbene izvajalce, ki poznajo pogoje poslovanja v teh centrih. Za večino neobičajnih lokacij pa bomo morali izvajalca cateringa zagotoviti sami.

• Opis lokacije in razlog dogodka na tej lokaciji; • Datum in čas prihoda ter odhoda; • Oddaljenost od hotelov, dostopnost in način prevoza; • Program dogodka; • Primerna obleka;

• Transferji: kdaj, od kod, kam; • Jedilnik in vinska karta. Več informacij, kot jih posredujemo gostom, bolj bodo ti pripravljeni, manj bodo spraševali in bolj bodo zadovoljni. Srečo Peterlič, Auditoria; predsednik sveta Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad

Upoštevajmo različnost udeležencev in gostov Pri planiranju dogodkov, še posebej na neobičajnih lokacijah, upoštevajmo pričakovanja gostov, njihovo nacionalnost, starost, razlog prireditve in čimveč njihovih specifičnih lastnosti, v povezavi s specifičnostjo lokacije in same prireditve. Prav tako moramo upoštevati nivo »energije« udeležencev. Če smo jih ves dan prevažali z avtobusi, potem je priporočljiva večerja nekje v bližini, da lahko gredo tja peš, če pa so ves dan sedeli v kongresni dvorani, potem tudi polurni prevoz z avtobusom prispeva k boljšemu razpoloženju. Gostom moramo pustiti dovolj prostega časa, da se lahko preoblečejo, še posebej za gala dogodke. Ljudje iz različnih držav, celin in različnih kultur imajo različne in posebne želje, na kar ne smemo nikoli pozabiti. Pri načrtovanju posameznih družabnih dogodkov moramo upoštevati tudi časovno razmejitev predhodnih in kasnejših obrokov. Če želimo, da bodo gostje imeli občutek, da so dobrodošli in da se bodo počutili varno in čim bolj domače, ter da si bodo lokacijo oziroma prizorišče dogodka zapomnili, jih moramo na dogodek pripraviti v naprej. Pošljemo jim vabila, program prireditve in seveda tudi jedilnik. Pomembne informacije za udeležence so tudi:

Kompas Corporate CONGRESSES, BUSINESS TRAVEL, INCENTIVES, THEMED TOURS, TEAMBUILDING

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Congress Standards and Service Quality

Organising social Events at unusual Venues Have you ever wondered why people attend congresses, symposiums, presentations and similar events - just to be informed, to monitor scientific developments, new discoveries, to assert themselves with their papers or lectures, or presentations of their many years’ research or marketing programmes? A large number of participants’ best memories are connected to socialising at unusual locations, original programmes and good food and drink.

And if we were to ask ourselves why almost every event needed a social programme, the basic goal of organisers of all types of events is to set up socialising and communicating among participants, and the best way of doing this is at social events at unusual venues. Of course, these social events serve a purpose – to make a vital contribution to the success of the overall event. The selection and execution of these events must complement and support the purpose, the goals and theme of each individual event and its organisers.

Where and how do we organise social events? The basic venues are mostly banqueting halls, hotels and restaurants, congress centres and the like. Purpose-built locations usually have optimal conditions for all types of social events. However, organisers, event participants and guests more and more often desire different, attractive locations, such as museums, galleries, castles, city halls, churches, parks, squares, wine cellars, nightclubs and so on. Events at these unusual locations are much harder and more expensive to carry out as they may not have even the most basic equipment for these events – a sound system, lighting, scenic equipment or hospitality equipment. The event organiser must take all this into account, but events at such venues are usually enthusiastically received by the guests. Locations differ greatly in ambience, style, technical facilities, accessibility and limitations. Before finally choosing a venue that suits the clients’ wishes regarding content, the following must be thoroughly checked: • Accessibility – entrances, parking, access for buses and VIP vehicles, access for people with disabilities; • The size and suitability of the spaces for the anticipated number of guests; • Lavatories – are there enough; are they clean and maintained; • Cloakrooms; • Safety and insurance; • Technical and other capabilities – stage, sound system, lighting, and so on; • Limitations and prohibitions – noise, dancing, lighting, closing time, and so on; • Time limitations – preparation and cleaning. A social programme is a group of different events, with varying food and drink, at different hours, and with various clothing rules, all of which have to be taken into account when planning and selecting an event. Whatever the venue and event, the anticipated programme – presentations, speeches, etc – has to be thoroughly planned and co-ordinated with the person responsible for catering or the speakers’ microphone will not be ready on time, the food will be cold and guests’ glasses will be empty when the speaker wants to make a toast. Venues where social events are regularly carried out usually have their own contractors who know the operating conditions at these places.

Photo: Zoran Hochstaetter

However, at most unusual venues, you’ll have to organise the catering contractor yourself.

Take into account the diversity of the participants and guests You have to be bear in mind when planning events, particularly at unusual locations, what may be your guests’ expectations, nationality, age, reason for attendance and as many specific characteristics as possible in relation to the specifics of the location and the event. Furthermore, the guests’ ‘energy levels’ have to be taken into account as well. If they’ve been on a bus all day, dinner within walking distance is advisable, and, if they have been in a congress hall,

a half-hour bus ride can help improve the mood. Guests must have enough free time to change their clothes, especially for gala events. People from different countries, continents and cultures have different and individual desires – something we must never forget. When planning individual social events, the amount of time between meals also has to be taken into account. If we want our guests to feel welcome, safe and as comfortable as possible, and for them to remember the venue of the event, we must prepare them for the event in advance. We should send out invitations, the event programme and, of course, the menu. It’s also important to give participants: • A description of the venue and the reason why the venue was chosen; • Date and time of arrival and departure; • Distance from hotels, accessibility and method of transport; • Programme of the event; • Appropriate clothing; • Transfers: when, from where, where to; • The menu and the wine menu. The more information the guests receive, the better they will be prepared, the fewer questions they will pose and the more satisfied they will be. Srečo Peterlič, Auditoria; President of the Board of Slovenian Convention Bureau

Kongresne osebnosti: Maša Martinčič

Diagnoza: doživljenjsko okužena s kongresi Saj nas vleče za nos, pomislim … posebej, ko jo vidiš v živo, vso mladostno in polno načrtov. Maša Martinčič, ena od legend slovenske kongresne scene, je nedavno sklenila svojo profesionalno pot in se vpisala v »stranko aktivnih upokojencev«.

naravi vztrajna, se mi je priložnost odprla (šele) leta 1985 v Cankarjevem domu, ki je pet let po otvoritvi imel že etablirano kongresno ekipo. Od prvega trenutka naprej je bila to moja sanjska služba in je taka tudi ostala. Kot začetnik na tem področju sem morala preprosto splavati – težko je bilo priti do znanja, saj ni bilo ustreznih marketinških izobraževanj. Kot »rešilna bilka« se je pojavilo mednarodno združenje ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), ki je predstavljalo izčrpen vir informacij. Hkrati pa gre moja zahvala prvi direktorici kongresne dejavnosti CD, prodorni Boženi Zakrajšek, ki je bila znana v nacionalnih (takrat jugoslovanskih) in mednarodnih profesionalnih krogih, kar je pripomoglo k uspešnosti našega dela. Nam zaupaš kakšno anekdoto iz samih začetkov? Gospa Zakrajšek me je preprosto vrgla v vodo. Kmalu zatem, ko sem nastopila službo, me je delegirala, da otvorim mednarodni medicinski kongres v organizaciji dr. Kornhauserja. Bila sem čisto iz sebe od panike in doma sem pod tušem razmišljala, kaj naj povem … Raje, kot da bi kot papiga brala angleško besedilo z listkov, sem se odločila, da prosto govorim, pa čeprav s kakšno napako. In tako je tudi bilo, gostom sem celo »priznala«, da je to moj prvi kongres. Verjela ali ne, požela sem glasen aplavz, dobila pa sem tudi nauk: misli in zanesi se na lastno pamet, čeprav ti lahko kdaj spodrsne. Takrat pa je vztrajnost tisto, kar te drži na začrtani poti. Kako si začela pridobivati mednarodne kongrese? Od vsega začetka je bilo velikega pomena odlično sodelovanje z našimi vrhunskimi strokovnjaki. Prvo kandidaturo – za evropski kongres endokrinologije l. 1990 – sem delala skupaj s sedanjo rektorico Univerze v Ljubljani, prof. dr. Andrejo Kocjančič. Kandidaturo sva predstavili l. 1986 v Kopenhagnu pred polnim avditorijem, saj je bilo prisotnih ca. 1.500 udeležencev takratnega kongresa. Prebili sva se v drugi krog, s tem, da je bila Barcelona naša protikandidatka. Po ponovni predstavitvi, tokrat budgeta, je sledilo glasovanje, na katerem je Ljubljana zmagala. Občutki so bili nepopisni!

Prispevku bi lahko dala tudi naslov »Učitelj in učenec«, ker sem od nje kot zelenec željno črpala znanje (leta kasneje se je vloga kdaj pa kdaj tudi obrnila). Ali pa literarni »On the Road«, če pomislim na vse kilometre, ki sva jih skupaj prevozili – jaz za volanom, Maša kot animatorka. Vsakoletna »romanja« v Ženevo na borzo EIBTM so najinemu poslovnemu odnosu dodala dragoceno osebno noto. Maša, kako in kdaj se je začela tvoja ljubezenska zgodba s kongresi? V študentskih časih sem kot hostesa leta 1971 delala na kongresu IFIP, ki je bil eden prvih večjih mednarodnih dogodkov pri nas (lokacija: Hala Tivoli). Takrat sem prvič pomislila, da bi na tem področju rada delala. Ker sem po

Maša Martinčič (Foto: Tadej Bernik)

Kaj opažaš, da se je v teh letih spremenilo? Vedno manj je osebnih, poglobljenih kontaktov. Internet je zagotovo vplival na načine komunikacije, nekoliko na škodo osebnega stika, hkrati pa je odprl prej nepredstavljiv prostor za tržne raziskave in iskanje informacij. Na splošno pa opažam površnost, lovljenje hitrih poslov, manj pozornosti do stalnih strank, saj za to ni časa. Pri kongresih mednarodnih združenj pa po vsem tem času še vedno velja, da nimajo statusa, ki jim gre – ne pojmuje se jih kot pravi posel z zelo otipljivimi ekonomskimi rezultati in posrednimi učinki, ker se odvijajo na dolge steze, kar ni v skladu z danes prevladujočo percepcijo »instant poslov«. Predstavljajo pa tudi velik socialni kapital mesta in z elementi, kot sta znanje in kreativnost, soustvarjajo njegovo pozitivno podobo. Pri uveljavljanju Cankarjevega doma na mednarodni sceni pa je bilo pomembno naše aktivno članstvo v združenju ICCA in pogosta udeležba na workshopih kategorije G (kongresni centri), ki so bili za nas izvrstni dogodki mednarodnega trženja, tako z vidika oblikovanja ugleda kot pridobivanja poslov. Vrsto let smo sicer intenzivno delali na britanskem trgu, saj je pred nekaj desetletji tam imelo sedež mnogo mednarodnih združenj, kar danes ne velja več. In ključ do uspeha pri pridobivanju večjih kongresov? Zelo omejena sredstva, ki smo jih imeli, so narekovala zelo racionalen pristop: vedno smo opravili zelo natančne raziskave pred odločitvijo, ali naj se v kandidaturo sploh spustimo ali ne. Pomembno je bilo realno oceniti, kakšne so možnosti, da kongres pridobimo. Ključna je bila ta »domača naloga« in seveda tudi namig, kje lobirati. Česa v svoji karieri ne bi ponovila? Pravzaprav ničesar, saj sem vse naredila z jasnim razlogom in dostikrat, to

veš tudi ti, s precejšnjo mero pionirskega duha … samo če se spomnim naših prvih nastopov na EIBTM v Ženevi, kjer smo promovirali in tržili Ljubljano ter Slovenijo, hkrati pa smo bili še najmanj »sami-svoj-mojster« in natakarji / animatorji ... Zvezdni trenutki? Najljubši projekti? Prav vsak ima svoje posebno mesto, morda pa lahko izpostavim kongres svetovnega čebelarskega združenja Apimondia in več kongresov s področja projektnega managementa, tudi zaradi enkratnih ljudi v omenjenih združenjih, s katerimi sem sodelovala. Kaj bi svetovala mladim na začetku kariere v kongresni dejavnosti? Predvsem to, da uporabijo vse znanje, ki jim ga nudijo današnje možnosti izobraževanja in tehnologija, vendar ob tem, da ne pozabijo na pretekle izkušnje. To delo zahteva veliko širino, veščine medkulturnega komuniciranja, poznavanje osnovnih značilnosti številnih držav, iz katerih izhajajo sogovorniki, nenazadnje pa naše zahtevne stranke pričakujejo, da znamo iz vseh področij vsaj nekaj, če ne kar vse. Tvoj življenjski moto? Vse bolj preprost: Carpe Diem. Kaj misliš, da boš pogrešala po upokojitvi? Na prvo mesto bi postavila številne stranke, s katerimi sem dolga leta zelo dobro sodelovala in se tudi razumela. Teh je bilo res veliko, in mnogi se še danes, po mnogih letih, spomnijo neverjetnih podrobnosti projektov, na katerih smo skupaj delali. Lahko samo rečem, da sem srečna, da sem imela priložnost opravljati to delo – sem pač doživljenjsko »okužena« kongresnica. Ostajajo stiki, druženja in potovanja, morda le v bolj sproščenem tempu. Saj veš, da sem slovela tudi po svoji žurerski kondiciji, vendar nikoli na račun profesionalnosti v službi (sindrom švicarske ure). V slogu Oskarjev pa želim dodati, da se brez razumevanja družine in dolgoletne podpore tašče, predvsem, ko je bila hči še majhna, ne bi mogla tako neobremenjeno posvetiti delu, ki sem ga imela nadvse rada. In kaj načrtuješ zdaj kot vitalna upokojenka? Vzela sem si malo pavze in prehod iz aktivnega profesionalnega obdobja je bil morda lažji zato, ker sem v zadnjem obdobju delala polovično. Trenutno mi je v velik izziv prenova hiše, kar je zelo inovativen projekt, poleg tega sem začela izpopolnjevati svoje rahlo zaprašeno znanje italijanščine, pred tem sem bila na dopustu na Tajskem. Ukvarjam se z jogo, kolesarim, igram tenis, le pri golfu mi gre bolj slabo, čeprav je ljubljansko igrišče blizu mojega doma. In, verjela ali ne, postala sem prava gospodinja, hmm ... kuham in preizkušam nove recepte. Sicer pa bom tudi z enim očesom še naprej budno spremljala vse dogodke v naši kongresni industriji (smeh). No, pa sva še enkrat skočili v vlogi »zelencev« in obe opravili najin prvi intervju. Ti, draga Maša, v vlogi zvezde in jaz kot radovedna izpraševalka in zapisovalka. Sicer pa sem prepričana, da bova že našli dober razlog, da se odpraviva nabirat nove skupne kilometre – morda te ne bom peljala do Ženeve – lahko pa, če se strinjaš, za začetek zavijeva na kakšen dober wellness tretma. Keep in touch! Tatjana Radovič

Congress personalities: Maša Martinčič

Diagnosis: Lifelong infected with Congresses She must be leading us by our noses, I think to myself … especially when you see her in person, so youthful and full of plans. Maša Martinčič, one of the legends of the Slovenian congress scene has recently concluded her professional journey and enrolled in ‘the party of active retirees’.

I could have also titled this contribution ‘The teacher and the student’, since, as a rookie, I used to eagerly suck knowledge from her (several years later, the roles were also reversed, every now and then …). Or a literary ‘On the Road’, if I think

of all the kilometres we’ve driven together – with me at the wheel and Maša as an entertainer. The annual ‘pilgrimages’ to Geneva to the EIBTM exhibition added a precious personal note to our professional relationship. Maša, how and when did your love affair with congresses start? When I was a student, in 1971 I worked as a hostess at the IFIP congress at the Tivoli Hall, which was one of the first major international events in Slovenia. It was the first time that I thought to myself that I’d like to work in this field. Since I’m persistent by nature, an opportunity opened for me as late as 1985 at the Cankarjev Dom cultural and congress centre, which, five years after its opening, already had an established congress team. From the first moment onwards, this was my dream job and also remained as such. As a beginner in this field, I simply had to do it my way – it was difficult to gain knowledge, since there was no adequate marketing training. As a saving grace, ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association appeared, which was an exhaustive source of information. At the same time, my thanks go to the first director of congress activity at Cankarjev Dom, the penetrating Božena Zakrajšek, who was well-known in national - at that time Yugoslav and international professional circles, thus adding to the performance of our work. Can you give us an anecdote from the very early days? Ms Zakrajšek simply threw me in at the deep end. Soon after I’d taken up the job, she appointed me to open an international medical congress organized by Dr Kornhauser. I was completely beside myself with panic, standing under the shower at home wondering what to say… Rather than reading the English text from notes like a parrot, I decided to speak freely, even though I’d make some mistakes… and so it also was that I even admitted to the guests that it was my first congress. Believe it or not, I earned loud applause, while also learning a lesson - think on your feet, and rely on your own wits, even though you can sometimes slip up. At the same time, it’s persistence that keeps you on the course set. How did you start winning bids to host international congresses? From the outset, first-class co-operation with top experts has been really important. I worked with Prof Dr Andreja Kocijančič, the current Rector of Ljubljana University on the first candidacy, for the 1990 European endocrinology congress. In 1986, we presented our candidacy in front of a full auditorium in Copenhagen, as about 1500 participants of the then congress were there. We managed to get to the second round, where Barcelona was our rival candidate. The second presentation, the presentation of the budget, was followed by the voting, which Ljubljana won. Our feelings were indescribable!

Maša Martinčič (Photo: Tadej Bernik)

What do you think has changed over the years? There are increasingly less personal, deeper contacts. The internet has certainly affected the ways we communicate, somewhat to the detriment of personal contact, while at the same time opening a previously unimaginable forum for market research and information searches. Generally, I think there’s too much carelessness, making quick deals, too little attention to permanent customers, as we’re too short of time. However, after all this time, the international congress associations still don’t think they have the status that they deserve – they’re not seen as something

with very tangible economic results and indirect effects, since they work on the long run, which isn’t in line with the currently prevalent perception of ‘quick business deals’. They’re also a great social asset of a place, and together with elements such as knowledge and creativity, help to shape its positive image. However, in making a name for Cankarjev Dom on the international scene, it was important that we were an active ICCA member and a frequent participant in G category – congress centres – workshops, which we saw as excellent international marketing events for us, both in terms of image and the acquisition of deals. For a number of years, we intensively worked on the British market, since a few decades ago a number of international associations had their head offices there, while today that’s no longer true. And the key to the success in winning bids to host major congresses? The very limited means we had available dictated a very rational approach – we always did very precise research before deciding whether we should engage in a candidacy at all. It was important to assess realistically what our chances of winning the congress were. Therefore, this ‘homework’ was crucial, as well as a hint about where and who to lobby ... Is there anything in you career you wouldn’t do again? As a matter of fact, nothing, since I have done everything for clear reasons and frequently, as you know as well, with a substantial amount of a pioneering spirit … if I only look back at our first appearances at EIBTM in Geneva, where we were promoting and marketing Ljubljana and Slovenia, while at the same time being at least ‘do-it-yourself masters’ as well as waiters and entertainers …

Star moments? Favourite projects? Each of them has its own special place. However, perhaps I can point out the Apimondia congress – the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations – and a number of congresses from the project management field, due to the outstanding people in the associations I was working with. What advice would you give to the young people setting out on their careers in the congress business? Most of all that they should use all the knowledge offered to them by the present-day possibilities of education and technology, while at the same time not forgetting the experience of the past. This work requires great breadth, intercultural communication skills, knowledge of the basic characteristics of the many countries that our partners come from, while, last but not least, our demanding customers expect that we know at least something about any field, if not everything … Your life motto? Carpe Diem, seize the day. What do you think you will miss after retiring? In first place I’d place the numerous clients with whom I worked very well for long years, and got along so well with too. There really were a lot of them, and many of them still, after so many years, remember unbelievable details of projects that we worked on together. I can only say that I’m happy to have had a chance to do this work – I’m simply a lifelong ‘infected’ congresswoman. The contacts, social gatherings and travel still remain; maybe only at a more relaxed pace. You know that I was known for my partying, but never to the cost of my professionalism at work (Swiss watch syndrome). In the style of the Oscars, I’d like to add that without the understanding of my family and long-lasting support from my mother-in-law, especially when my daughter was little, I couldn’t have devoted myself to my work, which I loved so much, so free from burden. And what are you planning now, as an energetic retiree? I’ve taken a little break, and the transition from my active professional life has been perhaps easier, since at the end I was only working part-time. Currently, the renovation of my house is a great challenge, as it’s a very innovative project. I’ve started to improve my slightly rusty Italian, and before that I went on holiday in Thailand. I practise yoga, ride my bike, play tennis; I am only doing quite badly at golf, although the Ljubljana course is close to my home. And, believe it or not, I’ve become a real housewife, hmm … I’m cooking and testing new recipes. And I will otherwise still continue to vigilantly follow all the events in our congress industry with one eye (laughs). Well, we’ve once more jumped into the roles of ‘rookies’ and both conducted our first interview … you, my darling Maša, in the role of a star and I as a curious investigator and recorder. Otherwise, I’m certain that we’ll soon find a good reason to go collecting new kilometres together – perhaps I will not just drive you to Geneva … To start with, we can, if you like, go and have some good wellness treatment … Keep in touch! Tatjana Radovič

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Kongresna statistika

Mednarodna statistika kongresnih prireditev Statistika lahko na prvi pogled deluje kot suhoparna in neprivlačna tematika, vendar pa mnoge kongresne destinacije vsako leto nestrpno pričakujejo objavo najnovejših podatkov za predhodno leto. Ne samo, da jih pozorno preučijo, temveč jih praviloma skomunicirajo poslovni in širši javnosti. Mednarodna kongresna statistika je namreč pomembno orodje za izgrajevanje imidža posameznega kraja ali države, hkrati pa tudi primerjalna referenca s konkurenco.

Harmonizacija kongresne statistike na mednarodni ravni je že dolgo vroča tema, kar je razvidno tudi iz nadaljevanja prispevka, saj vam predstavljamo dva različna pristopa, ki imata močno veljavo v segmentu srečanj mednarodnih združenj. Pri tem pa so redne lokalne raziskave več kot priporočljive, da se ustvari bolj celovita slika kongresnega produkta, ki zajema tudi nacionalna srečanja in segment korporacijskih srečanj, saj je slednji v mednarodnih statistikah težko opredeljiv. Pred kratkim pa je bila ob sodelovanju Svetovne turistične organizacije in vodilnih kongresnih združenj, sprejeta dodatna klasifikacija produktov in dejavnosti »organizacija kongresov in komercialnih sejmov« v okviru turističnih satelitskih računov, ki bo ob implementaciji še celoviteje prikazala vrednost kongresne industrije na osnovi mednarodno primerljivih podatkov. Z mednarodno statistiko kongresnih prireditev se, poleg drugih dejavnosti, sistematično in dolgoročno ukvarjata dve združenji, UIA (Union of International Associations, www.uia.org) ter ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association, www.iccaworld.com). UIA, ustanovljena leta 1907, trenutno razpolaga s profili preko 61.300 neprofitnih mednarodnih združenj, ki so predvsem dragocena osnova za tržne raziskave in pridobivanje podatkov o potencialnih naročnikih. Več kot 50 let pa se UIA sistematično ukvarja z analizo podatkov in pripravo statistike mednarodnih srečanj za predhodno leto po vsem svetu, pri čemer so glavni vir informacij sama mednarodna združenja in kontinuirano delo njihove ekipe raziskovalcev. Kljub temu, da so rezultati indikativni, je nedvomna zasluga UIA, da je vzpostavila pregled skozi pretekla desetletja z uporabo istih virov podatkov, kakor tudi konsistentnih metodologij in kriterijev. Osnova za izdelavo letne statistike je definicija »mednarodnih srečanj«, kot jo podaja UIA. Ta upošteva srečanja, ki jih organizirajo ali sponzorirajo mednarodna nevladna in medvladna združenja ter druga srečanja mednarodnega značaja, ki jih prirejajo nacionalne organizacije oz. veje mednarodnih združenj, v kolikor izpolnjujejo naslednje pogoje: • minimalno število udeležencev: 300 • minimalno število tujih udeležencev: 40% • minimalno število narodnosti: 5 • minimalno trajanje: 3 dni Statistika UIA pa v evidenco ne vključuje izključno nacionalnih kongresov, srečanj verske, didaktične, politične, komercialne ali športne narave, kakor tudi

Graf 1: ICCA, Število srečanj glede na kontinent Table 1: ICCA, Number of meetings per continent

18%

Evropa/Europe

57%

Azija/Asia Severna Amerika/ North America Latinska Amerika/ Latin America

11%

Avstralija/Australia Afrika/Africa

prireditev s striktno omejeno udeležbo (strokovne komisije in telesa npr. mednarodnih vladnih organizacij) ter srečanj poslovno-gospodarskega značaja (corporate) in motivacijska potovanja. Podatke za predhodno leto vsako leto »zamrznejo« v aprilu, se pa na račun stalnih raziskav dopolnjujejo navzgor še kasneje. Hkrati se izvaja tudi nabor že potrjenih dogodkov v prihodnjih letih. Iz statističnih podatkov UIA za leto 2006 pa lahko izluščimo nekaj zanimivosti: v primerjavi z letom 2005 je število mednarodnih kongresnih prireditev padlo za 0,9%, skupno pa je bilo upoštevanih 8.871 srečanj v 212 državah in 1.521 krajih (mesta, letovišča). Na globalni ravni so še vedno opazne posledice tragičnih dogodkov 11. septembra 2001, posebej na ameriških celinah, in ocenjeno je, da bo šele čez dve do pet let število srečanj ujelo rekordno svetovno raven iz leta 2000. Če se ozremo po celinah, trenutno stanje kaže, da so številke zdrsnile navzdol v Severni in Južni Ameriki (-18%; -23%), Aziji (-18%), Avstralaziji / Pacifiku (-18%), Afriki (-15%) in Evropi (-11%). V teku naslednjih dveh, treh let, ko bodo podatki za 2006 končni, se realno pričakuje 1% rast skupnega števila dogodkov glede na končne podatke za leto 2005. Državi, ki v letu 2006 še posebej izstopata v pozitivnem smislu, sta Singa-

pur in Finska. Prvi, Singapur, je z 298 srečanji na azijski celini zavzel vodilno pozicijo, tako kot država, kakor tudi kot mesto, kjer je na lestvici »top cities« skočil na fantastično tretje mesto, takoj za Parizom in Dunajem. V zadnjem desetletju beleži 116% rast števila dogodkov. V Evropi, ki med celinami / geografskimi regijami ohranja najvišji tržni delež (59% vseh evidentiranih prireditev), so se nekoliko premešale karte med tradicionalno največjimi akterji. Sicer je kar osem od desetih vodilnih držav na svetu evropskih, še pet pa se jih uvrsti med naj-dvajset držav. Poleg tega se 16 evropskih mest uvršča v lestvico vodilnih 20 na svetu. V ligi velikih pa so: ZDA (894 dogodkov), Francija (634), Nemčija (434), Nizozemska (391), Avstrija (382), Španija (362), Velika Britanija (350), Finska (325 – ta je, tudi zahvaljujoč predsedovanju EU, v enem letu skočila s 13. na 8. mesto!), Italija (324) in Singapur. V spisku vodilnih držav, kjer so navedene tiste z najmanj 45 mednarodnimi srečanji, jih je naštetih 36, od tega kar 20 evropskih. V tej »top listi« je najnižje uvrščena evropska država Hrvaška, ki z 51 srečanji zaseda 35. mesto. Pri naših južnih sosedih je zanimivo videti, da je s 26 dogodkov dubrovniška riviera (Dubrovnik in Cavtat) znatno prehitela Zagreb. In kaj pove statistika UIA za leto 2006 o Sloveniji? Smo med »manjšimi igralci«, ki so sicer lahko zmerno zadovoljni z rezultati. Skupno se je pri nas odvilo 40 mednarodnih kongresnih prireditev, od tega 27 v Ljubljani, 3 na Bledu in 10 v ostalih krajih (Portorož, Maribor ...). Na evropski lestvici je Slovenija na 22. mestu med 40 navedenimi državami, takoj za Hrvaško in pred Irsko. Na lestvici mest, ki poimensko objavlja tista z več kot 20 mednarodnih kongresov, Ljubljana zaseda 61. mesto – to pozicijo si deli s Sankt Petersburgom in Valencio. Če izvzamemo številne delitve pozicij, 27 dogodkov v Ljubljani predstavlja realno uvrstitev na 43. mesto. Pogled navzgor kaže mesta kot Espoo, Rio de Janeiro, Moskva, Mexico City (28 oz. 29 dogodkov), navzdol pa Toronto, Miami FL, Strasbourg in Göteborg (26 dogodkov), kar pomeni, da se Ljubljana drži precej eminentne družbe. Slovenija se s pozitivno oceno pojavlja v razpredelnici, ki predstavlja države, ki so imele skupno najmanj 10 mednarodnih kongresov in hkrati več kot 10 mednarodnih kongresov na milijon prebivalcev. Med navedenimi dobitniki »priznanj« se naša država uvršča na 12. mesto v svetovnem merilu, takoj za Luksemburgom in pred Švedsko ter Dansko.

Graf 2: ICCA, Število udeležencev Table 2: ICCA, Number of participants 27% Od/From 50 do/to 149

19%

Od/From 150 do/to 249 Od/From 250 do/to 499 Od/From 500 do/to 999 Od/From 1000 do/to 1999

17%

Od/From 2000 do/to 2999 Od/From 3000 do/to 4999 Od/From 5000 do/to 10000

21% 1%

2% 1%

10000 in več/and up

Kongresna statistika Frekvenca kongresnih prireditev po podatkih UIA za 2006 kaže na štiri tradicionalno najmočnejše mesece, med katerimi je vodilni september, sledijo pa oktober, junij in maj. Zdaj pa še skok k drugemu združenju, ICCA - International Congress and Convention Association, ki je na tem področju tudi merodajno. ICCA, ki je sicer najbolj globalno združenje v kongresni industriji, s preko 800 korporativnimi člani v 80 državah, statistiko mednarodnih kongresnih prireditev spremlja od leta 1972. Tako kot UIA, tudi ICCA poudarja, da je rezultat indikativen, saj je zaradi kriterijev precej zvrsti mednarodnih srečanj izločenih. Statistika ICCA obravnava srečanja strokovnih in znanstvenih združenj ob upoštevanju naslednjih pogojev: • minimalno število udeležencev: 50 • organizacija dogodkov mora potekati na stalni osnovi (letna, bienalna …, enkratni dogodki so izključeni) • rotacija med najmanj tremi državami. ICCA je v tem obdobju ustvarila zavidljiv pregled preteklih in bodočih kongresnih prireditev, z navedbo zgodovine že izvedenih (mesta, ključni kontakti naročnika, specifične informacije o pogodbenih izvajalcih, številu udeležencev, itd.). Ker se srečanja mednarodnih združenj vsaj deset let praviloma ne vrnejo v isto destinacijo, je njihova zgodovina v pomoč ponudnikom, da ocenijo možnost uspeha pri pridobivanju določenega kongresa. Statistika pa med drugim prikaže gibanje srečanj po celinah, državah in mestih, sezonski vidik, razrez vseh prireditev po številu udeležencev, uporabo lokacij, itd. Podlaga za analizo so podatki o 5.838 dogodkih mednarodnih združenjih v bazi ICCA, od katerih jih ima 59%

sedež v Evropi. Podatki, ki se stalno dopolnjujejo, izhajajo predvsem iz stalne raziskave o dogodkih združenj v bazi ICCA in, kot vse pomembnejši element, iz poročil, ki jih prispevajo sami člani. Tudi v statistiki ICCA za leto 2006 Evropa zaseda vodilno mesto po številu kongresnih prireditev (57%, sledi Azija z 18%, Severna Amerika z 11%, Južna Amerika z 8%, Avstralija / Pacifik s 4%, Afrika z 2%). Dodati je sicer treba, da Evropa vztrajno pada, natančneje 4% v zadnjih 3 letih, saj je imela 61% tržni delež v letu 2003. Med zaključki je zanimiv tudi podatek o številu udeležencev, ki potrjuje trende preteklih let: največ je bilo prireditev v razredu 250 do 499 udeležencev (27%) in t.i. »malih srečanj« z do 250 udeležencev (40%). Samo 7% vseh prireditev je imelo več kot 2.000 udeležencev. Zmanjšuje se razlika pri izbiri kongresnih lokacij, kjer se je leta bila tiha bitka med kongresnimi / sejemskimi centri in konferenčnimi hoteli. Prvič v zadnjem desetletju so vodstvo namreč prevzeli hoteli. Sezonska razporeditev je kar stalnica: september ostaja najbolj priljubljen mesec, po vrsti pa mu sledijo junij, oktober in maj. Podatek o povprečnem trajanju v analizo zajetih kongresnih prireditev, in sicer 4,0 dni, kaže na to, da se nadaljuje trend krajšanja srečanj zadnjih petnajstih let. Še leta 2003 je bilo povprečno trajanja 4,27 dni. Medicinski kongresi predstavljajo 22% vseh evidentiranih srečanj, med višje uvrščenimi pa sledijo znanstvena / strokovna srečanja s področja tehnologije (13%), naravoslovja (13%), industrije (8%) in družbenih ved ter izobraževanja (vsako po 5%). Izdelan je bil tudi izračun povprečne kotizacije na udeleženca na srečanje, ki znaša 505 USD, in skupna povprečna potrošnja na udeleženca na srečanja, ki znaša 2.295 USD. Kje najdemo Slovenijo v statistiki ICCA? V tabeli, ki navaja število kongresnih prireditev po državah v letu 2006 je Slovenija s 35 dogodki v svetovnem merilu uvrščena na 38. mesto, med Argentino in Latvijo. V svetovnem merilu je med 25 najvišje uvrščenimi državami 16 evropskih, medtem ko je v pregledu 50 »najmest« 29 iz stare celine; med njimi je v letu 2006 vodilni Dunaj (147 dogodkov), v skupino prvih 10 pa se uvrščajo še Pariz (130), Singapur (127), Barcelona (103), Berlin (91), Budimpešta (86), Seul (85), Praga (82), Kopenhagen in Lizbona (69). Med državami so šampioni ZDA (414 dogodkov), Nemčija (334), Velika Britanija (279), Francija (269) in Španija (266), med prvimi desetimi pa je 7 evropskih držav, oz. 12 v »top 20«, ki se zaključuje z Madžarsko (106 dogodkov). Ljubljana je po letu 2004 ponovno za las ujela mesto med 50 »top destinacijami«. S 24 dogodki si deli 48. mesto z Den Haagom in Krakowom, navzgor gleda proti Oslu in Varšavi, za ovratnik pa ji dihajo Toronto, San Francisco, Manila, Havana in Basel. Med slovenskimi destinacijami na poimenskem spisku 209 mest najdemo tudi Portorož, ki s 6 dogodki zaseda 185. mesto. Želim poudariti, da med mesti vrsta uveljavljenih destinacij zaostaja za Ljubljano, kar verjetno ne odraža realnega stanja, ker dogodke več kot gotovo imajo. V precejšnji meri je rezultat odvisen od sposobnosti (časa) ključnih ponudnikov v destinaciji in lokalnega kongresnega urada, da raziščejo in zberejo vse potrebne podatke za poročila,

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na osnovi katerih se lahko dogodek uvrsti v statistiko ICCA. Delo je dokaj zamudno in v določeni prednosti so tiste destinacije, ki imajo številčno močnejše ekipe, tako v kongresnih uradih kot v trženjskih oddelkih večjih ponudnikov. Kljub temu, da je nizanje statističnih podatkov na prvi pogled morda suhoparno, pa nam lahko pomaga ugotoviti, kje se realno nahajamo (ovrednotenje moči produkta), kdo so naši najtesnejši konkurenti in kam želimo naprej. Tuula Lindberg, nekdanja predsednica ICCA in direktorica Finskega kongresnega urada, je ena od »pionirjev«, ki se je v lastni destinaciji že več kot 20 let nazaj začela boriti z letno statistiko kongresnih prireditev. Poleg tega vsaka tri leta, s pomočjo podrobnih vprašalnikov, izvajajo raziskavo med udeleženci mednarodnih kongresov. Naj povzamem njene besede, zakaj so se sistematično lotili te naloge: - da si postavijo cilje, - da izmerijo rezultate, - da izvajajo analizo kakovosti storitev, - da (si) zagotovijo financiranje in podporo (političnih) odločevalcev v kongresni branži - in morda iz idealističnih razlogov: da bi nekega dne lahko pomagali opredeliti resnično vrednost svetovne kongresne industrije! Eden od namenov tega prispevka je, da ključne ponudnike kongresnih storitev v Sloveniji opozorimo na velik pomen statistike in na nujnost, da prireditve evidentiramo tudi za to, da bi podatke posredovali združenjem, ki se ukvarjajo z mednarodno statistiko.V hitrem službenem tempu je to morda zadnja in najbolj zoprna naloga na spisku, vendar pa se moramo zavedati, da je uvrstitev Slovenije na poimenske spiske »najuspešnejših« ključno pri uveljavljanju našega ugleda kongresne države v očeh mednarodnih naročnikov. Brez sodelovanja vseh bistvenih nacionalnih akterjev pa žal ne moremo računati na uspeh. Kako so že rekli mušketirji iz naših otroških knjig? Vsi za enega, eden za vse! (?) Opomba: kot vira sta uporabljeni statistiki mednarodnih kongresov UIA in ICCA za leto 2006 Tatjana Radovič

Meeting Statistics

International Meeting Statistics

Harmonising meeting statistics at international level has been a hot topic for a long time. This is spotlighted later in this article, where we outline two different approaches with strong recognition in the international associations meetings segment. Regular local research is more than recommended to create a more complete picture of the national meetings product including the corporate meetings segment, which is hard to define in international statistics. Recently, a co-operative effort of the UN WTO and leading meeting industry associations led to an additional classification of products, and the “organisation of conventions and trade shows” was adopted as an extension of Tourism Satellite Accounts. After its implementation, this classification will provide a more complete picture of the value of the meetings industry on the basis of internationally comparable data. In addition to their other activities the following two associations are

systematically working on a long term international meeting statistics: UIA (the Union of International Associations, www.uia.org) and ICCA (the International Congress and Convention Association, www.iccaworld.com). UIA, set up in 1907, currently has at its disposal profiles of over 61,300 non-profit international associations which are a valuable basis for market research and data collection about potential clients. For more than 50 years, UIA has systematically analysed data and prepared global international meeting statistics for the year before, the prime source of information being international associations and the ongoing work done by the UIA research team. Although the results are to be seen as indicative, the merit of UIA statistics is that they have been compiled over several decades from the same sources and using consistent methods and criteria. For its annual statistics, UIA defines ‘international meetings’ as including meetings organised or sponsored by international non-governmental and intergovernmental associations, and other meetings of an international character, notably those organised by national organisations and national branches of international associations, and which meet the following criteria: • minimum number of participants: 300 • minimum number of foreigners: 40% • minimum number of nationalities: 5 • minimum duration: 3 days UIA excludes from its figures purely national meetings, as well as those of an essentially religious, didactic, political, commercial or sporting nature, as well as meetings with strictly limited participation (i.e. statutory bodies, committees etc., mostly in IGOs), and corporate and incentive meetings. Each year, the figures for the year before are ‘frozen’ in April and updated later after further research. At the same time, the selection of events already confirmed for the following years is being done. Some interesting facts can be extracted from the UIA statistical data for 2006. Compared to 2005, the number of international meetings dropped by 0.9%, with a total number of 8,871 meetings in 212 countries and with 1,521 places (cities, resorts) having been taken into consideration. Globally, the consequences of the tragic events of 11 September 2001 are still Table 3: ICCA, Favourite months of meetings Graf 3: ICCA, Najljubši meseci za srečanja Meeting totals as percentages / % srečanj glede na celoto

Statistics may seem to be a dull and unexciting theme, but each year many convention destinations eagerly await the publication of the previous year’s data. Not only do they study it carefully, but they also usually communicate it to the business and the wider public. International meeting statistics are an important tool for building a destination’s or a country’s image, and at the same time a comparative reference to the competition.

16,9%

18,0% 16,0%

13,5%

14,0%

13,2%

11,9% 12,0%

9,9% 10,0%

8,4%

8,0%

6,4% 5,2%

6,0% 4,0% 2,0%

7,9%

2,5%

1,o%

0,0% Jan/ jan

100

Feb/ feb

Mar/ mar

Apr/ apr

Maj/ may

Jun/ jun

Jul/ jul

Avg/ aug

Sep/ sep

Okt/ oct

Nov/ nov

Dec/ dec

quite happy with our performance. 40 international meetings were held, 27 in Ljubljana, 3 in Bled and 10 elsewhere (Portorož, Maribor, etc.). Slovenia is in 22nd position of the 40 countries on the European ladder, between Croatia and Ireland. On the table of cities hosting more than 20 international congresses, Ljubljana shares 61st position with St. Petersburg and Valencia. If we take the numerous shared positions out of the equation, Ljubljana’s 27 events put it 43rd. Above it are Espoo, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Mexico City (28 or 29 events), while Toronto, Miami FL, Strasbourg and Gothenburg (26 events) are below. Ljubljana is therefore in quite eminent company. Slovenia is in a healthy position in the table of countries with at least 10 international congresses and more than 10 international congresses per million inhabitants. Among these listed ‘award’ winners Slovenia is 12th globally, just below Luxembourg and above Sweden and Denmark. The 2006 UIA data shows that in terms of meeting frequency, the four traditionally strongest months are September, followed by October, June and May. Another association, ICCA - the International Congress and Convention Association - is also an authority in this field. The meeting industry’s most global association with over 800 corporate members from 80 countries, ICCA has been monitoring international meeting statistics since 1972. Similar to UIA, ICCA also stresses that results are merely indicative as many types of international meetings are excluded by their criteria. To be included in ICCA statistics, meetings of expert and scientific associations must meet the following conditions: • at least 50 participants • organisation on a regular basis (annual, biennial, etc); one-off events are not included • move between at least 3 different countries. ICCA has compiled an impressive overview of past and future meetings and included the history of those already executed - cities, key client contacts, specific information on contractors, participant numbers and so on. As these association meetings tend not to come back to the same destination for at least ten years, this historical overview of these meetings enables suppliers to forecast their chances of success in getting a particular congress. Table 4: ICCA, Congress venues used Graf 4: ICCA, Vrsta kraja srečanja

Meeting totals as percentages / % srečanj glede na celoto

visible, particularly in the Americas, and it’s estimated that the number of meetings will return to 2000’s global record only in two to five years. Data for each continent currently shows that numbers have dropped in North and South America (-18%, -23%), Asia (-18%), Australasia / the Pacific (-18%), Africa (-15%) and Europe (-11%). In the next two or three years, when the 2006 data is finalised, a 1% growth in the total number of events is realistically expected over the final data for 2005. 2006’s best performing countries were Singapore and Finland. Singapore led with 298 meetings on the Asian continent, both as a country and a city, and took the outstanding third place on the ‘top cities’ ladder, just below Paris and Vienna. Event numbers there have shot up by 116% in the last decade. In Europe, which holds the largest market share (59% of all recorded events) among continents / geographical regions, the cards have been shuffled to some extent between the traditionally largest players. Otherwise eight out of the ten leading countries in the world are European, and a further five are among the top twenty countries. Furthermore, 16 of the top 20 cities are European. The big league comprises the US (894 events), France (634), Germany (434), Holland (391), Austria (382), Spain (362), the UK (350), Finland (325, climbing from 13th to 8th place due to their EU Presidency), Italy (324) and Singapore. The list of leading countries that hosted at least 45 international meetings includes 36 countries, 20 of which are in Europe. The lowest ranked European country on this ‘top list’ is Croatia, which took 35th place with 51 meetings. Regarding our southern neighbours, it’s interesting to note that the Dubrovnik Riviera (Dubrovnik and Cavtat) held 26 events, which is a considerably higher number than Zagreb. What do the 2006 UIA statistics say about Slovenia? We’re among the ‘smaller players’ who can otherwise be

45,0%

40,9% 36,9%

40,0% 35,0% 30,0% 25,0%

14,5%

20,0% 15,0%

7,7%

10,0% 5,0% 0,0% Srečanja v hotelih Meeting facilities in Hotels

Konferenčni in razstavni center Conference/Exhibition centre

Univerza University

Meeting venue / Kraj srečanja

101

Ostali kraji dogodka Other Venues

Meeting Statistics

What’s more, the figures show how meetings move by continent, country and city, the seasonal aspect, a review of all events by participant numbers, the use of locations and so on. The analysis is based on data from ICCA’s database for 5,838 events organised by international associations, 59% of which have their HQ in Europe. The constantly updated figures mainly come from ongoing research into events run by associations on the ICCA database, and, as an ever more important element, from reports submitted by the members themselves. In the 2006 ICCA statistics, Europe tops the table for number of meetings (57%, followed by Asia with 18%, North America with 11%, South America with 8%, Australia / the Pacific with 4% and Africa with 2%). We should point out that Europe is falling steadily, by 4% in the last 3 years, down from 61% in 2003. There are also interesting figures on participant numbers that confirm trends seen in previous years: so-called ‘small meetings’ with up to 250 participants (40%) were most numerous and events with 250 to 499 participants (27%). Only 7% of events had more than 2,000 particip ants. Differences in congress venue selection, where a silent battle between conference / exhibition centres and convention hotels has been fought for years, is decreasing as hotels have overtaken their rivals for the first time in the last decade. The seasonal distribution is constant. September remains the most popular month, followed by June, October and May. The average duration of meetings, at 4.0 days, shows that the trend of ever shorter meetings over the last 15 years is continuing. In 2003, the average duration was 4.27 days. Medical sciences are 22% of all recorded meetings; other higher ranked meetings are in the fields of technology (13%), science (13%), industry (8%) and social sciences and

education (5% each). The average registration fee per participant per meeting was calculated at US $505 while the average total consumption per participant per meeting was US $2,295. How does Slovenia fare in ICCA statistics? The 2006 table of global number of meetings by country places Slovenia 38th (35 events), between Argentina and Latvia. Worldwide, of the 25 highest ranked countries, 16 are European while the ‘top 50 cities’ ladder contains 29 cities from the Old Continent: Vienna topped the tree in 2006 with 147 events, while the top 10 also includes Paris (130), Singapore (127), Barcelona (103), Berlin (91), Budapest (86), Seoul (85), Prague (82), Copenhagen and Lisbon (69). The leading countries are the US (414 events), Germany (334), the UK (279), France (269) and Spain (266); there are 7 European countries on the top 10 and 12 on the top 20 ladders respectively, ending with Hungary (106 events). As in 2004, Ljubljana barely sneaked into the ‘top 50 destinations’. Its 24 events place it 48th, together with Den Haag and Krakow, below Oslo and Warsaw and above Toronto, San Francisco, Manila, Havana and Basel. On the overall list of 209 names, Portorož, another Slovenian destination is 185th with its 6 events. I’d like to stress that many established destinations are ranked lower than Ljubljana, which probably doesn’t reflect the truth, as they almost certainly had more events. The results largely depend on the abilities (and time) of key suppliers at a destination and the local convention bureau to research and collect all the necessary data for the reports, on the basis of which an event can be included in ICCA statistics. The work is quite time-consuming, meaning that destinations with stronger teams in both convention bureaus and in larger

102

Note: UIA and ICCA, 2006 International Meeting Statistics were used as sources Tatjana Radovič

103

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suppliers’ marketing departments have certain advantages. Statistical data, while it may seem dull, can help us determine our real position, assess the strength of our product, who our closest competitors are, and what our aims are for the future. Tuula Lindberg, former ICCA President and Director of the Finland Convention Bureau, is one of the ‘pioneers’ who started dealing with annual meeting statistics at her own destination more than 20 years ago. In addition, they use detailed questionnaires to do research among the participants at international congresses every three years. She explains that they systematically conduct this task to: - set goals for themselves - measure results - analyse service quality - ensure finance and support from meetings industry (political) decision-makers - and, perhaps for idealistic reasons, to be able someday to help determine the global meetings industry’s true value. One of the aims of this article is to draw the attention of key suppliers of “Congress Slovenia” to the great significance of statistics and the need to keep records of events to be able to submit reports to associations dealing with international statistics. The fast pace of work might make this the last and the least desirable task on our lists, but we have to be aware that Slovenia’s presence on these ‘lists is of key significance for raising Slovenia’s image as a convention destination in the eyes of international clients. Furthermore, we cannot hope to succeed without the co-operation of every major national player. What did the musketeers from the books of our youth say? All for one and one for all!

Terme Maribor d.d.

Naravno okolje za poslovna srečanja Hotelska ponudba Term Maribor omogoča vrhunsko okolje za sestanke, izobraževanja, druženja ali sprostitev. Poleg poslovnega hotela Piramida in kongresnoprireditvenega centra Habakuk so sedaj svojo ponudbo izpopolnili še s prenovljenim hotelom Bellevue, ki se, tako kot ostala dva hotela, uvršča v sam vrh turistične ponudbe.

Dobra organizacija in raznolika ponudba sta zagotovo razlog, da se kongresni center hotela Habakuk lahko pohvali s široko paleto dogodkov in drugih poslovnih srečanj, ki so jih tukaj organizirala mnoga največja podjetja in ustanove v Sloveniji. V kongresnem centru je tako potekalo že na stotine dogodkov, diplomatski klub pa zagotavlja kakovostno okolje za tiskovne konference ali sprejeme na najvišji ravni. Hotel Habakuk tako, skupaj s tehnično podporo, kulinarično ponudbo in kulturnim programom, že leta slovi kot ustvarjalno okolje za nove poslovne ideje. Poslovna srečanja v prostorih hotela Bellevue privabijo na vrh Pohorja predvsem tiste poslovneže, ki jih med pohorske gozdove privabita svež zrak in odmaknjenost od mestnega vrveža. Hotel Piramida je popularen in intimen mestni hotel v središču Maribora, primeren za poslovna srečanja, kot so seminarji, izobraževanja, delavnice ... Bližina starega mestnega jedra pa gostom omogoča zasluženo sprostitev tudi po intenzivnih seminarjih in konferencah. Hotel Habakuk***** Pohorska ulica 59 SI-2000 Maribor Tel.: 02 3008 100 habakuk@termemb.si www.termemb.si Promocijsko sporočilo

Hotel Habakuk, dvorana Turner

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novi Hotel Bellevue**** Na Slemenu 35 SI-2208 Pohorje Tel.: 02 6075100 bellevue@termemb.si

Hotel Piramida**** Ulica heroja Šlandra 10 SI-2000 Maribor Tel.: 02 2344400 piramida@termemb.si

Terme Maribor d.d.

A natural environment for business meetings The Terme Maribor hotels provide a top-level environment for meetings, educational courses, social events or relaxation. In addition to the Piramida business hotel and the Habakuk Congress Centre, the renovated Bellevue hotel rounds off their package. All three are ranked at the very top of the tourist offer.

Good organization and the diverse offer are certainly a reason that the Habakuk Congress Centre can be proud of the wide range of events and other business meetings that have already been held here by some of Slovenia’s largest companies and institutions. The Congress Centre has already hosted hundreds of events, while the Diplomatic Club is a quality environment for press conferences or receptions at the highest level. Its technical support, culinary offer and cultural programme have made the Hotel Habakuk a creative environment for new business ideas for several years. Business meetings at the Hotel Bellevue at the top of Pohorje mainly attract those businessmen for whom the forests of Pohorje, the fresh air and the remoteness from urban hustle and bustle are a welcome break. The Hotel Piramida is a popular and intimate hotel in Maribor city centre, suitable for business meetings such as seminars, education courses, workshops and so on. Being in the heart of the old city core also provides guests with well-earned relaxation after intensive seminars and conferences. Hotel Habakuk***** Pohorska ulica 59 SI-2000 Maribor Tel.: +386 2 3008 100 habakuk@termemb.si www.termemb.si Advertising feature

Hotel Bellevue, Poslovni turizem

Hotel Habakuk, sprejemnica Diplomatski klub

Hotel Piramida, amfiteater

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new Hotel Bellevue**** Na Slemenu 35 SI-2208 Pohorje Tel.: +386 2 6075100 bellevue@termemb.si

Hotel Piramida**** Ulica heroja Šlandra 10 SI-2000 Maribor Tel.: +386 2 2344400 piramida@termemb.si

HelmsBriscoe

Storitev iskanja prizorišč odslej tudi v Sloveniji Svetovna industrija srečanj je čedalje bolj razvita in raznolika, saj se novi koncepti pojavljajo skoraj vsak dan. Vsepovsod se odpirajo, spreminjajo in širijo hoteli in prizorišča, Srednja Evropa pa je pri tem med najhitreje rastočimi regijami. Zato ni presenetljivo, da načrtovalci srečanj čedalje težje izberejo pravi hotel in prizorišče za dogodek, saj pogosto porabijo mnogo preveč časa za iskanje, namesto da bi se posvetili vsebini in organizaciji samega srečanja. Če imate tudi vi težave, povezane s preveč dela, premalo časa in pomanjkanjem denarja za najem zunanje agencije, je rešitev za vaše težave prišla ravno ob pravem času!

Koncept iskanja prizorišč je enostaven, toda učinkovit. Vi se odločite glede zahtev, nato iskalcu prizorišč prepustite težaško delo iskanja hotelov in prizorišč, ki se ujemajo z vašimi zahtevami. HelmsBriscoe je največji ponudnik storitve iskanja prizorišč na svetu. Ne glede na to, ali pripravljate sestanek odbora za deset ljudi ali pa konvencijo za 10.000, bo HelmsBriscoe vedno našel pravo prizorišče za vaše potrebe. Storitev je popolnoma brezplačna, ohranite pa tudi popoln nadzor nad vsemi odločitvami. Vse pogodbe in finančne transakcije so izvedene

neposredno med vami in hotelom ali prizoriščem, kar pomeni, da ohranite popoln nadzor, medtem ko vam podjetje HelmsBriscoe prihrani težaško, časovno potratno delo. HelmsBriscoe dobi plačilo za posredovanje od hotelov, tako da je storitev za stranko popolnoma brezplačna. Preprosto sporočite svoje zahteve in podjetje HelmsBriscoe bo poiskalo pravi hotel za vas. Od leta 1992 se je podjetje HelmsBriscoe razširilo z dveh na skoraj 1000 pisarn v 38 državah. Samo v letu 2006 je bilo preko ponudnika HelmsBriscoe rezerviranih več kot 3,2 milijona nočitvenih sob, kar ga uvršča v vrh podjetij za rezervacije skupin za vse glavne svetovne hotelske verige, hkrati pa to pomeni tudi, da je največji svetovni posrednik za količinske nakupe v industriji srečanj in dogodkov. HelmsBriscoe lahko poišče prizorišča in hotele za srečanja, konvencije, dogodke in motivacijska srečanja (incentives) vseh vrst na krajevnem, državnem ali mednarodnem nivoju. HelmsBriscoe je v stranke usmerjena organizacija, ki dela tako za največje korporacije in korporacije z lestvice Fortune 500 kot za majhna do srednje velika podjetja. Več kot 70 % podjetij z lestvice Fortune 500 je že uporabilo storitve ponudnika HelmsBriscoe. Podjetje HelmsBriscoe ohranja vodilni položaj v nenehno spreminjajoči se panogi s tem, da strankam poišče ustrezne hotele po vsem svetu; podjetje ukrepa ustrezno glede na predvidene trende. V podjetju HelmsBriscoe imajo edinstven intranetni sistem, kjer se dnevno dodajajo poročila in mnenja o vseh hotelih in prizoriščih, ki so jih družabniki in stranke podjetja uporabili, pregledali ali preizkusili. Zaradi velikosti in obsega organizacije je to orodje, za katerega ostale agencije za organizacijo svetovnih srečanj enostavno nimajo ustreznika, neprecenljivo. Z zastopanjem interesov strank na strokoven, etičen in transparenten način si je podjetje HelmsBriscoe v svetu zgradilo edinstven ugled. Mnogi družabniki podjetja HelmsBriscoe, ki so poznani kot najboljši in imajo najsvetlejšo prihodnost, imajo izkušnje z delom za pomembnejše hotele in zdravilišča oziroma z delom na področju načrtovanja srečanj. Industrijo srečanj poznajo iz lastnih izkušenj in so jo izkusili tako v vlogi naročnika kot v vlogi ponudnika storitev. HelmsBriscoe ima od leta 2006 dalje svojo ekipo v Srednji in Vzhodni Evropi, ki bo skrbela za potrebe in zahteve industrije srečanj v teh regijah. Ekipo je ustanovil regionalni direktor Howard Cohen, sedež ima v Budimpešti na Madžarskem, najnovejša pisarna pa je bila odprta v Ljubljani, vodi jo direktor prodaje Gorazd Čad.

Howard Cohen se je z namenom uveljavljanja storitev v Srednji in Vzhodni Evropi podjetju HelmsBriscoe pridružil leta 2005. Howard prihaja iz Velike Britanije, zdaj v Budimpešti na Madžarskem upravlja in širi 14 pisarn podjetja HelmsBriscoe v tej regiji. Howard je ob pridružitvi imel več kot 20 let izkušenj v panogah potovanj, turizma in srečanj, večinoma na območju Srednje in Vzhodne Evrope in še posebej v balkanski regiji.

Regionalni zastopnik Gorazd Čad Štihova ulica 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenija Telefon: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 Faks: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E-pošta: gcad@helmsbriscoe.com

106

HelmsBriscoe

Venue search Service comes to Slovenia The world’s meetings industry is becoming increasingly sophisticated and diverse with new concepts appearing almost daily. Hotels and venues are opening, changing and expanding everywahere, with central Europe among the fastest growing regions. Thus it’s no surprise that meeting planners are finding it increasingly difficult to find the right hotel and venue for their events, often spending far too much time finding the location when they really need to concentrate on the meeting’s content and organisation. If you are suffering from these frustrations, with too much work, too little time and no budget to employ an outside agency, the answer to your problems has arrived just in time. The concept of venue-finding is simple but effective. You decide all your requirements and then let the venue-finder do the hard work of matching those requirements with the right hotels and venues. HelmsBriscoe is the world’s largest venue-finding service. Whether you need to arrange a board meeting for 10 people or a convention for 10,000, HelmsBriscoe can find the right venue for your needs. There is absolutely

no charge to you and you remain in full control of all decision-making. All contracts and financial transactions are made directly between you and the hotel/venue. This means that you remain in full control while HelmsBriscoe takes the difficult, time-consuming work from you. HelmsBriscoe is compensated by receiving placement fees from the hotels so you pay nothing for the service. You only need to advise your requirements once and HelmsBriscoe will set to work finding the right hotel for you. Since 1992 HelmsBriscoe has grown from two offices to almost 1,000 in 38 countries. In 2006 alone, over 3.2 million overnights were booked via HelmsBriscoe, making the company the top booker of groups for all the world’s major hotel chains and the world’s highest volume purchasing agent in the meetings and event industry. HelmsBriscoe can find venues and hotels for meetings, conventions, events and incentives of all sizes, locally, nationally or internationally. As a client-driven organization, HelmsBriscoe services blue chip and Fortune 500 corporations, as well as small to medium-sized enterprises. More than 70% of Fortune 500 companies have used HelmsBriscoe’s services as clients. Matching client needs with hotels around the world helps HelmsBriscoe stay ahead of the ever-changing industry. The company anticipates trends and acts accordingly. HelmsBriscoe has a unique company intranet system where reports and opinions are added daily on every hotel and venue which has been used, viewed or experienced by the company’s associates and clients. The size and scope of the organisation has made this an invaluable tool which simply can’t be matched by any other meetings agency in the world. HelmsBriscoe has built an unmatched reputation globally for representing the interests of its clients in a professional, ethical and transparent manner. Known as the industry’s best and brightest, many HelmsBriscoe Associates have experience working for premier hotel and resort properties or as industry meeting planners. They have a first-hand understanding of the meetings business from both sides of the desk. Since 2006 HelmsBriscoe has established a team in central and eastern Europe to meet the growing needs and requirements of the meetings industry in the region. The team was established by Regional Director Howard Cohen, who is based in Budapest, Hungary, with the latest office opening in Ljubljana, headed by Sales Director Gorazd Čad.

Howard Cohen joined HelmsBriscoe in 2005 in order to establish the company’s services in central and eastern Europe. Originally from the UK, Howard is now based in Budapest administering and expanding HelmsBriscoe’s 14 offices in the region. Howard came to HelmsBriscoe with more than 20 years’ experience in the travel, tourism and meetings industries, much of that involved in central and eastern Europe and the Balkan region particularly.

Regional Associate Gorazd Čad Štihova ulica 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Phone: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 Fax: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E-mail: gcad@helmsbriscoe.com

107

LIFETREK Events ponuja organizacijo ustvarjalnih in izvirnih timskih dogodkov, pustolovskega team buildinga, manjših konferenc in motivacijskih sestankov. Na dinamičnih prireditvah si naše stranke pridobijo nove motivacijske izkušnje in zgradijo skupinski duh. Lifetrek d.o.o. Partizanska cesta 18 4000 Kranj, Slovenia 04 201 48 75 www.zmagovalec.si info@lifetrek.si

Zakaj mi? Smo eden izmed vodilnih organizatorjev timskih motivacijskih prireditev za podjetja na slovenskem tržišču. Smo agencija, ki ponuja celovito storitev s področja organizacije dogodkov in prireditev.

KOMPAS d.d. - mednarodno turistično podjetje Ïe od leta 1951 • Srečanja / PCO storitve • Motivacijska potovanja • Teambuilding • Vse storitve DMC agencije Karkoli Ïe potrebujete v potovalni industriji Kompas zagotavlja hitre in učinkovite re‰itve. Telefon: 01 200 61 51 • e-po‰ta: congresses@kompas.si • www.kompas.si • www.kompas-online.net

Hotel Šport, Postojna Hotel Sport v centru Postojne je idealna lokacija za seminarje, poslovna srečanja, prezentacije. Svetli mansardni prostori ustvarjajo posebno energijo. Pridite in mlada ekipa se bo posvetila vašim željam. Kolodvorska 1, 6230 Postojna Tel.: 05 720 22 44 Faks: 05 720 22 40 e-pošta: info@sport-hotel.si www.sport-hotel.si

… več kot samo srečanje Terme Čatež v hotelih na Čatežu omogočajo uspešno organizacijo dogodkov za do 900 udeležencev: Hotel Terme – 4 dvorane, Hotel Toplice – 1 večnamenska dvorana Možnosti sprostitve in zabave: vodni programi, wellness, savne, šport…

Terme Čatež, d.d. • Topliška 35, 8251 Čatež ob Savi • T: 07/49 36 700, 49 36 759 • www.terme-catez.si, info@terme-catez.si

Lifetrek Events provides the most creative and unique team events, adventure team building, small conferences and incentive meetings. We give our customers new motivational experiences and team spirit through dynamic events. Lifetrek d.o.o. Partizanska cesta 18 4000 Kranj, Slovenia +386 4 20 14 875 www.zmagovalec.si info@lifetrek.si

Why Lifetrek: We are a leading supplier of corporate team events and incentives on the Slovenian market. We are a full-service event agency.

Kompas International Travel Corporation since 1951 • Conferences / PCO service • Custom-made incentive travel • Team-building activities • All DMC services Whatever your needs are, we ensure a prompt response and a complete solution. Phone: + 386 1 200 61 51 • e-po‰ta: congresses@kompas.si • www.kompas.si • www.kompas-online.net

Hotel Šport, Postojna The Hotel Sport in Postojna town centre is an ideal seminar, business meeting and presentation etc venue. The bright loft premises create special energy. Visit us and our young team will devote their full attention to your wishes. Kolodvorska 1, 6230 Postojna Tel.: +386 5 720 22 44 Fax: +386 5 720 22 40 e-mail: info@sport-hotel.si www.sport-hotel.si

… more than just a meeting At its hotels in Čatež, Terme Čatež offers the successful organization of events for up to 900 participants. Terme Hotel – 4 halls; Toplice Hotel – 1 multi-purpose hall Possibilities for relaxation and fun with water programmes, wellness, saunas, sports and more

Terme Čatež, d.d. • Topliška 35, 8251 Čatež ob Savi • T: +386 7 49 36 700, 49 36 759 • www.terme-catez.si, info@terme-catez.si

Uredniški koledar 2008 Editoral Calendar 2008 ŠTEVILKA

GLAVNE TEME

PREDSTAVITEV POSEBNIH PONUDB

POSEBNA POROČILA

DODATNA DISTRIBUCIJA

ROK ZA REZERVACIJO OGLASOV

ROK ZA ODDAJO OGLASOV

JANUAR Št. 1

SIMEX – posebna številka ob prireditvi SIMEX

Predstavitev celotne slovenske kongresne ponudbe

EIBTM

SIMEX 2008

05.01.2008

15.01.2008

MAREC Št. 2

ZELENA SREČANJA • Ekološki standardi • Načrtovanje ekoloških kongresnih centrov • Merjenje prrofitabilnosti zelenih srečanj • Investicije v zelena srečanja

• Incentive ideje • Dogodki v naravi

SIMEX 2008 CONFEX 2008

IMEX 2008 MPI PEC 2008

15.02.2008

28.02.2008

JUNIJ Št. 4

KULINARIKA IN SREČANJA • Catering trendi • Luksuzna prizorišča • Vinska ponudba regije

• Posebna prizorišča • Goriška • Nove destinacije v regiji

IMEX 2008

15.05.2008

31.05.2008

SEPTEMBER Št. 5

LJUDJE IN SREČANJA • Kongresni ambsadorji 2007 • Inovativnost v kongresni industriji • Prihodnost virtualnih dogodkov • Varnost na srečanjih • Merjenje profitabilnosti kongresnih dogodkov

• Teambuilding • Ponudba usposabljanj • Mali kongresni centri • Nove destinacije v regiji

MPI PEC 2008

31.07.2008

31.08.2008

NOVEMBER Št. 6

REGIJE IN SREČANJA • Izzivi in prednosti manj znanih regij • Kongresna industrija in trajnostni razvoj • Sodelovanje ponudnikov v regiji • Vloga kulturno-zgodovinskih dejavnikov pri izbiri destinacije

• Najboljše kongresne destinacije regije • Regionalni kongresni biroji

ICCA 2008

EIBTM 2008

15.09.2008

30.09.2008

ISSUE

LEADING THEMES

SPECIAL OFFERS SHOWCASE

SPECIAL REPORTS

EXTRA DISTRIBUTION

ADS RESERVATION DEADLINE

ADS MUST BE RECEIVED BY

JANUARY Issue1

SIMEX – special issue for SIMEX

Showcase of the Slovenian congress product

EIBTM

SIMEX 2008

05.01.2008

15.01.2008

MARCH

‘GREEN’ MEETINGS • Ecological standards • Planning green congress centres • Measuring the profitability of green meetings • Investment in green meetings

• Incentive ideas • Events in the countryside

SIMEX 2008 CONFEX 2008

IMEX 2008 MPI PEC 2008

15.02.2008

28.02.2008

JUNE Issue 3

CUISINE AND MEETINGS • Catering trends • Luxury venues • Wine offer of the region

• Special venues • Goriška region • New destinations in the region

IMEX 2008

15.05.2008

31.05.2008

SEPTEMBER Issue 4

PEOPLE AND MEETINGS • Congress ambassadors 2007 • Innovation in the congress industry • The future of virtual events • Safety at meetings • Measuring the profitability of congress events

• Teambuilding • Professional education offer • Small congress centres • New destinations in the region

MPI PEC 2008

31.07.2008

31.08.2008

NOVEMBER Issue 5

REGIONS AND MEETINGS • Challenges and advantages of less known regions • Congress industry and sustainable development • Co-operation between suppliers in the region • Role of cultural and historical factors in destination selection

• Best congress destinations in the region • Regional congress bureaux

ICCA 2008

15.09.2008

30.09.2008

110

EIBTM 2008

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Mi to znamo. Smo mednarodno uveljavljeno podjetje za podroËje svetovanja, trženja in managementa v poslovnem turizmu. Imamo reπitve za uspeπno trženje kongresnih centrov in destinacij ter komuniciranje vaπih kongresov in poslovnih dogodkov. Pridobivamo in organiziramo mednarodne kongrese, poslovne dogodke, motivacijska sreËanja, razstave in sejemske prireditve, pri Ëemer uporabljamo najsodobnejπa znanja in tehnologije sreËanj. Pomagamo vam pri upravljanju in vodenju strokovnih in znanstvenih združenj.

Štihova ulica 4,1000 Ljubljana, T+386 (0)1 430 51 03, F +386 (0)1 430 51 04, info@go-mice.eu, www.go-mice.eu

Welcome to our home above the clouds, aboard our finely-furnished modern fleet with over 45 years of experience. Excellent service, together with the hospitality of our caring staff will take you safely to more than 25 destinations across Europe. And all the while we’ll make you feel right at home, above the clouds – together. Dobrodošli v naš dom nad oblaki. Prestopite prag naše udobno opremljene in sodobne flote z veĀ kot petinštiridesetletnimi izkušnjami. PriĀakala vas bo odliĀna storitev ter prijazno, gostoljubno osebje, ki vas bo varno popeljalo v veĀ kot 25 destinacij po vsej Evropi. In pri tem poskrbelo, da se boste v našem skupnem domu nad oblaki ves Āas poĀutili kot doma.

www.adria-airways.com

ADRIA AIRWAYS The Airline of Slovenia KuzmiĀeva 7, SI-1000 Ljubljana Phone: + 386 (0)1 36 91 317 E-mail: events@adria.si