April 2009 by Go.Mice

• 1. REVIJA INDUSTRIJE SREČANJ JUGOVZHODNE EVROPE • 1ST SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE • LETNIK III , ŠT. 2 • VOLUME III, ISSUE 2 • APRIL, APRIL 2009 •

WHY NOT SOUTHEAST EUROPE? SOUTHEAST EUROPE, YOUR NEXT MEETING DESTINATION

Conventa 2009 – poročilo o dogodku in fotoreportaža / Conventa 2009: Event and Photographic Report www.kongres-magazine.eu Dr. Brane Semolič: Kongresni turizem kot oblika mrežne organizacije / Brane Semolič, PhD.: Convention Tourism as a Form of Network Organisation

Intervju / Interview Breda Pečovnik in Špela Terpin / Breda Pečovnik & Špela Terpin

URADNO GLASILO ZAVODA-KONGRESNOTURISTIČNI URAD • OFFICAL MAGAZINE OF THE SLOVENIAN CONVENTION BUREAU 1

Gospodarsko razstavišče Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre

Al Gore na Gospodarskem razstavišču, dogodek Diners Club Exclusive, 10. december 2008 Al Gore at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, event organised by Diners Club Exclusive, December 10, 2008

»Gospodarsko razstavišče je prostor za ljudi svetovnega formata. Vračamo se, ker vedno potrdijo pravilnost naše izbire, saj so dogodki pripravljeni odgovorno, iskrivo, prestižno in prefinjeno. Njegova prednost ni le odličen prostor za prireditve, temveč predvsem strokovno osebje, ki je predano svojemu delu.« »The Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre is a place for people of a global character. We come back because they always confirm the validity of our selection, as the events there are organised in a responsible, sparkling, prestigious and refined fashion. Its advantage lies not only in a great events facility, but particularly in their expert staff, who are devoted to their work.« Tomaž F. Lovše, lastnik družbe Diners Club Slovenija / owner of Diners Club Slovenia

Gospodarsko razstavišče d.o.o. Dunajska cesta 18, SI - 1001 Ljubljana, p.p. 3517, Slovenia T: +386/1/300 26 00 / F: +386/1/300 26 49 E: info@gr-sejem.si / www.gr-sejem.si

GHU_OK 20. marec 2009 16:05:17

Kolofon / Colophon REVIJA KONGRES - 1. REVIJA INDUSTRIJE SREČANJA JUGOVZHODNE EVROPE / KONGRES - 1ST SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Glavni in odgovorni urednik / Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad

Napovednik / Contents • Conventa 2009 – poročilo o dogodku in fotoreportaža / Conventa 2009: Event and Photographic Report

Izvršna urednica / Executive Editor: Jakica Jesih Pomočnica urednika / Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Danaja Besnard Uredniški odbor / Editorial Board: Renata Balažic, Tony Carey, Gorazd Čad, Petra Čuk, Anuša Gaši, Miha Kovačič, Tina Možina, Srečo Peterlič, Tatjana Radovič, Darja Slivnjak, Mirjana Sušec, Maja Vidergar Oblikovanje / Design: Propagarna d.o.o. Prevod / Translation: Alkemist d.o.o. Lektoriranje / Proofreading: Alkemist d.o.o., Jakica Jesih Tisk / Printing: Collegium Graphicum d.o.o., Ljubljana Naklada / Circulation: 5.000 izvodov / 5.000 Copies ISSN Številka / ISSN Number: 1854-9292 Revija Kongres je vpisana v razvid medijev pod zaporedno številko 1423. / The Kongres magazine is entered into the media register under sequence number 1423. Revija izhaja 5x letno / Magazine issued in: Januar; april; julij; oktober; december January; April; July; October; December Izdajatelj, produkcija in trženje / Publisher, Production and Marketing: GO®Mice d.o.o., Štihova 4 SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E: kongres@go-mice.eu Datum izida / Issue date: April 2009/ April 2009 Cena / Price: 6,70 EUR / Slovenia 18,00 EUR / Other Countries Za reproduciranje vsebine je potrebno pisno soglasje uredništva. / For the content reproduction it is required to get the written editorial consigment.

• Pogovor o vlogi kongresnih centrov pri razvoju kongresnih destinacij z Bredo Pečovnik, direktorico kongresno-komercialnega programa in pomočnico generalnega direktorja v Cankarjevem domu ter Špelo Terpin, direktorico marketinga na Gospodarskem razstavišču /A discussion on the role of congress centres in the development of congress destinations with Breda Pečovnik, Congress and Commercial Programme Director and Director General Assistant at Cankarjev dom, and Špela Terpin, Director of Marketing at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre.

• Dr. Brane Semolič: Kongresni turizem kot oblika mrežne organizacije / Brane Semolič, PhD.: Convention Tourism as a Form of Network Organisation

Na podlagi zakona o davku na dodano vrednost se od revije obračunava davek na dodano vrednost po 8,5-odstotni stopnji. Za kvalificirane organizatorje dogodkov je revija brezplačna. / On the basis of the Value Added Tax Act, VAT is levied at a 8.5 per cent rate for the magazine. The magazine is free-of-charge for qualified event organisers.

Uvodna beseda / Editorial

V recesiji je Slovenija aktualna kongresna destinacija / In the Recession, Slovenia is an Interesting Meetings Destination

ecesija in negotovost, dvomi na vsakem koraku. A so tudi svetli trenutki, kot na primer letošnji januar, ko smo v Ljubljani gostili dva srednje velika kongresa, pridobljena v zadnjem trenutku. Razlog za izbor Ljubljane za izvedbo dogodkov je bila splošna recesija!? Zaradi gospodarke krize sta bila organizatorja pozvana, da prestavita kongresa iz znanih in dražjih evropskih prestolnic na dostopno, konkurenčno, manj znano, a atraktivno destinacijo. Med ponudniki je zmagala Slovenija. Psihološki učinek recesije je tudi ta, da svetovno znana mesta niso več tako zaželjene destinacije za kongrese. Oba dogodka sta bila uspeh. Gostje so bili navdušeni nad novoodkrito destinacijo, odlično organizacijo, visokim nivojem storitev, gostoljubnostjo in konkurenčno ceno. Eno pa jim ni bilo jasno – to, da niso slišali za Slovenijo že prej. Res je, nujen korak na poti k večji prepoznavnosti je, da pričnemo na nivoju države sistematično, kontinuirano in bolj agresivno tržiti Slovenijo kot kongresno destinacijo in temu segmentu namenimo tudi ustrezno višino državnih sredstev. V recesiji so občutljivi vsi trgi, nekateri so občutljivi manj. V to kategorijo spada kongresni turizem. Profesionalno izobraževanje, usposabljanje, mreženje, kar so največkrat izpostavljenini motivi za udeležbo na strokovnih srečanjih, bodo vedno pomembni. Seveda se bodo organizatorji dogodkov morali obnašati racionalno, še bolj kot doslej. Tu je priložnost za Slovenijo. In kaj je dodatna prednost konferenc oziroma kongresov? Preko 70 odstotkov tujih udeležencev kongresov Slovenijo obišče v času dogodka prvič. V Slovenijo se vračajo kot turisti z družinami. Trženjske aktivnosti, usmerjene v ta segment, imajo dvojni efekt; pripeljejo kongresne goste, ki potrošijo do štirikrat toliko kot počitniški, hkrati pa generirajo tudi počitniške prihodke. In tu je zopet priložnost za Slovenijo. Le trženjske aktivnosti države Slovenije je potrebno prilagoditi novim razmeram na trgu; kongresni turizem je gotovo ta, ki lahko ublaži vpliv recesije na slovensko turistično gospodarstvo. Pa zna naša država pravilno oceniti ta potencial? Renata Balažic Članica Strokovnega Sveta Kongresnega urada Slovenije Direktorica prodaje in marketinga v Grand Hotelu Union Ljubljana renata.balazic@gh-union.si

ecession and uncertainty – doubts everywhere you look. There are, however, bright moments, such as this January, when Ljubljana hosted two medium-sized congresses that it won at the last minute. The reason for choosing Ljubljana for these events was the general recession! Due to the economic crisis, the organisers were told to move the congresses from famous and more expensive European capitals to an affordable, competitive, less known but still attractive destination. Slovenia was the winning provider. The psychological effect of the recession is that world famous towns are no longer such desired congress destinations. Both events were a success. The guests were enraptured by this newly discovered destination, the excellent organisation, the high level of services, the hospitality and the competitive price. There was only one thing that they could not understand – why they had not heard about Slovenia sooner. This is true. The essential step towards better recognition is to begin marketing Slovenia as a meetings destination on the statelevel with a more systematic, continual and aggressive approach and to allocate an appropriate amount of national funds for this purpose. All markets are sensitive to recession, but some less than others. The meetings industry undoubtedly falls into this category. Professional education, training and networking, which are usually the most often quoted reasons for participating in professional meetings, will always be important. Events organisers will of course have to be even more economical than before. This is Slovenia's opportunity. And what is an additional advantage of conferences or congresses? During the event, more than 70 percent of the foreign delegates visit Slovenia for the first time. They then return as tourists with their families. Marketing activities directed towards this segment have a double effect – they bring congress guests that spend up to four times more than holiday guests, while they also generate holiday revenue at the same time. And this is another opportunity for Slovenia. The country’s marketing activities only need to be adjusted to the new market conditions and the meetings industry is undoubtedly a sector that can mitigate the effects of the recession on Slovenian tourism. Can our country appreciate this potential? Renata Balažic Member of the Expert Council of the Slovenian Convention Bureau Sales and marketing director, Grand Hotel Union Ljubljana renata.balazic@gh-union.si

Kratke novice

Konferenca o pretoku in arhiviranju pacientove dokumentacije 22

. maja letos bo v Kongresnem centru Bernardin v Portorožu potekala konferenca, katere namen je na enem mestu predstaviti možnosti enotnega urejanja bolnišnične – pacientove dokumentacije, kar bo poenostavilo pretok podatkov in dokumentov znotraj vsake bolnišnice, pa tudi med posameznimi slovenskimi bolnišnicami. Na konferenco bodo vabljeni zlasti strokovni in poslovni direktorji bolnišnic ter zdravstvenih domov, informacijske in administrativne službe ter zdravstvena nega. Konferenco pripravlja podjetje Jazon d.o.o. v sodelovanju z nekaterimi bolnišnicami in s podporo Zavoda za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije in Mednarodnega inštituta za management v zdravstvu ter v organizaciji podjetja Kongres d.o.o. (PCO).

Ljubljane ni na seznamu najdražjih mest na svetu Ljubljana ni bila vključena v raziskavo življenjskih stroškov

londonskega Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Na seznam najdražjih mest jo uvršča skupina Mercer Human Resource Consulting, ki jo je po raziskavi v marcu 2008 uvrstila na 82. mesto. Sosednja Dunaj in Rim zasedata 19. in 16. mesto, medtem ko nas prehitevajo tudi Zagreb (49. mesto), Budimpešta (61.) in Bukarešta (71.). Glede na namen študije, da identificira in rangira nove trge in s tem pomaga podjetjem pri sprejemanju odločitve, kam širiti svojo dejavnost, spoznamo Ljubljano kot cenovno izjemno ugodno prestolnico, celo glede na sosednje prestolnice. Ljubljana visoko rangira na lestvici mest po osebni varnosti (34. mesto) ter relativno visoko glede na kakovost življenja (82. mesto), kjer v skupini vzhodnoevropskih mest dohiteva standarde zahodne Evrope, predvsem Švice in Nemčije. A Mercer raziskave ne odražajo posledic finančne krize v takšni meri, kot jo zazna aktualna EIU raziskava iz marca 2009. Medtem ko je vzhodnoevropska regija glede na življenjske stroške septembra 2008 zaostala le za zahodno Evropo, je v februarju 2009 strmo padla ter zaostala še za severno Ameriko, Azijo, Bližnjim vzhodom ter severno Afriko. Pravzaprav je vzhodno Evropo prizadel največji povprečen padec indeksa življenjskih stroškov na globalni ravni. Kje v zgodbi se sedaj nahaja Ljubljana, bo lahko pokazala nova Mercer študija.

Ahotel je odprl novi konferenčni dvorani A

hotel Ljubljana je butični hotel, ki je svoja vrata odprl spomladi 2008. S svojim prijetnim ambientom, prijaznim osebjem in sodobno ter kakovostno opremo nudi prijetno bivanje še tako zahtevnim gostom. Lokacija ob vpadnici Ljubljana – center na južnem delu Ljubljane hotelskim gostom omogoča hiter dostop do strogega centra Ljubljane (2 km) in do vseh ostalih delov Ljubljane.

Od februarja 2009 sta v Ahotelu na voljo dve konferenčni dvorani, ki sprejmeta 50 oziroma 30 udeležencev. Obe dvorani sta svetli in zračni, opremljeni z najsodobnejšo tehnično opremo, primerno za izvajanje različnih seminarjev, delavnic, predstavitev, izobraževanj, srečanj ipd. Pri izvedbi različnih dogodkov v Ahotelu so gostom na voljo tudi gostinske storitve, osvežitev v hotelskem Lounge baru ali na njegovi pokriti letni terasi ter veliko brezplačno parkirišče, ki se nahaja tik ob hotelu. www.ahotel.si

Novo v 2010 – kongresni center družbe Thermana Laško Leta 2010 bo odprl vrata nov Kongresni center za cca. 900 udeležencev. Sestavljalo ga bo enajst dvoran z najsodobnejšo avdio-vizualno opremo. Največja dvorana bo sprejela cca. 420 udeležencev. Kongresni hotel, ki bo povezan s kongresnim centrom, pa bo udeležencem nudil bogato ponudbo wellness storitev.

Izvajali bodo znanstvene in strokovne dogodke, dogodke gospodarsko – podjetniške narave, izobraževalne dogodke, družabna srečanja (poroke, valete, maturantske plese, modne revije ...), zabavno-glasbene prireditve, poslovna in motivacijska srečanja. Izjemna prednost novega kongresnega centra je njegova lokacija. Laško se s svojo geografsko lego nahaja v središču Slovenije. Od avtoceste je oddaljeno le 15 km, do najbližjih letališč (Ljubljana, Gradec, Celovec, Zagreb) pa ga loči le ura do dve vožnje. www.thermana.si

Kratke novice

Otvoritev novega hotela v Bohinju – Bohinj Park Hotel Predvidena otvoritev hotela Bohinj Park Hotel bo konec marca

2009. V hotelu bodo poleg nastanitvenih kapacitet (102 hotelski sobi, suita za mladoporočenca, poslovna suita, predsedniški apartma, hotelska rezidenca in sedem posebno opremljenih sob za starše z dojenčki), ekskluzivnega wellness & spa centra, vodnega parka in bowlinga tudi konferenčne kapacitete (osem dvoran, največja s kvadraturo 215 m2 in s kapaciteto 130 sedežev ob kino postavitvi). Vse konferenčne in sejne sobe so opremljene tudi z najsodobnejšo tehnologijo (LCD projektorji, projekcijska platna, brezžični mikrofoni, brezžična internetna povezava ...). www.bohinj-park-hotel.si

Petinštirideset let Hotela Lev – ugled, ki spodbuja k višji kakovosti Leto 2009 bo v Hotelu Lev potekalo v znamenju obeleževanja

petinštiridesete obletnice odprtja hotela. Zasnovan kot prvi ekskluziven hotel v centru Ljubljane je po veteranu slovenskega gostinstva dobil ime Lev. K uspehu hotela so prispevali tudi številni eminentni gostje svetovnega slovesa, kot so Agatha Christie, Kirk Douglas, Louis Armstrong Satchmo, astronavtska ekipa Appolla 5, Janet Jackson, Bob Dylan, Sting, Claudia Schiffer, Luciano Pavarotti, Ivo Pogorelich, Eros Ramazzoti, Alanis Morisette, Bolshoj teater, Dunajski simfonični orkester, Washingtonski simfonični orkester, stalni gost pa je bil tudi Josip Broz Tito s svojo soprogo. Z namenom nadaljevanja takrat zastavljene poti in želje po doseganju visoke kakovosti hotelskih storitev bo Hotel Lev po nekajmesečni obnovi nudil gostom ekskluzivno »à la carte« restavracijo, sodobno opremljeno veliko konferenčno dvorano, novi spa in fitnes center, predsedniške apartmaje ter popolnoma osvežene hotelske sobe, ki bodo ustrezale najzahtevnejšim hotelskim standardom. Prenova se je odvila tudi s ciljem, da bo kot edini hotel s petimi zvezdicami v Ljubljani gostom nudil storitev na nivoju, ki sloni na tradiciji in najnovejših trendih, samemu mestu kot turistični destinaciji pa doprinesel dodano vrednost. www.hotel-lev.si

Vivo Catering na Conventi N

a Conventi (22.-23. januarja 2009) je na pogostitvi na Ljubljanskem gradu sodelovalo tudi podjetje Vivo catering – s pripravo jedi evropskih držav, s katerimi so povezali Mediteran, nordijske države, Slovenijo in Balkan. Pogostitev so nadaljevali na Gospodarskem razstavišču s pogostitvijo v črno beli tematiki. Ob glasbeni in slikarski spremljavi so predstavili vrhunsko slovensko kulinariko in jo povezali s pripravljenimi jedmi Evropske skupnosti. www.vivo.si

Kulinarično središče Okusiti Slovenijo N

a Dvoru Jezeršek so razvili Kulinarično središče Okusiti Slovenijo. Njegovo delovanje in poslanstvo je povezano z dosledno ponudbo kulinarike Slovenije. Na bogatih temeljih kulinarične in gastronomske kulturne dediščine so razvili pestro, razpoznavno in sodobno ponudbo jedi, pijač in prehranskih izdelkov. Torej: cela Slovenija na enem mestu, za posameznika ali skupino, za domače in tuje goste, od pokušanj do zahtevnih protokolarnih pogostitev ... Toda dosledno: Slovenija! www.dvor-jezersek.si

Short News

Conference on the Flow and Archiving of Patient Documentation On May 22, the Bernardin Congress Centre in Portorož will host a conference with its main aim being to present the possibilities of the unified regulation of hospital (patient) documentation, which will facilitate data and document flow within each hospital and also among individual Slovenian hospitals.

The conference will especially invite professional and business hospital and health centre directors, information and administration services and the healthcare sphere.

in the spring of 2008. Its pleasant environment, friendly staff and high-quality modern equipment guarantee a pleasant stay for even the most demanding guests. Its location on the Ljubljana-Centre access road in the southern part of town gives hotel guests fast access to the city centre (2 km) and all other parts of Ljubljana. Since February 2009, Ahotel offers two conference halls holding respectively 50 and 30 delegates. Both halls are bright and airy, providing up-to-date technical equipment suitable for various seminars, workshops, presentations, education, meetings and similar things. In implementing different events at the Ahotel, the guests can make use of catering, refreshments in the hotel’s Lounge Bar or on the roofed summer terrace and the big free parking area located next to the hotel. www.ahotel.si

The conference has been organised by Jazon d.o.o. in cooperation with individual hospitals and with the support of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia and the International Institute of Health Management and it was organised by Kongres d.o.o. (PCO).

Ljubljana Not on the List of the World’s Most Expensive Cities Ljubljana was not featured on the Cost of Living survey conducted

by the Londoner Economist Intelligence Unit. However, Ljubljana is on the Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s Cost of Living Survey, positioning Slovenia’s capital as 82nd in their survey published in March 2008. The neighbouring Vienna and Rome are 19th and 16th respectively, while we are also behind Zagreb (49th), Budapest (61st) and Bucharest (71st). With regard to the purpose of the study – i.e. to identify and rank new markets thus help corporations take decisions on where to expand their business – Ljubljana is seen as an exceptionally favourable capital even compared to the neighbouring capitals. Ljubljana has a high ranking on personal safety (34th rank) and a relatively high rank on the quality of life (82nd), where, among the group of Eastern European cities, it is catching up with the standards of Western Europe, especially Switzerland and Germany. However, mercer’s surveys do not reflect the consequences of the financial crisis to the extent evident in the newest EIU research conducted in March 2009. While the region of Eastern Europe only fell behind Western Europe in September 2008 with regard to the cost of living, in February 2009, it plunged behind even North America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Eastern Europe was actually affected by the biggest average drop in the cost of living index on a global level. Ljubljana’s place in this story will be evident from Mercer's new study.

Ahotel Opened Two New Conference Halls The Ljubljana Ahotel is a boutique hotel that opened its doors 10

New in 2010 – The Congress Centre of Thermana Laško This new congress centre for approximately 900 participants will

open its doors in 2010. It will comprise eleven halls with state-ofthe-art audio and visual equipment. The biggest hall will be able to accommodate approximately 420 participants. The congress hotel, which will be connected to the congress centre, will provide the participants with a rich offer of wellness services. It will host scientific and professional events, economic and business events, educational events, social gatherings (weddings, end of school dances, fashion shows, etc.), entertainment and musical events and business and incentive meetings. The exceptional advantage of the new congress centre is its location. Geographically, Laško is situated in the centre of Slovenia. It is only 15 km from the motorway and only an hour or two’s drive from the nearest airports (Ljubljana, Graz, Klagenfurt, Zagreb). www.thermana.si

Opening a New Hotel in Bohinj – Bohinj Park Hotel The opening of the Bohinj Park Hotel is predicted for the end of

March 2009. In addition to accommodation capacities (102 hotel rooms, honeymoon suite, business suite, presidential suite, hotel residence and seven rooms especially equipped for families with

Short News babies), an exclusive wellness & spa centre, water park and bowling, the hotel will also provide conference facilities (eight halls, the biggest being 215 m2 and with a capacity of 130 seats in cinema arrangement). All conference and meeting rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology (LCD projectors, screens, wireless microphones, wireless internet access, etc.) www.bohinj-park-hotel.si

The hotel also achieved its reputation by hosting numerous famous guests like Agatha Christie, Kirk Douglas, Louis Armstrong Satchmo, the Apollo 5 team, Janet Jackson, Bob Dylan, Sting, Claudia Schiffer, Luciano Pavarotti, Ivo Pogorelich, Eros Ramazzoti, Alanis Morisette, the Bolshoi Theatre and the Vienna and Washington Philharmonic Orchestras, while one of the regular guests was also Josip Broz Tito and his wife. With the aim of continuing along this path and the wish to achieve even higher quality of service, after a few months of refurbishments, the Lev Hotel will offer its guests an exclusive à la carte restaurant, a large and contemporarily equipped conference hall, a new spa and fitness centre, presidential suites and fully refurbished hotel rooms meeting the highest hotel standards. The refurbishment was conducted with the aim of being the only five star hotel in Ljubljana to offer guests services on a level based on tradition and the newest trends and of contributing additional value to the city as a tourist destination. www.hotel-lev.si

Vivo Catering at Conventa

The Taste Slovenia Culinary Centre

The company Vivo catering participated in the central evening

Dvor Jezeršek developed the Taste Slovenia Culinary Centre.

event at the Ljubljana Castle for all the participants of Conventa (22 – 23 January 2009) by preparing dishes from European countries uniting the Mediterranean, the Nordic States, Slovenia and the Balkan. The entertainment continued at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, preparing a feast in black and white. Accompanied by music and artwork, they presented prime Slovenian cuisine, combining it with dishes from the European Union. www.vivo.si

Its operation and mission relate closely to the consistent offer of Slovenian cuisine. The rich foundations of culinary and gastronomic cultural heritage were used to develop a diverse, recognisable and modern offer of dishes, beverages and food. The whole of Slovenia in one facility – for individuals or groups, for domestic and foreign guests – from tastings to demanding protocol catering. But always Slovenian! www.dvor-jezersek.si

Forty-Five Years of the Lev Hotel – A Reputation Stimulating Higher Quality 2

009 at the Lev Hotel will be characterised by festivities celebrating the hotel’s forty-fifth anniversary. Designed as the first exclusive hotel in the Ljubljana city centre, it was named after the veteran of Slovenian catering, Lev.

Novice

Zavoda-kongresnoturistični urad Mednarodna poslovna borza EIBTM 2008

Prva Conventa uspešno zaključena

Conventa, prva borza kongresne dejavnosti v regiji Jugovzhodne

ed 2. in 4. decembrom 2008 se je v Barceloni odvijala mednarodna poslovna Borza EIBTM 2008. Dogodka se je poleg Kongresnega urada, Slovenske turistične organizacije in Zavoda za turizem Ljubljana udeležilo še trinajst slovenskih podjetij. Borza je v lanskem letu podrla vse rekorde, saj se je je udeležilo preko 3.700 vabljenih gostov oz. organizatorjev dogodkov, kar predstavlja povečanje za 12 % glede na preteklo leto, skupni obisk pa je bil preko 8000 obiskovalcev, kar je 6 % rast glede na leto 2007. V treh dneh borze je bilo organiziranih preko 51.000 vnaprej dogovorjenih sestankov. Slovensko stojnico je obiskalo preko 190 tujih organizatorjev dogodkov, ki so imeli sestanke s slovenskimi ponudniki. V sklopu borze so potekala tudi številna predavanja. Na borzi sta bilo predstavljeni dve poročili, povezani s trendi in pričakovanji v letu 2009: Razpoloženje evropske industrije srečanj – tržna raziskava podjetja Right Solution in EIBTM ter EIBTM 2008 – poročilo o trendih in tržnih deležih v industriji srečanj. Zavod za turizem Ljubljana in Kongresni urad sta v okviru borze organizirala tudi študijski obisk treh ključnih kongresnih ponudnikov v Barceloni – kongresnega hotela Arts, kongresnega in razstaviščnega centra Barcelona ter hotela in kongresnega centra Rey Juan Carlos I. Na borzi EIBTM se je na lastni stojnici prvič predstavila tudi Jugovzhodna Evropa kot kongresna in incentive destinacija. Poudarek je bil na predstavitvi Convente, borze JV Evrope. V tem sklopu se je premierno predstavil katalog ponudnikov JV Evrope »Meet in Southeast Europe«, ki ga je izdal naš član, podjetje GoMice.

Več informacij: www.eibtm.com

Evrope, je združila preko 80 ponudnikov kongresnih storitev iz Slovenije in še šestih držav regije (Hrvaška, Srbija, Črna Gora, Bosna in Hercegovina, Romunija in Bolgarija) ter preko 150 tujih in slovenskih vabljenih kupcev, organizatorjev dogodkov. Poslovna borza Conventa je nadgradnja borze Simex, ki je bila organizirana leta 2007 in 2008. Conventa je prva borza Jugovzhodne Evrope, ki je na enem mestu predstavila ponudbo Slovenije in držav Jugovzhodne Evrope za področje kongresne dejavnosti. Slovenija je prevzela pobudo, da poveže ponudnike kongresnih storitev za regijo Jugovzhodne Evrope in jo predstavi mednarodnemu tržišču. Dogodek je potekal na Gospodarskem razstavišču v Ljubljani od 22. do 23. januarja 2009. Borza Conventa se je razprostirala na preko 1.400 m2 razstavnih površin, kar je več kot dvakrat več v primerjavi z borzo Simex. Pred začetkom borze je bilo sklenjenih nekaj več kot 2000 sestankov. Na sami borzi pa se jih je dodatno odvilo še vsaj tisoč. Število sklenjenih srečanj in odlični odzivi vabljenih gostov in razstavljavcev potrjujejo, da je Conventa našla svoje mesto in da ima vse možnosti, da postane prava regionalna borza za kongresno dejavnost.

Več informacij: www.conventa.info

Kongresni urad postal član združenja SITE S

ITE (Society of Incentive & Travel Executives) je mednarodno združenje, ki povezuje preko 2.200 posameznikov iz 87 držav sveta, ki zastopajo različne interese v okviru incentive potovanj. Združenje je bilo ustanovljeno leta 1973 s strani enajstih predstavnikov incentive industrije. Glavno poslanstvo združenja je izobraževanje, prenos znanj in izkušenj med člani in mreženje na področju inovacij in kreativnosti pri organizaciji motivacijskih potovanj. Z vključitvijo Kongresnega urada v to združenje bomo imeli priložnost osvojiti potrebna znanja na področju motivacijskih potovanj in direkten dostop do najnovejših novosti in aktualnih trendov ter možnost izgradnje mreže kontaktov s strokovnjaki na področju incentive potovanj.

Več informacij: www.siteglobal.com

EMEC – »The European Meetings and Events Conference« V

italijanskem Torinu je med 1.in 3. marcem potekala konferenca EMEC združenja MPI (Meetings Proffesional International), katerega član je Kongresni urad. Ključno sporočilo konference je bilo spodbuditi strast do industrije srečanj s sloganom »Connect to Passion«. Konferenco je obiskalo preko 400 udeležencev, akterjev kongresne industrije iz mednarodnega okolja. Iz Slovenije se je konference udeležilo devet predstavnikov. Bogat izobraževalni program je izpostavil ključne tematike: vpliv recesije na kongresno industrijo, prihodnost industrije srečanj, zeleni dogodki, nova orodja v prodaji in marketingu, tehnologija in njen vpliv na dogodke in mnoge druge. Številni družabni dogodki v okviru programa so omogočili druženje in navezovanje stikov predstavnikov industrije iz 36 držav. Konferenca bo naslednje leto med 28. februarjem in 2. marcem 2010 v Malagi v Španiji.

Več informacij in video prezentacij je na voljo na spletni strani: www.softconference.com/mpi/290302/ itin.asp?refresh=true www.mpiweb.com

Predvidene trženjske aktivnosti Kongresnega urada v letu 2009 Poslovne borze

1. – 2. april 2009

MEDEEX, Pariz, www.medeex-paris.fr

26. – 28. maj 2009

IMEX, Frankfurt, www.imex-frankfurt.com

5. – 6. november 2009 BTC, Rim, www.btc.it

1. – 3. december 2009

EIBTM, Barcelona,www.eibtm.com Workshopi na tujem

16. in 17. marec 2009 Bruselj in Amsterdam

Študijski obisk in workshop v Sloveniji

3. – 5. julij 2009

Študijski obisk z vključenim workshopom za kliente iz Velike Britanije

V postopku sprejemanja v članstvo Kongresnega urada: Kempinski Palace Portorož Vrsta članstva: hotel s konferenčnimi zmogljivostmi www.kempinski-portoroz.com

5. letno srečanje Kongresnega urada K

ongresni urad je 26. in 27. marca 2008 izvedel peto letno srečanje članov. Generalni pokrovitelj in gostitelj največjega letnega dogodka Kongresnega urada je bil HIT Alpinea iz Kranjske gore. Na skupščini so bile predstavljene aktivnosti urada in izvedena strokovna predavanja. Obenem je bil dogodek enkratna priložnost za mreženje med sedemdesetimi člani urada. Kot novost je bil uveden odprti forum, ki omogoča predlaganje aktualnih tem in vsebin. Vsi udeleženci so bili vabljeni, da se aktivno vključijo v odprt forum preko bloga kongresni-urad.blogspot.com.

Slovenian Convention Bureau

News The Global Meetings and Incentive Exhibition EIBTM 2008 From 2 to 4 December 2008, Barcelona hosted the Global

Meetings and Incentive Exhibition EIBTM 2008. Thirteen Slovenian companies joined the Slovenian Convention Bureau, the Slovenian Tourist Board and the Ljubljana Tourist Board at the exhibition. Last year’s exhibition attracted a record number of hosted buyers or event organisers – more than 3,700, which is a 12% increase on the previous year, and total attendance topped 8,000 visitors representing a 6% growth compared to 2007. More than 51,000 prescheduled meetings were organised over the three day event. Over 190 foreign event organisers visited the Slovenian stand and held meetings with Slovenian providers. The exhibition also included numerous lectures. The exhibition saw the presentation of two reports on the trends and expectations for 2009. the Mood of the Market, European Meetings Industry Research Report – marketing research prepared by the Right Solution and EIBTM andEIBTM 2008 – and the Industry Trends and Market Share Report. The Ljubljana Tourist Board and the Slovenian Convention Bureau organised a study visit of three key congress providers in Barcelona – the congress hotel Arts, the Barcelona Congress and Exhibition Centre and the Rey Juan Carlos I. hotel and congress centre. EIBTM also saw the premiere of Southeast Europe as a meetings and incentive destination presenting itself at its own stand. The stress was on the presentation of the Conventa exhibition of Southeast Europe. This was also the presentation of the Meet in Southeast Europe catalogue of providers, which was published by one of our members, GoMice.

The First Conventa Concluded Successfully Conventa, the first meetings exhibition in Southeast Europe,

brought together over 80 providers of meetings and incentive travel services from Slovenia and six other countries of the region (Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Bulgaria) and over 150 hosted buyers (meeting planners) from Slovenia and abroad. The Conventa exhibition is an upgrade of the Simex exhibition organised in 2007 and 2008. It is the first exhibition of Southeast Europe presenting what Slovenia and the countries of Southeast Europe have to offer in the field of the meetings and incentive travel industry in a single location. Slovenia took the initiative to bring together providers of meetings and incentive travel services from the entire Southeast European region and to showcase it to the international market. Conventa was held at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre from 22 to 23 January 2009. Spreading over 1,400 m2 of exhibition space, it outgrew the Simex exhibition by more than twice. More than 2,000 meetings were organised prior to the start of the exhibition and at least a thousand more took place at the exhibition itself. The number of meetings conducted and the excellent responses from hosted buyers and exhibitors confirm that Conventa has found its place on the market and that it has the opportunity to become a true regional exhibition for the meetings and incentive travel industry.

More information at: www.conventa.info

More information at: www.eibtm.com

The Slovenian Convention Bureau is a Member of the SITE Association S

ITE (the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives) is an international association uniting more than 2,200 individuals from 87 countries of the world representing various interests within the framework of incentive travel. SITE began as a forum launched in 1973 by 11 representatives of the incentive travel industry. The association’s main mission is education, the transfer of know-how and experiences among its members, networking with innovations and creativity in organising incentive trips.

Planned Marketing Activities of the Slovenian Convention Bureau in 2009 By joining this association, the Slovenian Convention Bureau will have the opportunity to acquire the needed know-how on incentive trips and a direct approach to novelties and trends, in addition to the possibility of setting up a network of contacts with professionals from the incentive travel industry.

More information at: www.siteglobal.com

Exhibitions

1 – 2 April 2009

MEDEEX, Paris, www.medeex-paris.fr

26 – 28 Maj 2009

EMEC – The European Meetings and Events Conference From 1 to 3 March, the Italian Torino was the host of this year’s

EMEC Conference organised by the MPI association, one member of which is also the Slovenian Convention Bureau. The key message of this year’s conference was to stimulate a passion for meetings and events, uniting the conference under the slogan Connect to Passion.The conference was attended by over 400 delegates from the international meetings industry. The conference was also attended by nine representatives from Slovenia. A rich educational programme stressed the industry's hottest topics: the influence of the recession on the meetings industry, the future of meetings, green events, new sales and marketing tools, technology and its influence on events and many other things. Numerous social events organised within the programme enabled socialising and networking among industry representatives from 36 countries. The next conference will be organised from 28 February to 2 March 2010 in Malaga in Spain.

More information and video presentations are available at: www.softconference.com/mpi/290302/ itin.asp?refresh=true www.mpiweb.com

5th Annual Meeting of the Slovenian Convention Bureau

IMEX, Frankfurt, 26 – 28 May 2009

5 – 6 November 2009 BTC, Rome, www.btc.it

1 – 3 December 2009

EIBTM, Barcelona,www.eibtm.com Workshops Abroad

16 and 17 March 2009 Brussels and Amsterdam

Study Visit and Workshop in Slovenia

3 – 5 July 2009

Study visit and workshop for clients from Great Britain

In the process of being confirmed as a member of the Slovenian Convention Bureau: Kempinski Palace Portorož Membership type: hotel with conference facilities www.kempinski-portoroz.com

The Slovenian Convention Bureau organised its 5th annual

meeting of members on 26 and 27 March 2009 in Portorož. The general sponsor and host of the Convention Bureau's largest annual event was HIT Alpinea from Kranjska gora. The Assembly presented the Bureau's activity and conducted professional lectures. This event was also a unique opportunity for networking among the Bureau's seventy members. An innovation was the open forum, which enabled the proposal of current themes and content. All the participants were invited to actively participate in the open forum through the blog (http://kongresni-urad.blogspot. com/).

Novice iz JV Evrope

Hotel Monte Mulini – prvi hotel s petimi zvezdicami v regiji N

a privlačni lokaciji takoj ob obali in v neposredni bližini izjemno lepega in bogatega mesta Rovinj se nahaja hotel Monte Mulini, ki je odličen primer kombinacije izjemnih naravnih lepot in prefinjenega razkošja. Ta ekskluzivni butični hotel s petimi zvezdicami združuje najvišje standarde elegance, od stilizirane opreme, razkošne notranjosti in zunanjosti do storitev, v veliki meri prilagojenih posameznemu gostu v skladu z najvišjimi standardi razkošja. V hotelu Monte Mulini se nahaja 119 prostornih in sodobno opremljenih sob in apartmajev s čudovitim pogledom na kristalno čisto morje in rovinjsko staro mestno jedro. Skupaj z bogato in domiselno kulinarično ponudbo ter vinsko kletjo, ki ponuja 560 skrbno izbranih kakovostnih vin, je vse to zagotovilo, da je ta hotel resnično nekaj posebnega. www.maistra.com/Accommodation/Hotels/Monte_Mulini

Novo mednarodno priznanje za najbolj luksuzen hrvaški hotel N

ovo mednarodno priznanje za najbolj luksuzen hrvaški hotel Adriana, Hvar Marina hotel & spa, luksuzni hrvaški hotel v sklopu koncerna Sunčani Hvar, je med dobitniki letošnje nagrade 2009 Grand Award, ki je podeljena na podlagi ocen neodvisnega ameriškega mesečnika Andrew Harper's Hideway Report. Zmagovalci so razglašeni na podlagi objektivne ocene avtorja, ki je inkognito obiskal najbolj luksuzne svetovne hotele, poročilo pa v krogih zahtevnih ameriških turistov velja za zaupanja vredno priporočilo za izbiro destinacije. Hoteli, ki se potegujejo za to prestižno nagrado, morajo izpolnjevati nekaj kriterijev: gre za relativno majhne hotele, ki so edinstveni po svoji urejenosti, nudijo sproščujoče vzdušje, osebje se posveča individualnim potrebam gostov. V poročilu navajajo, da je nagrajenim hotelom, med katerimi so poleg Adriane npr. hotel Particulier v Parizu, Ca'Sagredo v Benetkah, Four Seasons v Firencah itd., skupno to, da nudijo »popolno udobje, toplino, šarm i duh resnične dobrodošlice«. Hotel Adriana, edini hrvaški predstavnik mednarodne verige The Leading Small Hotels of the World, je tudi dobitnik nagrade World Travel Awards 2008 v kategorijah »vodilni evropski boutique resort in vodilni hrvaški boutique hotel«, eminentne mednarodne turistične publikacije pa so ga uvrstile na svoje lestvice najboljših hotelov takšne vrste. Posebnost Adriane je The Top Bar, s katerega se ponuja očarljiv razgled na hvarsko mestno jedro in marino ter edinstven Sensori Spa. www.suncanihvar.com/adriana

Dubrovnik Travel, član prestižnega konzorcija Euromic Euromic je konzorcij, ki so ga leta 1973 ustanovile vodilne DMCagencije (strokovne kongresne turistične agencije) iz Evrope in sredozemskih držav.

Članstvo v tem konzorciju je možno samo na podlagi povabila in je omejeno na eno neodvisno družbo na državo. Cilj tega združenja je svojim članom zagotoviti tržna orodja, medtem ko je za prodajo odgovorno posamezno podjetje samo. Glavne dejavnosti so raziskave tržišča in delovanje na tržiščih nepočitniških podjetij Severne Amerike in Evrope. Izraz DMC Euromic uporablja z namenom razlikovanja funkcije svojih članov od funkcije tako imenovanih Ground Service Operators. Ker DMC-agencije ponujajo vse storitve, morajo svojo destinacijo še posebej dobro poznati. To pomeni, da morajo poznati njene prednosti in navade ter imeti odlične odnose s svojimi dobavitelji. www.euromic.com www.dubrovniktravel.com

Superbrands – prepoznavanje kakovosti Letošnja prireditev Superbrands Hrvaška, ki je potekala v hotelu Regent Esplanade Zagreb, je slavila ugledne blagovne znamke, ki temeljijo na prepoznavnosti, slovesu, kakovosti, zanesljivosti in doslednosti. Kot edini hrvaški hotel je to prestižno nagrado dobil tudi hotel Regent Esplanade Zagreb. Mednarodna organizacija Superbrands, ki je prisotna v več kot 82 državah po vsem svetu, je edina globalna in neodvisna avtoriteta na področju brandinga.

Novice iz JV Evrope Hotel Regent Esplanade Zagreb so zgradili leta 1925 z namenom zagotavljanja vrhunskih namestitev in storitev potnikom znamenitega vlaka Orient Express. Danes hotel Regent Esplanade Zagreb združuje šarm preteklosti in udobje 21. stoletja. Hotel nadaljuje bogato tradicijo in svojim gostom ponuja popolne in v veliki meri posameznemu gostu prilagojene storitve.

Ameriška revija Condé Nast Traveller je pred kratkim uvrstila hotel The Regent Esplanade na seznam stotih najboljših hotelov v južni Evropi (na 33. mesto). Kot edini hrvaški hotel je bil The Regent Esplanade že drugo leto zapored uvrščen tudi na »Zlati seznam« najboljših hotelov na svetu, ki ga prav tako pripravlja revija Conde Nast Traveller. Celoten seznam je dostopen na naslovu: www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/goldlist/2009 Ekskluzivna restavracija Zinfandel's hotela The Regent Esplanade Zagreb je pred kratkim prejela prestižno priznanje dnevnika Večernji list. Veliko zvezdo je prejel njihov izvršni šef kuhinje Jeffrey J. Vella. Kriteriji za izbor so vključevali vrhunsko storitev, vljudnost osebja, kvaliteto in prezentacijo jedi.

Hotel Regent Esplanade Zagreb ponovno prejel prestižno priznanje International 5* Diamond Award za leto 2008 Predsednik

ameriške akademije American Academy of Hospitality Sciences Joseph D. Cinque je 9. decembra 2008 v Cannesu na sejmu luksuznega turizma ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) to prestižno nagrado podelil direktorju prodaje in trženja hotela, Roku Palmiću. Hotel Regent Esplanade Zagreb je izjemno ponosen na to, da je prvi hotel na Hrvaškem, ki so mu podelili ta simbol uspeha. Posebna gostja podelitve je bila tudi miss univerzuma. Člani akademije so del ekskluzivne mreže strokovnjakov znotraj luksuznega sektorja storitvenih dejavnosti. Akademija priznanja International Star Diamond Award ne podeljuje samo hotelom s petimi zvezdicami, temveč tudi letoviščem, letalskim prevoznikom, križarkam in razkošnim izdelkom. Nagrada International Star Diamond Award je najprestižnejši simbol uspeha in resnične kakovosti. Nagrada, ki si jo mnogi želijo, a le redki dobijo.

Hotelska veriga Bluesun Hotels & Resorts na Bolu gostila Adidasov prodajni dogodek V

Bluesun hotelu Elaphusa v mestu Bol je potekalo letno Adidasovo srečanje prodajnikov in tržnikov iz osrednje regije (Nemčija, Avstrija in Švica), namenjeno prvemu trimesečju leta 2009, ob tej priložnosti pa je bila predstavljena kolekcija za zimo/ poletje 2009. Ob tem je treba povedati, da gre za prvi tovrstni dogodek v zgodovini Adidasa, ki je potekal zunaj Nemčije. Čeprav je dogodek potekal v maju 2008, so objavo informacij o njem dovolili šele pred kratkim, ob prihodu kolekcije v prodajalne. Dogodek zaprtega tipa, namenjen Adidasovim prodajnim timom, je potekal v petih dvoranah konferenčnega kompleksa Bluesun hotela Elaphusa, ki je gostil že številne dogodke. Tako je v letih 2006 in 2007 tu potekala akcija Turistični cvet – Kakovost za Hrvaško, v preteklosti pa so se zvrstili tudi številni kongresi družb, kot sta Johnson & Johnson in Koncern Agram. Bluesun hotel Elaphusa je del verige Bluesun Hotels & Resorts, v katero je vključenih 12 hotelov, ki ležijo v letoviških mestih Bol, Brela, Starigrad Paklenica in Tučepi, hotelsko verigo pa upravlja zagrebška družba Sunce Koncern, d. d.. Bluesun hotel Elaphusa je hotel z najbogatejšo ponudbo znotraj skupine, ki poleg dvoranskega kompleksa za več kot 1000 ljudi ter odlične povezave in dostopnosti (trajektna povezava iz Supetarja in Sumartina do Splita in Makarske ter samo 14 km oddaljeno letališče Brač) ponuja številne dodatne vsebine, kot so več kot 3500 m2 velike površine za wellness in spa, teniški center, notranji simulator za golf, disko kegljišče, avtohtona taverna in disko klub. www.bluesunhotels.com

Novice iz JV Evrope

Največji športni dogodek leta 2009 – univerzijada v Beogradu

Hotel Monte Mulini – The First Five Star Hotel in the Region

In an attractive location right next to the coast and in close

Kraljevi dvor odprl svoja vrata delegatom

Dubrovnik Travel, a Member of the Prestigious Euromic European DMC Association

Euromic is a consortium of the leading Destination Management

lede na to, da je Srbija v zadnjih petih desetletjih uspešno organizirala več kot sto evropskih in svetovnih prvenstev ter da se nahaja na križišču Evrope, ji je pripadla čast, da organizira 25. poletno univerzijado (1.–12. julij 2009). Z več kot 10.000 športniki iz 170 držav, ki bodo tekmovali v 15 športnih disciplinah, je univerzijada takoj za olimpijskimi igrami največji športni dogodek na svetu. Laurent Briel, direktor svetovnih univerzitetnih prvenstev: »Športne prireditve so bile zelo dobro pripravljene in organizirane. To bo najboljša športna vas na univerzijadah doslej.« Stavros Douvis, predsednik tehnične komisije Mednarodne univerzitetne športne zveze FISU, minister za šport pri grški vladi, član izvršnega odbora Mednarodne univerzitetne športne zveze FISU in funkcionar mednarodne košarkarske zveze FIBA: »Jasno je, da Srbija želi organizirati največjo univerzijado do zdaj in mednarodna športna zveza jo pri tem podpira.« Ken Min, tehnični predsednik za taekwon-do pri Mednarodni univerzitetni športni zvezi FISU: »Beograd me je navdušil.«

ongresni urad Srbije je v partnerskem programu začel sodelovati s srbsko kraljevo družino. Posestva in zgodovino srbske kraljeve družine želijo vključiti v družabne in motivacijske programe delegatov, ki se v Srbiji udeležujejo kongresov in konferenc.

proximity to Rovinj, a city of exceptional beauty and value, Monte Mulini hotel represents an excellent example of the combination of natural beauty and sophisticated luxury. This exclusive boutique hotel with a 5-star rating brings together the highest standards of elegance, from the stylised design of the luxurious interior and exterior to top personalised service in accordance with the highest luxury leisure standards. Monte Mulini has 119 spacious and modern rooms and apartments, from which there is a beautiful view of the crystal clear sea and the old city core of Rovinj, which, together with the rich and imaginative gourmet offer and a wine cellar with 560 carefully selected top wines, makes this hotel quite exceptional. www.maistra.com/Accommodation/Hotels/Monte_Mulini

Companies located in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, founded in 1973. Membership is by invitation only and is limited to one independent company per country. The objective of the association is to provide marketing tools for its members while sales are the responsibility of each individual company. The two major activities are market research and exposure on the markets of non-vacation group business in North America and Europe. The term “DMC” was invented by euromic in order to distinguish the function of its members from those of the "Ground Service Operators". Since DMCs offer a full-service operation, they must have a perfect understanding of their destination: this means that they need to be familiar with its strong points and its customs and need to have an excellent relationship with their suppliers. www.euromic.com www.dubrovniktravel.com

News from South-Eastern Europe

New International Award for Croatia’s Most Luxurious Hotel

Superbrands – Recognising Quality

Adriana, Hvar Marina Hotel & Spa, the luxurious Croatian Hotel

quality, reliability and consistency, this year's annual Superbrands Croatia awards ceremony, held at The Regent Esplanade Zagreb, honoured the best brand names in Croatia, including The Regent Esplanade Hotel - the only hotel in Croatia to have won such a prestigious award. The international Superbrands organization, which is present in more than 82 countries worldwide, is the sole independent global authority in the area of branding.

that is a part of the Sunčani hvar concern, is among the winners of this year's 2009 Grand Award conferred by the independent American monthly Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. The winners are announced on the basis of the objective evaluation of the author who visited the world’s most luxurious hotels incognito and among demanding American tourists, this recommendation is seen as a trustworthy recommendation for the choice of destination. To be considered for this prestigious award, the hotels must meet certain criteria: properties must be relatively small in size and must possess strong individual personalities. They are required to have relaxing atmospheres and to demonstrate a consistent devotion to personal service. The hotels awarded, also including the Particulier in Paris, the Ca'Sagredo in Venice, the Four Seasons in Florence and others, all “offer the traveller comfort, warmth and charm, as well as a spirit of sincere hospitality”.

Distinguishing brand names based on recognition, reputation,

Opened in 1925 with the goal of providing the highest quality accommodation and services for travellers on the famous Orient Express, The Regent Esplanade today combines the charm of the past with the comforts of the 21st century. The Hotel continues in this rich tradition, providing impeccable and highly personalized service for all its guests.

The Adriana Hotel, the only Croatian representative of the international Leading Small Hotels of the World chain, is also the winner of the 2008 World Travel Awards in the category of leading European boutique resort and leading Croatian boutique hotel, while eminent international tourist publications included it on their lists of the best hotels of its kind. Special features of Adriana are the unique Sensori Spa and the Top Bar, providing a charming view of the Hvar city centre and the marina. www.suncanihvar.com/adriana

News from South-Eastern Europe

The Regent Esplanade Zagreb Again Received the Prestigious International 5* Diamond Award for 2008 The President of the American Academy of Hospitality Services,

Mr. Joseph D. Cinque presented this prestigious award to Mr. Roko Palmić, Director of Sales & Marketing, on the 9th of December 2008 in Cannes during the ILTM, International Luxury Travel Market. The Regent Esplanade Hotel Zagreb is proud to again be the first hotel in Croatia awarded this emblem of achievement. World Miss Universe was a special guest at this ceremony. Members of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences are part of an exclusive network of professionals within the luxury sector of the hospitality industry. The Academy expanded the scope of recognition of the International Star Diamond Award beyond five star hotels and restaurants to include resorts, airlines, cruise ships and luxury products. The International Star Diamond Award is the most prestigious emblem of achievement and true quality; an award many strive for, but few obtain. The American Condé Nast Traveller recently placed the Regent Esplanade Zagreb on its list of one hundred best hotels in Southern Europe (rank 33). As the only Croatian hotel, this is the Regent Esplanade Zagreb’s second year in a row to be featured on the Gold List of the world’s best hotels prepared by Conde Nast Traveller.

The full list is available from: www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/goldlist/2009 The exclusive Zinfandel's Restaurant of the Regent Esplanade Zagreb was recently awarded the prestigious award of the Večernji list daily. The Great Star was awarded to their executive chef Jeffrey J. Vella. The criteria for choice included top-quality service, the politeness of the staff, the quality and the presentation of the dishes.

The Bluesun Hotels & Resorts Hotel Chain Hosted Adidas's Sales Event in Bol Bluesun’s Elaphusa Hotel in the city of Bol hosted Adidas’s

annual meeting of sales and marketing staff from the Central European region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for the first trimester of 2009. They also used the occasion to present their new winter/summer 2009 collection. It needs to be stressed that this was the first event of its kind in the history of Adidas to be organised outside of Germany. Even though the event was organised as early as May 2008, the news was only allowed to be released recently when the collection hit the shops. The closed event for the Adidas’s sales teams took place in five halls of the conference complex at Bluesun's Elaphusa Hotel, which has already hosted numerous events in the past. In 2006 and 2007, this was the venue for the Tourist Flower – Quality for Croatia campaign and in the past it hosted numerous congresses organised by corporations such as Johnson & Johnson and the Agram concern.

The Bluesun Elaphusa Hotel is part of the Bluesun Hotels & Resorts chain, uniting 12 hotels located in the towns of Bol, Brela, Starigrad Paklenica and Tučepi. The hotel chain is managed by the Zagreb-based Sunce Koncern, d. d. The Bluesun Elaphusa Hotel provides the richest offer of all the hotels of the group. In addition to a hall complex holding more than 1,000 participants and the excellent transport links and accessibility (a ferry line from Supetar and Sumartin to Split and Makarska and the Brač airport located only 14 km away), the hotel provides numerous additional content, such as more than 3,500 m2 of wellness and spa areas, a tennis centre, an indoors golf simulator, a disco bowling alley, an autochthonous tavern and a disco club. www.bluesunhotels.com

The Biggest Sporting Event in 2009 – The Universiade in Belgrade Considering that, in the last five decades, Serbia has successfully

organized more then 100 European and World championships and that it is at the crossroads of Europe, Serbia received the honour of organizing the 25th Universiade (01-12 July 2009). With more than 10,000 athletes from 170 countries who will compete in 15 disciplines, the University Olympic Games are the most largest sport event in the World after the Olympics. Laurent Briel, Director of the World University Championships, “The meetings were very well prepared and organized. It will be the best athlete village the Universiade ever had.” Stavros Douvis, Chairman of the FISU Technical Committee, Minister for Sports in the Greek Government, member of the FISU Executive Committee and FIBA official: “It is evident that the ambition of Serbia is to organize the largest Universiade ever, and the FISU is supporting these efforts.” Ken Min, FISU technical chair for taekwondo, “I am impressed by Belgrade”

SINCE

1951

Kompas Corporate BUSINESS TRAVEL, CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS & INCENTIVES

PCO & DMC The Royal Court Opens for Delegates The Serbia Convention Bureau has just begun cooperation with

the Serbian Royal Family on a partnership program. The idea is to include properties of the Royal Family and its history in social programs and incentives for delegates coming to Serbia for congresses and conferences.

POSLOVNA POTOVANJA IN SRE^ANJA, KONGRESI IN MOTIVACIJSKI DOGODKI +386 1 2006 400 congressesakompas.si www.kompas-online.net, www.kompas.si

21 OGLAS revija kongres 77,5x258 ma1 1

10.3.2008 11:18:29

Izzivalno / Tempting

Jih že imate? / Have You Already Got Them? Multimedijska nevihta – BlackBerry Storm ekskluzivno pri Si.mobilu Dolgo pričakovani BlackBerry® Storm™ 9500 je sedaj na voljo tudi v Sloveniji. Prvi BlackBerry z revolucionarnim zaslonom na dotik, dovršeno multimedijsko podporo in hitrim dostopom do interneta predstavlja izziv vsem multimedijskim navdušencem. Na voljo na vseh Si.mobilovih prodajnih mestih. info@simobil.si, www.simobil.si

Multimedia Storm – BlackBerry Storm Exclusively from Si.mobil The long awaited BlackBerry® Storm™ 9500 is now available in Slovenia. The first BlackBerry with a revolutionary touch screen, cutting-edge multimedia support and fast internet access is a challenge for all multimedia fans. Available at all Si.mobil points of sale. info@simobil.si, www.simobil.si

Najboljše iz oljk OLIVIERS&CO. je zgled za izjemno oljčno olje. Nudi najboljše mediteranske okuse, velik izbor delikatesnih specialitet ter mediteranskih ekoloških in bioloških kozmetičnih izdelkov.

The Best from Olives OLIVIERS&CO. is a synonym for exquisite olive oil. It offers the best Mediterranean tastes, a great variety of specialty delicacies and Mediterranean, ecological and biological cosmetic products.

Premiki Damijan Rifl je februarja 2009 zapustil ekipo Term Snovik.

Marcela Klofutar je zaključila z delom v Hotelu Astoria Bled in se pridružila ekipi v Hotelu Triglav 4* Bled, ki svoja vrata odpira 27.04.2009.

HelmsBriscoe, vodilna svetovna agencija za iskanje prizorišč in za storitve RFP za rastoči sektor industrije srečanj, je objavil imenovanje Carole McKellar na položaj izvršne direktorice za HelmsBriscoe v Veliki Britaniji in na Irskem.

Združenje MPI (Meetings Professionals International) je imenovalo Meg Fasy, CMP, za novo direktorico za globalno prodajo in trženje.

On the Move In February 2009, Damijan Rifl left the Terme Snovik team.

Marcela Klofutar concluded her work for the Astoria Bled Hotel and joined the team of Triglav 4* Bled Hotel, opening its doors on 27 April 2009.

Vrteča kocka LG ARENA (LG KM900) je ime novega mobilnika, ki bo uporabnikom ponudil novo izkušnjo upravljanja z dinamičnim 3D grafičnim vmesnikom S-Class. Neposredni in nadvse intuitivni vmesnik v obliki vrteče se kocke je nekaj povsem novega v svetu mobilne telefonije. Izjemen multimedijski telefon ponuja tudi 5MP fotoaparat, notranji pomnilnik s kapaciteto 8GB, hiter prenos podatkov HSDPA 7,2MB/s, Wi-Fi povezavo, GPS in še mnogo drugega. V Slovenijo prihaja v mesecu maju.

HelmsBriscoe, the global leader of independent site selection and RFP services for the expanding meetings business, announced the appointment of Carole McKellar to the position of Executive Director, HelmsBriscoe, UK and Ireland.

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has announced its new global leader of sales and marketplace performance, Meg Fasy, CMP.

The Rotating Cube With its dynamic S-class 3D GUI, the new LG ARENA (LG KM900) mobile phone is a completely new user experience. The direct and highly intuitive user interface in the form of a rotating cube is a completely new feature on the mobile phone scene. This exceptional multimedia phone offers a 5-megapixel camera, 8 GB of internal memory, HSDPA 7.2 Mb/s high-speed data transfer, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS functionality and much more. Coming out in Slovenia in May.

Kolumna: Paul Kennedy

Column: Paul Kennedy

Navdušen nad Convento

Impressed by Conventa It has now been some weeks since CONVENTA (the son of SIMEX) was held in Ljubljana. As someone who spends his life attending events around the world, I remain very impressed with my experience of the memorable event that CONVENTA provided for all of its participants. Of course, EIBTM does partner with CONVENTA by helping to recruit international hosted buyers. The buyers have universally commended the show organisation and the quality of the experience. It is very clear that the diversity of the meetings products in South East Asia surprised many of the buyers. This surprise should suggest an opportunity for suppliers in the region. You must get face to face more often with buyers. My own judgement of CONVENTA is very similar to that of the Hosted Buyers; Excellent organisation, sensational catering during the show and highly enjoyable and effective networking events. International guests were greeted with style and the standard of hospitality was simply outstanding.

Od organizacije poslovne borze CONVENTA (nadaljevanje projekta SIMEX) v Ljubljani je minilo že nekaj tednov. Kot nekoga, ki se že vse življenje udeležuje različnih dogodkov po vsem svetu, me je nepozabna izkušnja, ki jo je CONVENTA zagotovila vsem udeležencem, izjemno navdušila.

CONVENTA’s future as a market place for South East Europe appears assured.

Združenje EIBTM s poslovno borzo CONVENTA sodeluje pri iskanju mednarodnih vabljenih kupcev. Kupci so pohvalili tako organizacijo borze kot kakovostne izkušnje. Jasno je, da je raznolikost kongresnih produktov, ki jih ponuja Jugovzhodna Evropa, presenetila mnoge kupce. To presenečenje je zagotovo priložnost za dobavitelje iz te regije. S kupci se morate večkrat srečati iz oči v oči. Moja ocena poslovne borze CONVENTA je zelo podobna oceni vabljenih kupcev: odlična organizacija, neverjeten catering, izjemno prijetni in učinkoviti dogodki, namenjeni mreženju. Mednarodne goste so pozdravili s stilom, raven gostoljubnosti pa je bila preprosto odlična. Prihodnost poslovne borze CONVENTA kot tržišča Jugovzhodne Evrope se zdi zagotovljena.

Najboljša popotnica znanja za turizem. 24

Paul Kennedy MBE, direktor srečanj in dogodkov, Group Exhibition Director, Meetings & Incentive Events, Reed Travel Exhibitions Paul.Kennedy@reedexpo.co.uk

Kolumna: Srečo Peterlič

Kako v krizi ohraniti konkurenčno prednost Slovenije

Column: Srečo Peterlič

How to Preserve Slovenia’s Competitive Advantage during this Time of Crisis We cannot preserve Slovenia’s competitive advantage, as we never had one. If it was somewhere in the air, we were unaware of it. Still, in the last fifteen years, the industry has blossomed and Slovenia was a true tiger in various congress categories with regard to development and the boosting of the activities.

We never even searched for any special competitive advantages other than Slovenia being small, beautiful and friendly – and having everything that the big ones have. Even today, we are still facing the fact that Slovenia is unrecognisable in the international space. And we survived and even did very well.

Konkurenčne prednosti kongresne Slovenije ne moremo ohraniti, ker je pravzaprav nikoli nismo imeli. Če pa je bila nekje v zraku, se je nismo zavedali. Pa vendar je v zadnjih petnajstih letih dejavnost cvetela, v različnih kongresnih kategorijah je Slovenija – glede na razvoj in porast dejavnosti – sodila med »tigre«.

Kakšnih posebnih konkurenčnih prednosti niti nikoli nismo iskali, razen mogoče, da je Slovenija majhna, lepa, prijazna in da ima vse, kar imajo veliki … še dandanes se soočamo z dejstvom, da je Slovenija v mednarodnem prostoru neprepoznavna. In smo preživeli, pravzaprav nam je šlo zelo dobro. Svetovna gospodarska recesija je vzrok tudi za krizo slovenske kongresne industrije. Se strinjam. Vendar, še veliko večjo krizo smo doživeli v začetku 90-ih let prejšnjega stoletja, ko smo po osamosvojitvi Slovenije in vojne v bližnji soseščini za nekaj let ostali brez vseh mednarodnih kongresov. In smo preživeli, celo vedno bolje nam je šlo. In to brez stanovske organizacije in brez prave podpore »turistične politike«. Danes imamo recesijo, krizo in … nacionalni kongresni urad, krovno organizacijo, ki povezuje blizu sedemdeset vodilnih slovenskih turističnih podjetij z več kot 15000 zaposlenimi. Imamo standarde, znanje, kvaliteto in vizijo. In se s tem tudi pohvalimo. Mogoče pa je to naša konkurenčna prednost. Če nam bo še nekoliko bolj finančno in predvsem moralno pomagala tudi lokalna in nacionalna »turistična politika«, se za slovensko kongresno prihodnost ni bati. In bomo preživeli in še bolje nam bo šlo. P.S.: Še vedno pa mi ni jasno, zakaj mi že leta ne uspe prepričati predstavnikov »turistične politike«, da je smiselno investirati nekaj tisoč evrov za promocijo kongresne dejavnosti ali pridobitev kongresa, ki regiji zagotovi milijon ali dva evrov.

The global economic recession is the reason for the crisis in the Slovenian meetings industry. I agree. However, we faced an even greater crisis in the beginning of the 1990s when Slovenia’s independence and a war in the near vicinity cost us all international congresses. And we survived and even did increasingly well. And all this was done without a professional association and without any true support from the tourist policy. Today, we have the recession, the crisis and a national Convention Bureau, a professional association uniting almost seventy leading Slovenian tourist companies with over 15,000 employees. We have standards, knowledge, quality and a vision. And we take pride in that. Maybe this is our competitive advantage. If the national tourist policy decides to help us some more – financially and especially morally – the Slovenian meetings industry does not need to worry about its future. And we will survive and do even better.

The global economic recession is the reason for the crisis in the Slovenian meetings industry. P.S.: However, I still do not understand why, for years now, I have been unable to persuade the representatives of the tourist policy that it is sensible to invest a few thousand euros into the promotion of meetings activities or into the acquisition of a congress that brings the region a million or two. Srečo Peterlič direktor Kongresne dejavnosti Auditoria d.o.o. in predsednik Sveta Zavoda Kongresnoturistični urad, Congress Director and President of the Board of the Slovenian Convention Bureau Auditoria sreco.peterlic@auditoria.si www.auditoria.si

If the national tourist policy decides to help us some more – financially and especially morally – the Slovenian meetings industry does not need to worry about its future.

Kolumna: Rok V. Klančnik

Ni več ljubezni, samo še računica

Column: Rok V. Klančnik

No More Love Only Calculations The meetings industry cannot be compared to plucking daisies. You know the drill – we pick petals off the daisy, chanting “he loves me, he loves me not”, thinking about the buyers. During this crisis year, buyers were forced to replace the last morsels of sympathy for a destination with the cold brutal logic of numbers. MPI’s latest information tell us that 26% of meeting planers will henceforth decide on a destination on the basis of the price. This was not usually the decisive factor. The next and almost equally important criteria is the airline connections (24.9%). If we add 15.5% of influence from the travel costs and the ease of access (10.9%) and the vicinity of the participants (7.1%), then the price, speed and practicality of travelling account for almost 60% of the decision on the destination.

Turizma srečanj ne moremo primerjati z nabiranjem marjetic. Saj veste, ko pulimo listke in mantramo »ljubi me, ne ljubi me«, kar seveda leti na kupce. »Buyerji«, kot jih ljubkovalno imenujemo, so bili v letošnjem kriznem letu prisiljeni zamenjati še zadnje drobtinice simpatije do destinacij s hladno, brutalno logiko številk. Po še toplih podatkih MPI se poslej načrtovalci srečanj glede destinacije kar v 26 odstotkih odločajo na osnovi cene. Ta včasih ni bila tako odločujoča. Naslednje, skoraj prav tako pomembno merilo, so letalske povezave (24,9 %). Če jim prištejemo še 15,5 % vpliva stroškov potovanja in dostopnosti (»ease of access«, 10,9 %) ter bližino udeležencev (7,1 %) gre ceni, hitrosti in praktičnosti potovanja pripisati skoraj 60 odstotkov teže pri odločanju glede destinacije. Glede izbire hotela je cena še bolj pomembna – 31,3 %. Naslednje merilo se nanaša na kakovost storitev (14 %), ostalo pa so še malenkosti, ki se bolj kot ne nanašajo na možnost pogajanj glede cene in, seveda, cene sob. Kaj je novega? Nič. Kupec hoče še višjo kakovost za še nižjo ceno. Glede izbire kongresnega centra je cena še pomembnejša – na odločitev vpliva v 40,3 odstotkih. Kakovost storitev pomeni dobro desetino, kakovost objekta nekaj manj, ostalo pa se nanaša na »širino nasmeha gostiteljev in dolžino kril hostes«. Slovenija kot destinacija je cenovno (prav zares!) še vedno dokaj ugodna. Toda – potovanje k nam je včasih prava muka, nikoli pa prav poceni izbira. Recimo bobu bob, Pučniku Pučnik, Adriji Airways pa pač Adria. Razmere na trgu so take, da bo kupec zlahka našel destinacijo, kongresni center in hotel, ki se mu bo znal hitreje prilagoditi in za nekaj časa požreti ponos. Ni več ljubezni. Samo še matematika.

In choosing a hotel, the price plays an even more important role – 31.1%. The next factor is the quality of service (14%) and what remains are the little things relating more or less to the possibility of negotiating the price and, of course, room prices. So what is new? Nothing. The buyer wants even greater quality for an even lower price. The price is even more important when choosing the congress centre – it influences the decision in 40.3% on the cases. The quality of the services brings something over one tenth, the quality of the facility something less than that and the rest relates to the smiles of the hosts and the skirt length of the hostesses. With regard to price, Slovenia is still (really!) quite attractive as a destination. However, the trip to Slovenia is occasionally a real hassle and never a cheap choice. Let's call a spade a spade, Pučnik Pučnik and Adria Airways Adria Airways. The conditions on the market are such that the buyer will have no problems finding a destination, congress centre and hotel that will know how to adapt to him faster and swallow its pride for a while. No more love. Just maths. Rok V. Klančnik Slovenski turistični urad, Benelux Slovenian Tourist office in Brussels rok.klancnik@slovenia.info

Kolumna: Paul Cunningham

Uveljavljanje Jugovzhodne Evrope na področju mednarodne kongresne industrije Jasno je, da je potrebnega veliko dela za dvig zavedanja o tem, kaj ta regija ponuja, ampak očitno je, da obstaja neverjeten obseg lokacij za počitnice in motivacijska potovanja, kot tudi za mednarodne kongrese. držav, katere gostitelj je bilo slovensko Ministrstvo za visoko šolstvo, znanost in tehnologijo. Izkusil sem najboljše, kar ponuja Jugovzhodna Evropa, in to so čudovite in raznolike pokrajine (mesta, gore in morje), med seboj oddaljene le nekaj ur vožnje, kultura (glasba, zgodovina in umetnost) ter bistroumnost, toplina in gostoljubnost njenih prebivalcev. Ta vtis sta še dodatno okrepili domačnost, pa vendar strokovnost na Conventi in zavzetost sodelujočih in govornikov na okrogli mizi. Želel bi čestitati vsem, ki so sodelovali pri pripravi tega učinkovitega in prijetnega dogodka.

Céad Míle Fáilte Roimh!

Jasno je, da je potrebnega veliko dela za dvig zavedanja o tem, kaj ta regija ponuja, ampak očitno je, da obstaja neverjeten obseg lokacij za počitnice in motivacijska potovanja, kot tudi za mednarodne kongrese. Pripravljenost lokalnih kongresnih uradov v posameznih državah te regije za pogovor o možnostih sodelovanja pri izkoriščanju omejenih promocijskih proračunov z namenom povišati že tako pomemben del, ki ga kongresna industrija prispeva h gospodarstvu regije, je v teh težkih gospodarskih časih pravi navdih.

(Želim vam sto tisoč dobrodošlic!) Prav poseben (irski) pozdrav vsem bralcem revije Kongres. Nedavno sem imel zadovoljstvo predstavljati združenje MPI (Meeting Professionals International) na okrogli mizi Jugovzhodna Evropa kot kongresna in »incentive« destinacija, ki je potekala zadnji dan letošnje borze Conventa v Sloveniji in na kateri so se

Kot trenutno predsedujoči Svetovalnemu svetu združenja MPI EMEA (za Evropo, Bližnji vzhod in Afriko) in kot član mednarodnega upravnega odbora združenja MPI se veselim sodelovanja z vami in vodilnimi ljudmi s področja kongresnega turizma v celotni regiji z namenom podpiranja nenehnega strokovnega razvoja industrije srečanj v Jugovzhodni Evropi in dviga mednarodnega zavedanja o vsem, kar ta eksotični in zgodovinski kotiček Evrope lahko ponudi.

predstavili razstavljavci iz Slovenije, Hrvaške, Bosne in Hercegovine, Srbije, Črne gore, Romunije in Bolgarije.

Obisk Convente je v meni obudil ljube spomine, tako tiste bolj sveže kot tiste iz študentskih dni. Nekaj poletij sem v okviru svojega podiplomskega študija študiral na Madžarskem in na poti domov sem se z InterRail vozovnico podal skozi eksotično Jugovzhodno Evropo. Pred leti sem delal z Združenimi narodi in za vladne uradnike, bankirje in podjetnike v Podgorici, Skopju in Beogradu izvajal nekajdnevne delavnice o izkoriščanju informacijskih in komunikacijskih tehnologij z namenom družbene in gospodarske rasti. Leta 2005 sem v Grand hotelu Union v Ljubljani organiziral konferenco o tehnoloških raziskavah za 600 udeležencev iz 46

Slán agus Beannacht. (Lahko noč in bodite blagoslovljeni.)

Paul Cunningham, predsednik in izvršni direktor IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd. paul@iimg.com

Column: Paul Cunningham

Positioning South East Europe for International Meeting and Incentive Business I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making Conventa a very effective and enjoyable event. Science & Technology. I have personally experienced the best that South East Europe has to offer in terms of beautiful and diverse landscapes (cities, mountains and the sea) within easy driving distance, culture (music, history and art) and the intelligence, warmth and hospitality of its people. This impression was reinforced by the intimacy yet professionalism of Conventa, and the level of engagement of participants and panellists alike during the Roundtable. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making this a very effective and enjoyable event.

Céad Míle Fáilte Roimh! (A hundred thousand welcomes to you!) A very special (Irish) greeting to all readers of Kongres Magazine. I recently had the pleasure of representing MPI (Meeting Professionals International) during the Roundtable on ”Southeast Europe as a meetings and incentive travel destination” on the last day of this year’s Conventa Show in Slovenia, which showcased exhibitors from Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and

It is clear that much work is required to raise the profile of what the region has to offer, but there is clearly enormous scope for multi-destination holidays and incentive business, as well as international conferences. The willingness of the city convention bureaus in different countries in the region to discuss how to collaborate to leverage limited promotional abudgets to increase the already important contribution that the meeting and events industry and business tourism makes to the regional economy is an inspiration in difficult economic times. As current President of the MPI EMEA Advisory Council (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and a member of the MPI International Board of Directors, I look forward to working with you and industry leaders throughout the region to support the continued professional development of the meetings and events industry in South East Europe, and to raise greater international awareness of everything this exotic and historic corner of Europe has to offer. Slán agus Beannacht. (Goodbye and blessings with you)

Bulgaria.

Attending Conventa brought back fond memories, both recent as well as from my student days. While in university, I studied at a post-graduate level in Hungary for several summers, and would InterRail through exotic South East Europe on my way back home. A number of years ago, I worked with the United Nations to deliver multi-day training workshops in Podgorica, Skopje and Belgrade for government officials, bankers and entrepreneurs, focused on leveraging ICT to jump-start socio-economic growth. In 2005, I organised a technology research conference for 600 delegates from 46 countries at the Grand Hotel Union, Ljubljana, which was hosted by the Slovenian Ministry for Higher Education,

Paul Cunningham, President & CEO IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd paul@iimg.com

Conventa 2009

Regionalna borza za kongresno dejavnost

onventa, prva borza kongresne dejavnosti v regiji Jugovzhodne Evrope (JV Evrope), je združila preko 80 ponudnikov kongresnih storitev Slovenije in še šestih držav regije (Hrvaška, Srbija, Črna Gora, Bosna in Hercegovina, Romunija in Bolgarija) ter več kot 150 tujih in slovenskih vabljenih kupcev, organizatorjev dogodkov. Dogodek je potekal na Gospodarskem razstavišču v Ljubljani od 22. do 23. januarja 2009. Število sklenjenih sestankov in odlični odzivi vabljenih gostov in razstavljavcev potrjujejo, da je Conventa našla svoje mesto in da ima vse možnosti, da postane prava regionalna borza za kongresno dejavnost. Poslovna borza Conventa je nadgradnja borze Simex, ki je bila organizirana leta 2007 in 2008. Conventa je prva borza JV Evrope, ki je na enem mestu predstavila ponudbo Slovenije in držav JV Evrope za področje kongresne dejavnosti. Slovenija je prevzela pobudo, da poveže ponudnike kongresnih storitev za to regijo in jo predstavi mednarodnemu tržišču. Dvodnevni dogodek je predstavil 82 ponudnikov kongresnih storitev iz Hrvaške, Bosne in Hercegovine, Srbije, Črne gore, Bolgarije, Romunije in Slovenije. Med ponudnike uvrščamo hotele, kongresne centre, posebna prizorišča za dogodke, profesionalne kongresne organizatorje (PCO), specializirane turistične agencije (DMC) in event agencije, prevoznike, cateringe, ponudnike tehnične opreme in drugih kongresnih storitev. Na borzi smo gostili 82 tujih vabljenih gostov iz 18 evropskih držav in ZDA. Dogodka se je udeležilo tudi 75 slovenskih gostov. Conventa se je razprostirala na preko 1.400 m2 razstavnih površin, kar je več kot dvakrat več v primerjavi z borzo Simex. Med obiskovalci smo lahko pozdravili tudi državno sekretarko na Ministrstvu za gospodarstvo mag. Darjo Radić, generalnega direktorja Direktorata za turizem na Ministrstvu za gospodarstvo mag. Marjana Hribarja, direktorja Slovenske turistične organizacije mag. Dimitrija Picigo, veleposlanike in gospodarske atašeje.

Srečanja »one2one« Osnovni namen borze je bil, da se ponudniki in povpraševalci kongresnih storitev osebno spoznajo in vzpostavijo poslovni kontakt. Spletna aplikacija za sklepanje sestankov »One2one meetings« je omogočila, da so vabljeni gostje in razstavljavci predhodno organizirali sestanke. Pred začetkom borze je bilo sklenjenih preko 2000 sestankov. Na sami borzi pa se jih je dodatno odvilo vsaj še tisoč. Tudi sama borza je bila organizirana v tej luči. Vsak razstavljavec je imel svoj prostor, kjer se je lahko srečal z obiskovalcem. Družabni dogodki na predvečer borze, v času kosil ali zvečer, so nova poznanstva še utrdili. Borza se je zaključila z beograjsko zabavo, ki jo je priredil Beograjski kongresni urad.

Conventa 2009

Drugi dan borze je bila organizirana okrogla miza na temo »Jugovzhodna Evropa kot kongresna in incentive destinacija«. Dogodek je vodil Paul Kennedy, MBE, EIBTM – Reed Travel Exhibition, iz Velike Britanije. Kot govorniki so se okrogle mize udeležili predstavniki iz regije in strokovnih združenj: mag. Dimitrij Piciga, direktor Slovenske turistične organizacije, Dražen Hochecker, direktor Kongresnega urada Zagreb, Danica Ceranić iz Kongresnega urada Črne gore, Jasna Dimitrijevič, direktorica Kongresnega urada Beograd, Miha Kovačič, direktor Kongresnega urada Slovenije, Ksenija Polla, ICCA, Carolyn Dow, predsednica SITE Europe in Paul Cunningham, MPI. V pogovor so se aktivno vključili tudi obiskovalci borze, domači in tuji vabljeni gostje ter domači in tuji razstavljavci.

Nove priložnosti za JV Evropo Pred nami stoji velik izziv. JV Evropa na mednarodnem kongresnem tržišču še ne obstaja. Organizatorji dogodkov iz Evrope in širšega prostora te regije ne poznajo. JV Evropa je za tuje organizatorje dogodkov zelo zanimiva, saj jo med drugim poimenujejo tudi »eksotična« Evropa. Na tem delu se razprostira deset držav, ki so si med seboj zelo različne, hkrati pa imajo vse nekaj skupnega. To je prijaznost, kakršne v mnogih delih Evrope ni več. JV Evropa ni samo Jugovzhodna Evropa. Je veliko več. Ta neodkriti del Evrope je prepoznal, da je kongresna dejavnost velika priložnost za gospodarstvo, pa tudi za celotno državo. V zadnjem obdobju smo priča vzpostavitvi kongresnih uradov na mestni in nacionalni ravni, novim kongresnim hotelom, kongresnim agencijam in njihovem povezovanju. Če želimo uvrstiti to regijo na seznam potencialnih novih destinacij organizatorjev dogodkov, potem je treba najprej povezati nacionalne in mestne kongresne urade iz celotne regije. Sledi izdelava strategije umestitve regije kot kongresne destinacije in trženja z vključitvijo gospodarstva regije. Kongresni urad Slovenije je s svojimi člani prevzel pobudo in lani izdelal katalog ponudnikov kongresnih storitev JV Evrope. Sledil je samostojni nastop s stojnico JV Evropa na največji mednarodni poslovni borzi EIBTM v Barceloni od 2. do 4. decembra 2008, tej pa organizacija borze Conventa. S tem so bili narejeni prvi koraki v smeri umestitve JV Evrope kot nove kongresne destinacije na mednarodnem tržišču. Sklepna ugotovitev je bila, da je povezovanje ponudbe na področju JV Evrope smiselno, saj prinaša ne le državam, ampak tudi posamičnim ponudnikom številne prednosti.

Odmevi na 1. Convento Potrditev o pravilni usmeritvi so nam dali ponudniki kongresnih storitev regije, mednarodni organizatorji dogodkov in tudi mednarodni partnerji. Nemudoma po borzi smo prejeli številne pohvale. Naj navedemo samo nekatere: »To je bila odlična priložnost spoznati Slovenijo in celotno regijo. Vse čestitke organizatorjem – borza je bila pripravljena zelo dobro. Želim vam tudi njen uspešen zaključek, veselim pa se čimprejšnje prodaje te regije našim strankam. Čestitke vsekakor posredujte celotni ekipi.« Miriam Hunfeld, vodja prodaje, HELMSBRISCOE,vodilna svetovna agencija za iskanje prizorišč

»Želel bi se vam zahvaliti za organizacijo programa Conventa 2009. Vse je bilo zelo dobro pripravljeno in na sami borzi in spremljajočih dogodkih smo se zelo dobro počutili. Imel sem veliko sestankov in to potovanje je bilo vsekakor zelo plodno. Vse zahvale tudi vaši ekipi. Veselim se že Convente 2010.« Laurence Beaufume Gonzalez, GMT, Francija »Conventa je pomembna pobuda za celotno regijo«, je dejal Paul Kennedy, direktor srečanj in dogodkov pri Reed Travel Exhibitions, največjem ponudniku kongresnih borz na svetu. Kajti Conventa predstavlja najpomembnejšo poslovno prireditev na področju kongresnega turizma, ne samo v Sloveniji, temveč v celotni regiji JV Evrope. In njen potencial za povečanje prepoznavnosti in konkurenčnosti kongresne ponudbe JV Evrope je edinstven. Poslovna borza Conventa je potekala na Gospodarskem razstavišču v Ljubljani od 22. do 23. januarja 2009 v okviru sejma Turizem in prosti čas. Poleg Kongresnega urada Slovenije so pri organizaciji borze sodelovali Slovenska turistična organizacija, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana, Gospodarsko razstavišče, revija Kongres in ugledna mednarodna strokovna združenja – MPI, SITE in HelmsBriscoe. Pomemben mednarodni partner je tudi EIBTM – Reed Travel Exhibitions. V organizacijo borze so se vključili tudi številni člani Kongresnega urada: Adria Airways kot uradni prevoznik, Kompas kot uradna kongresna agencija (DMC), Grand hotel Union, hotel Lev in Best Western hotel Slon kot uradni hoteli, Hiša kulinarike Jezeršek in Vivo kot uradna cateringa, agencija Promo kot uradna event agencija in RS Klan kot računalniška podpora. Naslednja Conventa bo 21. in 22. januarja 2010. Več informacij o poslovni borzi najdete na www.conventa.si oz. na Kongresnem uradu Slovenije.

Conventa 2009

The Regional Meetings and Incentive Travel Show

onventa, the first meetings and incentive travel show in Southeast Europe, brought together over 80 providers of meetings and incentive travel services from Slovenia and six other countries in the region (Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Bulgaria), as well as over 150 hosted buyers (meeting planners) from Slovenia and abroad. The exhibition was held at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre from 22 to 23 January 2009. The number of meetings conducted and the excellent responses from the hosted buyers and exhibitors confirm that Conventa has found its place on the market and that it has the opportunity to become a true regional exhibition for the meetings and incentive travel industry.

The Conventa exhibition is an upgrade of the Simex exhibition organised in 2007 and 2008. It is the first exhibition of Southeast Europe that presents in a single location what Slovenia and the countries of Southeast Europe have to offer in the field of the meetings and incentive travel industry. Slovenia took the initiative to bring together providers of meetings and incentive travel services from this region and showcase it on the international market. This two-day event brought together 82 providers of the meetings and incentive travel services from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia. The exhibitors at Conventa included hotels, congress centres, special event venues, professional conference organisers (PCOs), destination management companies (DMCs), event planners, providers of transport, catering, technical equipment providers and providers of other meetings and incentive travel services. Conventa welcomed 82 hosted buyers from 18 European countries and the United States, as well as 75 clients from Slovenia. Conventa spread over 1,400 square metres of exhibition space, which is more than double the space of the Simex exhibition.Among the visitors were also the State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy Darja RadiÄ&#x2021;, MSc., the general director of the Directorate for Tourism at the Ministry of the Economy Marjan Hribar, MSc., the director of the Slovenian Tourist Board Dimitrij Piciga MSc, ambassadors and economic attachĂŠs.

One2One Meetings The fundamental purpose of Conventa was to create an environment where the suppliers and buyers of meetings and incentive travel services could meet personally and establish business contacts. This was also facilitated by the one2one meetings web application, which allowed them to arrange meetings prior to the exhibition. More than 2,000 meetings were organised prior to the start of the exhibition and at least a thousand more took place at the exhibition itself. The exhibition itself was organised in this respect. Each exhibitor was allocated his own space where he could meet the visitor. Social events organised on the eve of the show, during lunchtime or in the evening additionally strengthened new acquaintances. The event ended with a Belgrade-style party organised by the Belgrade Convention Bureau. The second day included a roundtable discussion on the theme of Southeast Europe as a Meetings and Incentive Travel Destination chaired by Paul Kennedy MBE, EIBTM of the Reed Travel Exhibition

from Great Britain. Speakers at the roundtable discussion included representatives of the region and various trade associations, including Dimitrij Piciga MSc, director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, Dražen Hochecker, director of the Zagreb Convention Bureau, Danica Ceranić of the Montenegro Convention Bureau, Jasna Dimitrijevič, director of the Belgrade Convention Bureau, Miha Kovačič, director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau, Ksenija Polla of ICCA, Carolyn Dow, president of SITE Europe, and Paul Cunningham of MPI. Visitors to the show, the domestic and foreign hosted buyers and the domestic and foreign exhibitors actively participated in the discussion.

initiative and, last year, prepared a catalogue of meetings providers in Southeast Europe. This was followed by the independent presentation at the Southeast Europe stand at the EIBTM exhibition in Barcelona from 2 to 4 December 2008 and finally by organising the Conventa show. These were the first steps towards positioning Southeast Europe as a new meetings and incentive destination on the international market. It is the shared opinion of Conventa participants that combining the offer of Southeast Europe is sensible as it brings numerous advantages, not only to countries but also to individual service providers.

New Opportunities for Southeast Europe

Responses to the 1st Conventa

We are faced with a great challenge. Southeast Europe does not yet exist on the international meetings and incentive market. Events organisers from Europe and beyond still have little or no knowledge of this region. Southeast Europe is extremely interesting to foreign events organisers and they also call it the exotic Europe. This region covers ten very diverse countries that nevertheless share a common trait – a friendliness lost to many parts of Europe. Southeast Europe is not merely Southeast Europe. It is much more. This undiscovered part of Europe has recognised meetings and incentive activities as a great economic opportunity and an opportunity for the entire country. In recent times, we have seen intense work towards establishing local and national convention bureaus, new congress hotels and DMCs and their networking. If we wish to position this region on the list of potential new destinations for events organisers, we must first unite the national and local convention bureaus of the region. This is to be followed by a strategy for positioning the region as a meetings and incentive destination and marketing it by including the region’s economy. The Slovenian Convention Bureau and its members took the

We received confirmation of our work from the providers of meetings and incentive travel services in the region, international events organisers and also international partners. Immediately after the show had ended, we received considerable praise. Allow us to quote just a few of them: »It was a great opportunity to learn about Slovenia and the whole region. Congratulations on the organisation, it was a very well done show. I hope that you close it successfully and look forward to selling the area soon. Please pass on these congratulations to the rest of your team«. Miriam Hunfeld, Sales Manager, HELMSBRISCOE, "The Global Leader in Meetings Procurement" »I want to thank you for the organization of the programme for Conventa 2009. Everything was well prepared and we had some lovely times during the show and during the events. I had many professional appointments and this trip was really fruitful. Many thanks to your team as well, and I look forward to the 2010 edition«. Laurence Beaufume Gonzalez, GMT, France “Conventa is an important initiative for the entire region," said Paul Kennedy, Group Director of Reed Travel Exhibitions, the world's leading provider of exhibitions. It is the most important business event in the area of the meetings industry, not only in Slovenia but in the entire region of Southeast Europe. It has a unique potential for expanding the visibility and competitiveness of the meetings and incentive travel offer of Southeast Europe. The Conventa show took place at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre on 22 and 23 January 2009 as part of the Tourism and Leisure Fair. In addition to the Slovenian Convention Bureau, the organisation committee included the Slovenian Tourist Board, the Ljubljana Tourist Board, the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, the Kongres magazine and three distinguished international associations; MPI, SITE and HelmsBriscoe. An important international partner was EIBTM – Reed Travel Exhibitions. Many members of the Slovenian Convention Bureau were involved in the organisation of the show. These included Adria Airways as the official carrier, Kompas as the official DMC, Grand Hotel Union, Hotel Lev and Best Western Hotel Slon as the official hotels, Catering Jezeršek and Vivo catering as official caterers, the Promo agency as the official event agency and RS Klan as IT support. The next Conventa will take place on 21 and 22 January 2010. More information about Conventa can be found at www.conventa. info and at the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Conventa 2009 37

Kongresni turizem – čarobna palica v času finančne krize?

Aktualno

reda Pečovnik, direktorica kongresnokomercialne dejavnosti Cankarjevega doma in Špela Terpin, direktorica marketinga Gospodarskega razstavišča (GR), sta ocenili vlogo kongresnega turizma v času finančne krize, v toku globalizacijskih sprememb in v širšem okviru mesta Ljubljane ter slovenskega turizma.

Kako ste zadovoljni z rezultati družbe v tem letu in kakšno prihodnost napovedujete? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Leto 2008 je bilo za Cankarjev dom izjemno uspešno leto, in to na vseh področjih. V kongresno-komercialni dejavnosti smo v tem letu presegli načrtovane rezultate za 44 odstotkov, česar – odkrito povedano – nismo ravno pričakovali. Za leto 2009 kaže veliko slabše. Vsi se borimo s problemi, ki jim sedaj pravimo izzivi, da bomo pridobili določene dogodke, ampak nič ni gotovega. Dvomim, da bomo izpolnili načrt, ki smo si ga zadali za letošnje leto. Za leto zatem, 2010, so obeti malo boljši, medtem ko je za leto 2011 zopet značilno upadanje. ŠPELA TERPIN: Moj odgovor je zelo podoben, glede na to da smo imeli na GR lani zelo dober poslovni rezultat v primerjavi s predlanskim letom. To je verjetno tudi posledica širšega okolja, ne samo naših povečanih aktivnosti. Tudi za leto 2009 je še lansko jesen kazalo zelo dobro, a sedaj beležimo določene odpovedi, zamike. Torej se je tudi v kongresni dejavnosti začelo odražati to, kar se odvija v gospodarstvu.

Obstaja teorija, da naj bi kongresni turizem rešil slovenski turizem na splošno. Verjamete, da je to možno? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Jaz v to ne verjamem. ŠPELA TERPIN: Da bi kongresni turizem sam po sebi reševal krizo v turizmu, je seveda nerealno. Lahko pa prav na tem področju kriza pomeni tudi priložnost. Do danes kongresna dejavnost v Sloveniji ni bila prioriteta. Ima pa glede na bližino, varnost, prijaznost ljudi in našo dobro organizacijo relativno dobre možnosti. Morda bi lahko prepričali organizatorje večjih kongresov, da smo prava kongresna lokacija za te čase (blizu, ne predrago, še neodkrito). Poleg tega je kongresni gost najbolj cenjen gost – lokaciji, ki ga gosti, pusti največji ostanek od prihodkov. Torej so v kongresni dejavnosti zagotovo še neizrabljene priložnosti, a čarobnih palčk za rešitev krize tudi tu ni.

Kako so se poslovni izzivi, s katerimi ste se kongresni centri srečevali v preteklosti, spremenili v zadnjih letih? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Za leti 1990 in 1991 je značilen izrazit upad – lahko bi dejali, da sploh ni bilo nobenih kongresov. V zadnjih letih smo prek znanstvenikov poslanikov, profesorjev, brez

vsakršnih težav pridobili kongrese. Seveda v primerih, ko so bili ti posamezniki dovolj zagnani in vplivni, da so sedeli v odboru in so se bili pripravljeni zavzeti za nas. V času predsedovanja Evropskemu svetu je bila prepoznavnost Slovenije odlična, za kar lahko čestitamo vsem organizatorjem. A kakšne prelomne točke, drastične spremembe med letoma 1990 in 2008 nisem opazila. ŠPELA TERPIN: Dozdeva se mi, da gre pri prepoznavnosti Slovenije kot kongresne destinacije za politiko majhnih korakov. Da gre za proces. Nič se ne zgodi od danes na jutri. Najbrž smo se morali vsi skupaj navaditi, da živimo v majhni državi, ki jo moramo vedno posebej predstaviti. Brez da povemo, kje smo in kdo smo, ne gre. Prej se je enostavno vedelo, kje je Jugoslavija ... BREDA PEČOVNIK: Na letošnji konferenci ICCA sem kosila z Američani, ki niti približno niso vedeli, kje je Slovenija. Ko sem jo predstavila kot majhno državico blizu Trsta, jim je bilo takoj bolj jasno, kje smo. Torej se kljub vsemu prepoznavnost izboljšuje. ŠPELA TERPIN: Še vedno smo mlada država, le počasi izgubljamo prizvok bivše skupne države.

S tem odpremo vprašanje pozicioniranja Slovenije. Postavlja se vprašanje, če naj se Slovenija predstavlja kot cenovno ugodna država. Ali je to smiselno? ŠPELA TERPIN: Prvo vprašanje je, ali je to sploh realna kategorija za prepoznavnost. Kot drugo pa mi sploh nismo cenovno tako zelo ugodna destinacija, da bi to posebej izpostavljali. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Pravzaprav smo zelo dragi. Naša hotelska namestitev ni poceni, enako velja tudi za življenjski standard in druge dobrine. ŠPELA TERPIN: Predvsem pa nimamo segmentiranega trga. Razlike v cenah so majhne. Poleg tega slovenska ponudba ni namenska – premalo ponudbe je namenjene točno določenim vrstam dogodkov. Če poenostavim – »vse stlačimo povsod«. Nikoli ne rečemo, da določena lokacija ali določena storitev ni primerna za določen dogodek. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Prav tako se za vsako ceno potrudimo, da dobimo dogodek v hišo, kar ni prav. Morali bi se klansko povezati in dogovoriti, do katere meje gremo.

Ali se pri organizaciji dogodkov lahko primerjamo s kriteriji, ki jih postavlja ICCA? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Smo zelo dobri organizatorji, in to vsi akterji v Sloveniji. Če poskušam narediti primerjavo s konferencami in kongresi, ki sem se jih udeležila v nekaj letih v tujini, lahko zatrdim, da imamo zelo dobro organizirane dogodke. A to se lahko spremeni, če pride v tvojo hišo drug organizator. Takrat si že malo omejen – nimaš več vseh vajeti v rokah in nekdo drug prevzame dirigentsko palico.

Kako naj Slovenija reagira v primeru prihoda globalnih organizatorjev kongresov (npr. Kenes International) z McDonald's nivojem organizacije, ki si predvsem želijo znižati stroške in zaslužiti čim več? ŠPELA TERPIN: Seveda je profit tudi naš cilj in tudi mi zmanjšujemo stroške, ampak naše prvo pravilo je zadovoljstvo udeležencev. Kajti glede na majhnost Slovenije in njeno ponudbo se bodo k nam vračali samo res zadovoljni gostje. Le velike korporacije si lahko privoščijo McDonald's nivo organizacije, ker bodo v vsakem primeru dobili toliko in toliko poslov. Mi si tega ne moremo privoščiti. In tudi ne želimo.

Ali se sploh lahko izognemo globalnim organizatorjem kongresov, glede na njihovo moč in prizadevanja v zadnjih nekaj letih? ŠPELA TERPIN: To je na koncu odvisno od kupca. Kupec sprejme končno odločitev. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Ne glede na globalizacijo kongresne dejavnosti mislim, da bo ostalo še vedno nekaj naročnikov, ki ne bodo sledili globalnemu sistemu. In naj nam bo v izziv, da pridobimo njih.

Kako se odzivate na trend kratkoročnega načrtovanja dogodkov, ki je vse bolj opazen? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Da, prihajajo povpraševanja v zadnjem trenutku (torej dva do tri mesece vnaprej), ampak zelo veliko od teh je potem odpovedanih. ŠPELA TERPIN: Povpraševanja v zadnjem hipu so reakcija na predrago ponudbo poznane konkurenčne destinacije. Potem poskuša naročnik najti cenejšo ponudbo na manj poznani destinaciji. Kljub povpraševanjem iz te moke še nismo spekli kruha ...

Kakšne so prednosti kongresnega centra v primerjavi s hotelom? ŠPELA TERPIN: Ali je kongresni center povezan – sestavni del hotela – ali pa sta ločena, za dobro izvedbo kongresa ni odločujočega pomena. Glavno je, da je celotna ponudba sestavljena kakovostno. V hotelih so udeleženci bolj nemobilni – »zabubljeni«. Vedno so nekje med kongresnim stolom in hotelsko restavracijo. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Da, kar zadeva hotele, ostaja prostor od jutra do večera enak, prav tako catering. Poleg tega so dvorane v hotelih postavljene drugače kot v kongresnih centrih, kjer so bolj akustične, bolj teatralne. Dodatna prednost Cankarjevega doma, ki je hkrati tudi kulturni center, je, da lahko ponudi tudi umetniški program. ŠPELA TERPIN: V hotelih ostaja prioriteta namestitev, to je njihova primarna dejavnost – in ne kongresna dejavnost. V primeru izvedbe kongresov v kongresnih centrih temu ni tako. Poleg tega ima stranka možnost izbire, lahko segmentira namestitev – del sob s štirimi zvezdicami in del sob s tremi zvezdicami. Torej se odločijo za namestitev, prilagojeno njihovi publiki; omenjena je že bila možnost izbire cateringa. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Poleg tega kongresni centri ponujajo veliko višjo raven organizacije.

Kaj menite o ideji sodelovanja in povezovanja kongresnih centrov na področju marketinga po vzoru centrov v Nemčiji, Avstriji in Švici? Bi bila to prava pot za Ljubljano? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Katere kongresne centre bi pa združevali? Saj imamo samo dva, vsaj po standardizaciji. Resnično malo pogrešam skupno sodelovanje. Medtem ko je konkurenca zdrava, se strinjam z idejo, da bi se dogovorili o skupnem marketinškem nastopu. ŠPELA TERPIN: Tudi Gospodarsko razstavišče zagovarja povezovanje

– nekatere trženjske aktivnosti bi nedvomno lahko združili, saj pri pomembnih mednarodnih zgodbah še nikoli nismo začutili večje medsebojne konkurence. Ob dveh kongresnih centrih v Ljubljani se v primeru povpraševanj ponavadi zgodi, da je vsaj eden od centrov zaseden, če ne oba. In če prejmemo povpraševanje za dogodek, ki ga mi ne moremo izpeljati, bomo povpraševanje vedno posredovali naprej.

Kako razumejo vašo vlogo na področju kongresne dejavnosti Slovenska turistična organizacija (STO), Zavod za turizem Ljubljana (ZTL) in Kongresni urad? Ali ste s sodelovanjem zadovoljni? BREDA PEČOVNIK: STO sploh ne ve, da Cankarjev dom obstaja. Čutim, da ga ne zanima nikakršen dialog z nami, razen da STO pošlje povpraševanje po predstavitvah, a to na področju splošnega turizma. O kongresnem turizmu ni ne duha ne sluha. Včasih se najvišji predstavniki STO in Ministrstva za gospodarstvo pojavijo v Cankarjevem domu, po čemer lahko sklepamo, da vedo, kje je. Ampak nič več. Tatjana Radovič z Zavoda za turizem Ljubljana je zelo profesionalna in si zasluži vse pohvale. Hkrati imam včasih občutek, da sta naša dejavnost in konkretno Cankarjev dom zapostavljena pri ZTL. Kongresni urad ima po drugi strani visoko zastavljene cilje. ŠPELA TERPIN: Zavod Kongresni urad ima dober program, ima pa žal omejene možnosti – je tako rekoč izven sistemskega financiranja, prepuščen je financiranju s članarino, kar pomeni, da ima omejen obseg delovanja. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Da, Kongresni urad deluje v okviru svojih zmožnosti. Seveda pa so cilji zastavljeni zelo visoko in meril ni mogoče izpolniti, če nimaš sredstev.

Kaj pa mesto Ljubljana? BREDA PEČOVNIK: Mesto Ljubljana preko ZTL se trudi, da bi kongresni gost obiskal prestolnico. Je pa na tem področju narejenega premalo in v mestnih strukturah bi morali bolj podpreti to vejo turizma, saj vemo, da kongresni gost potroši trikrat več kot običajen. Mesto bi moralo tudi finančno podpreti določene podprojekte v okviru kongresa ali pa povabiti udeležence kongresa na grad s pogostitvijo. Tudi udeleženci so lahko ambasadorji Ljubljane kot prestolnice. ŠPELA TERPIN: GR je podjetje v mestni lasti, z mestom in županom dobro sodelujemo, vendar to ne pomeni, da mesto našo dejavnost sofinancira – glede na to, kako je bil pred časom okleščen mestni proračun, financiranja v kakšnem večjem obsegu tudi ne bi bilo realno pričakovati. Dejstvo pa je, da bi ob večjem številu kongresov najbolj pridobila destinacija kot celota. Splošna percepcija vseh je, da je turist nekdo, ki obišče Ljubljano, si ogleda Plečnikove znamenitosti, prespi v hotelu, obišče restavracijo in odide. Kongresnega gosta se ne vidi kot turista. Ni percepcije, da je kongresni gost tudi turist, za katerega se je potrebno potruditi in to na poseben način. Te percepcije ni, ne med ljudmi in ne med politiki. Mislim, da je treba več vlagati v informiranje, kako

pomemben je kongresni gost, koliko več prihodkov lahko kot skupnost od kongresnega gosta pričakujemo. Slednje velja zlasti za STO, pa seveda tudi za ostale institucije in posameznike.

Kakšna je vizija in strategija vašega podjetja v prihodnosti? ŠPELA TERPIN: V septembru smo opremili dvorane Povodni mož (ena do štiri dvorane s premičnimi stenami), tako da imamo v istem kompleksu poleg Marmorne dvorane devet dvoran, povezanih s tekočimi stopnicami in dvigalom, in smo tako zaokrožili kompleks dvoran. Zaradi sejemske in prireditvene dejavnosti bi si želeli postaviti vsaj še eno veliko dvorano. Ljubljana potrebuje veliko dvorano za večje koncerte. Zaenkrat je treba za večjo prireditev koncertnega značaja ljudi povabiti v Halo Tivoli. In potem vrhunski umetniki nastopajo v športni hali. Dodatna dvorana je ključna tudi za nadaljnji razvoj sejemske dejavnosti, saj moramo sedaj na nekaterih prireditvah postavljati šotore in hkrati zavračati razstavljavce. Radi bi se izognili temu, da šotorimo na lastnem dvorišču. Načrti o novi dvorani blizu predvidene Emonike ter o stolpiču, v katerem je hotel, so se pomaknili v prihodnost. Načrti so, volja je, možnosti so, a trenutno so ti načrti žal manj realni kot pred dobrega pol leta. V prihodnje pričakujemo, si želimo in bomo vlagali napor v pridobitev še večjega števila zlasti mednarodnih dogodkov. Še več dogodkov, še več obiskovalcev ... BREDA PEČOVNIK: V Cankarjevem domu smo zaokrožili s finančnimi sredstvi, s katerimi smo prenovili določene dvorane in druge prostore. Z obnovo Drugega preddverja in mobilnih dvoran smo naredili velik preboj. Klub Cankarjevega doma je s pogledom na staro Ljubljano in parlament postal eden najlepših prostorov. Prav tako smo obnovili tudi Kosovelovo dvorano. Ker so večje naložbe sedaj ustavljene, bomo v prihodnosti skrbeli le za sprotno vzdrževanje. Naš izziv za naprej je »drzna prijaznost«. Želimo pridobiti čim več prireditev za Cankarjev dom, za Ljubljano in tudi za Slovenijo.

Ali je sejemska dejavnost kot orodje direktne prodaje tisto orodje, ki lahko rešuje v času krize? ŠPELA TERPIN: Mislim, da je pri sejemski dejavnosti ključen osebni stik. Pri vseh marketinških dejavnostih, aktivnostih, ki se čedalje bolj premikajo na splet, pozabljamo na osebni stik, ki je najboljše orodje pri prodaji. Seveda pa se dodajajo razstavi različna orodja; danes ni sejma brez vzporedne kongresne dejavnosti, kot tudi ni večjega kongresa brez razstave. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Kongres vedno spremljata razstavna dejavnost in izobraževanje. In vsak sejem spremljajo druge dejavnosti in dodaten program. Samo razstavnih centrov pa ni več. Tako se meje med posameznimi dejavnostmi vse bolj brišejo, pravzaprav jih v resnici ni več. Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

Current Events

Convention Tourism â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a Magic Wand during the Financial Crisis?

reda Pečovnik, Congress and Commercial Programme Director at Cankarjev dom and Špela Terpin, Director of Marketing at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, gave their views on the role of convention tourism during the times of the financial crisis in the course of globalisation changes and in the wider framework of the city of Ljubljana and Slovenian tourism as a whole.

How satisfied are you with the results of your company this year and what are your expectations for the future? BREDA PEČOVNIK: 2008 was an exceptionally successful year for Cankarjev dom in all fields. This year, the congress and commercial activity surpassed the planned results by 44 percent, which, to be honest, was not something that we expected. The projections for 2009 are much worse. We are all facing problems – or challenges as we are now calling them – in obtaining individual events but there are no guarantees. I doubt that we will be able to meet the plans set for this year. Prospects for 2010 are somewhat better, while a decline will again be present in 2011. ŠPELA TERPIN: My answer is similar, as last year’s results of the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre were very good compared to the year before. This is probably the result of the wider environment and not just our own increased activity. Even last autumn, the prospects for 2009 were very good, but we are currently recording individual cancellations and postponements. The meetings industry has begun to demonstrate the situation of the economy.

There is a theory that the meetings industry is supposed to save Slovenian tourism in general. Do you believe this is possible? BREDA PEČOVNIK: I do not believe that. ŠPELA TERPIN: It is unrealistic to expect the meetings industry in itself to solve the crisis in tourism. However, in this field, the crisis may also be an opportunity. To date, the meetings industry has never been a priority in Slovenia, but the possibilities are rather good in terms of the location, security, the friendliness of people and our good organisation. Perhaps we might be able to convince the organisers of larger congresses that we are the right congress location during these times (close, not too expensive and still undiscovered). In addition, the congress guest is the most appreciated guest – he leaves the most revenue at the location hosting him. The meetings industry therefore undoubtedly presents unutilised opportunities but there is no magic wand to solve the crisis.

How did the business challenges that faced congress centres in the past change in recent years? BREDA PEČOVNIK: 1990 and 1991 were followed by a pronounced decline – we might even say that there were no congresses at all. In recent years, scientists and professors enabled us to acquire congresses without any problems. Of course, that was if these individuals were eager and influential enough to be sitting on the board and were prepared to stand up for us. During Slovenia’s EU Presidency, the country’s global recognition was excellent and the organisers deserve praise for that. I did not, however, notice any turning points or any drastic change between 1990 and 2008. ŠPELA TERPIN: I have not been active in the meetings industry for that long. However, I get the feeling that Slovenia’s recognition as a meetings destination is a policy of baby steps. It is a process. Nothing happens overnight. We probably needed to first get used to the fact that we are living in a small country that we always need to introduce. It simply does not go without saying where we are and who we are. In the past, everybody knew where Yugoslavia was. BREDA PEČOVNIK: At this year's ICCA conference, I had lunch with a group of Americans who had no idea where Slovenia is. When I presented it as a small country in the vicinity of Trieste, they immediately knew our location. Despite everything though, our recognition is obviously improving. ŠPELA TERPIN: We are still a young country, which is only slowly loosing the connotation of the former joint country.

This raises the question of positioning Slovenia. Should Slovenia be positioned as a country with reasonable prices? Is this sensible? ŠPELA TERPIN: The first question is whether this is even a realistic category for recognition. Second, we are not even that favourable a destination to particularly emphasise that. BREDA PEČOVNIK: We are actually very expensive. Our hotel accommodation is not cheap and the same applies to the standard of living and other goods. ŠPELA TERPIN: Above all, we do not have a segmented market. Price differences are very small. Further, the Slovenian offer is not purpose-related. Not enough of the offer is intended for specific types of events. To simplify – “we squeeze everything everywhere". We never say that a certain location or service are not appropriate for an individual event. BREDA PEČOVNIK: We try to acquire an event at all costs, which is wrong. The industry should unite and say how far we are prepared to go.

Can we compare our organisation of events to the standards set forth by the ICCA?

BREDA PEČOVNIK: All the players on the Slovenian market are very good organisers. If I compare this to the conferences and congresses that I attended abroad in the past, I can honestly say that our events are very well organised. This can change however, if another organiser comes into your house. This limits you – you no longer hold the reins and someone else takes over the baton.

How should Slovenia react if global congress organisers (e.g. Kenes International) enter our market, bringing with them their McDonald’s level of organisation aimed specifically at cutting costs and generating greater revenue? ŠPELA TERPIN: Profit is also our aim and we also cut costs, but our primary rule is the satisfaction of the participants. With regard to Slovenia’s limited size and offer, only truly satisfied guests will return. Only big corporations can afford a McDonald’s level of organisation, as they will obtain a certain number of events in any case. We cannot afford that and we do not wish it either.

Is it even possible to avoid global congress organisers in light of their power and their endeavours in the recent years? ŠPELA TERPIN: Ultimately, it all depends on the buyer. It is the buyer who makes the final decision. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Regardless of the globalisation of the meetings industry, I am confident that there will always be clients who will not follow the global system. Our challenge should be to win them.

What are your reactions to the increasingly evident trend of short-term planning for events? BREDA PEČOVNIK: There are inquiries made at the last moment (two or three months ahead), but many of these are then cancelled. ŠPELA TERPIN: Inquiries at the last moment are a reaction to the too expensive offer from a known competitive destination. The client then tries to find a cheaper offer at a less known destination. Despite these inquiries, no events have yet been realised from that.

What are the advantages of a congress centre compared to a hotel? ŠPELA TERPIN: Whether the congress centre is a component part of the hotel or not is not a decisive factor for the good implementation of a congress. It is more important that the entire offer is of a high quality. In hotels, delegates are much less mobile,

they are kind of in a cocoon. They are always somewhere between the congress chairs and the hotel restaurant.

higher organisational level.

BREDA PEČOVNIK: In hotels, the space is the same from dusk till dawn, the same as the catering. The halls of a hotel are also set differently to those in congress centres, where they are more acoustic and theatre-like. An additional advantage of Cankarjev dom, which is also a cultural centre, is that it can provide an arts programme.

What do you think about the idea of congress centres uniting in marketing the same as the centres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland? Could this be the right choice for Ljubljana?

ŠPELA TERPIN: The priority of hotels is accommodation. That is their primary activity, not the meetings industry. If congresses are organised at congress centres, this is different. The client also has the possibility of choosing. He can divide its accommodation – a number of the rooms are four-star rooms and a number are threestar rooms. They thus decide on accommodation adapted to their public and we already mentioned the possibility of choosing the catering. BREDA PEČOVNIK: What is more, congress centres provide a much

BREDA PEČOVNIK: Which congress centres could we unite? According to the standardisation, there are currently only two of them. I do miss cooperation though and, while competition is a healthy thing, I agree with the idea of a joint marketing approach. ŠPELA TERPIN: The Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention centre is also in favour of such pooling – certain marketing actives could undoubtedly be combined, as we never felt any major mutual competition in important international stories. With two congress centres in Ljubljana, it can happen that at least one if not both of them are already taken. And if we receive an inquiry for an event

that we cannot organise, we will always forward such inquiries.

How do the Slovenian Tourist Board, the Ljubljana Tourist Board and the Convention Bureau see your role in the meetings industry? Are you pleased with the cooperation? BREDA PEČOVNIK: The Slovenian Tourist Board does not even know that Cankarjev dom exists. I feel that they are not interested in any kind of dialogue with us, except for sending us inquiries for presentations but then only in the field of general tourism. There is no trace of the meetings industry. Sometimes, the highest representatives of the Slovenian Tourist Board and the Ministry of the Economy make an appearance at Cankarjev dom, which leads us to believe that they know where it is. But that is all. Tatjana Radovič from the Ljubljana Tourist Board is highly professional and deserves high praise. At the same time, I sometimes feel that our activity and certainly Cankarjev dom are disregarded by the Ljubljana Tourist Board. The Convention Bureau on the other hand has very high goals. ŠPELA TERPIN: The Convention Bureau has a good programme but unfortunately limited possibilities – they are not within the funding system and need to rely on membership fees, which means that their scope of operation is limited. BREDA PEČOVNIK: Yes. The Convention Bureau operates within its abilities. The set goals are very high of course but the standards cannot be achieved if you do not have the means.

What about the city of Ljubljana? BREDA PEČOVNIK: The city of Ljubljana is using the Ljubljana Tourist Board to try and get the congress guest to visit the capital. Still, not enough has been done in this field and the city structures should support this branch of tourism more, as we know that a congress guest spends three times more than a conventional guest. The city should also financially support certain subprojects organised within the framework of the congress or invite congress participants to the castle and provide catering. These participants could then be the ambassadors of Ljubljana as a capital. ŠPELA TERPIN: The Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre is owned by the city of Ljubljana and we have a good level of cooperation with the mayor. This however does not mean that the city finances our activity. Considering how much the city's budget was cut recently, it would not be realistic to expect any substantial financing. It is a fact, however, that a greater number of congresses would contribute to the destination as a whole above all. The general perception is that a tourist is someone who visits Ljubljana, visits Plečnik's sights, stays the night at a hotel, goes to a restaurant and leaves. The congress guest is not regarded as a tourist. There is no perception that the congress guest is a tourist at the same time, one for whom we need to make special efforts. This perception is missing among both regular people and politicians. I believe we need to invest more in informing everyone how important the congress guest is and how much more revenue

the community can expect from a congress guest. The latter applies especially to the Slovenian Tourist Board but also to other institutions and individuals.

What is your company’s future vision and strategy? ŠPELA TERPIN: In September, we equipped the Povodni mož halls (one to four halls with mobile walls) so that, in addition to the Marble Hall, the same complex now offers nine halls connected with escalators and lifts, thus rounding off the hall complex. We would like to set up at least one big hall for the needs of the exhibition and events activity. Ljubljana needs a bigger hall for large concerts. At the moment, a bigger concert requires us to invite the people to the Hala Tivoli hall. Top artists than perform in a sports hall. An additional hall is also of key importance for the further development of the exhibition activity, as individual events currently require us to set up tents and reject exhibitors. We would like to avoid camping in our own backyard. The plans for the new hall to be situated close to the planned Emonika facility and the multi-storey building with a hotel have been postponed to the future. The plans exist, the will exists, possibilities exists – but these plans are currently less realistic than they were six months ago unfortunately. In the future, we expect, we wish and we will invest in endeavours for acquiring an even greater number of especially international congresses. More events, more visitors… BREDA PEČOVNIK: At Cankarjev dom, we completed our investments into refurbishing individual halls and other facilities. The refurbishment of Foyer II and mobile halls is a great step forward. The Cankarjev dom Club and its view over the old part of Ljubljana and the parliament building is now one of the most beautiful rooms. We also refurbished the Kosovel Hall. As larger investments are now halted, we will only see to regular maintenance in the future. Our future challenge is “bold friendliness”. We wish to acquire as many events as possible for Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana and for Slovenia.

Is the exhibition activity as a tool of direct sales the tool that can save us during the times of the crisis? ŠPELA TERPIN: I see personal contact as the most important part of the exhibition activity. With all marketing activities and activities that are increasingly moving online, we are forgetting about personal contact as the best possible weapon of sales. Of course different tools are added to exhibitions. Today, you can hardly find an exhibition without accompanying meetings activity or a larger congress without an exhibition. BREDA PEČOVNIK: A congress is always complemented by exhibition activity and education and each exhibition is accompanied by other activities and an additional programme. There are no longer just exhibition centres. The boundaries between individual activities are being blurred and are virtually non-existent. Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

Uspešno vodenje kongresnih projektov

Kongresni turizem kot oblika mrežne organizacije

eizpodbitno dejstvo je, da smo v sodobnem svetu soočeni s svetovno konkurenco pred lastnimi durmi. Ta ugotovitev je prisotna že nekaj let. Tisto, kar se je dodalo v zadnjem času, je svetovna kriza, ki je še bolj zaostrila pogoje globalne konkurenčnosti. Kajti intenzivirani procesi globalizacije, ki smo jim bili priča v devetdesetih letih prejšnjega stoletja in so dosegli višek v tem desetletju, so se dotaknili in vplivajo na vsa podjetja – majhna, srednja in velika. Tudi kongresne dejavnosti. Svetovna konkurenca je tukaj. Bodisi, da gre za ponudbo različnih storitev, kot so kongresi, ali proizvodov – oziroma za konkurenco na trgu delovne sile.

Hiter razvoj vedno uporabnejših in uporabniku prijaznejših sodobnih informacijskih in telekomunikacijskih tehnologij omogoča poslovno povezovanje in sodelovanje partnerjev iz različnih delov sveta. Nastajajo novi inovativni poslovni modeli, ki omogočajo boljše zadovoljevanje potreb kupcev in poslovnih partnerjev. Z njimi se spreminja ekonomski red, priča smo velikim globalnim kulturnim spremembam. Državne meje ne predstavljajo več velikih ovir pri poslovanju podjetij. V takšnih okoliščinah so najbolj ranljiva neinovativna majhna in srednje velika podjetja, ki se na globalnem trgu srečujejo z velikimi in tistimi majhnimi konkurenti, ki so inovativnejši in imajo na ta način veliko večjo razvojno-poslovno tržno moč. Situacijo lahko ilustriramo s prispodobo »Davida«, ki se je v antičnem svetu moral spopasti z mnogo močnejšim »Goljatom«. Naši sodobni Davidi so majhna podjetja, ki morajo biti dovolj

Potreba po stalnih inovacijah in spremembah s pomočjo razvajanja in uporabe avtentičnega poslovnega modela.

Razvoj mrežne organizacija podjetja

inovativna, da lahko razvijejo avtentičen poslovni model, ki bo zagotavljal ustrezno konkurenčnost ponudbe. Opisano poslovno okolje zahteva drugačne kompetence organizacij in posameznikov. Za poslovni upeh klasične organizacije je bila pomembna individualna produktivnost posameznikov in organizacijskih enot znotraj enega podjetja. V organizaciji 21. stoletja je ta vedno bolj odvisen od medosebne in medorganizacijske produktivnosti (vključujoč tudi sodelovanje s podjetji, drugimi organizacijami in posamezniki izven lastnega podjetja), katere jedro predstavlja »agilno delovno mesto«. Za sodelavca, ki dela na takšnem delovnem mestu, je značilna fleksibilnost, sodelovanje in sokreacija v realnem ali virtualnem poslovnem okolju, ki ga obsega poslovna mreža podjetja. Splošne kompetence posameznika se nanašajo na: • • • • •

specializiranost za določeno področje dela, široko razgledanost in tehnološko pismenost, kompetence projektnega načina dela, kompetence delovanja v multikulturnem okolju, kompetence prilagajanja hitrim spremembam, itd.

Postglobalno poslovno okolje torej zahteva kompetence, ki se precej razlikujejo od tistih, značilnih za čas industrijske dobe 20. stoletja, ki jih, žal, še vedno srečujemo v praksi velikega števila podjetij.

Izhodišča za razvoj avtentičnega poslovnega modela v kongresnem turizmu Kongresni turizem je razvita in dodobra globalizirana »industrija«. Ponudniki kongresnih storitev, veliki in majhni, želijo pritegniti pozornost organizatorjev konferenc z bolj ali manj originalnimi pristopi in ponudbo. Seveda so tudi tukaj v prednosti veliki ponudniki, ki si lahko privoščijo več vlaganj in večjo vidnost na svetovnem trgu. V dejavnosti kongresnega turizma sodeluje cela paleta različnih poslovnih subjektov, od strokovnih organizacij, ki organizirajo kongrese, profesionalnih organizatorjev kongresov, informatikov, tiskarjev, gostinskih podjetij, turističnih organizacij, izdelovalcev in ponudnikov različnih turističnih in prehrambenih izdelkov, organizacij za podporo regionalnega razvoja in še bi lahko naštevali. Vsi ti morajo razvijati svojo ponudbo na globalni konkurenčni ravni. Naloga podjetij, profesionalnih organizatorjev kongresov, je, da znajo razviti avtentičen poslovni model podjetja, ki bo dinamičen, prilagodljiv, inovativen ter sposoben ponuditi in uresničevati nadpovprečno vrednost najbolj zahtevnim kupcem. Biti majhno ali srednje veliko podjetje ter biti odličen in konkurirati z velikimi konkurenti na globalnem trgu na vseh področjih poslovanja je nemogoče. Zaradi tega je nujno iskati tista področja poslovanja, kjer imamo ključna znanja, sposobnosti in vire. Na te se je potrebno osredotočiti, jih izkoristiti in stalno razvijati, ker predstavljajo

naše ključne kompetence. Za ostala področja je smiselno poiskati ustrezne partnerje zunaj podjetja (doma ali v tujini) in jih na inovativen način vključiti v mrežno organizacijo lastnega podjetja. Pogoji za uspešno tovrstno delo so: • sposobnost stalnega inoviranja proizvodov in storitev ter z njimi povezanih tehnologij, obvladovanje in stalne izboljšave poslovnih

• • •

• procesov, visoka motiviranosti za delo in razvoj človeških virov, sposobnost razvijanja partnerskih odnosov s sodelujočimi poslovnimi in razvojnimi partnerji ter sposobnost razvoja poslovne mreže lastnega podjetja in organizacijske kulture, ki temelji na vzajemnosti, zaupanju in visoki motiviranosti vseh notranjih in zunanjih sodelujočih subjektov mrežne organizacije podjetja.

Razvoj konkurenčne sposobnosti podjetij in organizacij kongresne dejavnosti pa ni odvisen le od podjetij in organizacij samih. Procesi razvoja, poslovnega sodelovanja in mreženja so veliko hitrejši in uspešnejši v okoljih, kjer obstaja regionalna ali vladna podpora tovrstnim gospodarsko-razvojnim aktivnostim. Slovenski kongresni urad (SKU) lahko štejemo v sklop takšnih iniciativ. V prvi razvojni fazi je bila naloga SKU predvsem skupni tržni nastop in dvigovanje prepoznavnosti slovenske ponudbe na svetovnih trgih. Naslednja razvojna faza pa vsekakor mora iti v smeri podpore razvoja kompetenc strokovnjakov in podjetij, ki delujejo na področju kongresne dejavnosti ter razvoja njihovih avtentičnih poslovnih modelov, ki bodo temeljili na specializaciji in poslovnem povezovanju. Dr. Brane Semolič brane.semoli@siol.net INOVA Consulting

Dr. Brane Semolič je lastnik podjetja INOVA Consulting in predavatelj na Fakulteti za logistiko v Celju z več kot tridesetimi leti izkušenj, IPMA vodilni ocenjevalec za kompetence s področja projektnega managementa ter mednarodno nagrado projektne odličnosti, vodja raziskovalno-razvojnega odbora pri isti organizaciji, manager večih domačih in mednarodnih projektov. Predava na dodiplomskih in podiplomskih programih na različnih univerzah doma in v tujini, kot sta na primer Cranefield College v Johannesburgu in Universidad de Zaragoza v Španiji. Je tudi soustanovitelj evropskega magistrskega programa EuroMPM (devet evropskih univerz). Poleg

Danes nastajajo novi inovativni poslovni modeli, ki

tega je član strateškega svetovalnega odbora Evropske

omogočajo boljše zadovoljevanje potreb kupcev in

komisije za konkurenčnost in inovacije v Bruslju ter

poslovnih partnerjev.

uredniškega odbora PM World Today.

The Successful Management of Congress Projects

Convention Tourism as a Form of Network Organisation

t is an undeniable fact that, in the modern world, we are faced with global competition at our own door. This has been true for some years now. What recently joined in is the global crisis, which has sharpened the conditions of global competitiveness even more. The intensified globalisation processes that we witnessed in the 1990s and which culminated in this decade have touched and influenced all companies – small, medium and large. Even the meetings industry. Global competition is here. This might be in the offer of different services, such as congresses or products, or competition on the labour market.

Brane Semolič, PhD., is the owner of INOVA Consulting and a lecturer at the Faculty of Logistics in Celje with more than 30 years of experience. He is IPMA's leading competence assessor for project management performance and the international project excellence award, head of the research and development board with the same organisation and the manager of larger national and international projects. He gives lectures for graduate and postgraduate programmes at various universities, both at home and abroad – such as the Cranefield College in Johannesburg and the Universidad de Zaragoza in Spain. He is also one of the co-founders of the EuroMPM master programme (nine European uni-

The fast development of increasingly useful and user-friendly modern information and telecommunication technologies enables business cooperation and collaboration between partners from different parts of the world. New innovative business models are being generated, enabling the needs of clients and business partners to be better satisfied. They change the economic order and we are witnessing huge global cultural changes. National borders are no longer an obstacle to company operations. Under such circumstances, non-innovative small and medium-sized companies are the most vulnerable, as they are confronted on the global market by bigger and smaller competitors that are more innovative and thus have a greater developmental and operating market power. The situation might be illustrated by David who had to fight the mighty Goliath in the antique world. Our modern-day Davids are the small companies that have to be innovative enough to be able to develop an authentic business model that will provide appropriate competitiveness.

versities). He is also a member of the strategic advisory committee of the European Commission for Competition and Innovations in Brussels and a member of the PM World Today editorial board.

New innovative business models are being generated, enabling the needs of clients and business partners to be better satisfied. This business environment requires different competencies from both organisations and individuals. In order for a conventional organisation to succeed, the productivity of its individuals and organisational units within the company used to be important. In the organisations of the 21st century, this success depends increasingly on interpersonal and inter-organisational productivity (including cooperation with companies, other organisations and individuals outside one's own company) with an agile workplace at its core. People working in an agile workplace need to be flexible and to partake in and co-create the real or virtual business environment of the company’s business network. The individual’s general competencies relate to: • • • • •

specialised skills for an individual work area, a wide horizon and technological literacy, project work competencies, competencies of working in a multicultural environment, competencies of adapting to fast changes, etc.

Need for permanent innovations and changes by use authentic business design

The post-global business environment thus requires competencies that are substantially different from those typical of the industrial age of the 20th century and which we still unfortunately see in the practice of numerous companies.

Development of company's network organization

Guidelines for the Development of an Authentic Business Model in Convention Tourism Convention tourism is a developed and highly globalised industry. Providers of convention services, large or small, wish to attract the attention of conference organisers with more or less original approaches and offers. Of course, the bigger providers have the upper hand, as they are able to afford more investments and better visibility on the global market. There is a wide range of different business subjects participating in convention tourism, from professional organisations organising congresses, professional congress organisers, computer scientists, printers, catering establishments, tourist organisations, producers and providers of different tourism and food products, organisations supporting regional development . . . the list goes on. They all need to develop their offer on a global competitive level. The role of companies – professional congress organisers – is to be able to develop an authentic business model of the company that will be dynamic, flexible, innovative and able to provide and implement aboveaverage value for the most demanding clients. To be a small or medium-sized company and to be excellent and to compete with the big competitors in all fields of operation on the global market is impossible. It is thus urgent to try and search for those areas of operation where we have key knowledge, abilities and resources. This is what we need to focus on, utilise and constantly develop as they represent our key competencies. It is sensible to search for other partners outside the company (at home or abroad), for other areas and to find an innovative way to include them in the network organisation of our own company. For such work to be successful, we need to be able to:

• constantly innovate products, services and related technologies, • manage and constantly improve business processes, • maintain a high motivation level and develop human resources, • develop partner relationships with all the participating business and developmental partners and • develop a business network for our company along with an organisational culture based on reciprocity, trust and the high motivation of all the subjects participating within or outside the company’s network organisation. The development of the competitive skills of a company or an organisation in the meetings industry does not depend only on the company and the organisation itself however. Development processes, business cooperation and networking work much faster and with more success in environments where there is regional or governmental support for such economic and developmental activities. The Slovenian Convention Bureau can be seen as a part of such initiatives. In its first development phase, the role of the Slovenian Convention Bureau was above all a joint market presence and facilitation of the recognition of the Slovenian offer on global markets. The next development phase must undoubtedly go in the direction of supporting the development of the competencies of professionals and companies operating in the meetings industry and the development of their authentic business models based on specialisation and business interconnections. Brane Semolič, PhD. brane.semoli@siol.net INOVA Consulting www.inovaconsulting.org

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Uspešno vodenje kongresnih projektov

Kdo vodi koga?

o sem se ob ustanavljanju agencije TNTevents spraševal, ali sem jaz tisti, ki lahko uspešno vodi tako zahtevne projekte, kot so dogodki, sem spoznal, da ni bistveno, kdo jih vodi, ampak kako jih vodi.

Na začetku si dovolim postaviti trditev, da so dogodki produkti z najkrajšim življenjskim ciklom: od ideje, zasnove do izvedbe in obstoja ter umika s trga. Če za primerjavo pogledamo v farmacevtsko industrijo, kjer razvoj in testiranje trajata več let, produkt pa je na trgu tudi več desetletij, se gotovo razumemo. Poleg tega pa je za kvalitetno in optimalno izvedbo dogodkov potrebo sodelovanje širokega spektra strokovnjakov iz res zelo različnih področij. In kdo si upa trditi, da je tisti, ki lahko uspešno vodi te projekte? Preden pogledamo, kdo in še posebej kako, pa dejstvo, da je vse bistveno lažje, če se dogodki v določenih periodah ponavljajo, kar pogosto svetujemo in srečujemo v praksi. Niso pa redki projekti, ki še nimajo svoje tradicije ali pa se zgodijo samo enkrat. Za uspešno izvedbo, še posebej takšnih projektov, je poglavitno dobro vodenje, planiranje in s tem maksimalen izkoristek časa, ki ga nikoli ni preveč. Optimalen dogodek je tisti, na katerem so vsi segmenti, ki ga sestavljajo, izvedeni res strokovno in sorazmerno, v skladu s finančnimi možnostmi projekta, tako da dosežejo skupni efekt, ki je enak pričakovanemu rezultatu oziroma cilju projekta. Vsak projekt, (kongres, dogodek ...) zahteva strokovna znanja marketinga, PR-ja, prodaje, strokovnega področja teme projekta, vodenja, kulinarike, oblikovanja in strokovnjake kot so lučni, tonski, video oblikovalec ter tehnik, snemalec, režiser, scenograf, dramaturg itd. Struktura podjetja TNTevents je zato zasnovana in razvita kot učeče se podjetje. Taka struktura zahteva in omogoča optimalno delovanje ter soodločanje vseh zaposlenih na osnovi njihovih kompetenc, znanja in kredibilnosti. Le s takim načinom vodenja lahko vsakemu strokovnjaku v procesu res omogočimo, da opravi svoje delo najbolj strokovno in optimalno, pri tem pa se vsak posameznik še dodatno razvija in izpopolnjuje skupaj s celotno

Struktura podjetja TNTevents je zasnovana in razvita kot učeče se podjetje.

Za uspešno izvedbo je poglavitno dobro vodenje, načrtovanje in s tem maksimalen izkoristek časa, ki ga nikoli ni preveč. ekipo. Za to je predvsem potreben neoviran pretok informacij. Dosežemo ga z zelo natančnim zapisom tehnologije dela, ki opredeljuje vse faze projekta, procese dela, vse pomembne protokole komuniciranja, omogoča samodejno takojšnje odkrivanje tudi najmanjših napak ter natančno evalvacijo projekta že v vmesnih fazah kot tudi po končanem projektu. Vsi procesi morajo biti tudi dodatno podprti s programsko informacijsko podporo, ki je za to namensko izdelana. Procesi so osrednji način vodenja. Pri realizaciji projektov je poglavitna naloga vodje, da svojim sodelavcem na projektu popolnoma jasno predstavi cilj in pričakovani rezultat projekta. Vsi sodelujoči na projektu imajo točno definirano vlogo in so vodje procesa na področju, kjer so njihovo znanje in kompetence največje. Določen je tudi natančen protokol komuniciranja in prenosa informacij ter preverjanja njihovega razumevanja. Osnovni interes za sodelovanje na projektu za vse v verigi je povsem jasno in direktno vezan na rezultat projekta. Temu rečemo odgovornost in/ali motivacija. Vse to je potrebno za vzpostavitev tima aktivnih ustvarjalcev in uresničevalcev ciljev, ki skupaj zagotavljajo odličnost in optimalnost pri vodenju projektov kot so dogodki, kongresi, konference itd. Bistvo je v sinergiji! Pomembno je voditi in biti voden ob pravem času. Marko Knez marko@tntevents.net www.tntevents.net

Marko Knez je kemik, ki je v periodni sistem elementov postavil nov element: »dogodki«. Z organizacijo dogodkov se ukvarja že dve desetletji. Njegove izkušnje so izjemno bogate, zajemajo vse vrste dogodkov, od najzahtevnejših protokolarnih do preprostih sprejemov. Je ustanovitelj in direktor podjetja TNTevents d.o.o. in lastnik podjetja Cvetličarna d.o.o, multimedijski prostor.

The Successful Management of Congress Projects

Who Manages Whom?

hen setting up TNTevents, I wondered if I was someone who could successfully manage such demanding projects as events and I realised that it is not important who manages them but how they are managed. Let me begin with the claim that events are products with the shortest lifecycle: from the idea and concept to implementation and existence and finally to their removal from the market. If we compare this with the pharmaceutical industry, where development and tests take years and where the product is on the market for decades, you undoubtedly understand what I mean. In addition, for an event to be a quality one and optimally implemented, the participation of a wide range of professionals from very diverse fields is necessary. And who dares to claim to be the one able to successfully manage these projects? Before we take a look at who and especially how, let me stress that all is much easier if events repeat over certain periods of time, which we often suggest and also see in practice. However, projects without an established tradition or of a onetime-nature still exist.

For a successful implementation, good management, planning and maximum utilisation of the always scarce time are essential. For such projects to be implemented successfully, good management, planning and the maximum utilisation of the always scarce time are essential. An optimal event means that all of its segments are implemented professionally and in proportions according to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial possibilities, to achieve a total effect that corresponds to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anticipated result or aim. Each project (congress, event, etc.) requires professional marketing knowledge, knowledge of public relations, sales, the professional

The structure of TNTevents is designed and developed as a learning company.

project field, management, catering, design and professionals such as lighting and sound technicians, video designers and technicians, cameramen, directors, scene designers, stage directors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the list goes on. The structure of TNTevents is thus designed and developed as a learning company. Such a structure requires optimal operation and joint decision making from all the employees on the basis of their competencies, knowledge and credibility. Such management is the only way to allow each professional involved in the process to do his or her job in a professional and optimum manner, where each individual has the opportunity to additionally evolve and perfect him- or herself together with the team. An unimpeded flow of information is thus essential. We achieve it with a detailed record of the work technology determining all the project phases, work processes and all the important communication protocols. It enables automatic and immediate detection of the smallest mistakes and an accurate evaluation of the project during its intermediate phases as well as after the project has been concluded. All these processes need to be supported additionally with custom-made software providing information support.

Processes are central to management. In realising projects, the main role of its manager is to clearly present its aim and the anticipated results to all his or her colleagues working on the project. All involved in the project have a clearly defined role and act as process managers in their field of knowledge and competencies. An exact protocol of communication and information flow is determined along with a review of its understanding. The basic interest in the participation in the project is clear to everyone in the chain and is directly linked to project results. This is what we call responsibility and/or motivation. All this is needed to establish a team of active creators and implementers of aims that together guarantee the excellence and optimal management of projects such as events, congresses, conferences and similar things. The essence is in the synergy! It is important to manage and to be managed at the right time! Marko Knez marko@tntevents.net www.tntevents.net

Marko Knez is a chemist who positioned a new element in the periodic table of elements: events. He has been involved in organising events for two decades. His extensive experiences include all types of events, from the most demanding protocol events to simple receptions. He is the founder and director of TNTevents d.o.o. and the owner of CvetliÄ?arna, multimedijski prostor d.o.o.

Tatjana RadoviÄ?, vodja kongresne dejavnosti, Zavod za turizem Ljubljana

Kdo stoji za uspeĹĄnimi kongresnimi zgodbami v regiji?

atjana Radovič je z dušo in telesom predana kongresnemu turizmu. Vpeta tudi v mednarodno kongresno okolje uživa velik ugled, zato so njena prizadevanja opazili in nagradili tudi s prestižno nagrado akademije združenja IMEX za odličnost. Tatjana Radovič je legenda slovenskega kongresnega turizma, mentorica številnim uspešnim posamznikom, ki sledijo njenim stopinjam - in njihova vzornica.

Kaj vas trenutno najbolj zaposluje? V tem trenutku bi težko izpostavila večji projekt, ki bi me povsem okupiral. Zdaj je obdobje priprav in izvedb prvih trženjskih nastopov v tujini, kjer sem z mislimi že v aprilu in maju, hkrati pa se vrstijo ustaljene naloge na domačem terenu, vezane na pridobitev novih dogodkov in podporo kongresom, ki bodo potekali v spomladanskih mesecih. Je tudi čas, ki ga zaznamuje iskanje novih sinergij, s katerimi bi lahko v naslednjih mesecih realizirali dodatne promocijske in marketinške aktivnosti na pomembnih trgih za kongresni produkt Ljubljane in Slovenije. Bistveno pa je, da v vsakem dnevu vidim nove priložnosti ali izzive, in da čutim nezmanjšano veselje do dela, ki mi je zaupano.

Vaša velika strast poleg kongresnega turizma? Hmm, a je to lahko najprej strast do življenja? Bližina in razumevanje najbližjih? Vedno presenetljiva lepota narave, gibanje v njej, druženje s prijatelji, alkemija kuhanja, malo hedonizma, umetnost. To, da ostaneš dovzeten za drobna doživetja, ki te včasih presunejo, ali s katerimi se lahko sam dotakneš drugih? Nekateri, ki me dobro poznajo, bi rekli, da me zaznamuje razdajanje in skrb za druge … Če pa bi sodili po mojih fotografijah iz otroštva, sta odgovora dva: kolo in psi ...

Katera oseba v kongresnem turizmu je najbolj vplivala na vašo kariero?

Kateri mednarodni kongresni projekt bi nemudoma podprli in pospešili? V mednarodnem merilu: harmonizacijo kongresne statistike, s katero bi lahko realno ovrednotili ekonomski učinek industrije srečanj. K temu bo dejansko pripomogel podračun za kongresno dejavnost v okviru turističnih satelitskih računov, ki je na začetku implementacije. Bolj lokalpatriotski odgovor pa je Conventa, letos prva borza kongresne dejavnosti za regijo Jugovzhodne Evrope. Verjamem, da ima ta poslovni dogodek velik potencial za bolj prodorno pozicionioranje kongresne in incentive ponudbe naše širše regije na evropskem trgu naročnikov.

Kaj bi spremenili v svojem mestu? Največkrat, ko se vrnem s kakšne poti v tujini, sem prav vesela, da živim v Ljubljani in Sloveniji. Včasih celo naredim dva koraka po stari Ljubljani, da si privežem dušo, preden se vrnem domov (zdaj bom kregana!). To je neke vrste intimen pozdrav mojemu mestu, in to vam pove vse. V mandatu sedanjega župana se mnogo stvari premika na bolje in začrtani projekti so podprti z vizijo. Če pa bi imela čarobno palčko, bi najprej zmanjšala motorni promet. Ker živim v centru mesta, toliko bolj opažam vse hujšo invazijo jeklenih konjičkov na Ljubljano.

Tuja kongresna destinacija, v kateri se počutite kot doma? Prav vedno se rada vračam v Barcelono, ki sem jo prvič obiskala pred 20 leti, ko se mi še sanjalo ni, da bom pristala v kongresni industriji. In tam, natančneje v parku Guell, me je tudi ošvrknila (slovenska) Amorjeva puščica ... Občutek domačnosti pa je povezan s tem, da sem od prvega stika s tem mestom začutila kemijo, ki še traja, čeprav ne morem trditi, da ga odlično poznam. Fascinira me neverjeten razvoj Barcelone kot turistične destinacije, kar vključuje tudi njen preboj med vodilna kongresna mesta v svetovnem merilu. Če pa se ozrem bolj proti severu, je Berlin mesto z močno življensko in razvojno energijo, kar se odraža tudi v njegovem kongresnem produktu. Kot pravi njihov slogan, tam res močneje začutiš utrip svojega srca ... tatjana.radovic@visitljubljana.si

Težko bi zpostavila le eno osebo, saj jih je kar nekaj, ki so vplivale na to, da je moja začetna afiniteta do industrije srečanj prerastla v, kot pravite, strast. V Sloveniji – Maša Martinčič in Srečo Peterlič, ki sta bila dolgoletna stebra kongresne dejavnosti v Cankarjevem domu. V evropskem okolju pa vrsta izjemnih kolegov, ki so mi bili vzor in so širokosrčno delili svoje znanje z mlajšimi, kar počno še danes. Tuula Lindberg, donedavna direktorica Finskega kongresnega urada, Airy Garrigosa, direktorica Kongresnega urada Barcelone, Anne Wallin Roedven z isto funkcijo v Oslu in Christian Mutschlechner, ki vodi dunajski kongresni urad, izstopajo med njimi. In legendarni, pokojni Geoffrey Smith, ki je bil na začetku moja nevidna “dobra vila”. Danes pa me veseli spremljat profesionalni razvoj mlajših kolegov, ki predstavljajo novo “kongresno generacijo” v Sloveniji (ja, zaradi njih sem šla na Facebook ...), dragocena pa je tudi moja mreža kolegov v tujini, med katerimi je nekaj pravih prijateljev, čeprav na daljavo.

Tatjana Radovič, Congress Manager, Ljubljana Tourist Board/Convention Bureau

Who are the Names behind the Successful Meetings in the Region?

atjana Radovič is devoted body and soul to the travel industry. Directly involved in the international travel industry, she enjoys a great reputation and her endeavours were noticed and rewarded with the prestigious IMEX Academy Award for excellence. Tatjana Radovič is a legend of the Slovenian meetings industry, a mentor to numerous successful individuals following in her footsteps and a role model.

What is taking up the most of your time? At present I am not fully absorbed by a specific, major project. This is a period characterised by planning and carrying out the first marketing activities abroad and, in this regard, my thoughts are already centred on April and May. Other steady tasks on the home front run alongside – primarily related to helping attract congresses and meetings to my destination by supporting bids and working jointly with partners on “hot” business leads. Congresses that will take place in Ljubljana in the coming months will also receive our attention and support. This is also a time marked by the creation of new synergies aimed at increasing promotional and marketing activities in the next few months. The set target is to raise the conference & incentive profile of both Ljubljana and Slovenia on our important source markets. Bottom line, I see new possibilities and challenges in every day and endeavour, doing my best in the job entrusted to me.

What is your passion in life? Can this simply be my passion for life? Many things are woven into it: the love and understanding of those closest to me, the always stunning beauty of nature, where I like keeping myself active, quality time with friends, a tinge of hedonism, arts, travel, the alchemy of cooking. The ability to remain open to small experiences that can touch your heart or to offer such moments to others. Some who know me well would add my care for people or my wish to be helpful. If we are judging from my childhood photos, two answers on passion are obvious: bicycles and dogs…

Who was the biggest influence on your career? It would be hard to pinpoint just one person, as there are several who were of influence in developing my initial affinity for the meetings industry into, as you put it, a lasting passion. In Slovenia - Maša Martinčič and Srečo Peterlič, who were the pillars of the Cankarjev dom congress department for years. In the European space, there are a number of extraordinary professionals and colleagues, who were my role models and always generously shared their knowledge with “greenhorns”, as they still do today. So, thank you - Tuula Lindberg, Airy Garrigosa, Anne Wallin Roedven and Christian Mutschlechner (the first, until recently, the director of the Finland Convention Bureau, and the directors of the Barcelona, Oslo and Vienna Convention Bureaus, respectively). I will never forget the legendary, late Geoffrey Smith, who was my invisible “good fairy” when I was new to this business. Today, I am happy to witness the professional development of younger colleagues, who

represent our new “congress generation” (yes, I had no choice but to join Facebook because of them.) and I also value my network of colleagues abroad, among whom some have become real friends.

Which international congress project would you immediately support and facilitate? On the international scale: the harmonisation of congress statistics, which would allow the measurement of the real economic impact of the meetings industry. A step already taken in this direction is the approved extension for conferences and exhibitions within the Tourism Satellite Accounts, which is in the initial stage of implementation. A more local-patriotic response is Conventa, the first Meetings and Incentive Travel show for southeast Europe. I firmly believe that this business event, which we (Ljubljana Tourism) supported as a partner of the main organiser − the Slovenian Convention Bureau, has a big potential to position the meetings industry offerings of this region on the European client market more firmly.

What would you change in your own town? Most often, when I return from a trip abroad, I feel really happy to be living in Ljubljana and Slovenia. Sometimes I even sneak into the Old Town for a short stroll, to re-bond with my city, before heading home (now I’ll get scolded…). This tells you how I relate to Ljubljana on a personal level. During the mandate of the current Mayor, many things are moving into a positive direction and the planned projects are supported by clear a long-term vision. However, if I had a magic stick, I would first decrease the traffic. As a resident of the city centre and a cyclist, I notice the pressure of vehicles on Ljubljana growing daily.

What is a foreign meetings destination where you feel at home? I always love returning to Barcelona, which I first visited 20 years ago, when I had no clue of my future in the meetings industry. There’s also a special memory there - it’s where a (Slovenian) Amor’s arrow grazed me while I was admiring Parc Güell… The sense of homeliness relates to an immediate and still-lasting chemistry I felt with this city, which I can’t claim knowing that well however. I am fascinated by the incredible transformation and development that Barcelona has made as a tourist destination, including its position among the leading world congress cities. Looking more northbound, then Berlin certainly a metropolis with a strong urban vitality and development potential, which is also reflected in its excellent meetings industry product. The tangible energy of this city is well described by the slogan reading: “Berlin makes your heart beat faster”. tatjana.radovic@visitljubljana.si

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Miha Kovačič, direktor Zavoda-Kongresnoturistični urad

Kdo stoji za uspešnimi kongresnimi zgodbami v regiji? 62

iha Kovačič slovi kot visoko strokoven in motiviran, zavzet, pozitivno naravnan, srčen in konstruktiven sodelavec. Pod njegovim vodstvom je Kongresni urad postal pomembna povezovalna in učinkovita tržna in promocijska institucija slovenskega kongresnega turizma, ki v tem trenutku povezuje preko 60 najpomembnejših slovenskih kongresnih ponudnikov. Mi smo ga prosili za nekaj odgovorov, tokrat tudi nekoliko bolj osebnih.

Kaj vas trenutno najbolj zaposluje? Na podhranjenem Kongresnem uradu Slovenije s tako obsežnim programom in še širšimi ambicijami se najbolj zaposlujemo tako kot večina kolegov iz naše industrije – s finančno in gospodarsko krizo, ki se bo vsak čas prelevila v recesijo. In to ne samo na področju Slovenije, ampak Evrope in tudi sveta. Vsi, ki delamo v tej industriji, si želimo, da to obdobje čim prej mine. Vsi iščemo pozitivne strani tega temačnega obdobja. Zmagovalci bodo tisti, ki se bodo sposobni novi situaciji najhitreje prilagoditi.

Vaša velika strast poleg kongresnega turizma? Turizem je že v moji krvi, saj sem že tretja generacija v moji družini, ki se ukvarja s turizmom in prva v kongresnem turizmu. Navdušil

Miha Kovačič se je rodil leta 1971 v Ljubljani. Po končani

me je že pred trinajstimi leti in še ni popustilo. Da pa lahko to čudovito in obenem naporno službo opravljam s polno motivacije, se v prostem času ukvarjam s športom. Tek me še posebej navdušuje in ga povezujem s plavanjem in kolesarjenjem. Moja želja je v nekaj letih sodelovati na triatlonu Ironman.

Katera oseba v kongresnem turizmu je najbolj vplivala na vašo kariero? Zame je kongresni turizem zelo prepleten z mednarodnim okoljem. Odličen pokazatelj za to so globalne kongresne borze, kjer se predstavlja preko 150 držav in vsako leto spoznamo kakšno novo. Oseba, ki je najbolj vplivala na mojo vključitev v mednarodno kongresno okolje in s tem tudi na mojo kariero, je nedvomno Tony Carey iz Velike Britanije. Spoznala sva se na izobraževanju v Ženevi pred dvanajstimi leti. Preko kongresnega združenja MPI me je spoznal z mednarodnim kongresnim tržiščem in produktom.

Kateri mednarodni kongresni projekt bi nemudoma podprli in pospešili? Glede na to, da delam v Kongresnem uradu Slovenije in da je moja glavna skrb promocija in trženje Slovenije kot kongresne destinacije, bi podprl projekt, ki bi dvignil prepoznavnost naše dežele na mednarodnem kongresnem tržišču in obenem povezal vse slovenske akterje na tem področju. S tem bi dosegli dvojni ali celo trojni učinek. To je EMEC, European Meetings and Events Conference, ki jo organizira mednarodno združenje MPI. Konference se udeležijo kupci in ponudniki storitev iz celega sveta, večinoma iz Evrope. Obenem pa dogodek zahteva, da se v pripravo in izvedbo aktivno vključijo številni domači akterji, vključno mesta, regije in država.

Srednji ekonomski šoli v Radovljici ga je pot vodila na polletno izobraževanje v muenchenski hotel Forum. Študij je nadaljeval na Fachhochschule Muenchen, smer ekonomija s poudarkom na turizmu, kjer je leta 1995 pridobil naziv »dipl. Betriebswirt (FH)«, kasneje pa opravil še nostrifikacijo na UP – Turistici (pridobitev naziva dipl. ing. org. tur.). Po vrnitvi v Slovenijo leta 1995 se je zaposlil na Kompasu na kongresnem oddelku, zadnji dve leti kot vodja oddelka. Pot ga je še enkrat vodila v tujino, na podiplomski študij Master in Business Administration (MBA) na Aktiva IIBS in University of Kansas, ZDA, kjer je leta 2000 magistriral in pridobil naziv. V Sloveniji ga je že čakalo mesto vodje kongresnega oddelka v ljubljanskem Grand hotelu Union, leta 2005 pa je sprejel štiriletni mandat direktorja Zavoda – Kongresnoturistični urad, ki ga uspešno opravlja še

Kaj bi spremenili v svojem mestu? Glede na to, da je moje mesto Slovenija, bi bil mogoče seznam malce daljši, ali pa tudi ne, saj se večina stvari navezuje na vse kraje. Kot najpomembnejše bi najprej definiral, kaj pomeni kongresni gost oz. kongres v kraju samem in to skomuniciral z vsemi turističnimi in političnimi akterji v kraju. Če bi našli skupni interes v tem produktu, bi se promocije kraja in pridobivanja dogodkov lotil na profesionalen način. Vključil bi se v vsa relevantna združenja in kreativno ter proaktivno nastopil na domačem in mednarodnem tržišču.

Tuja kongresna destinacija, v kateri se počutite kot doma? Živel sem v kar nekaj tujih državah. Zelo rad grem v tujino, saj vsako poslovno pot razumem kot novo izkušnjo. V svoji profesionalni karieri sem obiskal številne kongresne destinacije, toda kraja, v katerem bi se počutil kot doma, še nisem odkril. Mogoče tudi zato, ker imam Slovenijo tako neizmerno rad in menim, da ji ni para. miha.kovacic@slovenia-convention.com

danes.

Miha Kovačič, Director of Slovenian Convention Bureau

Who are the Names behind the Successful Meetings in the Region?

iha Kovačič is known as a highly professional and motivated, zealous, positive, hearty and constructive colleague. Under his management, the Slovenian Convention Bureau became an important connecting point and an efficient marketing and promotional institution of the Slovenian meetings industry, which currently unites over 60 of the most important Slovenian providers of congress services. We asked him to provide some answers, also including some more personal ones this time.

What is taking up the most of your time? At the undernourished Convention Bureau, with its extensive programme and even larger ambitions, we are mostly dealing with the same matters as the majority of our colleagues – the financial and economic crisis that is soon to become a recession. And I do not just mean in Slovenia, but all over Europe and the world. All of us working in this industry, both providers and buyers, would like to see this time pass as quickly as possible. We are all searching for positive sides to this dark era. Those who will be able to adapt to the new situation the fastest will be the winners.

What is your passion in life? Tourism is in my blood, as I am already the third generation in my family dealing with tourism and the first operating in the meetings industry. It grabbed me thirteen years ago and it has still not subsided. For me to keep the motivation to do this wonderful yet straining job, I do sports in my free time. I am especially fond of running and I combine that with swimming and cycling. My wish is to compete in the Ironman triathlon in a few years.

Who was the biggest influence on your career? For me, the meetings industry is closely intertwined with the international environment. The global meetings exchanges are an excellent indicator, showcasing over 150 countries and with new ones joining every year. The person who most influenced my inclusion in the international meetings environment, and thus also my career, is undoubtedly Tony Carey from Great Britain. We met at an education seminar in Geneva twelve years ago. He introduced me to the international meetings market and its product through the MPI association.

Which international congress project would you immediately support and facilitate? In the light of me working in the Slovenian Convention Bureau where my main task is the promotion and marketing of Slovenia as a meetings destination, I would support a project that would increase the recognition of our country in the international

meetings market while, at the same time, connect all Slovenian players in this field. This would generate a double or even a triple effect. The European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) organised by MPI is this sort of event. The conference is attended by buyers and service providers from all over the world, with an emphasis on Europe. At the same time, this event requires active participation from numerous domestic players – including towns, regions and the state – in its preparation and implementation.

What would you change in your own town? Since my town is Slovenia, the list might be a bit longer – or not, as the majority of things relate to all towns. My first priority would be to define what a congress guest or a congress in a town means and to communicate all that to all the tourism and political players in the town. If we found a common interest in this product, the professional promotion of the town and the acquisition of events would follow. I would join in all the relevant associations and make a creative and proactive appearance on the domestic and international market.

What is a foreign meetings destination where you feel at home? I have lived in several countries. I love to go abroad, as I see each business trip as a new experience. I visited numerous meetings destinations throughout my career but I have still not found a place where I would feel at home. Maybe this is because I love Slovenia so much and I believe that it has no equal. miha.kovacic@slovenia-convention.com

Miha Kovačič was born in 1971 in Ljubljana. After finishing the Secondary School, his path led him to six months of training with the Munich Forum Hotel. He continued his study of economy at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, focusing on tourism, where he obtained his degree in business administration in 1995. Upon returning to Slovenia in 1995, he found a job at Kompas, as head of the department for the last two years. He moved abroad again, this time to do an MBA at Aktiva IIBS and the University of Kansas, where he completed his master study in 2000, being awarded the title of Master in Business Administration. The position of head of the congress department at the Ljubljana-based Grand Hotel Union awaited him when he returned and, in 2005, he accepted a four-year director term with the Slovenian Convention Bureau, which he still successfully holds today.

Come and take a closer look: Pivka Landscape.

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Feel the presence of nature. Taste the harmony of diversity.

SLOVENIA FORYOU

Kongresna osebnost – Azra Botonjić, Zavod – Kongresnoturistični urad

Saj bo šlo ... in je šlo! začela. Izkušnje v turizmu sem med drugim nabirala tudi v podjetjih za svetovanje Hosting in HMS-International iz Zagreba ter v Austria Trend hotelu v Ljubljani.

Kaj vas v življenju in pri vašem delu najbolj navdušuje? Osebno me najbolj navdušuje življenje samo, čas, ki ga preživimo z ljudmi, ki nam veliko pomenijo ter sposobnost uživati v posameznih trenutkih vsakdana. V poslovnem okolju ravnam enako, saj menim, da je delo v krogu tima, ki je pozitiven, visoko motiviran, ki ga žene enak cilj in vztrajno verjame v uspeh do konca, nekaj, kar nas izpopolnjuje in osrečuje.

Kakšno prihodnost napovedujete kongresni industriji?

Azra Botonjič je diplomirana organizatorka turizma, ki je svoje izkušnje v turizmu nabirala že v času študija kot predstavnica Crystal Holidays-a iz Velike Britanije, v agenciji Globtour in drugih turističnih podjetjih. Svojo prvo redno zaposlitev je dobila kot vodja projektov na oddelku za razvoj v podjetju za svetovanje Hosting. Poslovno pot je nadaljevala v Zagrebu, kjer je tri leta sodelovala pri turističnih projektih špansko-

Glede na finančno in gospodarsko krizo, s katero se srečujemo v globalnem okolju, sem še vedno mnenja, da kongresna industrija ne bo izgubila na svojem pomenu. Nastalo situacijo moramo vzeti kot izziv. Obdržal se bo tisti, ki se bo znal pravočasno prilagoditi novim zahtevam. Slovenija mora izkoristiti bližino ključnih trgov. Osebna srečanja bodo ostala še vedno ključna oblika izmenjave novih idej, mreženja in vzdrževanja odnosov med posameznimi strokovnjaki.

Vaše najljubše kongresne lokacije v regiji? Glede na svoje delo, saj kot Kongresni urad zastopamo celotno Slovenijo, menim, da je vsaka »kongresna & incentive« regija v Sloveniji nekaj posebnega in glede na svoje kapacitetne zmožnosti primerna za različne vrste dogodkov.

hrvaškega podjetja HMS-International. Po vrnitvi v Slovenijo in nekaj mesečnem delu v Austria Trend Hotelu Ljubljana je našla izziv v kongresni dejavnosti in Kongresnem uradu.

Kaj bi v karieri naredili drugače? Če sem iskrena, ne bi spremenila ničesar. Vsaka izkušnja je na svoj način pripomogla k spoznavanju turistične dejavnosti kot celote in mi je bila samo dodatna motivacija in potrditev, da sem izbrala pravo smer.

Kako ste se znašli v kongresni industriji? Prvič pred enajstimi leti, kot študentka Turistice, ob opravljanju prakse na Kompasu. Ravno takrat je potekal 8. mednarodni kongres otroške nevrologije v Cankarjevem domu, katerega uradni DMC je bil Kompas. Spomnim se, da me je tedanji in po naključju tudi današnji »šef« poslal na letališče po skupino udeležencev kongresa z besedami – “saj bo šlo” ... in je šlo. Že v prvem letniku sem vedela, da bom diplomo pisala na to temo. Posamezniki, ki so mi takrat pomagali in mi med študijem približali kongresno dejavnost, so še danes eni ključnih akterjev kongresne dejavnosti v Slovenji (Miha Kovačič, Srečo Peterlič, Tatjana Radovič) in na moje veliko veselje tudi sodelavci, s katerimi skupaj izvajamo projekte in aktivnosti Kongresnega urada Slovenije. Sem del enkratne ekipe, ki verjame v prihodnost slovenskega kongresnega turizma, je priznana tudi v mednarodnem okolju in zato sem srečna, da sem po naključju pristala tam, kjer sem

Kaj vas profesionalno najbolj moti in jezi? Neurejeno vodenje statistike o številu udeležencev kongresov Sloveniji, javnost, ki je premalo osveščena o pozitivnih učinkih kongresne dejavnosti na celotno gospodarstvo in pomanjkanje finančnih sredstev za uresničevanje trženjskih projektov, ki bi Slovenijo uvrstili med ključne manjše Meetings & Incentive destinacije na evropskem tržišču.

Kakšni so vaši načrti za prihodnost? Vsekakor si tudi v prihodnje želim biti del ekipe posameznikov, ki so kreatorji, gonilci slovenske kongresne industrije ter imeti možnost nadaljnjega izpopolnjevanja znanja doma in v tujini.

Congress Personality – Azra Botonjić, Slovenian Convention Bureau

You Can Do It … And I Did!

Azra Botonjič is a Bachelor of Tourism Management who obtained her experiences in tourism during her study years as a representative of the Crystal Holidays Hotel from Great Britain, at the Globtour tourist agency and in other tourist companies. Her first full-time job was that of a project manager in the developmental department of the consulting company Hosting. Her career led her to Zagreb, where she worked on the tourist projects of the Spanish

In your opinion, what does the future hold for the MICE industry? In the light of the financial and economic crisis facing us on a global level, I still believe that the MICE industry will not become any less important. The current situation needs to be regarded as a challenge. Only those that know how to adapt to the new requirements on time will survive. Slovenia needs to take advantage of the proximity of key markets. Personal meetings will remain the key form of exchanging ideas, networking and maintaining relations between individual experts.

and Croatian company HMS-International for three years. Upon returning to Slovenia and working at the Austria Trend Hotel Ljubljana for a few months, she found a new challenge in the convention activity of the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

How did you find yourself in the MICE industry? It all began 11 years ago when I was doing my internship as a Turistica student at Kompas. This was the time of the 8th International Child Neurology Congress in Cankarjev dom and Kompas was the official DMC. I remember that my boss at the time, and also my boss today as chance would have it, sent me to the airport to pick up a group of congress participants saying: “It’ll be OK…” And it was OK. In my first year of study, I already knew that this would be my diploma thesis. The people that helped me at the time and that brought the meetings industry closer to me are still among key players of Slovenia's meetings industry (Kovačič, Peterlič, Radovič) and, to my great joy, also my colleagues with who we implement the projects and activities of the Slovenian Convention Bureau. I am a part of a wonderful team that believes in the future of Slovenian convention tourism and which is also recognised internationally – and I am happy that chance has brought me back to where I started. I also acquired my experiences in tourism in consulting companies, such as Hosting and HMS-International from Zagreb and at the Austria Trend Hotel in Ljubljana.

What are your favourite congress venues in the region? In light of my work and as the Convention Bureau represents all the Slovenian venues, I believe that each congress and incentive region in Slovenia is something special and, in terms of its capacities, appropriate for different types of events.

What would you do differently in your career? To be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. Each experience has contributed in its own way to getting to know tourism as a whole and was yet more motivation and confirmation that I have chosen the right path.

In your professional life, what is it that bothers and angers you the most? The unregulated statistics on the number of congress participants in Slovenia, a public that is not sufficiently aware of the positive effects of the MICE industry on the economy as a whole, the lack of financial resources to implement marketing projects that would position Slovenia among the key smaller mice and incentive destinations on the European market.

What are your plans for the future? I definitely wish to remain part of a team of individuals that are creators and the driving force of the Slovenian MICE industry – and who have the opportunity to perfect their knowledge both at home and abroad.

What do you have the most enthusiasm for in life and in your career? On a personal level, it is life itself that fills me with enthusiasm – the time spent with people we love and the ability to enjoy every single moment of every day. I do the same in my work, as I believe that working in a positive and highly motivated team driven by the same goal and which persistently believes in success to the very end is something that fulfils us and makes us happy.

Intervju: Herry Van Reenen, Parthen

»Zeleni kongresi« – marketinški trik ali dejanska skrb za okolje?

vedno hujši poplavi informacij in vedno večjih pritiskih javnih ustanov in širše javnosti o skrbi za okolje se tudi kongresna industrija intenzivneje sooča z vprašanjem, kako koncept skrbi za okolje prenesti v kongresno dejavnost. Podjetje Parthen z Nizozemske že več kot pet let ponuja rešitve, ki postavljajo nova merila v okolju prijaznih pristopih k organizaciji kongresov. Z direktorjem prodaje Herryjem van Reenenom smo se pogovarjali v trenutku, ko podjetje intenzivno vstopa na trg Jugovzhodne Evrope. Parthen je podjetje, ki je na trg kongresne dejavnosti vstopilo že pred dvajsetimi leti. Kakšen je bil vaš razvoj? Parthen je bil, kot ste že omenili, ustanovljen leta 1989, torej točno pred dvajsetimi leti in od takrat ponujamo svojim strankam celotivo podporo z materiali, ki spremljajo vsak kongres. Od poimenskih priponk, trakcev za priponke, kongresnih torb, pisal, blokov, do daril za udeležence. S časom se je podjetje razvijalo in potrebe trga so narekovale spremembe in preoblikovanje. Oblikovali smo skupino Parthen, ki združuje tri podjetja: Meeting Essentials (priponke, kongresne torbe ...), Registration & Staffing (izvedbe registracij in podporo) in IMpact (registracijski program Eventure). Z rešitvami, ki so se oblikovale skozi leta, podpiramo kongrese, ki jih organizirajo zdrženja, podjetja ali PCO agencije, pri čemer smo usmerjeni predvsem na evropski trg. Kar pomeni, da so naše stranke v tem trenutku večinoma stacionirane v Evropi, medtem ko se kongresi izvajajo tudi v Ameriki in Avstraliji.

V liniji produktov, ki jo ponujate, imajo vedno večji delež proizvodi, ki so naravi prijazni. Kako se je ideja zelenih produktov razvila? Pred približno dvajsetimi leti je neko italijansko podjetje na tržišče poslalo kemični svinčnik, ki je bil narejen iz koruznih vlaken. Izdelek je bil dražji od plastičnih in odziv tržišča je bil slab. Trg preprosto ni bil pripravljen na izdelek. Približno petnajst let kasneje je Parthen predstavil svojo prvo »zeleno« linijo in odziv tržišča je bil izjemno pozitiven. Skrivnost je v tem, da smo pravilno ocenili stanje na tržišču in postavili nov trend.

In kakšen je bil odziv trga? Najprej je šlo zelo počasi. Starim in novim strankam smo izdelke predstavili in jim podrobneje pojasnili postopke priprave in vplive, ki jih imajo oziroma nimajo naši izdelki na okolje. Prvi odziv je bil, da so posamezni naročniki začeli izkoriščati naziv »green meeting« kot marketinško orodje. Mislim, da večina organizatorjev dogodkov to počne še danes. Kar seveda ni niti malo sporno, nasprotno, s tovrstnim pristopom se zvišuje splošna zavest o varovanju okolja. Problem nastopi, ko naročnik zahteva, da je celoten dogodek

»zelen«, kar pa je praktično nerealno. Na kongres se bodo ljudje še vedno pripeljali z letali in avtomobili, kar ni ravno okolju prijazno. Na srečo se tega danes zaveda vse več organizatorjev in razvija se tisti pravi, realen pristop do varovanja okolja. Vsak naredi, kar je v njegovi moči.

Vendar pa izkušnje potrošnikov kažejo, da ni vedno vse tako »zeleno«, kot nam zatrjujejo proizvajalci in trgovci. Večina proizvaja izdelke na Kitajskem in jih potem prepelje v Evropo, s čimer nedvomno obremenjujejo okolje. Da o pogojih dela in načinih proizvodnje na Kitajskem, ki, kot vemo, ni ravno okolju prijazna država, sploh ne govorimo. Kako se vi spopadate s temi težavami? Da, problemi nedvomno obstajajo in s tem se stalno soočamo tudi sami. Kar se le da, proizvedemo v Evropi, s čimer se skušamo izogniti tudi okoljsko problematičnim prevozom. Vendar pa v Evropi pač ne gojimo na primer bombaža in zato se tudi mi poslužujemo kitajske proizvodnje. Pri čemer pa aktivno posegamo v sam delovni proces in izvajamo stalni nadzor nad proizvodnjo. Dejstvo je, da se tudi na Kitajskem pogoji dela iz leta v leto izboljšujejo. Ljudje ne delajo več po sedem dni na teden in pripada jim dopust. Na tovrstne spremembe so veliko vplivale prav zahteve naročnikov, seveda tistih, katerim je družbena odgovrnost prav tako pomembna kot varstvo okolja. Prepričani smo namreč, da nismo naredili veliko dobrega za ta planet, če prodajamo izdelke, ki so sicer okolju prijazni, naredili pa so jih v nemogočih delovnih razmerah. Pri tem bi še rad poudaril, da gre tudi pri sami interperetaciji, kaj je »zeleno«, velikokrat za zmotno prepričanje. Na primer pri proizvodnji bombaža se velikorat uporablja naziv »organski

bombaž«, kar pomeni, da pri pridelavi niso bili uporabljeni pesticidi. Ne pove pa nič o tem, koliko ogljikovega dioksida je nastalo pri njegovi predelavi. Pomembno je namreč, da pri celotnem procesu proizvodnje (od pridobitve surovin do končnega izdelka) skušamo v vseh korakih zmanjševati obremenjevanje okolja (od porabe vode in drugih snovi do izpustov ogljikovega dioksida). Proizvodi v naši »zeleni« liniji imajo vsi certifikate o okoljski ustreznosti.

Kaj vse lahko torej najdemo v vaši tako imenovani »zeleni liniji« in iz kakšnih materialov so izdelki? Glede na to, da so naš glavni prodajni artikel priponke za kongrese, smo seveda posebno pozornost takoj namenili prav njihovi proizvodnji. Danes ponujamo priponke, ki so okolju in uporabi prijazne. Trenutno daleč najbolj zanimive so priponke (twin badge) iz FSC papirja (»forest sustainability paper«, kar pomeni, da je papir izdelan iz dreves, ki so bila posekana v okviru vladnih načrtov in ne nekontroliranih golosekov, kot jih poznamo iz gozdov južne Amerike), pri katerih je bila pridelava v celoti nadzorovana, poleg tega jih ni potrebno vlagati v plastične ovitke. Priponka je narejena kot dvojna nalepka na papirju, na katero z lahkoto natisnemo vse podatke o udeležencu, vključno z njegovo fotografijo in črtno kodo. Nalepko samo odlepimo in prepognemo ter tako dobimo dvostransko priponko. To seveda ne pomeni, da ni povpraševanja po plastičnih ovitkih za priponke. Ti pa so izdelani iz plastike, ki je popolnoma razgradljiva. Seveda k priponkam sodijo tudi trakci, ki so izdelani iz koruznih, bombažnih ali bambusovih vlaken. Plastični deli so prav tako izdelani iz razgradljive plastike. Iz bombaža, koruze in papirja so izdelane tudi torbe. Sledi pa še darilna linija.

V tem trenutku torej aktivneje vstopate na tržišče Jugovzhodne Evrope. Kako je prišlo do te odločitve? Ob iskanju novih tržišč smo ob vprašanju Jugovzhodne Evrope vedno znova naleteli na problem nepoznavanja in nerazumevanja tega trga. Vsako državo, vsak narod in s tem vsako tržišče oblikujejo ljudje, njihov način razmišljanja, navade, prepričanja, zgodovina in ne nazadnje tudi jezik. Ko vstopaš na novo tržišče, je izjemno pomembno, da razumeš ljudi, ki jih nagovarjaš. Ne samo njihovega jezika, ampak celotno okolje, ki jih močno opredeljuje. Problem prebivalcev iz zahodne Evrope je, da jim je mentaliteta tržišča Jugovzhodne Evrope marsikdaj tuja in velikorat nerazumljiva. Zato smo se tega tržišča dolgo zavestno izogibali. Pred časom pa se je na nas obrnilo podjetje GoMice iz Ljubljane, ker so našli naše »zelene« priponke na borzi EIBTM v Barceloni, z idejo, da prevzamejo trženje naših proizvodov prav na trgu Jugovzhodne Evrope. Za nas je bila to natanko tista rešitev, ki smo jo potrebovali. Glede na to, da se je hitro izkazalo, da so prepričanja našega podjetja kompatibilna z razmišljanji ljudi iz GoMice, smo se z lahkoto odločili. Seveda je izjemno pomembno dejstvo, da je GoMice aktiven prav na tem tržišču, saj so aktivno udeleženi v organizaciji Convente, poslovnega srečanja kongresnih ponudnikov iz Jugovzhodne Evrope in širšega povpraševanja, izdajajo revijo Kongres, katalog ponudnikov iz Jugovzhodne Evrope in so udeleženi tudi v drugih akcijah na tem trgu. Poleg tega prihajajo iz Slovenije, ki je bila nekoč del Jugoslavije, kar pomeni, da tržišče razumejo in govorijo tamkajšnje jezike. Hitro so se začela prva naročila in prepričani smo, da bo sodelovanje v prihodnje zelo uspešno. Sedaj lahko vsi, ki jih ponudba Parthena zanima, naše izdelke naročijo tudi prek spletnega naslova www.

go-mice.eu in jih tudi prevzamejo v Ljubljani oziroma mu jih z nižjimi poštnimi stroški pošljejo na ustrezen naslov.

Gospodarska kriza je trenutno verjetno najbolj aktualna beseda. Dnevno nas zasipajo pesimistične informacije in črnoglede napovedi, posledice pa vedno bolj čutimo tudi na lastni koži. Odpovedi napovedanih dogodkov se vrstijo, podjetja zmanjšujejo število udeležencev in še bi lahko naštevali. Kako se s to krizo spopadate v Parthenu? Vem, da se sliši nekoliko idealistično ali celo populistično, ampak dejansko verjamemo, da nas kriza lahko stimulira. Trenutna stimulacija nas sili v to, da smo bolj aktivni, načrte, ki smo si jih postavili za leto 2011, skušamo realizirati že v letu 2009. Podobno razmišlja tudi nizozemska vlada in mislim, da je to prava pot iz krize. Investicije, ki so jih načrtovali recimo leta 2011 ali celo 2012, bodo izpeljali letos ali prihodnje leto. Samo s pospešenimi investicijami od infrastrukture dalje bodo zagotavljali zaposlenost delavcev ter hkrati povečevali konkurenčnost gospodarstva. Verjamemo, da nas bo to dvoje hitreje potegnilo iz kriznih trenutkov. Podobno lahko razmišljajo tudi podjetja. Kdor v naši ekipi zazna upad aktivnosti in mu to zagotovi nekaj nepričakovanega časa, tega uporabi za iskanje novih idej. Tudi zato se zdi vstop na tržišče Jugovzhodne Evrope v tem trenutko še toliko bolj pravilen. Prav zaradi tega so naše napovedi optimistične. V tem trenutku seveda zaznavamo nekoliko zmanjšano povpraševanje, vendar pa z vsem, kar počnemo, in z dejstvom, da v več kot devetdesetih odstotkih soedelujemo z združenji, ki niso toliko na udaru krize, kot so podjetja, računamo, da bomo po rezultatih leto 2009 zaključili pri enakih številkah kot smo leto 2008.

In še za konec. Nam lahko zaupate kakšen učinkovit namig, kako tudi v teh časih pospeševati svojo uspešnost? Mislim, da je ključno, da smo bolj inovativni, iščemo nove ideje, nove priložnosti, na novo iščemo odgovore na vprašanja, za katere smo mislili, da jih že poznamo. Mi smo se na primer odločili, da bomo v letu 2009 izdatneje potovali. Večina podjetij je namreč zmanjšala stroške za poslovna potovanja. Ljudje se manj srečujejo, manj izobražujejo in težje prihajajo v stik s spodbudami, ki bi vzpodbudile kreativno razmišljanje, kar bi vodilo v nove rešitve in s tem v večjo uspešnost. Zato gremo mi k ljudem, se z njimi pogovarjamo in skupaj iščemo ideje, ki bodo prinesle napredek in večjo uspešnost. Mogoče bomo na ta način prebili led in predvsem strah ter krč, v katerem se je marsikdo znašel. Jana Apih GoMice d.o.o. jana.apih@go-mice.eu

Interview with Herry Van Reenen, Director of Sales, Parthen

“Green Congresses” – A Marketing Trick or Actual Care for the Environment?

n the increasing flood of information and the growing pressure exerted by public institutions and the wider public regarding care for the environment, the meetings industry is intensively dealing with the question on how to absorb this care for the environment. For more than five years, the Dutch Parthen has been providing solutions that set new standards in environmentally friendly approaches to organising congresses. We talked to the company’s Director of Sales, Mr. Herry van Reenen at the moment of the company’s intensive entrance onto the market of Southeast Europe. Parthen is a company that began operating in the meetings industry twenty years ago. How did you develop?

pen made of corn fibres. The product was more expensive than plastic ballpoint pens and the market's response was weak. The market was simply not ready for this kind of product. Some fifteen years later, Parthen presented its first green line and the market’s response was extremely positive. The secret was that we estimated the market situation correctly and set a new trend.

And how did the market respond? It was very slow at first. We presented the products to our old and new costumers explaining in detail how our products are made and their impact on nature or the lack thereof. The first response was that individual clients began using green meetings as a marketing tool. I think that the majority of events organisers still do the same. This is not disputable of course. On the contrary, such an approach increases the general awareness concerning the protection of the environment. The problem occurs when a client wants the entire event to be green, which is practically unfeasible. People will still come to the congress by plane and car, which is not really environmentally friendly. Luckily, most organisers are aware of that and a real and realistic approach to the protection of the environment is evolving. Everybody does what is in his or her power

Consumer experiences nevertheless show that not everything is as green as the producers and dealers claim. The majority manufacture their products in China and then transport them to Europe, which is undoubtedly a strain on the environment, not to mention the working conditions and the manufacturing processes in China, which, as we all know, is not really an environmentally friendly country. How do you deal with these problems?

The range of products that you offer includes an ever-greener range of products. How did the idea of green products evolve?

I agree. Problems do exist and we are constantly confronting them ourselves. As far as possible, we try to manufacture everything we can in Europe, thus avoiding the environmentally disputable transportation. However, Europe does not, for example, grow cotton so we need to make use of Chinese production, in which we actively control the working process and constantly monitor production. The working conditions in China are constantly improving. People no longer work seven days a week and they are entitled to holidays. Such a change is predominantly the result of demands put forward by buyers – though of course only those who see social responsibility as equally important as the protection of the environment. We are convinced that, if we sell products that are environmentally friendly but which were made under impossible working conditions, we have not done much good for this planet. I would also like to stress that the interpretation of the term “green” is often wrong. In cotton production, we often hear the term organic cotton, which means that no pesticides were used in its cultivation. It does not, however, say how much carbon dioxide was released during its processing. We need to reduce environmental strain (from the consumption of water and other substances to the release of carbon dioxide) over the entire production process (from obtaining the raw material to the final product). All the products of our green line are environmentally certified.

About twenty years ago, an Italian company launched a ballpoint

What kind of products does your green line include

As you said, Parthen was set up in 1989, exactly twenty years ago, and we have been offering our clients comprehensive support ever since with materials needed for each congress, from name badges, lanyards, congress bags, pens and writing pads to gifts for the delegates. With time, the company evolved and market needs dictated changes and transformation. We set up the Parthen Group uniting three companies: Meeting Essentials (badges, congress bags, etc.), Registration & Staffing (registrations and support) and IMpact (the Eventure registration software). Our solutions developed for years and we use them to support congresses organised by associations, corporations or PCOs – and we are directed primarily towards the European market. This means that our current customers are mostly stationed in Europe, while congresses are organised also in the United States and Australia.

and what are the products made of? Our main sales item are congress badges, so special attention was immediately paid to their production. Today, we offer environmentally and user friendly badges. Our current biggest hit are the twin badges made of FSC paper (forest sustainability paper, meaning that the paper is made of trees cut within the framework of governmental plans and not from uncontrolled deforestation as in the forests of South America) with a fully monitored manufacturing process and which do not need to be inserted in plastic wrappings. The badge is made as a double sticker on paper, onto which all information on the delegate, including his or her photo and a barcode, can be printed. The sticker is simply peeled off and folded, thus turning it into a twin badge. This does not, of course, mean that there is no demand for plastic badge wrappings. These are made of fully decomposable plastic however. The badges include also lanyards of course, which are manufactured from corn, cotton or bamboo fibres. Its plastic parts are also made of decomposable plastic. Our bags are also made from cotton, corn and paper and there is also the line of gifts.

You are currently actively entering of Southeast Europe. How did take place?

the market this decision

When searching for n e w markets, Southeast Europe always represented a problem as we did not know or understand this market. Each country, each nation and thus also each market is formed by its people, their way of thinking, their habits, beliefs, history and also language. When entering onto a new market, it is of vital importance to understand the people you are addressing. Not just their language, but the entire environment strongly defines them. The problem West Europeans have is that the mentality of Southeast Europe is often foreign and frequently incomprehensible. This is why we deliberately avoided this market for a long time. Recently, the GoMice company from Ljubljana contacted us, as they had seen our green badges at EIBTM in Barcelona and wished to market our products right there on the markets of Southeast Europe. This was exactly what we needed. As we soon saw that our beliefs were compatible with those of the people from GoMice, the decision was an easy one. It is essential, of course, that GoMice is active on this market as it actively participates in the organisation of Conventa, the meetings and incentive travel show for the region of Southeast Europe. They also publish the Kongres magazine, the catalogue of providers

from Southeast Europe, and participate in other campaigns on this market. In addition, the company comes from Slovenia, which used to be part of Yugoslavia, meaning that they understand the market and speak its languages. The first orders came quickly and we are confident of very successful future cooperation. Now, everyone who is interested in our offer can order our products online from www.go-mice.eu and accept them in Ljubljana or have them sent to their address with lower postal costs.

The economic crisis is probably the most talked about subject. Each day, we are flooded with pessimistic information and gloomy prognoses, while we increasingly feel the consequences. Cancelations of events follow one another, corporations decrease the number of participants and the list goes on. How is Parthen dealing with this crisis? I know it sounds idealistic or even populist, but we actually believe that the crisis can stimulate us. The current stimulation makes us more active. We are trying to realise plans for 2011 even now in 2009. The Dutch government has a similar view and I believe that this is the right path away from the crisis. Investments planned for 2011 or even 2012 will be realised this or the next year. Only accelerated investments, from the infrastructure onwards, will guarantee employment while also increasing the economyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

competitiveness. I believe that these two things will quickly draw us away from the moments of crisis. Companies can have a similar viewpoint. Any member of our team that sees a downturn of activity resulting in some unexpected free time, uses that time to search for new ideas. This is precisely why the entrance onto the market of Southeast Europe seems even more appropriate at this moment. This is why our predictions are positive. We are of course seeing a slight drop in demand but, with everything we do and the fact that more than 90% of our business relates to associations that are not so much affected by the crisis as corporations are, we estimate the end results for 2009 to be the same as for 2008.

One last question. Could you please give us some efficient tips on how to facilitate success as well during these times of crisis? I believe that we need to be more innovative, to search for new ideas and new opportunities and for new answers to questions to which we thought we knew the answers. For instance, our decision for 2009 was to travel more. Most companies reduced their travelling costs for business trips. People meet less, are educated less and it is increasingly difficult for them to come into contact with initiatives that stimulate creative thinking resulting in new solutions and thus greater success. This is why we go to the people, talk to them and search for ideas together that will result in progress and increased success. Maybe this will help break the ice and especially get rid of the fear and catalepsy that many are facing. Jana Apih GoMice d.o.o. jana.apih@go-mice.eu

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Kongresni centri kot gonilo razvoja

Destinacija potrebuje razvite kongresne centre

aj je bilo najprej – kongresni center ali kongresna destinacija? Kaj je potrebno, da zacveti kongresna industrija? Brez nič ni nič, zato je izgradnja infrastrukture na prvem mestu.

Cankarjev dom je še danes največji kongresni center Slovenije. Odločitev, da se je gradnja pričela, je bila politična, saj je Slovenija potrebovala osrednji prostor za predstave, družabne prireditve ter znanstvena srečanja, kongrese. V začetku osemdesetih let je tako zrasel center, prvi kongres pa je bil organiziran takoj zatem. Kot edini kongresni center v državi je imel Cankarjev dom takrat tudi prvo ekipo, ki se je začela profesionalno ukvarjati z organizacijo kongresov. To je bilo obdobje velikih mednarodnih dogodkov, s katerimi sta živela mesto in država. Zato lahko rečemo, da se je kongresna industrija v Sloveniji uveljavila prav s Cankarjevim domom in da brez njega ne bi bilo kongresne industrije v Sloveniji. Mednarodni kongresi so bili v času pomanjkanja tuje valute pomembna gospodarska panoga, saj so pomenili svež dotok deviz v državno blagajno. V kongresnih dneh so udeleženci napolnili Ljubljano – hotele, restavracije in trgovine in takrat so vsi dobro živeli. Morda je bila to značilnost obdobja konca stoletja, vendar je kolektivna zavest zagotovo doprinesla k poistovetenju posameznikov in mesta s kongresom.

Dejstvo je, da veliki kongresi na destinaciji pustijo

udeleženci praviloma priletijo. Tudi letalski prevozniki in letališča so zainteresirani za te potnike. Ko je pogodba za kongres podpisana, so tu stroški za člane odborov, ki lokacijo prihodnjega kongresa delovno obiščejo večkrat ... Večinoma skoraj vse stroške nosimo organizatorji sami. To gre v bero predkongresnih izdatkov – če posel ni realiziran, jih je treba »požreti«. Ali se zavedamo, koliko potencialnih dogovorov je potrebno skleniti, da se realizira en velik projekt? Ali lahko destinacija pričakuje, da jo bo sponzoriral kongresni center oziroma posamezen gospodarski subjekt?

Ekonomijo obsega dejavnosti omogočajo prav kongresni centri. Marketing in sodelovanje sta potrebna, prav tako pa tudi vlaganje v infrastrukturo. Ekonomijo obsega dejavnosti namreč omogočajo prav kongresni centri. Če teh ne bomo posodabljali in večali, bo Ljubljana ostala na ravni velikosti dogodkov, kot je bila pred tridesetimi leti. V svetu gredo naprej – centre večajo, starim gabaritom dodajajo moderne prizidke, gradijo se novi hoteli in ekonomija cveti. Kako pa bomo ravnali mi?

Maja Vidergar Cankarjev dom, kulturni in kongresni center maja.vidergar@cd-cc.si www.cd-cc.si

veliko denarja. Vendar privlačna destinacija in odlična infrastruktura sami po sebi nista dovolj, da bi kongresi prihajali kar sami. Potrebno je trdno delo na bazah potencialnih nosilcev kongresov, tako nacionalnih kot mednarodnih, in seveda marketing – promocija in trženje. Če bosta Slovenija in Ljubljana znani, bomo gostili več dogodkov. Zato vsi skupaj potrebujemo sredstva za marketing. Promocija in trženje sta draga. Kje dobiti denar? MOL in Zavod za turizem sta se skupaj z gospodarstvom v času današnje finančne krize aktivno vključila v iskanje rešitve in sta v začetku februarja sklicala strateški posvet. Predlagana sta bila dva konkretna modela – prvi, da bi hoteli od vsake nočitve prispevali 0,5 evra v turistično blagajno, drugi, da bi s spremembo zakona denar od igralništva (v letu 2008 kar 1,2 milijona evrov) namesto v izgradnjo infrastrukture preusmerili v marketing. Pa je res nujno govoriti samo o velikih denarjih, ko iščemo možnosti za povečanje prodaje? Dejstvo je, da veliki kongresi na destinaciji pustijo veliko denarja, saj uporabljajo infrastrukturo v najširši paleti. Zato je rešitev mogoče iskati tudi v aktivnem sodelovanju med igralci na trgu in v njihovem povezovanju. Absurdno je, da ko dobimo v mesto ugledne predstavnike združenj, torej potencialne kupce turističnih storitev, pri hotelih, ki bodo samoumevno poželi velik zaslužek (saj gostje pač morajo nekje spati), ne dobimo teh nočitev zastonj oz. se ne krijejo iz proračuna mesta. Prav tako je potrebno te goste peljati na večerjo, jim zagotoviti ogled mesta in podobno. Potem so tu še letalske vozovnice. Na mednarodne kongrese

Maja Vidergar je zaposlena kot vodja marketinških projektov v kongresno–komercialnem sektorju Cankarjevega doma, pred tem pa si je izkušnje nabirala kot vodja kongresne dejavnosti v Kompasu in bila aktivna v Svetu Kongresnega urada.

Congress Centeres as a Driving Force of Development

A Destination Needs Developed Congress Centres

hat came first – the congress centre or the congress destination? What does it take for the meetings industry to thrive? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so construction of infrastructure is a top priority. Cankarjev dom remains Slovenia's biggest congress centre. The decision to construct it was a political one since Slovenia needed a central facility for shows, social events and expert meetings and congresses. The centre was constructed in the beginning of the eighties and the first congress was organised soon after. As the only congress centre in the country, Cankarjev dom also had the first team that was professionally involved in organising conferences. This was a time of great international events living side by side with the town and the country. This is why we can say that the meetings industry in Slovenia came to life with Cankarjev dom and that without Cankarjev dom there would be no meetings industry in Slovenia. At a time of foreign currency shortage, international congresses were an important economic branch as they meant a fresh inflow of foreign currency into the public treasury. During congress days, the participants overflowed Ljubljana – its hotels, restaurants and stores – and all lived very well. Perhaps this was a characteristic of the turn of the century but the collective consciousness undoubtedly contributed to both individuals and the town identifying themselves with the congress.

It is a known fact that large congresses leave a lot of money at the destination. However, an attractive location and excellent infrastructure are not enough for congresses to just keep on coming. Hard work is needed with regard to the bases of potential congress holders, both national and international, and of course marketing and promotion. If Slovenia and Ljubljana are famous, we will host more events.

This is why we all need marketing funds. Promotion and marketing costs money. Where to get this money? The Ljubljana Municipality and the Tourist Board have joined the economy in an active search for a solution during this financial crisis and, in the beginning of February, they organised a strategic consultation. Two models were proposed – first that all hotels would contribute eur 0.50 to the tourist treasury from each overnight stay and the second was to amend the legislation and to allocate gaming money (in 2008, as much as 1.2 million euros) to marketing instead of the construction of infrastructure.

This activity’s economy of scale is enabled by the congress centres. But is it really necessary to only talk about money when searching for possibilities for increasing sales? It is a known fact that large congresses leave a lot of money at the destination, as they utilise the widest range of its infrastructure. This is why a solution might be found in active cooperation among key players on the market and their networking. It is absurd that when renowned representatives of different associations come to town – i.e. potential buyers of tourist services – hotels that will of course get a large portion of the earnings (as the guests do need to sleep somewhere) do not give us these overnight stays free of charge or that they are not covered by the town’s budget. These guests also need to be taken to dinner, sightseeing and similar. Then there are also the plane tickets. Participants usually fly to international congresses. Airliners and airports have an interest in these passengers. When the contract for a congress has been signed, there are also the costs of board members who need to visit the future location of the congress several times. Usually, all of these costs fall on the organisers. They are part of the pre-congress expenses – if no business is concluded, you just need to accept that. Are we aware how many potential deals need to be signed for one larger project to be realised? Can a destination expect that the congress centre or an individual economic subject will act as its sponsor? Marketing and cooperation are necessary, just like investments into infrastructure. The activity’s economy of extent is enabled by the congress centres. If we do not modernise and enlarge them, Ljubljana will remain at the level of the event sizes where was thirty years ago. The world is moving on – centres are getting bigger, old facilities are being expanded with modern additions , new hotels are being constructed and the economy is thriving. What will we do? Maja Vidergar Cankarjev dom Cultural & Congress Centre maja.vidergar@cd-cc.si www.cd-cc.si

Maja Vidergar works as a marketing project manager at the congress and sales department of Cankarjev dom and, before that, she gained her experience as congress manager in Kompas and through activities in the Council of the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Pregled zanimivosti in trendov po svetu

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Switzerland’s central location makes it an ideal Congress and Incentive Destination, easily accessible from anywhere. Delegates from all over the world travel in comfort on various airlines to Switzerland. If required, we can offer assistance at the airport, both on arrival and departure of your delegates. Our renowned public transport system will convey them to their destination within Switzerland.

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Moreover we can organize and devise excursions to any destination in Switzerland.

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Amsterdam 603 km Frankfurt 286 km Spain

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Marketing je v celoti namenjen tujemu trgu, cilj pa so kupci – organizatorjiGeneva kongresov z več kot 500 udeleženci; budget za aktivnosti je skupen in deluje po načelu enakovrednega deleža. Organizaciji je skupna tudi spletna stran www. swissconventioncentres.ch ter tiskana brošura, do njih pa je mogoče priti preko kongresnega urada Švice ali pa neposredno Madrid 1009 km preko posameznega člana korporacije. Govorimo o pravem Barcelona 637 km gigantu, saj lahko skupaj ponudijo 18.000 sedežev in kar 60.000 m2 površin, primernih za prireditve.

Hungary

Moreover we can organize and devise excursions to any destination in Switzerland. Mediterranean Sea

Zürich Švicarji so torej prvi, ki ne udejanjajo le interesa, temveč tudi organizacijsko-finančni vidik povezovanja v obliki združbe. Ta je Bruxelles 483 km nastala zaradi učinkovitejšega trženja in kot odgovor na različne Paris 407 km zahteve in pričakovanja kupcev, preprosto po načelu »kar manjka nam, vam zagotovo lahko ponudimo pri nas na drugi lokaciji«. Gre Bern tako da za devet atraktivnih, vendar tudi zelo raznolikih centrov, med njimi ni konkurence. Lokacijsko se centri nahajajo po vsej Švici.

Albania

veža novica iz sveta kongresne industrije, predstavljena na zadnji borzi EIBTM v decembru 2008, je zagotovo na novo ustanovljen švicarski koncern Swiss Convention Centres, ki pod krovno organizacijo združuje devet pomembnih švicarskih kongresnih destinacij: Beaulieu Convention & Exhibition Centre Lausanne, Casino Kursaal Interlaken, Amsterdam 603 km Centre International de Conférences Genève, Frankfurt 286 km Congress Center Basel, Davos Congress, KKL Luzern, Kongresshaus Zürich, Montreux Music & Convention Centre in Palazzo dei Congressi Basel Lugano.

Switzerland’s central location makes it an ideal Congress and Incentive Destination, easily accessible from anywhere. Delegates from all over the world travel in comfort on various airlines to Switzerland. If required, we can offer assistance at the air- Italy port, both on arrival and departure of your delegates. Our renowned public transport system will convey them to their destinationSpain within Switzerland.

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Barcelona 637 km

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On major routes Swiss Railways Switzerland can be quickly and operate half-hourly and hourly easily reached by plane from Maja Vidergar regular interval services, with almost any city in Europe. Six Cankarjev dom, kulturni in kongresni center to Germany airports are linked tocan countless major routes Switzerland be quickly and direct connectionsOn maja.vidergar@cd-cc.si Switzerland is at(ICE), the France hub of On major routes Swiss Railways Switzerland can be quickly and (TGV), and Italy half-hou destinations worldwide by by an operate easily reached plane from www.cd-cc.si (CISALPINO). extensive network. Europe’s major traffic routes, and operate half-hourly and hourly easily reached by plane from

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A Review of Trends and Interesting Novelties across the World

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Wien 603 km The Swiss are thus the first to implement not only the interest but also the organisational and financial aspect and partnerships. This alliance was formed for more efficient marketing and as an answer to different demands and expectations put forward by the Lucerne buyers – simply following the motto “what we lack here, we can undoubtedly offer at our other location”. These are nine attractive but also very diverse centres, so they do not compete with each other. The centres are located all over Switzerland.

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Milano/Airport Malpensa 60 km

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This alliance was formed for more efficient marketing and as an answer to various demands and expectations put forward by the buyers. Marketing focuses completely on foreign markets and its target customers are organisers of congresses with more than 500 delegates. The centres have a common activity budget operating on the principle of equal shares. They also share a website (www. swissconventioncentres.ch) and a brochure and can be reached through the Lugano Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau or directly through an individual member of the corporation. This is a true giant, as the Swiss Convention Centres combine 18,000 seats and 60,000 m2 of event space. Malpensa 60and km partnership: it There is one moreMilano/Airport advantage to this alliance guarantees the flow of information and knowledge that is of vital importance to the meetings industry.

Switzerland is at the hub of On major routes Swiss Railways Europe’s major traffic routes, and operate half-hourly and hourly with its extensive network of wellregular interval services, with maintained roads,of the remotest direct connections to Germany Switzerland is at the hub Swiss Railways On major routes Swiss Railways Switzerland be quickly and places can easily be reached France (TGV), and can ItalyEurope’s major traffic routes, and by urly and (ICE), hourly (CISALPINO). operate half-hourly and hourly easily reached by plane fromcar.

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Maja Vidergar Cankarjev dom Cultural & Congress Centre Switzerland is at maja.vidergar@cd-cc.si the hub of www.cd-cc.si Europe’s major traffic routes, and

with its extensive network of wellmaintained roads, the remotest places can easily be reached by

Kongresne lokacije – Terme Maribor

Naravno okolje za poslovna srečanja

ružba Terme Maribor d.d. je pomemben ponudnik kongresnih storitev v slovenskem merilu in največji v severovzhodni Sloveniji. Letno skupaj v hotelih Habakuk 5*, Bellevue 4* in Piramida 4* organizirajo približno 600 dogodkov in ustvarijo 8.000 nočitev iz kongresne dejavnosti. Premišljena izbira sestavin je pol uspeha. Zato veliko pozornost posvečajo poslovnemu delu srečanj, namestitvi, kulinariki in sprostitvi, kar z logistiko, dobro organizacijo in s posluhom za pričakovanja gostov povežejo v kakovostno celoto, ki zagotavlja uspeh poslovnih srečanj.

Predlog DDR – »Daily Delegate Rate«: 45 eur na osebo Cena vključuje najem dvorane, tehnično opremo (projektor, platno in ozvočenje), sadni odmor (kava, čaj, sokovi, voda, sadje), klasični odmor (kava, čaj, sokovi, voda), delovno kosilo in obisk pustolovskega parka.

Predlog DDR z vključeno nočitvijo: 145 eur na osebo Cena vključuje nočitev z zajtrkom v enoposteljni sobi, najem dvorane, tehnično opremo (projektor, platno in ozvočenje), francoski odmor (kava, čaj, sokovi, voda, rogljički), klasični odmor (kava, čaj, sokovi, voda), dve delovni kosili in obisk pustolovskega parka.

Opis incentive programa Kot začimbo vključujejo obisk pustolovskega parka – zabavne telovadnice v naravi, ki, umeščena v najlepši mariborski gozd, prinaša nova, resnična doživetja. Ekološko naravnane razvedrilne dejavnosti za zdravo preživljanje prostega časa so idealna priložnost za skupinsko razvedrilo.

Mnenje kupcev »Hvala vam za odlično hrano, dobro postrežbo in krasen ambient ter za vašo prijaznost, pomoč in pozornost. Vse je potekalo brezhibno in ko danes zbiramo prve vtise, ugotavljamo, da je bil izbor Habakuka s celotno ponudbo zadetek v polno.« – Stavbar IGM Kontaktni podatki TERME MARIBOR d.d., Heroja Šlandra 10, 2000 MARIBOR Kontaktni osebi: Tjaša Lampe, Mojca Pogorevc T: 02 30 08 266, marketing@termemb.si, www.termemb.si

Congress Locations – Terme Maribor

A Natural Environment for Business Meetings

erme Maribor d.d. is an important provider of convention services in Slovenia and the largest in the country’s northeastern part. Each year, the hotels Habakuk*****, Bellevue**** and Piramida**** organise about 600 events and generate 8,000 overnight stays resulting from meetings activity. A well thought out choice of ingredients is half the success. Considerable attention is paid to the official part of the meetings, the accommodation, gastronomy and relaxation, combining all this – with the help of logistics, good organisation and a flair for the guests expectations – into a unity of prime quality guaranteeing the success of business meetings.

Daily Delegate Rate: EUR 45/a Person The price includes the rent of the hall, technical equipment (projector, screen and public address system), a fruit break (coffee, tea, juices, water and fruit), a conventional break (coffee, tea, juices and water), a working lunch and a visit to the adventure park.

Daily Delegate Rate Including Overnight Stay: EUR 145/a Person The price includes an overnight stay in a single room with breakfast, the rent of the hall, technical equipment (projector, screen and public address system), a French break (coffee, tea, juices, water and croissants), a conventional break (coffee, tea, juices and water), two working lunches and a visit to the adventure park.

A Description of the Incentive Programme: The icing on the cake is the visit to the adventure park, a fun gym in the natural environment of Maribor’s most beautiful forest, guaranteeing new and true adventures. Ecological entertainment for a healthy leisure time is an ideal opportunity for group amusement.

Buyers’ Opinion “Thank you for the excellent food, good service and wonderful atmosphere, for your kindness, help and attention. Everything was perfect and, as we are now gathering the first feedback, we can see that the choice of Habakuk and its offer was a slam-dunk.” – Stavbar IGM Contact Information TERME MARIBOR d.d., Heroja Šlandra 10, 2000 MARIBOR Contact persons: Tjaša Lampe, Mojca Pogorevc T: 02 30 08 266, marketing@termemb.si, www.termemb.si

Kongresne lokacije – HIT Alpinea

1500 ležišč in 17 konferenčnih dvoran

otelska veriga Hit Alpinea v petih hotelih in apartmajski hiši nudi preko 1.500 ležišč, bazenski kompleks, welness storitve (savne, solarij, masaže ...), 17 konferenčnih dvoran, športno infrastrukturo ter odlično gostinsko ponudbo.

Predlog DDR – »Daily Delegate Rate«: 45 eur na osebo DDR vključuje najem dvorane, dvakrat pol litra vode ali 0,2 soka na osebo, dva odmora, samopostrežno kosilo ali večerjo, sadno osvežitev med delom, organizacijo osnovnega incentive programa.

DDR z vključeno nočitvijo: od 109 eur na osebo naprej Opis incentive programa Hokej z metlami na ledu ali rolerjih; pozimi poteka igra na ledu, poleti pa na igrišču za in-line hokej. Udeleženci se razdelijo v skupine in tekmujejo v hokeju z metlami, ki ga vodi in sodi animacijska služba. Na ledu je hkrati pet tekmovalcev ene ekipe, za katere je med igro poskrbljeno tudi z okrepčilom. Na koncu sledi podelitev diplom. Kontaktni podatki events@hitholidays-kg.si T: 00 386 4 588 44 77 F: 00 386 4 588 44 79

Congress Locations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HIT Alpinea

1,500 Beds and 17 Conference Halls

n its five hotels and the apartment house, the Hit Alpinea hotel chain provides over 1,500 beds, a swimming pool complex, wellness services (saunas, solarium, massages, etc.), 17 conference halls, sports infrastructure and an excellent culinary offer. Daily delegate rate: 45 euros a person The daily delegate rate includes the rent of the hall, half a litre of water or 0.2 litre of juice per person (twice), two breaks, selfservice lunch or dinner, fruit refreshments during work and the organisation of the basic incentive programme.

Daily delegate rate, including overnight stay: from 109 euros A Description of the Incentive Programme Hockey with brooms on ice or rollerblades. In the winter, the game is organised on ice and, in the summer, on an in-line hockey rink. The participants are divided into teams competing in broom hockey organised by the holiday representatives, who also act as referees. At any one time, there are five players from each team on the ice, who also get refreshments during the game. The game is followed by the conferring of diplomas. Contact information events@hitholidays-kg.si T: 00 386 4 588 44 77 F: 00 386 4 588 44 79

Kongresne lokacije – Grand Hotel Union

Največji kongresni hotel v slovenski prestolnici

legantni Grand Hotel Union (1905), zgrajen v slogu art nouveau, je eden od razpoznavnih znakov Ljubljane. Grand hotel Union je z 21 dvoranami in 327 sobami največji kongesni hotel v glavnem mestu Slovenije. Ponaša se s stoletno tradicijo gostovanja uspešnih prireditev in z obiskom pomembnih gostov. Hotel gosti 700 dogodkov letno. Predlog DDR – »Daily Delegate Rate«: od 70 eur na osebo naprej DDR vključuje najem prostorov, organizacijo osnovnega incentive programa ter gostinske storitve. Cena vključuje najem dvorane, tehnično opremo (projektor, platno, ozvočenje), 2 x coffee break (kava ali čaj, voda, sok, pecivo), kosilo (hladno – topli bife v restavraciji), incentive program – pripravo potice.

Predlog DDR z vključeno nočitvijo: od 165 eur na osebo naprej Cena vključuje najem dvorane, tehnično opremo (projektor, platno, ozvočenje), 2 x coffee break (kava ali čaj, voda, sok, pecivo), kosilo (hladno – topli bife v restavraciji), incentive program – pripravo potice, nočitev (vključuje bogat samopostrežni zajtrk, ddv in takso). Dodatne ugodnosti: brezplačen internetni dostop v sobah, brezplačna savna, upgrade v apartma na vsakih 25 sob/noč.

Opis incentive programa Pod vodstvom šefa kuhinje Janeza Dolšaka, ki vodi tudi slovensko kuharsko reprezentanco, se udeleženci naučijo pripraviti slovensko tradicionalno pecivo – potico. Hotel Union se ponaša z dolgoletno kulinarično tradicijo in njihov recept za potico je star toliko kot sam hotel. To tradicionalno pecivo, ki ga v času največjih praznikov najdemo v skoraj vsakem slovenskem domu, se pripravlja z

različnimi nadevi, od katerih je najbolj priljubljen gotovo orehov. Prva naloga je priprava testa in nadeva, kar traja približno uro in pol. Približno enako dolgo traja vzhajanje testa in ta čas udeleženci preživijo, kot želijo (kratek ogled mesta, obisk tržnice ali samo odmor s kavo ali koktajlom). V zadnji uri potico položijo v tradicionalen keramičen pekač in nato v predhodno ogreto pečico. Pekače za potico in recept udeleženci dobijo v spomin na opravljeno nalogo in potico lahko ponovno spečejo doma.

Mnenje kupcev »Ne obstaja veliko skupin s tako strokovnim in k strankam usmerjenim pristopom.« –Marika Copikova, ACTIS CONSULTING, Francija, 2008 »Storitve, ki jih je nudil Grand Hotel Union, so bile resnično popolne in osebje je pokazalo neverjetno mero strokovnosti – čestitam!« – Elena Marani, Evropska agencija za varnost hrane (European Food Safety Authority), Italija, 2009 Kontaktni podatki Grand hotel Union d.d., Miklošičeva 1, 1000 Ljubljana Kontaktna oseba: Nuša Šolar

Congress Locations – Grand Hotel Union

The Largest Congress Hotel in the Slovenian Capital The price includes the rent of the hall, technical equipment (projector, screen and public address system), two coffee breaks (coffee or tea, water, juice and biscuits), lunch (hot and cold buffet in the restaurant), an incentive programme – the preparation of the typical Slovenian potica (cake) – and an overnight stay (a rich self service breakfast, VAT and tax included). Additional benefits: free internet access in all rooms, free sauna, upgrade to a suite for every 25 rooms/night.

A Description of the Incentive Programme

ith its 21 halls and 327 rooms, the Grand Hotel Union is the largest congress hotel in the Slovenian capital. It prides itself on its centennial tradition of hosting successful events and the visits of important guests. The hotel hosts 700 events a year. Daily Delegate Rate: From EUR 70/a Person

The delegates learn how to make a traditional Slovenian pastry – the potica – under the management of chef Janez Dolšak, head of the Slovenian national culinary team. The elegant Grand Hotel Union (1905), one of Ljubljana’s Art Nouveau landmarks, is proud of its long-standing culinary tradition and their potica recipe is as old as the hotel itself. Under the guid¬ance of chef Janez Dolšak, who heads the Slovenian national cooks’ team, participants learn to bake this potica. This traditional cake, found in almost every home during all the major holidays, is prepared with a variety of fillings, the walnut one being among the favourites. The first task is to prepare the dough and the filling, which takes 1.5 hours. About the same time is needed for the dough to rise, during which participants have time for leisure (a short city tour, a visit to the open market or just a coffee or cocktail break). In the last hour, the cake is placed in a traditional ceramic mould and then into a preheated oven. The potica moulds and the recipe are presented to the participants in memory of their “mission accomplished,” allowing everyone to repeat the experience once back home.

The daily delegate rate includes the rent of space, the organisation of the basic incentive programme and catering. The price includes the rent of the hall, technical equipment (projector, screen and public address system), two coffee breaks (coffee or tea, water, juice and biscuits), lunch (hot and cold buffet in the restaurant) and an incentive programme – the preparation of the typical Slovenian potica (cake).

Buyers’ Opinion

Daily Delegate Rate Including Overnight Stay: From EUR 165/a Person

Contact information Grand hotel Union d.d., Miklošičeva 1, 1000 Ljubljana Contact person: Nuša Šolar

There are not so many teams providing such a professional approach with a customer orientation. – Marika Copikova, ACTIS CONSULTING, France, 2008 The services offered by the Grand Hotel Union were indeed perfect and the staff showed a great professionalism: congratulations! – Elena Marani, European Food Safety Authority, Italy, 2009

Primeri dobre prakse

Vrhunski osrednji dogodek Convente Naslov dogodka: Sprejem udeležencev Convente 2009 Naročnik: Gospodarsko razstavišče Izvajalec: Agencija Promo d.o.o.

štiri regije; severni, osrednji, mediteranski in jugovzhodni del. Vsak del oz. regijo smo intenzivno osvetlili z značilno barvo, modro, zeleno, rumeno, rdečo – in ga tudi virtualno pregradili s šestimi velikimi zasloni, na katere smo predvajali video posnetke in direktne prenose s posameznih prizorišč dogodka.

Na letošnji poslovni borzi Conventa je bila Agencija Promo izbrana kot uradna agencija borze. V agenciji smo pripravili osrednji večerni dogodek za vse udeležence na Ljubljanskem gradu. Dogodek je bil zasnovan kot vizualno, glasbeno in kulinarično prepletanje regij Evrope s poudarkom na Jugovzhodni Evropi. Ta je bila tudi nosilna tema letošnje Convente. Grajske prostore smo tako vizualno razdelili na

Prireditev je vodila iskriva Blažka Mueller, ki je fantastično povezala uvodni, formalni del s kulinaričnim in potem glasbenim nastopom Fake orkestra. Tudi ta del dogodka je z glasbo povezal evropske regije. Preko tristo gostov je dogodek ocenilo kot vrhunski.

www.promo-ag.si

Good Practice Case Studies

A Highest Quality Central Conventa Event Event Title: Reception of Conventa 2009 Participants Client: Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Contractor: Agencija Promo d.o.o. Agencija Promo was chosen as the official agency of this year’s Conventa show. We prepared the central evening event for all the participants at the Ljubljana castle. The event was designed as a visual, musical and culinary intertwining of European regions with an emphasis on Southeast Europe. This was also the key note of this year’s Conventa. The castle rooms were thus visually divided into four regions – the

northern, central, Mediterranean and southeastern areas. Each region was intensively lit with a characteristic colour – blue, green, yellow or red – and divided virtually by six screens showing videos and live broadcasts from the individual venues taking part in the event. The event was hosted by the ingenious Blažka Mueller, who did a fantastic job in combining the initial formal part with the culinary part followed by a performance by the Fake Orchestra. This part of the event utilised music to combine the European regions. The over 300 guests saw the event as being of the highest quality. www.promo-ag.si

Primeri dobre prakse

Vizualno doživetje Slovenije na Dunaju Naslov dogodka: Slovenski sprejem ob sejmu Ferienmesse Naročnik: STO Dunaj Izvajalec: Agencija Promo d.o.o. Na mednarodnem sejmu Ferienmesse, ki se je odvijal januarja na Dunaju, se je predstavila cela Evropa ter tudi Slovenija. Predstavnik STO na Dunaju Jan Ciglenečki že tradicionalno organizira sprejem za strokovno turistično srenjo, ki aktivno sodeluje na tej pomembni turistični prireditvi. Dogodek se že nekaj let odvija v monumentalnem Naturhistorische Museum v središču mesta. Agencija Promo je dobila nalogo, da na

sodoben in atraktiven način predstavi slovensko turistično ponudbo. Poleg izvrstno organizirane kulinarične ponudbe in odličnih vin po regijah, glasbenih nastopov ter dobro in ciljano izbranih govornikov smo pripravili pravo vizualno doživetje Slovenije. V Agenciji Promo smo izdelali veliko projekcijsko piramido, na katero smo z vseh strani projicirali atraktivne video posnetke, zrežirane po vrstah turističnih storitev, regijah in atrakcijah, portal muzeja pa smo osvetlili v barvah STO in projicirali logotipe prireditve. Več kot sedemsto gostov je dogodek odlično ocenilo. www.promo-ag.si

Good Practice Case Studies

A Visual Experience of Slovenia in Vienna Event Title: Slovenian Reception at the Ferien-Messe Fair Client: Slovenian Tourist Board in Vienna Contractor: Agencija Promo d.o.o. The international Ferien-Messe, organised this January in Vienna, featured the presentation of all of Europe and also Slovenia. The representative of the Slovenian Tourist Board in Vienna, Jan CigleneÄ?ki, has traditionally organised a reception for the professional tourist community actively participating at this important tourist event. For years now, the venue for this event has been the monumental Museum of Natural History in the city centre. The Promo agency was awarded the task

of presenting the Slovenian tourist offer in a modern and attractive way. In addition to the exquisitely organised culinary offer and the excellent wines representing individual regions, the music performances and the well chosen speakers, we also prepared a truly visual experience of Slovenia. Promo prepared a big projection pyramid, onto which attractive videos aimed at tourist services, regions and attractions were projected from all sides, while the portal of the museum was illuminated with the colours of the Slovenian Tourist Board and projections of the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logotypes. The more than seven hundred guests gave the event a full thumbs up. www.promo-ag.si

Primeri dobre prakse

Dober glas, ki ni segel samo v deveto vas ... Naslov dogodka: Srečanje svetovalnih delavcev s predstavitvijo poklicev v gostinstvu in turizmu Naročnik: Direktorat za turizem, Ministrstvo za gospodarstvo Izvajalec: City hotel ... temveč tudi v Maribor. Direktorat za turizem pri Ministrstvu za gospodarstvo je Cityjev konferenčni center prepoznal kot primernega za izvedbo predstavitev poklicev v gostinstvu svetovalnim delavcem v osnovnih šolah. Kako se je zgodilo? Sprejeli so naš izziv na lanskoletni 1. borzi dela delavcev v gostinstvu v Moravcih, kjer smo kot udeleženci jasno povedali, da poleg »velikih« slovenski turizem soustvarja tudi

cela množica »malih«. Le da njihov pomen in kvalitete prepogosto ostajajo v senci prvih. Sedmim skupinam strokovnih sodelavcev (skupaj jih je bilo okoli dvesto) iz vse Slovenije so predstavniki Ministrstva in Slovenske turistične organizacije s sodelavci zadnji teden v februarju na privlačen način osvetlili pozitivne plati gostinskih poklicev in možnosti nadaljnje kariere, Cityjevci pa smo kar na lastnem primeru predstavili prednost okolja, v katerem ta vrsta dela poteka. In ko je bil na enem od dogodkov zunanji kuharski strokovnjak nenapovedano zadržan, smo k predstavitvi povabili kar našega kuharja. Spet drugič smo zaradi nepričakovane spremembe v organizaciji drugih sočasnih dogodkov organizatorjem ponudili še lepšo namestitev – najlepši prostor v naši hotelski hiši – razkošen apartma v zgornjem nadstropju. Tako udeleženci niso bili očarani samo nad predstavitvijo organizatorja, temveč tudi nad lepimi pogledi na ljubljanske strehe in grajski grič. www.cityhotel.si

Good Practice Case Studies

A Good Reputation that Did Not Just Travel a Village’s Distance … Event Title: A Meeting of School Counsellors with a Presentation of Occupations in Catering and Tourism Client: Directorate of Tourism at the Ministry of the Economy Contractor: City hotel ... but also to Maribor. The Directorate of Tourism at the Ministry of the Economy saw the conference centre of the City Hotel as appropriate for hosting the presentation of occupations in the catering industry to primary school counsellors. How did this happen? They took on our challenge put forward in Moravci at last year’s 1st Labour Exchange of Employees in the Catering Industry, where, as participants, we made a clear statement that, in addition to the "big ones", Slovenian tourism is also being shaped by a number of the “small ones” – its just that

their importance and qualities are too often lost under the shadow of the former. In the last week of February, representatives of the Ministry and the Slovenian Tourist Board and their colleagues presented the positive sides of occupations from the catering industry and the possibilities of a future career to seven groups of professionals (a total of about 200 people) from all over Slovenia and we at the City Hotel used our own example to present the advantages of the environment in which this type of work is conducted. As one of the outsourced culinary experts who was supposed to be present at one of the events was unable to participate, our own chef was invited to join the presentation. Due to an unexpected change in the organisation of other coinciding events, we offered the organisers even more beautiful accommodation – the best room in our hotel – a luxurious suite on the top floor. In this way, the participants were not only fascinated by the organiser's presentation but also by the beautiful views of the Ljubljana rooftops and castle hill. www.cityhotel.si

IMEX 2009

Poslovna borza IMEX je pripravljena

več kot 3.500 razstavljavci iz 150 držav ter s še večjim številom poslovnih priložnosti kot lani imajo gosti letos še več razlogov za obisk poslovne borze IMEX 2009, ki bo od 26. maja potekala na frankfurtskem sejmišču. Obiskovalcem bo na voljo vznemirljiva mešanica novih in že uveljavljenih razstavljavcev, ki bodo predstavili vrhunske priložnosti, ki jih ponuja industrija srečanj. Vsi, ki želite raziskati najnovejše destinacije v vzponu, poiščite paviljon Wild Card Pavillion, kjer bodo svojo ponudbo mednarodnemu kongresnemu trgu prvič predstavili Cookovo otočje, Novi Sad – Vojvodina, Srbija, Tianjin Economic – Technological Development Area (TEDA) s Kitajske in kongresni center Masurian Conference Centre s Poljske. Borzo bodo obiskali tudi kupci iz vplivnih oddaljenih tržišč kot so Azija, Združene države Amerike, Avstralija, Rusija, Čile, Dubaj, Združeni arabski emirati, Južna Afrika, pa tudi iz Evrope – vsi bodo veliko časa preživeli z razstavljavci v dvorani. Kupci in obiskovalci, ki jih zanima načrtovanje dogodkov v Združenih državah Amerike, bodo priča dobrim predstavitvam ameriških razstavljavcev, ki nadaljujejo svoje tržne dejavnosti po Evropi. Tako so svoj razstavni prostor povečali Teksas, Kongresni urad zvezne države Philadelphia, mesto New York in organizator potovanj New World Travel, Inc. Prvič se bo kot razstavljavec pojavil Kongresni urad kraja Anchorage, na IMEX 2009 pa se ponovno vrača Kongresni urad širšega območja Bostona, Greater Boston CVB. Nemški obiskovalci bodo ponovno predstavljali velik del tistih, ki bodo sklepali posle na poslovni borzi IMEX. Letos bosta novo partnerstvo z nemškim združenjem AWMF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinishen Fachgesellschaften) in vodilno agencijo za »live events« Vok Dams zagotovo zagotovila še več kupcev.

Kupci iz združenj Dvanajstim odstotkom kupcev, ki predstavljajo strokovna združenja, je poslovna borza IMEX zagotovila mednarodno priznanega govornika Elliota Masieja, globalno priznanega futurista, analitika, raziskovalca in humorista. Njegova predstavitev bo potekala 25. maja kot del obsežnega programa Dneva združenj, ki ga pripravlja poslovna borza IMEX 2009. Dan združenj bodo pripravili s pomočjo sedmih vodilnih mednarodnih združenj, vključno z vodilnim združenjem ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association). Dan združenj je postal izjemno opazen vsakoletni dogodek za mreženje in izobraževanje, pripravljen posebej za vodilne ljudi združenj. Konec dneva – Večer združenj – vedno pritegne več kot 800 kupcev, razstavljavcev in priznanih dobaviteljev, ki izkoristijo izjemno priložnost za mreženje, preden se prireditev sploh prične.

Nove usmeritve za nove vizije Letošnja novost je program za bodoče voditelje IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Programme, ki obsega že dvanajst letnih forumov po

vsem svetu. Za študente so pripravili univerzitetni izziv, kjer bodo preizkusili svoje sposobnosti predstavitev in razumevanje industrije srečanj. Predsednik poslovne borze IMEX Ray Bloom je o pomenu programa prihodnjih voditeljev v okviru ponudbe poslovne borze IMEX dejal, da »naša industrija mora sodelovati v 'vojni talentov' in prepoznati, da je krepitev nove generacije strokovnjakov industrije srečanj s pravo mešanico sposobnosti in znanja trajna naloga, ki jo moramo izvajati.«

Nagrade IMEX in zelena rast Na poslovni borzi IMEX 2009 bodo okoljsko ozaveščeni obiskovalci in kupci imeli številne priložnosti spoznati, kako okoljske programe ali ukrepe vključiti v svoje poslovne dejavnosti. IMEX bo prvič ponujal »zelene« delavnice, ki bodo potekale na stojnici družbene odgovornosti (Corporate Responsibility Stand). Okoljske nagrade IMEX Green Awards, ki so edine tovrstne nagrade v industriji srečanj, bodo prikazale in slavile pristop k izboljšanju okolja in dobrim praksam iz naše industrije.

Izobraževanja Obsežen program izobraževanj na poslovni borzi IMEX so letos za obiskovalce še dodatno razširili. V štirih dneh bodo glavna tema teh izobraževanj inovacije. Interaktivne delavnice v paviljonu Professional Development and Innovation Pavilion bodo povezali z različnimi seminarji ter tako raziskali vrednost in namen inovacij v naši industriji. Predsednik poslovne borze IMEX Ray Bloom je njeno veliko privlačnost za obiskovalce povzel z besedami: »Sloves poslovne borze IMEX temelji na kakovosti in številu aktivnih kupcev in obiskovalcev, ki nas obiščejo vsako leto. V tako velikem številu in iz skoraj stotih tržišč z vsega sveta nas obiščejo zato, ker so oblika, lokacija in prizorišče dogodka natančno prilagojeni njihovim potrebam. In letos to velja še bolj kot vsa prejšnja leta. Če vsemu temu dodamo še neverjetno število in raznolikost razstavljavcev ter izjemno veliko število kupcev, je jasno, zakaj je poslovna borza IMEX dogodek, ki ga ne gre zamuditi.« Poslovna borza IMEX 2009 bo potekala od 26. do 28. maja. Za več informacij obiščite www.imex-frankfurt.com.

Ray Bloom, Chairman, IMEX.

IMEX 2009

IMEX 2009 set for Business

ith over 3,500 exhibitors representing 150 countries and even more business opportunities than in previous years, there are more reasons than ever for buyers to visit IMEX 2009 on May 26th at Messe, Frankfurt. Visitors will find an exciting mix of new and established exhibitors showcasing world-class opportunities for the meetings industry. Those keen to research the latest emerging destinations are advised to seek out the IMEX Wild Card Pavilion. Here The Cook Islands; Novi Sad / Vojvodina, Serbia; the Tianjin Economic / Technological Development Area (TEDA), China and the Masurian Conference Centre, Poland, will all be promoting themselves to the international meetings market for the first time. More qualified buyers from influential long-haul markets including Asia, the US, Australia, Russia, Chile, Dubai, Europe, the UAE and South Africa are also booked to visit the show and spend more time with exhibitors in the hall.

IMEX 2009

Buyers and visitors with an interest in planning events in the US will see good representation from American exhibitors who continue to extend their marketing activities within Europe. As a result, Texas, the Philadelphia Convention Bureau, New York City and New World Travel Inc have all increased space. Meanwhile, Anchorage CVB will be exhibiting for the first time and Greater Boston CVB makes a welcome return to IMEX 2009. German visitors will again form a significant proportion of those doing business at IMEX. In 2009, new partnerships with Germany’s Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) and Vok Dams, the country’s leading live events marketing agency, are set to generate even more buyers.

Association Buyers For the 12% of buyers representing professional associations, IMEX has secured an internationally renowned keynote speaker in Elliot Masie, a globally recognised futurist, analyst, researcher and humorist. His presentation will take place on May 25th as part of the packed IMEX 2009 Association Day programme. Association Day, which is organised with the support of seven of the world’s leading international associations including lead organisation, ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), has become a pre-eminent annual networking and educational event for association executives. The end of day Association Evening regularly attracts an audience in excess of 800 buyers, exhibitors and recognised suppliers who take advantage of the exclusive networking opportunity before the show has opened.

New Directions for New Vision New this year, the IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Programme, which has grown to 12 annual forums worldwide, will see students competing in a “University Challenge” designed to test their presentation skills as well as their understanding of meetings industry practices. Commenting on the importance of the Future Leaders Programme within the total IMEX offering, Chairman Ray Bloom says, “The

industry needs to work together in the “war on talent” and recognise that building a new generation of meetings industry professionals with the right mix of skills and knowledge is an ongoing task and one that we all need to commit to.”

IMEX Awards – And Green Growth Green-minded visitors and buyers will have plenty of opportunities to learn more about how to build environmental programmes or measures into their business activities at IMEX 2009. For the first time, IMEX will be offering “green” workshops on its Corporate Responsibility Stand and the IMEX Green Awards – the only such awards for the industry - will showcase and celebrate a positive approach to environmental improvement and industry best practice.

An Educational Edge IMEX’s expansive education programme has also been extended for the benefit of visitors this year. The theme of “innovation” will underpin its delivery over four days. Interactive workshops on the Professional Development and Innovation Pavilion will combine with dedicated seminars to explore the value and purpose of innovation across the industry. Summing up IMEX’s continued strong appeal to visitors, Chairman Ray Bloom says, “IMEX’s reputation is firmly built on the quality and quantity of the active buyers and visitors we attract year after year. The reason they continue to come in such numbers – and from close to 100 world markets - is that the format, the location and the venue have been designed precisely around their business needs. And that applies this year more than any other. When combined with a world-beating number and variety of exhibiting companies plus an extremely high buyer turnout, IMEX becomes an unmissable business event.” IMEX 2009 will take place on 26th – 28th May. For further information see www.imex-frankfurt.com

MPI EMEC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Torino 2009

Na konferenci skoraj petsto strokovnjakov industrije sreÄ?anj Paul Bridle

vropska konferenca o srečanjih in dogodkih, ki jo je na začetku marca v Torinu organiziralo združenje MPI, je privabila izjemno število ljudi iz evropske industrije srečanj. Povezovalna tema letošnje konference je bila »Povežite se s strastjo« in več kot petsto strokovnjakov industrije srečanj je lahko izbiralo med 35 izobraževalnimi delavnicami, ki so se osredotočile na izzive in priložnosti, s katerimi se sooča industrija srečanj tako z operativnega kot z vodstvenega vidika.

Glavna točka konference EMEC je bila objava predsednika in izvršnega direktorja združenja MPI o pričetku delovanja novega spletnega vira, spletne strani www.MeetingIndustryCrisisCenter. org. Ta spletna stran je bila razvita, da bi industriji srečanj zagotavljala najnovejše informacije tako s strani združenja MPI kot s strani drugih sodelujočih organizacij. Ob razvoju dogodkov, ki smo mu priča v Združenih državah, pa bo ponujala tudi rešitve in pomembne napotke. Podjetja, ki jim je ameriška vlada zagotovila posojila, bodo namreč morala odobriti korporativna srečanja ter proračune za dogodke in motivacijske programe. »Obstaja predstava, da je treba zmanjšati število srečanj in dogodkov. Menimo, da je resnica prav nasprotna in da srečanja in dogodki ne predstavljajo težave, temveč rešitev. Ne želimo si drakonskih ukrepov, ki bi vplivali na evropske službe, skupnosti in podjetja,« je dejal Bruce MacMillan, predsednik in izvršni direktor združenja MPI. Vrednost srečanj in dogodkov je še dodatno spodbudilo razkritje prvih rezultatov raziskave Pregled dogodkov 2009 (EventView 2009), ki so jo skupaj izvedli združenje MPI, Inštitut za trženje dogodkov EMI (Event Marketing Institute) in George P. Johnson (GPJ). Raziskava je pokazala, da se zaradi srečanj in dogodkov povrne največ vloženih sredstev. 23 odstotkov vprašanih je namreč odgovorilo, da je trženje dogodkov področje, ki prinaša največjo donosnost naložbe. Podjetja, ki merijo donosnost naložbe, imajo dvainpolkrat večje možnosti za večji tržni proračun kot podjetja, ki takšnih meritev ne izvajajo. Predsednik in izvršni direktor združenja MPI Bruce Macmillan je ob tem dejal: »Ti rezultati bolj kot kdaj koli prej dokazujejo, da so srečanja rešitev, ne pa problem v teh težkih časih, ko se naša industrija sooča z velikimi izzivi. Srečanja ostajajo močno trženjsko orodje, ki lahko neposredno vpliva na končni učinek posla. Dejstvo, da je 43 odstotkov direktorjev trženja in prodaje, ki so sodelovali v raziskavi EventView 2009, izbralo trženje kot disciplino, ki najbolje pospešuje in poglablja odnose, pojasnjuje, kakšna je pravzaprav vrednost našega medija.« Na tem dogodku so objavili tudi ustanovitev novega kluba na Poljskem, prve skupnosti v Srednji Evropi. Novi klub ima trenutno 36 članov, pričakujejo pa, da bo do leta 2011 to število naraslo na 95. http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/emec2009/emechome.aspx

MPI EMEC – Torino 2009

Almost 500 Industry Professionals at EMEC

PI’s European Meetings and Events Conference in Turin earlier this month attracted one of the largest pan European industry gatherings. With an overarching theme of ‘Connect to Passion’, more than 500 industry professionals attended a choice of 35 educational sessions focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing the meetings industry from an operational and management perspective.

Key highlights of the EMEC was the announcement by MPI president and CEO of the launch of a new web resource www. MeetingIndustryCrisisCenter.org. The resource has been developed to keep the industry aware of up-to-date information from both MPI and other supporting organisations, whilst importantly providing solutions and guidelines in light of recent developments in the United States whereby those companies who received emergency government lending from the US Government will be required to approve corporate meetings, events and incentive programme budgets. “There is a perception that meetings and events need to be curtailed. In our view, it is quite the opposite, with meetings and events providing the solutions not the problem. We do not want draconian measures put in place that affect European jobs, communities and businesses,” said Bruce MacMillan, MPI’s president and CEO. The value of meetings and events were given a further boost with the unveiling of the initial European findings of EventView 2009, produced through collaboration between the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foundation, the Event Marketing Institute (EMI) and George P. Johnson (GPJ) The research highlighted that meetings and events provide the highest return on investment with 23% of the respondents choosing event marketing as the discipline that provided the greatest ROI. Additionally, companies that measure ROI are over two and a half times more likely to receive increases in their marketing budgets than those that did not undertake any form of measurement.

Bruce MacMillan, MPI’s president and CEO, said: “These findings, more than ever, prove that meetings are the solution not the problem at a time when the industry is facing challenging times. Meetings continue to be a powerful marketing tool that can directly impact on a business’s bottom line. The fact that 43% of the marketing and sales executives interviewed in EventView 2009 chose event marketing as a discipline that best accelerates and deepens relationships demonstrates the value of our media.” The event also announced the formation of a new Club in Poland, its first community in Central Europe. The newly formed club currently has 36 members, a figure expected to increase to 95 by 2011. http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/emec2009/emechome.aspx

Kjerkoli že smo, novice so vedno na dlani. Dnevnik.si, prilagojen za mobilni telefon. Vtipkaj m.dnevnik.si, čakajo te sveže vesti!

GIBTM 2009

Srečajmo se na Bližnjem vzhodu

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oslovna borza GIBTM (Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition), edini mednarodni dogodek za poslovna potovanja in kongresni turizem v zalivski regiji in na Bližnjem vzhodu ter največje letno srečanje predstavnikov te industrije v zalivski regiji, bo potekala od 31. marca do 2. aprila v kongresnem centru ADNEC v Abu Dabiju.

Letošnja prireditev bo pritegnila 2.500 strokovnjakov industrije srečanj, vključno z vabljenimi kupci, obiskovalci, mediji in razstavljavci. Pričakujejo 1.600 obiskovalcev in več kot 240 vabljenih kupcev, od teh eno tretjino z Bližnjega vzhoda, tretjino iz Azije in tretjino iz Evrope. Lansko borzo GIBTM si je ogledalo 1.268 obiskovalcev, sodelovalo pa je 223 vabljenih kupcev. Poslovna borza GIBTM temelji na uspešni obliki in vrednotah blagovne znamke EIBTM, sestrske prireditve, ki vsako leto poteka v Barceloni v Španiji. Tako nudi najboljše priložnosti za medpodjetniško sodelovanje, najboljše mreženje in najboljše strokovne izobraževalne programe. Na prireditvi se bodo med drugim predstavile tudi Tajska, Egipt, Ciper, Dubaj, Katar, Malezija, Singapur, Sharjah, Abu Dabi, Indija in Šrilanka, svojo prisotnost pa so že potrdile tudi velike hotelske verige kot so Jumeirah, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Marriott Hotels International, Hilton, Kempinski in Rotana Hotels and Resorts. Prisotna bo tudi letalska družba Etihad Airways, izključni letalski partner tega dogodka. Dogodka se bo udeležilo tudi več regionalnih in mednarodnih ponudnikov kongresnih storitev iz državnih turističnih organizacij in specializiranih ponudnikov storitev, ki bodo predstavljali zalivsko regijo, južno in jugovzhodno Azijo, Evropo, severno Afriko in druga območja. Nekateri od zadnjih ponudnikov, ki so potrdili udeležbo na poslovni borzi GIBTM 2009, so Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, ApartmentStay, Rendezvous Italiano, Travel Convention Arabia, Hilton International, The Leading Hotels of the World, Energy Cities Alliance, Costa del Sol, Gulf Air, Seoul CVB, The Ritz in The Lanesborough. Več podatkov o sodelujočih ponudnikih in redne osvežitve prijav so na voljo na spletni strani na naslovu www.gibtm.com.

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GIBTM 2009

Meet in the Middle East

he Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) – the only international event dedicated to the business travel and meetings industry in the Gulf and Middle East region and the biggest annual industry gathering in the Gulf Region - is taking place from 31st March to 2nd April at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi.

This year’s show is set to attract 2,500 meeting professionals, including Hosted Buyers, Visitors, the Media and Exhibiting Staff and it expects visitor attendance to rise to 1,600 and Hosted Buyers to top over 240 - 1/3 from the Middle East region, 1/3 from Asia and 1/3 from Europe. Last year’s GIBTM attracted 1,268 visitors and 223 Hosted Buyers. GIBTM is based on the successful format and brand values of EIBTM (its sister show, held annually in Barcelona, Spain), which provide the best business-to-business opportunities, the best networking and the best professional education programmes. The global line-up of represented countries include Thailand, Egypt, Cyprus, Dubai, Qatar, Malaysia, Singapore, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, India, Sri Lanka and major hotel groups, such as Jumeirah, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Marriott Hotels International, Hilton, Kempinski and Rotana Hotels and Resorts have also confirmed their attendance. Etihad Airways, the event’s exclusive airline partner, will also have a presence. Additionally, the event will show an increased number of regional and international meetings and incentive suppliers from national tourist organizations and specialist service providers representing the Gulf region, South and South East Asia, Europe, North Africa and beyond. Some of the latest sign-ups for 2009 include Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, ApartmentStay, Rendezvous Italiano, Travel Convention Arabia, Hilton International, The Leading Hotels of the World, Energy Cities Alliance, Costa del Sol, Gulf Air, Seoul CVB, The Ritz and The Lanesborough. Full details of exhibiting companies are available and updated regularly at www.gibtm.com.

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Kongresno-prireditvena dvorana in konferenčni center na vrhu hotela, najsodobnejša tehnična oprema in profesionalno osebje so popolna izbira za uspešno poslovno in osebno zadovoljstvo. Hotel Lev v poslovnem središču mesta ponuja 173 elegantno in sodobno opremljenih sob, od tega 9 poslovnih sob, 16 apartmajev, ki poleg popolnega udobja nudijo sodobno komunikacijsko opremo.

The Congress and event venue and the conference centre on the top of hotel, the modern technical equipment and our professional staff are perfect choice for successful business and private satisfaction. The Hotel Lev located in the business centre offers 173 guest rooms with elegant and modern style including 9 business rooms and 16 junior suites which beside the perfect comfort offers the contemporary communication equipment.

Vošnjakova 1 | 1000 Ljubljana | Slovenija | t: +386 (1)433 21 55 | www.hotel-lev.si

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Pismo iz Beograda: MiloĹĄ MilovanoviÄ&#x2021;

Vojvodina - nova kongresna destinacija na poslovni borzi IMEX

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ongresni urad Srbije je v svojem prvem letu obstoja zbral konferenčne zmogljivosti, ki so dovolj kakovostne, da jih lahko predstavi in trži na mednarodnem tržišču. Večina teh zmogljivosti se nahaja v Beogradu, ki je bil v preteklosti ena od vodilnih evropskih kongresnih destinacij in ki zagotovo ima potreben potencial, da ta položaj ponovno prevzame. Vendar pa se v kongresni ponudbi Srbije počasi pojavlja nova destinacija, Vojvodina, ki bo kmalu znana regionalnemu in tudi širšemu evropskemu tržišču.

Glavno mesto v ponudbi Vojvodine zagotovo zaseda drugo največje srbsko mesto, Novi Sad, mesto kulture, glasbe in festivalov, ki je samo 40 minut vožnje oddaljeno od beograjskega letališča. Na novosadskem sejmišču se nahaja najnovejši kongresni center te regije, kongresni center Master, ki je svoja vrata odprl konec leta 2006. Odlikujejo ga velik in prilagodljiv razstavni prostor, sodobna oprema in visokokakovostne storitve, ki jih ponuja organizatorjem kongresov. V bližini je največji hotel v Novem Sadu, hotel Park, ki prav tako razpolaga z obširnimi kongresnimi zmogljivostmi. V trdnjavi Petovaradin je hotel Leopold I., ki je odlično mesto za organizatorje motivacijskih potovanj, ki želijo izkusiti aristokratski svet iz časa habsburške monarhije. Trdnjava je ena največjih v Evropi. Ponaša se s številnimi dvoranami in galerijami, znotraj njenih zidov pa organizirajo tudi svetovno znani glasbeni festival EXIT. Manj kot uro vožnje od Novega Sada je Subotica s hoteloma Galleria in Patria s prostornimi kongresnimi zmogljivostmi in bližnjim jezerom Palić, znana po organizaciji številnih seminarjev in državnih konferenc. Številne kmetije obiskovalcem nudijo možnost uživanja v specialitetah regionalne kuhinje, svoj čas pa lahko preživljajo v naravi ob jahanju, vožnji s kočijo in podobnem. Zgornji tok reke Donave v tem delu države se ponaša z bogato kulturno in zgodovinsko dediščino, sladokuscem pa priporočamo, da v obdonavskih restavracijah poskusijo ribjo juho. Vsekakor moramo omeniti še kraj Sremski Karlovci kot pomembno kulturno središče Srbije ter znamenite samostane in vina Fruške gore, ki jih zagotovo ne gre zamuditi. Ta del države je znan tudi po lovu in ribolovu. Vojvodina je pokrajina, bogata z vodami in vodnimi potmi s pomembno industrijsko dediščino, ki se bo letos predstavila tudi na Svetovni konferenci o prekopih (World Congress of Canals – WWC) v Srbiji.

Posebno povabilo na poslovno borzo IMEX Iz teh razlogov je razvoj kongresne ponudbe Vojvodine kot nove in obetavne destinacije ena od prednostnih nalog celotnega razvoja kongresnega turizma v Srbiji. Vojvodina je po zaslugi Centra za raziskovanje in preučevanje turizma prejela posebno povabilo za sodelovanje na letošnji poslovni borzi IMEX, kjer se bo predstavila kot destinacija z neizmernim potencialom. Takšna posebna povabila so namenjena destinacijam, ki se še niso predstavile in za katere se predvideva, da so destinacije z izjemnimi možnostmi za razvoj in ki na tak način dobijo posebno tržno pozornost. Srbijo bo tako na letošnji poslovni borzi IMEX ob prepoznavnem Beogradu predstavljala tudi Vojvodina kot poseben paket zmogljivosti, storitev in posebnih izkušenj.

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Letter from Belgrade

Vojvodina - A New Convention Destination at IMEX

Hotel Leopold

n the first year of its existence, the Serbia Convention Bureau gathered convention capacities with the quality to be presented and promoted on the international market. Most of these capacities are located in Belgrade, which was known at one point as one of the leading convention destinations in Europe and which certainly has the potential to reestablish this position. However, within the convention offer of Serbia, the new destination of Vojvodina is gradually emerging, soon to be known on the regional and, afterwards, on the European market. Without doubt, the central position in the Vojvodina offer belongs to Novi Sad, being the second largest city in Serbia – a city of culture, music and festivals located just 40 minutes from the Belgrade airport. Within the Novi Sad Fair is the newest convention space in the region; the Master Convention Centre began work at the end of 2006. Its characteristics are the considerable flexibility of its convention space, its modern equipment and the high quality of the services it provides to event organizers. The largest hotel in Novi Sad, Hotel Park, is located nearby and also has significant conference facilities. At the Petovaradin fortress, the Leopold I Hotel is located and is an ideal place for incentive trip organizers to feel the time of the aristocracy of the Habsburg monarchy. The fortress is one of the largest in Europe, with numerous halls and galleries and the well known EXIT music festival is being organized in the spacious area within its walls. Less than an hour’s ride away is the city of Subotica, in which the Galleria and Patria hotels own large congress capacities with Palic Lake nearby, well known as place where many seminars and national conferences are organized. Numerous farms offer

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Master centre

Miloš Milovanović Direktor Kongresnega urada Srbije mmilovanovic@serbia.travel

the visitor the possibility of enjoying regional cuisine and to spend time surrounded by nature with activities such as riding, driving in a carriage, etc. The upper reaches of the Danube in this part of the country is rich with cultural and historical heritage and, for the gourmet, we recommend tasting the fish pottage in the Danube restaurants. We also must emphasize Sremski Karlovci as an important Serbian cultural centre and the famous monasteries and vines of Fruska Gora are certainly something that shouldn’t be missed. This part of the country is also well known for hunting and fishing. Vojvodina is a region rich in water and canals with significant industrial heritage, which will be presented this year at the WCC - World Congress of Canals – organized in Serbia.

Wild Card at IMEX These are the reasons for which the development of the convention and incentive offer of Vojvodina as a new and prosperous destination is one of the priorities in the overall development of the convention business in Serbia. Thanks to the efforts of the Centre for Tourism Research and Studies, Vojvodina received wild card space for participation in IMEX this year, where it will be presented as a destination with great potential. This kind of special invitation is intended for destinations that haven’t been presented individually so far and which are seen as destinations with great possibilities for development and thus receiving special marketing attention in this way. At this year’s IMEX, Serbia will thus be represented not only by the distinctive city of Belgrade but also by Vojvodina, as a special destination combining capacities, services and specific experiences. Miloš Milovanović Convention Bureau of Serbia mmilovanovic@serbia.travel

Hotel Fantast in Castle

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Oglasno sporočilo

Cris Catchpole: Kako pisati reklamna sporočila, ki prodajajo?

»OPERI. IZPERI. PONOVI.« Promarket, prvi sejem in kongres prodaje, marketinga in oglaševanja Seveda, šampon za lase! Prav njegova navodila za uporabo je Cris Catchpole na Promarketu (Gospodarsko razstavišče Ljubljana, 17.–19. 2. 2009, Slovenija) uporabil za naslov svojega predavanja o tem, kako pisati reklamna sporočila, ki prodajajo. Ste se že kdaj vprašali, zakaj si na že oprane lase ponovno nanesemo šampon?

»Operi.« Cris Catchpole, kreativni svetovalec iz Velike Britanije, je eden od uglednih predavateljev, ki so sodelovali na kongresnem delu Promarketa. Organizirali so ga tri slovenska stanovska združenja, Združenje za management consulting pri Gospodarski zbornici Slovenije (Miselni premiki pri prodaji), Združenje za direktni marketing (C2C marketing – trenutna niša ali vseobsegajoča prihodnost) in Zbornica za odnose z javnostmi (Kdo ustvarja odnose z javnostmi: prodaja, marketing, PR ali pretežno kupci sami?). Predavanja so dopolnjevale okrogle mize, na katerih so iskali odgovore na številna aktualna vprašanja s tega področja. Michael Leander Nielsen (Danska), prav tako predavatelj na kongresu Promarketa, je ob zaključku povedal: »Promarket je bil prijetna izkušnja, tako za govorce kot za obiskovalce. Všeč mi je bil format treh različnih tematik, ki so bile predstavljene preko treh dni. Še posebno, ker so se tematike medsebojno prepletale in ustrezale številnim ljudem iz prodaje in trženja. Tudi tehnično je vse delovalo tako, kot je treba. Predavatelji to pogosto pozabimo omeniti – ponavadi omenimo le, kadar stvari ne delujejo.«

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»Izperi.« V okviru sejmskega dela Promarketa se je predstavilo preko osemdeset podjetij, ki se ukvarjajo s področji prodaje, marketinga in oglaševanja. Nekatera od njih so za obiskovalce organizirala delavnice in predstavitve. Michael Leander Nielsen: »Razstavni prostor je bil zelo privlačen. Pravzaprav sem si želel v razstavnih dvoranah preživeti več časa. Zdelo se mi je, da so bili celotna postavitev prostorov, profesionalni izgled stojnic in udobnost celote zelo zanimivi. Želel sem se pogovarjati z razstavljavci in izvedeti več o njihovih izdelkih in storitvah. Vsi, ki sem jih spoznal, so bili prijazni, odprti in so mi pomagali, da sem se počutil kot doma.«

»Ponovi.« »Že v tednih pred dogodkom sem redno spremljal Promarketovo spletno stran (www.promarket.si). Kot neposrednega/ interaktivnega tržnika me je razveselilo, da so organizatorji do neke mere dodali komponente družbenih medijev. Bil sem pozitivno presenečen, ko sem ugotovil, da so dodali tudi katalog prireditve. Prepričan sem, da so obiskovalci imeli enako mnenje. Po dogodku sem ugotovil, da spletna stran – do sedaj – živi dalje, s čimer podaljšuje izkušnjo vseh vpletenih in hkrati – o tem sem prepričan – postopno dviguje pričakovanja za naslednji Promarketov dogodek.« Izdelek je danes lahko izdelati, najtežje pa ga je prodati. Stalno izobraževanje, novosti in trendi omogočajo podjetjem, da prilagajajo svojo prodajo in trženje trgu ter njegovim potrebam. Kljub različnim konferencam, festivalom in predavanjem v

Andrej Drapal, predsednik Združenja za management consulting pri GZS

Sloveniji in v širši regiji ni še nihče opravil celotnega pregleda nad ponudbo izdelkov in storitev za boljše trženje in uspešnejšo prodajo. Ta izziv sta si zadala organizatorja Promarketa, kongresni in prireditveni center Gospodarsko razstavišče d.o.o. ter Dima center d.o.o. in k sodelovanju povabila vse tiste, ki bi lahko pri projektu Promarket zaznali svoje razvojne priložnosti in ki se zavedajo, da je trženje danes preraslo v integrirano komuniciranje. Andrej Drapal, predsednik Združenja za management consulting pri Gospodarski zbornici Slovenije: »Promarket je odprl prostor doslej zapostavljenemu delu poslovnih storitev, ki so vezane na prodajno marketinško funkcijo. Ta stavek pove veliko o popolnoma nerazumljivem zapostavljanju te funkcije, po drugi pa o pomenu tega dogodka. Nerazumljivo je, da doslej funkcija z mnoštvom podpornih aktivnosti, ki je generirala pester in kvaliteten šopek storitvenih organizacij in ki predstavlja temeljni fokus vsake organizacije, ni jasno pokazala svojega obraza. Promarket je torej preprosto povedano prelomen. Komaj čakam naslednjega čez eno leto.« Seveda, ponovimo! Dobrodošli na Promarektu od 17. do 19. marca 2010! Marjana Lavrič Gospodarsko razstavišče marjana.lavric@gr-sejem.si www.gr-sejem.si Michael Leander Nielsen: »Promarket je bil prijetna izkušnja.«

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»WASH. RINSE. REPEAT.« Promarket, the first Sales, Marketing and Advertising Fair and Congress Of course, it's shampoo! It's instructions for using shampoo that Cris Catchpole used at Promarket (GR, Exhibition and Convention Centre Ljubljana, 17– 19 February 2009, Slovenia) to title his lecture on how to write copy that sells. But have you ever asked yourself why we reapply shampoo to hair that has already been washed?

»Wash.« Cris Catchpole, Creative Consultant, UK, is one of the renowned lecturers who took part in the conference section of Promarket. The latter was organised by three Slovenian professional associations, Association of Management Consulting of Slovenia (Mentality Shifts in sales), Slovenian Direct Marketing Association (C2C Marketing: Momentary niche or overall future?) and Chamber of Public Relations of Slovenia (Who is creating public relations: Sale, Marketing, PR or Customers?). In addition to lectures, the event featured round tables focused on finding answers to many current issues in the respective field. Michael Leander Nielsen (Denmark), also a lecturer at Promarket: “The Promarket was a very pleasant experience. Both as a visitor and a speaker. I like the format of three different topics presented during the course of 3 days. Especially when the topics are interdependent and therefore relevant to a lot of people in sales and marketing. The technical stuff worked, everything worked like it’s supposed to. Speakers often forget to mention that – we tend to only point out when things don’t work.”

companies to adjust their sales and marketing to the market and its needs. Despite various conferences, festivals and lectures, no one in Slovenia and the wider region has provided a holistic overview of the range of products and services for better marketing and more successful sales. This challenge has been taken up by the organisers of Promarket, namely the conference and events centre Gospodarsko razstavišče d.o.o. and Dima center d.o.o., whilst also enticing those whose growth could benefit from the Promarket project and who are aware that marketing has grown into integrated communication. Andrej Drapal, Chairman of the Association of Management Consulting of Slovenia: “Promarket has opened the door to a previously neglected part of business services that are linked to sales marketing. This sentence says a lot about the completely incomprehensible neglect of this role and, on the other hand, of the significance of this very event. It is inconceivable that the role of sales marketing, including the plethora if its support activities, which has generated a diverse and quality grouping of service organisations, and which represents a basic focus of every organisation, has not stepped up to reveal its face up to now. Therefore, Promarket is simply groundbreaking in this regard. I can hardly wait for next year's event.” Of course, let's repeat it! Welcome to Promarket from 17 to 19 March 2010! Marjana Lavrič GR, Exhibition and Convention Centre Ljubljana marjana.lavric@gr-sejem.si www.gr-sejem.si

The fair section of Promarket featured the presentation of around 80 companies dealing in sales, marketing and advertising. Some of them organised workshops and presentations for visitors. Michael Leander Nielsen: “The exhibition area was very appealing. In fact, I wanted to spend more time in the exhibition halls. I thought the whole layout of the room(s) – the professional expression each stand had and the cosiness of it all was interesting. I wanted to talk to the exhibitors and learn more about their products and services. It was all very professionally done, every single person I met was nice, open and helped me feel at home.”

»Repeat.« “In the weeks up to the event, I regularly followed the Promarket website (www.promarket.si). It was quite interesting to follow the website and see how it constantly progressed. As a direct/ interactive marketer, I was happy to learn, that the organizers were adding social media components to a certain degree. And I was very surprised when the Promarket catalogue was uploaded. Nice one, and I think the visitors thought so as well. After the event, I realized that the website – so far – has continued it’s “life”, thereby prolonging the experience for everyone involved, and at the same time – I’m sure – gradually building expectation for the next Promarket event.” It's easy to make a product these days, although the hardest part is selling it. Continuous education, novelties and trends allow

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Advertising Feature

»Rinse.«

Konkurenti in partnerji. Skupaj, na našem igrišću. Liburnia Riviera Hoteli, Opatija

Kongresni ured Tel. +385 51 710304, 710323 kongresi@liburnia.hr www.liburnia.hr

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Nenavadne kongresne lokacije

BMW WELT – ekskluzivni prodajni salon kot kongresni center

okratno predstavitev povezujeta dve avtomobilski znamki, BMW in Fiat, ki sta v svoje marketinške strategije umestili kongresno dejavnost. Obe znamki se zavedata, da lahko kongresni turizem vpliva na ekonomski razvoj in napredek posameznih znamk.

Med kongresnim centrom in prodajalno vrhunske blagovne znamke avtomobilov do nedavnega nisem videl nikakršne logične povezave. Vse do ogleda novega multifunkcijskega centra BMW Welt, ki je svoja vrata odprl konec leta 2007. Gre za skrbno načrtovan marketinški koncept, ki v prvi vrsti temelji na promociji premium avtomobilske blagovne znamke, ki jo povezujemo z močnimi čustvi kupcev. S tem gredo pri BMW-ju tako daleč, da BMW Welt razumejo kot domovanje njihove blagovne znamke. Objekt je utelešenje vsega, kar ta blagovna znamka ponuja svojim kupcem; zaokrožajo ga vrhunska arhitektura, skrb za okolje z vgrajenimi sončnimi kolektorji na strehi in tehnološki napredek. Center je odprt 365 dni in je v lanskem letu pritegnil preko dva milijona obiskovalcev, ki si ogledujejo nove avtomobile, se spoznavajo z novimi tehnološkimi rešitvami ali pa se udeležujejo kongresov in konferenc ter sprejemov. Osrednja funkcija je posebno doživetje ob prevzemu avtomobilov, kar zaokrožajo ostale vsebine centra, kot npr. otroški kampus, zgodovina avtomobilov in dvokolesnikov znamke BMW v designersko dovršenem muzeju, vrhunske restavracije, trgovina z BMW spominki in različne razstave, predvsem s področja vrhunskih avtomobilskih tehnologij. Kongresni del zaokroža forum na severnem krilu objekta, s premišljeno zasnovano glavno dvorano za preko 800 gostov in vgrajenimi premičnimi odri, ki zagotavljajo prilagodljivost dvorane za različne potrebe. Dvorana se lahko deli na manjše mikroambiente, osredotočene na posamezne prireditve z možnostjo organiziranja v en sam velik prostor za sprejeme ali predstavitve. Osrednjo dvorano dopolnjujejo dvorane za sekcije in vrhunska logistična opremljenost (dostop, catering, garderobe). Kongresno ponudbo dopolnjuje kulturna ponudba – npr. jazz festival in tekmovanje za nagrado BMW. Ob sprehodu po novi avtomobilski katedrali ugotovimo, kako je prepoznavna in premišljena blagovna znamka temelj za uspešno trženje kongresnih centrov. Vodilne blagovne znamke uporabljajo arhitekturo, design in kongresno dejavnost kot osrednji del celovite marketinške strategije. S tem ustvarjajo prostor, ki spodbuja spomine, odkrivanje in želje. Prvotna BMW-jeva pričakovanja – 850.000 obiskovalcev letno so v prvem letu poslovanja močno presegli. Center je v prvem letu poslovanja obiskalo 2,2 milijona obiskovalcev. www.bmw-welt.com

Ocene: Navdušen • Zadržan Ravnodušen Razočaran

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Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

Unusual Conference Locations

BMW WELT – An Exclusive Show Room as a Conference Centre

he presentation featured in this issue features two automobile brands, BMW and Fiat, who included the meetings industry in their marketing strategies. Both brands are aware that the meetings industry can influence the economic development and progress of individual brands.

Until recently, I saw no logical connection between a conference centre and the salesroom of a top-quality automobile brand. At any rate, until I visited the newly constructed multifunctional BMW Welt (BMW World) centre that opened its doors at the end of 2007. This is a carefully planned marketing concept based primarily on the promotion of a premium automobile brand associated with strong feelings on the part of the buyers. BMW took this to a level where they see BMW World as the home of their brand. The facility embodies everything this brand has to offer its buyers – it is rounded off by top-quality architecture, care for the environment with solar collectors on the roof and technological progress. The centre is open 365 days a year and, last year, opened its doors to over two million visitors inspecting new cars, getting to know new technological solutions or attending congresses, conferences and receptions. Its central function is the special experience of taking over a new car, which is rounded off by other content, such as the children’s area, the history of BMW cars and motorcycles in an exquisite designer museum, top-quality restaurants, shops with BMW souvenirs and various exhibitions, especially from the field of top-quality automotive technologies. The conference area is rounded off by the meetings forum in the centre's north wing, with the main hall providing room for over 800 delegates and with builtin mobile stages guaranteeing the hall's adaptability to different needs. The hall can be divided into smaller micro-locations focused on individual events with the possibility of being set up into one large space for receptions or presentations. The central hall is completed with section halls and top-quality logistics equipment (ease of access, catering, wardrobes). The conference offer is supplemented by a cultural offer – e.g. the jazz festival and the competition for the BMW award. Upon taking a walk across the new automobile cathedral, we see how a recognisable and well-thought out brand is the foundation for the successful marketing of conference centres. The leading brands use architecture, design and the meetings industry as the central part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By doing so, they create spaces that stimulate memories, discoveries and desires. BMW’s initial expectations – 850,000 visitors a year – were considerably exceeded in their first year of operation. In its first year, the centre was visited by 2.2 million people.

Assessment:

Delighted • Reserved Indifferent Disappointed

Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

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Nenavadne kongresne lokacije

Kongresni center LINGOTTO -

prenova na smrt obsojene tovarne v kongresni center Primer dobre prakse za vsa mesta z opuščenimi industrijskimi objekti. Giovanni Agnelli si pri načrtovanju tovarne najbrž ni predstavljal, da bo dvorana nekoč kongresni center. Legendarna stavba je bila odprta leta 1923 in je bila primer edinstvene tovarniške arhitekture. Avtomobil je od začetka do konca proizvodnje potoval preko petih nadstropij do testne steze na strehi objekta. Luč sveta je v tovarni ugledalo preko osemdeset različnih modelov Fiatovih avtomobilov. Tovarno so zaprli leta 1982. Nalogo prenove v kongresni center, sejmišče in hotel je dobil znameniti arhitekt Renzo Piano. Štirinajst let trajajoča prenova je spremenila staro tovarno v multifunkcijski center s trgovskim centrom, dvema hoteloma La Meridien in kongresnim centrom. Osrednji del centra predstavlja galerija slik, ki jih je donirala družina Agnelli in ki vsebuje stalno kolekcijo petindvajsetih avtorjev, med drugimi dela Renoira, Maneta, Matissa in Picassa. Kongresni center združuje zgodovino, izjemno arhitekturo in umetnost. Glavna dvorana lahko sprejme 2.090 udeležencev. Dvoran za sekcije je preko trinajst, dopolnjuje pa jih razstaviščni center. Znamenita testna steza na vrhu zgradbe služi kongresnim gostom kot steza za jutranji jogging ali kot poligon za vožnjo z italijanskimi dirkalnimi žrebci. Kako odlična je bila zamisel o spremembi namembnosti industrijskega dela Torina v kongresni center, dokazujejo številni mednarodni kongresi, ki so potekali in bodo organizirani v prihodnosti. Revitalizirano območje je postalo generator razvoja in prihodkov, hkrati pa srce ohranjanja industrijske tradicije. Trend v svetu so kongresni centri, ki gostom ponujajo posebno doživetje. Predstavljajo dokaz, da ni potrebno vsega porušiti in graditi na novo. Celoten kompleks je izjemen primer uspešne obnove in revitalizacije industrijskih objektov. O našem odnosu do industrijske dediščine pa največ pove pogled na stare tovarne Rog, Cukrarno, Litostroj. Investitorji žal v industrijskih objektih ne vidijo ekonomskega in družbenega potenciala. www.centrocongressilingotto.it

Ocene: Navdušen • Zadržan Ravnodušen Razočaran Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

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Unusual Conference Locations

The LINGOTTO Conference Centre -

Reforming a Plant on Death Row into a Conference Centre This is a good practice example for all towns with abandoned industrial facilities. When designing the plant, Giovanni Agnelli probably did not see it as eventually becoming a conference centre. This legendary building opened in 1923 and was a prime example of unique factory architecture. From the beginning to the end of the manufacturing process, the car travelled through five levels to the test track on the facility roof. The plant gave birth to over eighty different Fiat models until it closed in 1982. The task of reforming it into a conference centre, exhibition space and hotel was awarded to the famous architect Renzo Piano. Fourteen years of refurbishment transformed the old plant into a multifunctional centre with shopping arcades, two Le Meridien hotels and two conference centres. The central part of the centre is a gallery of pictures donated by the Agnelli family – a permanent collection of twenty-five artists including Renoir, Manet, Matisse and Picasso. The conference centre combines history, exceptional architecture and art. The main hall can hold up to 2,090 participants. There are over thirteen section halls completed by the exhibition centre. The famous test track on the roof of the facility serves as a track for the guests’ morning run or as a testing ground for drives with Italian racing cars. The brilliance of the idea of turning the industrial part of Torino into a conference centre is proven by numerous international congresses already organised and others to be organised in the future. The revitalised area has become a generator of development and revenue, while its heart maintains an industrial tradition. Globally, the trend is for conference centres to provide their guests with a special experience. They offer proof that it is not necessary to demolish and rebuild anew. The entire complex is an exceptional example of the successful refurbishment and revitalisation of industrial facilities. Our attitude towards our industrial heritage is more than evident merely in looking at the old Rog, Cukrarna and Litostroj plants. Unfortunately, investors do not see industrial facilities as providing economic and social potential. www.centrocongressilingotto.it

Assessment:

Delighted • Reserved Indifferent Disappointed Gorazd Čad GoMice d.o.o. gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

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Naj lokacije po izboru DMC/PCO agenta

Dobro nagradno potovanje – kaj je potrebno upoštevati?

tranko smo navdušili nad Slovenijo in sedaj je potrebno sestaviti ustrezen program nagradnega (incentive) potovanja, ki bo kar v največji meri sledil strankinim željam in zahtevam v smislu časovnega okvirja, velikosti skupine, starosti in spola udeležencev, aktivnostim, ki se morajo seveda razlikovati od preteklih potovanj in nenazadnje finančnemu proračunu.

Zastavljamo si cel kup vprašanj: kateri kraj v Sloveniji izbrati za izhodišče, kateri hotel, katere aktivnosti, katere lokacije za gala večerjo, katere restavracije – če izpostavim le nekaj najpomembnejših. Odločitev največkrat ni lahka, pa vendar se počasi, skupaj z vse večjim številom izvedenih dogodkov (potovanj), oblikuje preferenčni seznam. Odločilna kriterija sta kvaliteta storitve na prvem in cena na drugem mestu. Oba morata biti v čim večjem sozvočju (value for money), saj ni nujno, da visoka cena pomeni tudi visoko kvaliteto in obratno. Sledijo drugi kriteriji, ki so na videz manj pomembni, vendar tudi bistveno prispevajo k odločitvi za ali proti – odnos s prodajo in menedžmentom, odzivnost na povpraševanja, fleksibilnost itd. Najprej smo se vprašali, kateri kraj v Sloveniji izbrati za izhodišče? Največkrat so tovrstna potovanja časovno zelo omejena; govorimo o treh, največ štirih dneh. Kot najbolj primerno izhodišče za nagradno potovanje bi izbral Ljubljano, razlogi za to pa so: bližina mednarodnega letališča, geografska lega v smislu oddaljenosti do krajev, kjer se izvajajo aktivnosti, pestrost ponudbe nastanitvenih zmogljivosti, število najbolj kvalitetnih restavracij, možnost organiziranja gala večerij na različnih lokacijah, pestrost druge ponudbe. Drugo vprašanje se navezuje na nastanitev. Tu se stvar že malce bolj zakomplicira; nekatere stranke želijo imeti hotel v centru, (čeprav lahko v primerjavi z ostalimi metropolami brez težav vse ljubljanske hotele uvrščamo v to kategorijo), drugim so bolj pomembni ostali kriteriji (velikost sob in njihova opremljenost, čistoča, kvaliteta zajtrka, prijaznost osebja, ostala ponudba). Dejstvo je (vsaj moje osebno menje je takšno), da zaenkrat Ljubljana (pa tudi vsa Slovenija z izjemo hotela Kempinski Palace v Portorožu, pa še tam strežno in ostalo osebje ni dovolj izučeno) ne premore pravega hotela s petimi zvezdicami, kar je včasih razlog, da se stranka kljub vsem naravnim lepotam in izjemni kulinarični ponudbi ne odloči za Slovenijo. V Ljubljani je po upoštevanju zgornjih kriterijev, povratnih informacij s strani naših gostov in mojem osebnem mnenju najbolje ocenjen hotel Austria Trend. Tretje vprašanje je najbolj kompleksno in subtilno, saj je zelo subjektivne narave. Aktivnosti, ki so za eno stranko odlične, se drugi zdijo neprimerne – bodisi zaradi načela že videno, bodisi zaradi strukture udeležencev. Slovenija ponuja veliko možnosti za aktivnosti v naravi in to je primerjalna prednost pred drugimi destinacijami. Geografska raznovrstnost ponuja izjemne možnosti, po drugi strani pa smo omejeni s časovno komponento ter z naborom možnih aktivnosti. Časovna komponenta je recimo razlog, da je težko organizirati dogodek v tako izjemnem okolju, kot je recimo dolina Soče. Okolje, ki je lahko dostopno, zares posebno in je zaradi svoje prvinskosti težko primerljivo z ostalimi (beri: v drugih državah), je Postojnska jama.

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Četrto vprašanje je povezano s posebnimi lokacijami, ki jih uporabljamo za posebne večerje. Največja težava je, da imamo izven hotelov oz. kongresnih centrov zelo malo atraktivnih lokacij, na katerih lahko ob predpostavki slabega vremena organiziramo večerje za dvesto in več udeležencev. Ena takšnih je Ljubljanski grad, ki s kombinacijo starinskega in modernega ponuja lepo okolje za organizacijo vrhunskega kulinaričnega in kulturnega programa. Na kulinariko smo v Sloveniji lahko izjemno ponosni in velikokrat ravno slednja prevesi jeziček na tehtnici, ko se stranka odloča med Slovenijo in kakšno drugo destinacijo (če nam seveda uspe, da pride na t.i. ogledno potovanje). Dobrih catererjev sicer ni v izobilju, vendar jih je kljub temu dovolj, da zadostijo željam zahtevnih strank. Jezeršek si po mojem mnenju zasluži prvo mesto pri pripravi slovenskih jedi, medtem ko pri bolj mednarodnem jedilniku vodilno mesto pripada Ericu Rauscherju. Izjemnih restavracij, ki se jim ni treba sramovati svoje kuhinje, je v prestolnici in tudi drugod po Sloveniji kar nekaj, na srečo. Žal je največkrat kapaciteta tista (največ 60-70 oseb), ki omejuje izbiro. Prestolnica je sicer pred kratkim v središču mesta z zaprtjem Chez Erica izgubila paradnega konja vrhunske kulinarike, vendar je z Vitezom, Evropo in še nekaterimi restavracijami kulinarična ponudba še vedno na zavidljivi ravni. Zunaj Ljubljane prvo mesto po mojem mnenju pripada restavraciji Torkla v Kortah. Boštjan Horjak bostjan@liberty-slovenia.com www.liberty-slovenia.com

Boštjan Horjak je direktor podjetja Liberty Incentives & Congresses. Podjetje je del priznane mednarodne korporacije Liberty International, ki s poslovalnicami v več kot tridesetih državah sveta spada med vodilne DMC-je na svetu. Slovenska podružnica deluje šesto leto in se je predvsem z mlado in kreativno ekipo kot zanesljiv partner uveljavila na slovenskem tržišču. Liberty Incentives & Congresses Slovenija je tudi edino slovensko podjetje, ki je kadarkoli v Sloveniji organiziralo svetovno premiero tuje avtomobilske blagovne znamke.

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Best Locations as Chosen by a DMC/PCO

Good Award (Incentive) Tour – What Needs to be Considered?

e managed to get the client interested in Slovenia and now we need to prepare an appropriate programme for an award (incentive) tour that will closely follow the client’s wishes and requirements with regard to the time frame, group size, age and gender of the participants – activities that, of course, have to be different from those in previous tours and, ultimately also, the financial budget. Numerous questions are raised: which Slovenian town to choose as the starting point, which hotel, which activities, which locations for the gala dinner, which restaurants – to list only a few of the most important ones. The decision is often not an easy one but, with time and a growing number of organised events (tours), a preferential list emerges. The decisive criteria are undoubtedly the quality of the service followed by the price. Both need to be in harmony with regard to value for money, as a high price does not necessarily mean a high quality of service and vice versa. This is followed by seemingly less important criteria that still contribute essentially to the decision for or against. These are relations with sales and management, responsiveness to inquiries, flexibility and others.

The decisive criteria are undoubtedly the quality of the service followed by the price. The first question raised was which town in Slovenia to choose as the starting point. Such tours are usually very limited in time, lasting three to four days at the most. Personally, I would choose Ljubljana as an appropriate starting point for an incentive tour. My reasons are the vicinity of an international airport, its geographic position in terms of its distance to the towns hosting the activities, its diverse offer of accommodation facilities, a number of high quality restaurants, the possibility of organising gala dinners at various locations and the variety of its additional offer. The second question relates to accommodation. Here, the matters are a bit more complex, as some clients prefer hotels in the city centre (even though all the Ljubljana hotels may be considered to fall within this category compared to other metropolises) while others care more about other criteria (such as room size and furnishing, cleanliness, quality of the breakfast, the friendliness of the staff or other offers). The fact remains (at least as I see it) that so far, Ljubljana (and the rest of Slovenia excluding Kempinski Palace in Portorož and even there the serving and other staff are not sufficiently trained) still does not have a true five star hotel, which is sometimes the reason why, despite the natural beauties and exceptional culinary offer, clients do not decide on Slovenia. In considering these criteria and the feedback provided by our guests and my personal opinion, the best rating was given to the Austria Trend Hotel. The third question is the most complex and subtle, as it is of a very subjective nature. The activities that one client sees as excellent may be totally inappropriate to another. Be it because they have already been seen or due to the structure of the participants. Slovenia offers a diverse range of nature activities and this is undoubtedly a comparative advantage over other destinations. The

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geographic diversity provides plenty opportunity while, at the same time, we are limited by time and the array of possible activities. The time component, for example, is the reason why it is difficult to organise an event in such an exceptional environment as, let us say, the Soča Valley. An easily accessible, really special place that is, due to its primary nature, difficult to compare (with other countries) is the Postojna Cave. The fourth question relates to the special locations used for organising special dinners. The biggest problem is that, outside hotels or congress centres, there are very few attractive locations where it is possible to organise dinners for two hundred-plus participants in bad weather. One of these venues is the Ljubljana Castle, using its combination of the ancient and modern to provide an attractive location for a culinary and cultural programme. Slovenia’s culinary offer is something that we can be extremely proud of and it is precisely this culinary offer that often makes the difference when a client is choosing between Slovenia and another location (provided that we can manage to get the client to come on an inspection tour). There is no oversupply of good caterers, but there are still enough to meet the requirements of the most demanding clients. I believe the top position for preparing Slovenian dishes goes to Jezeršek, while the first place goes to Eric Rauscher for the preparation of an international menu. There are quite a few restaurants to be found in the capital and across Slovenia that have no reason to be ashamed of their cuisine. Luckily. Unfortunately, it is often the capacity (a maximum of 60 to 70 people) that limits the choice. When Chez Eric recently closed its doors, the capital’s city centre lost its flagship for top quality culinary offer, but restaurants such as Vitez, Evropa and others still keep the culinary offer at an enviable level nevertheless. Outside Ljubljana’s city limits, I would award first place to the Torkla restaurant in Korte. Boštjan Horjak bostjan@liberty-slovenia.com www.liberty-slovenia.com

Boštjan Horjak is the director of Liberty Incentives & Congresses. The company is part of the acclaimed Liberty International corporation with offices in more than thirty countries all over the world, making it one of the leading DMCs in the world. The Slovenian subsidiary has been operating for six years and has asserted itself on the Slovenian market as a reliable partner, especially with its young and creative team. Liberty Incentives & Congresses Slovenia is also the only Slovenian company that has ever organised the world premiere of a foreign automobile brand in Slovenia.

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Ljubljanski cukrčki

Arhitekturni muzej Ljubljana – Grad Fužine Renesančni grad Fužine leži na očarljivi in mirni lokaciji ob reki Ljubljanici na obrobju Ljubljane, slabih pet kilometrov od središča mesta. Prostorno grajsko dvorišče in dvorane z ostanki renesančnih stenskih poslikav ponujajo izjemno historično okolje za prirejanje različnih poslovnih in družabnih dogodkov.

zgodnejša dela, vezana na Dunaj, kjer je študiral, in Prago, kjer je vodil obnovo Praškega gradu. Plečniku se danes priznava pomembno mesto med velikimi imeni evropske moderne arhitekture. Uveljavljeno podjetje za organizacijo pogostitev, Vivo catering, je dodana vrednost te lokacije, saj je njegov sedež in glavni logistični prostor prav na gradu Fužine. Na spisek najpomembnejših gostov, ki so jih doslej razvajali s svojimi kulinaričnimi mojstrovinami, so nedavno dodali ime britanske kraljice Elizabete II. Ob gradu je za goste urejen dokaj prostoren parkirni prostor, zato dostop z osebnimi vozili ali avtobusom ni problematičen.

Prostori – skupno šest dvoran – so primerni tako za poslovna srečanja, sprejeme, promocijske dogodke, predavanja, konference, kakor tudi za pogostitve, poročne slovesnosti, razstave, koncerte, modne revije in tudi zabave. Največja dvorana lahko sprejme do 250 gostov v kino postavitvi, medtem ko je na dvorišču možno prirediti sprejem oz. stoječo pogostitev za največ 800 gostov. Ob organizaciji dogodka v Fužinskem gradu ne gre zamuditi priložnosti za ogled stalne razstave Arhitekturnega muzeja, posvečene življenjskemu opusu slovitega slovenskega arhitekta Jožeta Plečnika (1872 – 1957), ki je močno zaznamoval urbano podobo svoje rojstne Ljubljane v obdobju med dvema svetovnima vojnama pa vse do smrti. Razstava predstavlja tudi njegova

Dvorana

www.aml.si www.vivo.si

Maks. število sedežev, kino

Maks. zmogljivost, sprejem

Maks. zmogljivost, banket

Površina, m2

Sprejemna dvorana

150

Kislov stolp

Restavracija

Veliki stolp

250

350

110 do 160

150

Južna dvorana

130

250

130

Klub

Dvorišče

500

800

450

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Ljubljana Candies

Architecture Museum of Ljubljana – Fužine Castle The Renaissance Fužine Castle occupies a charming and quiet location along the Ljubljanica River, at the city outskirts − just under 5 kilometres from the downtown area. The spacious castle yard and the six function rooms, which feature the remains of Renaissance fresco works, provide a unique historic setting for an array of business and social events alike.

– most notably on his native Ljubljana, whose urban image was reshaped by many of his projects between the two World Wars and up to his death. The exhibition also presents his earlier works connected to Vienna, where he studied, and to Prague, where he was appointed the chief architect for the renovation of the Prague Castle.

The function rooms are suitable for business meetings, receptions, promotional events, lectures, conferences, wedding ceremonies, concerts, exhibitions, fashion shows or simply social gatherings. The largest among the halls can welcome up to 250 guests in theatre-style seating, while the courtyard can cater for up to 800 guests attending a standing reception.

An added value of this location is the well-established Vivo Catering, which has its seat and “logistical centre” at the Fužine Castle. Among the more recent high-ranking guests who have enjoyed their culinary art, Vivo has proudly added the name of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elisabeth II. If accessing Fužine Castle by car or by bus, quite a large parking area is available just next to it.

When considering the Fužine Castle / Architecture Museum for an event, one should not miss the opportunity to organise a visit to the permanent exhibition featuring the oeuvre of Jože Plečnik (1872 – 1957). The most renowned Slovenian architect is nowadays considered one of the pioneers and big names of European modern architecture. Plečnik left a mark on three central European cities

www.aml.si www.vivo.si

Function room

Seating capacity, theatre

Capacity, reception

Capacity, banquet

Surface area, m2

Reception Hall

150

Kisl Tower

Restaurant

Big Tower

250

350

110 do 160

150

South Hall

130

250

130

Club

Courtyard

500

800

450

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Spletna družbena omrežja

Facebook: neizkoriščena priložnost?

ed glavnimi spletnimi fenomeni v letu 2008 je bil vstop spletnih družbenih omrežij v svet povprečnega uporabnika spleta. Med dnevne rituale se je tako neopazno prikradlo večkrat dnevno spremljanje, kaj se dogaja z našimi prijatelji, to pa je nekatera podjetja spodbudilo k prepovedi dostopa do teh spletišč. So ravnala pravilno?

Spletna družbena omrežja (ang. social network websites) kot so Facebook, Netlog, MySpace so v letu 2008 doživela svoj razcvet. Najhitrejšo širitev med njimi je s 150 odstotno letno rastjo doseglo prav omrežje Facebook. Marca 2009 ga tako uporablja že 174 milijonov uporabnikov, kar predstavlja več kot 20 odstotkov svetovnih uporabnikov spleta in je omrežje z največ uporabniki, tako na svetu, kot v Evropi. Podjetje Nielsen je v raziskavi, objavljeni v začetku leta, ugotovilo, da se vsak od te množice uporabnikov v povprečju na družbenih omrežjih zadrži 10 odstotkov časa, ki ga preživi na spletu. Zavedati se je potrebno, da so družbena omrežja komunikacijski kanal, ravno tako kot televizija, radio, časopisi in telefon. Zaradi tega predstavljajo konkurenco vsem klasičnim ponudnikom vsebin, vendar so tudi priložnost, preko katere lahko vsako podjetje predstavi svojo ponudbo uporabnikom. Trenutno vprašanje vseh strokovnjakov za spletno oglaševanje je: »Kako učinkovito oglaševati na družbenih omrežjih?« Vsako podjetje si lahko dokaj preprosto ustvari svoj profil na družbenem omrežju, vprašanje pa je, kako storiti kaj več. Klasični spletni oglaševalski pristopi ne delujejo najbolje. Oglasne pasice imajo od deset do stokrat manjšo učinkovitost, kot če so prikazane na spletnih iskalnikih. Uporabnik namreč od spletnega iskalnika pričakuje informacijo, ki mu jo lahko poda tudi oglas. Namen

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uporabnika družbenih omrežjih pa je interakcija z drugimi uporabniki. Oglasi v takšnem okolju za uporabnika pomenijo moteč dejavnik, so veliko slabše opazni ter neučinkoviti. Učinkovit model oglaševanja na družbenih omrežjih se še išče, vendar je jasno, da bo moral biti nekaj povsem novega, inovativnega ter upoštevati zakonitosti teh omrežij. Zakonitosti lahko razberemo, če pogledamo, katere aktivnosti so popularne. Na Facebooku je najbolj popularno: • • • • • •

ogledovanje profilov uporabnikov, združevanje v skupine, dajanje virtualnih daril, zmenkarije, igranje iger in deljenje zanimivih povezav in video posnetkov.

Vse te aktivnosti povezuje interakcija med uporabniki. Med prvimi, ki so uspešno izkoristili interakcijo med uporabniki za oglaševanje svoje blagovne znamke, je hrvaško podjetje Kraš. Na splet so prenesli zbiranje in izmenjavo sličic Životinjsko carstvo, ki so drugače priložene njihovim čokoladkam. Aplikacijo si je v prvih nekaj mesecih namestilo 250.000 uporabnikov, še vedno pa ima več kot 140.000 aktivnih mesečnih uporabnikov, ki so ob vsaki uporabi izpostavljeni blagovni znamki Kraš. Zavidanja vreden dosežek, še posebej, ker je aplikacija na voljo le v hrvaščini in je s tem geografsko omejena. Uspešen način oglaševanja na družbenih omrežjih bo torej verjetno temeljil na oglaševanju od ust do ust, imel bo vgrajeno viralnost in bo temeljil na sodelovanju uporabnika. Vsekakor oglaševanje na družbenih omrežjih ponuja priložnost, ki jo je potrebno izkoristiti. Mi že delamo na tem, kaj pa vi? Uroš Čimžar, RS Klan uros.cimzar@rsklan.com

Social Network Websites

Facebook: An Unexploited Opportunity?

ne of the main online phenomena of 2008 was the emergence of social network websites in the world of the average internet user. Very subtly, daily rituals have begun to include checking the lives of our friends several times a day and this has caused some companies to prohibit access to these websites. Did they do the right thing?

2008 represented a boost to social networking websites, such as Facebook, Netlog, MySpace and others. With its 150 percent annual growth, Facebook recorded the fastest expansion. As of March 2009, it is being used by 174 million users, which is more than 20 percent of the world's internet users, making it the social network with the most users both in the world and in Europe. In its research published in the beginning of the year, Nielsen found that each of these users spend an average of 10 percent of their internet time on these social networks. We need to be aware that social networks are a communication channel, just like TV, radio, newspapers and telephones. This is why they are a competitor to all conventional content providers but also an opportunity that each company can use to present its offer to the users. The number one question of all online advertising experts is how to successfully advertise on social networks. It is fairly easy for any company to create a profile on a social network but the main question is how to do something more with it. Conventional approaches to online advertising do not work that well. Display advertising is ten to one hundred times less efficient than on search engines. The search engine provides information to the user, which can also come in the form of an ad, hence the efficiency. The aim of the user of social networks is interaction with other users however. In such an environment, advertisements are

a disturbing factor, much less noticeable and inefficient. The search for an efficient model of advertising on social networks still continues, but it is clear that it will have to be something completely new and innovative, considering all the intrinsic rules of these networks. These are evident if we take a look at the popular activities. The most popular activities on Facebook are: • • • • • •

checking user profiles, joining groups, exchanging virtual gifts, dating, games and sharing interesting links and videos.

All these activities are united by user interaction. Among the first to successfully make use of the interaction among users for advertising its brand was the Croatian Kraš. They brought the collecting and exchanging of "Animal Kingdom" (orig. Životinjsko carstvo) pictures, which are otherwise found in their chocolate bars, into the online world. In the first few months, 250,000 users installed the application and they still have 140,000 active users a month – who are exposed to the Kraš brand every time they use the application. This is undoubtedly an enviable achievement, especially if we consider that the application is only available in Croatian and thus limited geographically. Therefore, successful advertising on social networks will probably be based on word-of-mouth advertising, with built in virality and based on the user's participation. Advertising on social networks undoubtedly presents an opportunity that needs to be exploited. We are already working on this. Are you? Uroš Čimžar, RS Klan uros.cimzar@rsklan.com

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Nostalgija

Ljubljanski kongres Svete alianse, 1821

eliki kongresni dogodki so se v preteklosti dogajali tudi v jugovzhodni Evropi in jo spremenili v središče evropske in svetovne politike. V rubriki Nostalgija se bomo spomnili najpomembnejših, ki so zaznamovali našo zgodovino. Začenjamo s kongresom Svete alianse, ki se je leta 1821 odvijal v Ljubljani kot drugi od treh kongresov Svete alianse. Kongres pa ni bil samo političen dogodek, ampak je takratno glavno mesto Kranjske za štiri mesece spremenil v pravo turistično prestolnico. Ljubljanski kongres se je odvil dobrih šest let za Dunajskim kongresom, katerega sklepi so, še v času srditih bojev med Napoleonom in zavezniki, korenito spremenili politično podobo Evrope z začetka 19. stoletja. Namen kongresa je bil zagotoviti trajen mir v Evropi z vzpostavitvijo ravnotežja med velesilami po Napoleonovem vojaškem porazu. Velesile so se zavedale, da ljudje ne bodo povsod z naklonjenostjo sprejeli starih vladarjev in absolutizma, zato so na pobudo ruskega carja Aleksandra I. Rusija, Avstrija in Prusija ustanovile Sveto zvezo (alianso) kot politično in vojaško zvezo, ki je zatirala porajajoča se narodna in revolucionarna gibanja. V primeru uporov ali liberalnih gibanj so se članice zbrale na kongresu in tja poslale vojsko, kar je bil tudi razlog za sklic Ljubljanskega kongresa. Od 10. januarja do 22. maja 1821 so v Ljubljani bivali in se sestajali predstavniki Svete alianse. Kongresa so se udeležili ruski car Aleksander I. in ruski prvi minister in državni tajnik Kapodistrias, avstrijski cesar Franc I., neapeljski kralj Ferdinand IV. in modenski vladar Franc IV. Modenski, poleg njih pa še približno petsto ministrov in predstavnikov Francije, Velike Britanije, Prusije in posameznih italijanskih držav. Idejni vodja in povezovalec kongresa je bil avstrijski kancler, knez Metternich. Cilj Svete alianse v Ljubljani je bil dosežen in absolutistična oblast vladarjev ohranjena. Na slavnostni seji 12. maja 1821 so Avstrija, Rusija in Prusija sprejele končno deklaracijo. Francija in Velika Britanija pri sestavi in podpisu deklaracije nista sodelovali, kar kaže na vse večja nesoglasja znotraj Svete alianse. Ideje in ukrepi alianse so bili dolgoročno gledano zgrešeni, saj niso upoštevali realne podobe takratne Evrope – prebujanja narodov, ki so se uprli 1848 v t.i. pomladi narodov. Ljubljana je v času kongresa poleg uglednih gostov gostila tudi številne domače in tuje veljake, tem pa so sledili vsi, ki so si obetali raznih koristi. Mesto je poostrilo varnostni nadzor, lotilo pa se je tudi številnih obnovitvenih del. Tlakovanje trgov in ulic, izravnava Kapucinskega trga (danes Kongresnega trga) za paradne slovesnosti, urejanje kanalizacije, ureditev razsvetljave, obnova gledališča in plesne dvorane ter razširitev poštnih zmogljivosti so bile naloge, ki so se opravile še pred začetkom kongresa. Gostje s seboj niso prinesli le politike, temveč so bili tudi radodarni turisti in udeleženci številnih družabnih dogajanj. Vsakodnevno so se vrstile vojaške parade, godbe Filharmoničnega društva, plesi,

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maškarade, ognjemeti, gledališke in operne predstave v domači in tuji izvedbi, plovbe po Ljubljanici, lovski pohodi in maše. Ljubljana s svojimi 20.000 prebivalci se je za trenutek prepustila blišču Evrope. Spomin na kongres je ostal še dolgo po njegovem zaključku. Na zbor Svete alianse danes v Ljubljani spominjajo imena Kongresni trg, Cesta dveh cesarjev, Bavarski dvor in gostilna Pri ruskem carju. Vir: http://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ljubljanski_kongres_(1821)

Nostalgia

The Ljubljana Congress of the Holy Alliance,1821

n the past, great congresses often took place in Southeast Europe, making it the centre of European and global politics. The Nostalgia column will remind us of the most important ones shaping our history. We begin with the Holy Alliance Congress in Ljubljana in 1821 – the second of the three Holy Alliance congresses. The congress itself was not just a political event but also an event that turned the capital of Carniola into a true capital of tourism for four months.

The Congress of Ljubljana took place a little more than six years after the Congress of Vienna; still during the fighting with Napoleon’s army and the Allies, its resolutions profoundly changed the political image of Europe at the start of the 19 century. The objective of the congress was to bring about a lasting peace in Europe by restoring the balance between the Great powers after Napoleon’s military defeat. The Great powers were aware that not everywhere the public would accept the old rulers and absolutism with any inclination. Therefore, on the initiative of the Russian emperor Alexander I, Russia, Austria and Prussia founded the Holy Alliance as a political and military union, which suppressed the emerging national and revolutionary movements. In case of any uprisings or liberal movements, the members met at the congress and sent an army there, which was also the reason for calling the Congress of Ljubljana. From 10 January to 22 May 1821, Ljubljana was the home and meeting place of representatives of the Holy Alliance. Participants of the congress included the Russian tsar Alexander I, Russia’s first minister and state secretary Capo d'Istria, the Austrian Emperor Francis I, Ferdinand IV of Naples and Francis IV of Modena. They were joined by approximately five hundred ministers and representatives of France, Great Britain, Prussia and the individual Italian states. The conceptual leader and a major figure in the congress was the Austrian Chancellor Prince von Metternich. The aim of the Holy Alliance in Ljubljana was achieved and the absolutist power of the monarchs was preserved. The congress closed on 12 May 1821 when Austria, Russia and Prussia issued the final declaration (not signed by France and Great Britain), which proclaimed the disunion of the Alliance. The ideas and steps of the Alliance were erroneous in the long run as they did not consider the real image of Europe at the time – the Spring of Nations or the European Revolution of 1848 that was to follow. During the congress, Ljubljana not only hosted distinguished foreign guests but also numerous prominent domestic and foreign figures – and these were followed by everyone seeking various interests. The city increased security measures and conducted numerous renovations. Paving squares and streets, levelling the Capuchin Square (today’s Kongres square) for parade ceremonies, regulating the sewage system and lighting, renovation of the theatre and the dance hall and the expansion of the postal capacities were priority tasks to be taken care of even before the start of the congress. The guests did not only bring politics but were also generous tourists and participants in numerous social events. Military parades, the music of the Philharmonic Society, dances, masquerades, fireworks, theatre and opera performances by national and international groups, navigations across the Ljubljanica river, hunting expeditions and masses were organised on a daily basis. For a moment, Ljubljana and its 20,000 inhabitants were part of the splendour of Europe. The memory of the congress remained long after its conclusion. In Ljubljana, the names Congress Square, the Road of Two Emperors, the Bavarian Court and the Inn of the Russian Tsar still remind us of the congress of the Holy Alliance. Source: http://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ljubljanski_kongres_(1821)

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dru`abni dogodki,

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• 1. REVIJA INDUSTRIJE SREČANJ JUGOVZHODNE EVROPE • 1ST SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE •

Ugodnost za organizatorje dogodkov Organizatorji dogodkov in revija Kongres - kot prva strokovna revija industrije sreËanj - smo odloËilno vplivali na razvoj kongresnega turizma v regiji. Kot ekoloπko osveπËeno uredniπtvo æelimo zmanjπati obseg tiskane naklade, a hkrati nagraditi organizatorje dogodkov. Zato organizatorjem dogodkov, ki so prispevali k razvoju kongresnega in poslovnega turizma, podeljujemo ugodnost prejemanja brezplaËnih izvodov revije Kongres. »e ste organizator dogodkov in si æelite zagotoviti brezplaËen izvod revije Kongres, izpolnite krajπi vpraπalnik na www.kongres-magazine.eu/narocilo-revije. »e se æelite naroËiti na revijo Kongres proti plaËilu, kliknite na www.kongres-magazine.eu/narocilo-revije/narocilnica/. O prejemnikih brezplaËnega izvoda bo odloËal uredniπki odbor revije.

P.S.: »lani Kongresnega urada uæivajo ugodnost, da tudi nadalje prejemajo revijo Kongres brezplaËno. Izdajatelj, produkcija in træenje: GO®Mice d.o.o., ©tihova 4, Ljubljana, T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03, F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 E: kongres@go-mice.eu

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2ND SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN EXHIBITION FOR MEETINGS, EVENTS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL

Have a cup of coffee with us! CONVENTA 2010

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GR - LJUBLJANA EXHIBITION AND CONVENTION CENTRE

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AROÈILNICA

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Zakaj smo turistične agencije pogosto slabo razumljene? / Why are Tourist Agencies often Poorly Understood? N

a nedavnem posvetu o turizmu so se naša mnenja nestrpno kresala. Pogovor je potekal o letošnjih pričakovanjih, o globalnih razmerah, o tem, kaj nas bo rešilo in česa si želimo ... Največ razburjenja je ponovno požela razprava glede fleksibilnosti naše ponudbe, bolje rečeno – glede cenovne politike. Kljub pogostejšim pogovorom in dobremu sodelovanju imam še vedno občutek, da se turistični ponudniki občasno medsebojno ne razumemo. Turistične agencije smo ob takih razpravah pogosto prikazane kot tisti (morda celo nepotreben) člen v verigi, ki znižuje cenovno fleksibilnost. Menim, da temu še zdaleč ni tako. Obstaja razlog za naš drugačen pogled. Naša dejavnost je zagotavljati celovito ponudbo storitev na destinaciji, jo promovirati in tržiti potencialnim tujim kupcem. V ta namen povezujemo in združujemo posamezne produkte in jih zložimo v privlačen paket. Da to lahko uspešno naredimo, moramo poleg poznavanja produktov na lastni destinaciji poznati kupčeve želje, pričakovanja, potrebe in vrednote, skratka, moramo poznati specifike posameznih tržišč. Vendar pa v globalnem svetu ne smemo zanemarjati tudi vse bolj pomembne prisotnosti drugih destinacij, ki s svojimi ponudbami prav tako nagovarjajo naše potencialne goste. Danes agencije torej ne tekmujemo le s sorodnimi tujimi in domačimi turističnimi ponudniki za prodajo domačih produktov, temveč so naša aktivna konkurenca tudi druge destinacije. Zato je manj pomembno, kako se sami vidimo (v tem smo si dokaj enotni), pomembna je percepcija s strani kupca, ki si lahko privošči, da je kritičen in izbirčen, ko nas neprestano globalno ocenjuje in primerja. Že naši vrhunski športniki dokazujejo, da so kot individualni tekmovalci pogosto nepremagljivi, težje pa se dokazujejo v skupinskih športih. Pogosto razmišljam, zakaj je temu tako. Tudi v naši turistični dejavnosti lahko povlečemo vzporednice – mnogo odličnih turističnih ponudnikov, ki pa v timu enostavno ne blestimo.

t the recent consultation on tourism, our opinions collided rather intolerantly. The discussion focused on the expectations for this year, the global circumstances, what will save us and what we want. Again, the greatest uproar was caused by the discussion on the flexibility of our offer or, better said, our price policy. Despite the more frequent talks and good cooperation, I still get the feeling that the providers of tourist services occasionally do not understand each other. In such discussions, tourist agencies are often made out to be that link in the chain (perhaps even an unnecessary one) that reduces price flexibility. I strongly disagree. There is a reason for our different point of view. Our activity is to provide a comprehensive offer of services at a destination – to advertise and market it to potential foreign buyers. For this purpose, we combine and unite individual products, presenting them in an attractive package. In order to do this successfully, we not only need to be aware of the products at our destination but also of the buyer’s wishes, expectations, requirements and values. We need to know the specifics of the individual markets. In a global world however, we cannot neglect the increasingly important presence of other destinations that address our potential guests with their offers. Today, agencies are therefore not just competing with related foreign and domestic tourist providers of domestic products, as active competition also comes from other destinations. It is therefore less important how we see ourselves (this is something that we largely agree on) but it is the buyer’s perception that matters, as he is the one who can be critical and choosy when constantly evaluating and comparing us on a global level. It is our top athletes that prove that they are often unbeatable as individual competitors, but it is much more difficult to succeed in team sports. I often wonder why. Parallels may also be drawn with our tourism – many excellent providers that simply do not shine in a team.

Ne bodimo sami sebi največja konkurenca. Let us not be our own greatest competition. Tina Možina Kompas Incoming d.d. tina.mozina@kompas.si

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