Kongres Magazine

6 The social legacy of conferences Social legacy goes beyond the simple ‘greening’ of conferences Rob Davidson

42 Sports stadiums have become a popular choice for conference and event organisers in uK

44 Stožice centre

Would you like to participate in or organize a meeting on a sports stadium?

Roman Jakič

Interview with the director of Public Institute Tivoli

Andrew Kirby

www.slovenia.info

SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE, VOLUME IV, ISSUE 4, OCTOBER 2010 www.kongres-magazine.eu OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SLOVENIAN CONVENTION BUREAU

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Contents 5 6 8

A word from the editor Column: Rob Davidson Column: Dr. Maja Konečnik Ruzzier

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News: News from Slovenia News from Europe

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In focus: Uroš Čimžar Miguel Neves Dejan Križaj Eling Hamso VisitDenmark Marko Marn Gastronomy: Prof. Janez Bogataj Surveys: ICCA IAPCO Agency presents: Spektar putovanja Slovenia Convention Bureau presents: News from Slovenia Convention Bureau List of members of Slovenian Convention Bureau PCO, DMC in event agencies of the Slovenian Convention Bureau

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Interview: Matej Kadunc

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Examples & advice: Good practise examples Gadgets

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PR: AIPC Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort Summer School in Tampere ECM Summer School EIBTM Youth cultural centre Brežice Kompas Novo mesto

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The last word Meetings services spot

Congress locations: Andrew Kirby Roman Jakič Ježeršek Congress Ljubljana Congress travelogue: Dubrovnik Congress personality: Rok Klančnik

FIRST SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad; Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Jan Klavora; Editorial Board: Renata Balažic, Gorazd Čad, Petra Čuk, Anuša Gaši, Miha Kovačič, Tina Možina, Srečo Peterlič, Tatjana Radovič, Darja Slivnjak, Mirjana Sušec, Maja Vidergar, Paul Kennedy; Design and AD: Andreja Martinc; DTP and prepress: Milana Veselinović; Translation: Nina Polak, Paul Kennedy; Proofreading: Metka Golčman; Printing: Kerschoffset Zagreb d.o.o.; Circulation: 3000 copies; ISSN Number: 1855-8607 The Kongres magazine is entered into the media register under sequence number 1423.

Magazine issued in: January; April; July; October; December

Our selection Page 6: Column:

The social legacy of conferences Social legacy goes beyond the simple ‘greening’ of conferences Rob Davidson

Page 8: Column:

A strong brand of a business experience requires coherent action and cooperation of all actors The destination plays a key role in developing a business experience brand.

Dr. Maja Konečnik Ruzzier

Page 24: In focus:

The Art and Science of Good Presentations Do you believe you have good presentation skills? Read the article and find out.

Elling Hamso

Page 42: Congress locations:

Sports stadiums have become a popular choice for conference and event organisers in UK Would you like to participate in or organize a meeting on a sports stadium?

Andrew Kirby

Page 44: Congress locations:

Stožice centre Interview with the director of Public Institute Tivoli Roman Jakič

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; Issue date: October 2010; Price: 6,70 EUR/Slovenia; 18,00 EUR/Other Countries For the content reproduction it is required to get the written editorial consigment.

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 organizers.

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Go smart. Go creative. Go mice.

conGress and

marketinG aGency

www.go-mice.eu

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A word from the editor

Gorazd Čad

Conventions at the Stožice Arena – »LIVE« The future of organizing large events is a public-private consortium

hese days I was happy to hear Ljubljana is in the running to host the conference of the World Anti-doping Agency – WADA 2013.

Ljubljana is competing with cities as Dallas, Johannesburg, Kuwait City and Sochi. Till the completion of stadium and arena Stožice, we couldn’t even imagine hosting such an event, due to the lack of capacities.

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and spend more than most classic tourists.

They often prolong their stay and become ambassadors of Slovenia for free.

Stožice stadium opens many new chapters for the meetings industry. Even though there are still many contradicting opinions on the meetings industry, there can be no doubt the industry creates many-sided effects. It is no surprise the trend of organizing meetings at sports stadia first appeared in the United Kingdom – probably due to extreme media interest in this kind of venues and their business-mindedness.

So, the key issue of mega-conventions is the existence of a public-private consortium. In order to make such a consortium function, a consensus on the significance of the meetings industry and its multiapplicational influence needs to be made.

Unfortunately our candidacy will probably be unsuccessful, since such events can only be organized by public-private consortia, which are able to gain, finance, organize and carry out events of this size.

If Ljubljana secures the organization of the WADA If a consortium like this cannot be founded we conference, the media will have to withdraw our candidacy. exposure will be similar to If Ljubljana were to endure this tough battle, that of the EU presidency. we would be visited by 3,000 conference participants and well as numerous high political representatives. The conference would have a multiapplicational influence on the national economy, since the guests with higher budgets use services of a higher quality

Tourism in Ljubljana faces a challenge in stimulating the marketing of events of this magnitude. Different practises are used abroad. The possibilities generated by the

industry are numerous – from tax reliefs to increased tourist tax for guest. The most radical ideas in the USA aim at granting concessions to private partners, who are then responsible for the mega-convention.

The solution lies in the marketing model where everyone in the supply chain of the meetings industry is involved.

This chain will also encourage competitiveness in quality of services, since large scale projects like this require a top-notch project team.

Hotel capacities and air-accessibility of Ljubljana are still an issue. The participants in the meetings industry will have to develop a more active policy and share a part of the responsibility in developing new airline connections to ensure better accessibility.

The investment into Stožice stadium, for some still a controversial investment, holds within a hidden convention dimension, which should be used. How many conventions we are able to bring to Stožice, depends on all of us, who really make our living from the meetings industry.

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Column

The social legacy of conferences Social legacy goes beyond the simple ‘greening’ of conferences

Rob Davidson

Many participants in conferences are uncomfortable with the type of ‘conspicuous consumption’ that often characterizes such events. This is particularly the case when luxurious meetings take place against a background of disadvantaged communities or in developing countries.

Consequently,

there is a growing desire, particularly among younger, ‘Generation Y’, participants, to ‘make a difference’ and ‘give something back’ to the communities where their meetings take place. This is known as the ‘social legacy’ of conferences, and it is one of the key trends driving the design of events today.

Social legacy relates to the ‘People’ aspect of the ‘triple bottom line’ of Corporate Social Responsibility (‘People, Planet and Profit’) and goes beyond the simple ‘greening’ of conferences. Social legacy takes into account how meetings impact upon the people and economy of the community where they take place, and how they can bring real benefits to local people.

Social legacy initiatives One of the most common ways in which

conferences may leave a legacy in the destinations where they take place is through making donations to charities. Participants may be invited to donate to a local charity or another worthy cause at the time of registering for the event or at the conference gala dinner.

From the point of view of the event organizer, the appeal in this approach to leaving a social legacy lies in its relative simplicity and its minimal impact on the time taken out of the principal focus of the conference.

For longer events, where there is less pressure on participants’ time, a more ‘hands-on’ approach to leaving a social legacy may be used, when participants take a day or half-day out of the conference to directly work on a project. This can range from landscaping the garden of a local retirement home to constructing a library in a village school.

However, many conferences participants are more motivated by activities, which give them the opportunity to meet and interact directly with local people. An example of this approach was seen in the 2008 ‘Greening the Hospitality Industry’ Conference, which was held in Vancouver. Attendees worked with the Vancouver Food Bank, sorting food and household items and putting goods into boxes for disbursement. In one hour, 31 attendee volunteers from around the globe assisted 1,600 people with meals in the Vancouver Metro area.

Another type of social legacy is when attendees take time out from their meeting to share their knowledge and skills with people in the local community. For example, medical conferences can offer a direct benefit to communities when visiting world-leading

surgeons conduct Master-classes in local hospitals; or when eminent specialists in their field give free public lectures to complement their conference presentations.

Advantages of adding a social legacy dimension to conferences When used effectively, this form of community investment can create a profound impact on the lives of people living and working in conference destinations. And this is clearly something that applies to all destinations where a section of the population suffers from some form of social or economic disadvantage – not only developing countries.

But including social legacy activities in meetings can also considerably enhance the image of individual companies and the conference industry as a whole, by demonstrating their social awareness and desire to ‘make a difference’. This is particularly important at a time like the present, when the economic context means that the media and company shareholders are alert to any corporate events that appear to be too lavishly funded and the word ‘junket’ is increasingly being used by the press.

However, it is not only corporations that stand to benefit from being associated with social legacy activities. Martin Sirk, of ICCA believes that by articulating and promoting the social benefits of their events, international associations can also improve the way they are perceived, winning greater support from the destinations which host their conferences, improving their negotiating position vis-àvis suppliers, and energizing their various

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stakeholders. He has stated that the political debate is shifting from direct economic impact alone to the CSR impact of international meetings, and this is where international associations can make some powerful arguments: ‘Politicians like to hear about how international events can create a social ‘legacy’ in their communities’.

The role of Convention Bureau Convention Bureaus (CVBs) can play a valuable part in bringing together meetings planners with local agencies representing charitable causes.

As interest in offering social legacy activities as an add-on element of business events grows, a growing number of CVBs are taking on the role of key intermediary in bringing together the interested parties.

An outstanding example of this is seen in the activities of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) which, this year, won an award from Australia's leading industry body, Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) for its record number of green initiatives and its contribution to instituting lasting legacies from business events held in Melbourne and Victoria, including significant fundraising initiatives for local charities. In respect of the

latter, the MCVB offers a range of CSR tools and advice for those planning a business event in its destination. For details, visit the MCVB website: www.mcvb.com.au/about-mcvb/corporatesocial-responsibility.aspx Conclusion It is clear that interest in the CSR aspect of conferences is still growing fast – and increasingly focusing not only on ‘green’ issues but on the social legacy that such events can leave behind.

It may even be argued that by adding a social legacy dimension to conferences, organisers are making use of a valuable opportunity to avoid the accusation that meetings are a wasteful and extravagant use of company resources.

This is a movement being driven by Generation Y, the fastest-growing age-group in the global work-force – and so it is here to stay.

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Column

A strong brand of a business experience requires coherent action and cooperation of all actors The destination plays a key role in developing a business experience brand.

Dr. Maja Konečnik Ruzzier

Business tourists are just beginning to be recognized in the field of tourism, even though official statistics still find it hard to distinguish between business and other types of tourism.

Despite that, available data demonstrates business tourism holds an important place within the tourist industry. Also,

many studies have demonstrated business tourists are the most wanted segment of tourists, since their daily consumption is the highest on average.

On the other hand this signifies the group is fairly demanding and wants to receive a wholesome, unique and proper experience on their business travels, be it a fully business oriented or a business-leisure package.

A strong brand of a business experience, which sticks into the minds of tourists, requires proper and harmonized action of several actors in the field,

which contribute their strengths and philosophies to ensuring a unique experience for the client. It is important each of the actors know their part and the rules of cooperation and that they all work along the lines of a common philosophy in presenting a basic story a brand is trying to introduce.

The story of a business experience needs to be shaped as a result of common cooperation of all actors. It also needs to be clear, which actors play the key role in checking and monitoring individual steps. This article uses the term “business experience” in its widest sense – all kinds of business events (congresses, seminars, meetings, etc), therefore the providers of services are also a mixed group. In general it is about the cooperation among convention bureaus, professional meeting organizers, DMC and other agencies, convention and exhibition centres, hotels, other convention services providers and venues. Who and how contributes most to the creation of the full business experience depends on the event type. Despite the number of service providers, it needs to be clear which the basic story or the basic identity idea of the event is, and who is the key actor in planning, monitoring and checking the agreed obligations of each actor.

In most cases it makes sense the convention bureaus or professional meetings organizers take this role and monitor the event planning and take care of the marketing of the event.

Along with cooperation of the abovementioned actors, the brand of a business experience needs to be exposed as well as the brand of the meeting destination.

Through the eyes of a business tourist (many times the individuals who decide where an event will be held), the destination plays a significant role – on the level of continent, country, city and region. A proper destination is chosen by numerous criteria but always with a focus group of business tourist in mind. In this aspect countries traditionally thought of as good destinations for business tourism (USA, Singapore, Japan, Germany, and Canada) are at an advantage. On the other hand the countries where business tourism doesn’t have a long term tradition are at a disadvantage, and have to invest much more to attract new clients.

And when will the tourists designate a business experience as perfect or unique?

The comprehension of a business meeting is subjective for each participant, yet some basic rules, separating the successful business experience provider from the less successful ones, still apply.

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harmony, consistency, professionalism along with a pleasant feeling of a connection to the local community are just a few characteristics of well thought of business events.

In the case of business tourism we need to be even more aware of the consequences of unprofessionally carried out services, which can significantly damage the entire experience for the business traveller.

To make the business experience truly unique we have to make sure the service providers are able to carry out the story adding their

personal touch, which needs to be taken into account with marketing and in the execution of the event. Clearly all characteristics/ benefits and connected promises need to be founded on solid ground and connected with the services of all service providers and the destination , which can create a strong brand in the eyes of the guest.

+386 (0)4 259 45 55 events@adria.si www.adria-airways.com

12 News

News from Slovenia

A NEW INVESTMENT IN LAŠKO WELLNESS PARK

Good football deserves a good stadium. A good stadium deserves good catering!

Thermana Laško Wellness Park is finishing the third phase of building a convention hotel. The investment is worth approximately 17 million Euros. With this investment the company will gain a new convention centre with 3.700 m2 and 7 state of the art congress halls which can host up to 1100 participants. A multipurpose hall for 490 guests and the Gala Hall for 100 people are two of its special features. The hotel Wellness Park Laško is now richer for another 84 rooms.

Culinary house Jezeršek will be the provider of catering at the new Stožice stadium. The first catering was carried out at the opening game of Slovenia versus Australia. Our team won!

The home of football will host more than just football, like its larger brothers abroad.

Companies and individuals will be able to rent special VIP areas during the games (lounges) where they will be able to enjoy the food, good company and football.

www.thermana.si

Hundred years of Hotel Palace

A new adrenaline park

The hotel is celebrating the most valuable of all anniversaries – the centennial. For a hundred years this hotel has connected Slovenia with Europe and for a hundred years Europe visited Portorož because of this hotel. The building of this luxurious hotel changed the image of Portorž bay for ever and set a course for its development.

It has been a symbol of Portorož since 1910. www.kempinski.com/en/portoroz

Koren Sports d.o.o. from Tržič has been innovating the Slovenian tourist scene for 12 years. This time they proudly present their third family climbing park – Adventure park Postojna, which will be built in cooperation with Turizem Kras near the tourist attraction – the Postojna Cave. The adventure park is located only 200 meters from the cave entrance and will complement what this tourist gem has to offer. www.humanfish.com

www.jezersek.com

13 News

“It’s been 30 years since Cankarjev dom opened its doors in 1980” were the first words heard at the press conference on 7th September 2010 from CD director Mitja Rotovnik. In these 30 years over 41.500 events, visited by around 12,5 million visitors were held, as well as a number of conventions. This season has begun with the International Congress on Cerebral Palsy and will end with the European vascular forum. Meetings industry in Cankarjev dom has gathered a prominent number of conventions so their future looks optimistic. www.cd-cc.si

Turistica – a summer full of education Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož – Turistica hosted the second international summer school Alpe-Adria, which they carried out in cooperation with Faculty of Economics from Vienna and Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management from Opatija. This year’s Summer school was titled “International Tourism and Marketing Intelligence” and focused on marketing. 29 students from Austria, Croatia and Slovenia gathered new experience and new skills till the end of July.

HR shifts in Rimske Terme

Rimske Terme will celebrate a special jubilee at the beginning of October. It has been over 90 years since the Russian prisoners built the foundation of the historic trail, later renamed the Russian trail, which still surrounds Rimske Terme.

The Russian trail was built in 1918 by 47 Russian

The fifth Bled strategic forum was traditionally held on the last weekend in August and attracted many important leaders and experts to Bled.

One of the highlights of the strategic forum, which was held under the slogan “The World in the next Decade”, was the speech of former US foreign secretary Colin Powell at the gala dinner in Grand Hotel Toplice.

www.rimske-terme.si

www.turistica.upr.si

Remembering the “Russian Trail” in Rimske Terme

Bled strategic forum

prisoners and has been preserved in its original form. Today it is an important part of the history of Rimske Toplice, so they are especially proud of its 92nd birthday.

Rimske Terme has a new leading sales manager since 1st of July 2010 – namely Marko Božiček, who held the position of director of the company RA&LA d.o.o. for two years before coming to Rimske Terme. The company RA&LA represented the company Pivovarna Laško (with Pivovarna Union, Radenska and Fructal) in Sarajevo. www.rimske-terme.si

www.hotelibled.com

Foto Bobo – CEP

Cankarjev dom moves to the 31st season optimistically

21. REPEM conference Grand Hotel Toplice in Bled hosted the 21st REPEM – Rare-Earth Permanent Magnets and their Applications conference from 29.8. to 2.9.2010, organized by Jožef Stefan Institute and Kolektor Idrija. Four countries were competing for the organization of the 21st conference: USA, Russia, Singapore and Slovenia, and it was the latter that got the most votes. The participants from 30 countries included many important scientists in this area from America and the Far East. www.hotelibled.com

14 News

News from Slovenia

Grand Hotel Metropol back at the top The Grand hotel Metropol, built in 1972 at the top of St. Lovrenc Hill as one of the dominant and most prestigious hotels in Slovenia, is getting back back its old splendour. With the renovation of 97 rooms, reception, cafeteria, restaurant, roof, facade, main entrance, horticultural adaptation of the hotel surroundings and the assurance of quality standards it will certainly earn back the reputation of an important player among the most quality hotels in Slovenia.

A new top-level restaurant in Bled

www.metropol-resort.com

At the site of former restaurant Rikli on the Bled promenade, the company Sava Hotels Bled opened a new Gourmet restaurant Promenada.

The restaurant will be lead by Chef Andrej Kuhar, the only Slovenian chef with a Michelin star. Sava Hotels Bled has been cooperating with him since 2006. The new restaurant will offer a range of a la cart dishes along with business lunch packages. www.hotelibled.com

Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort receives New Millennium award Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort has won the Millennium award in Madrid, Spain, which is a prestigious international award rewarding excellence and innovativeness in MICE tourism.

Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort also won most beautifully Croatian resort in 2005. In 2006 and 2007 it won the Golden Green Flower from the European tourist forum. www.spa-golf.com.hr

Room renovation at Congress Hotel Habakuk beneath Pohorje This fall the Congress Hotel Habakuk offers 52 hotel rooms and 6 suits for the most demanding guests.

With elegantly furbished rooms where a touch of Pohorje forests meets modern design and technology, we ensure a high standard of living.

With quality materials, the possibility to make hot drinks in the room, a larger working area and contemporary technological solutions the comfort of the newly renovated rooms is ensured.

Top of the range culinary offer and a relaxing Wellenss and Spa Centre Habakuk make your stay a magical experience at the hillside of Pohorje.

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News from Europe

Summer school in Finland The 24th edition of the ECM Summer School took place in Finland from 28.8. to 1.9.2010, for the first time. It was hosted by Finland’s second largest meetings destination – Tampere. It was aimed at those who recently started their careers in the meetings industry or those who are exploring meetings potential of their home town.

Six representatives from Slovenia also took part – Go.Mice, Slovenia Convention Bureau, Grand Hotel union, Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and Tourist board Maribor.

News

true fashion oasis in the most prestigious part of Belgrade. With 55 unique room and apartments, a bar, restaurant, 2 meeting rooms and a sauna, the hotel certainly meets the needs of modern travellers. www.belgradearthotel.com

Why not meet on the sea The newly renovated ship Sea Star, based in South Croatia, is the first of its kind in the Adriatic Sea. It has a capacity of 400 people with three majestic floors and is truly a new trendy Croatian special venue that can be transformed for all types of events, such as shows, concerts, meetings, product launches as well as dinner cruises and sunset cruises. www.seastar.com.hr

www.europeancitiesmarketing.com

TRAVEX predicts Asian Tourist Forum (ATF) to sell out

A brand new hotel in Knez Mihajlova Street in Belgrade In the centre of Belgrade a brand new hotel has opened its doors – the Belgrade Art Hotel.

Inspired by modern Italian design the hotel is a

A huge growth has been detected in ATF applications. The applications were 25% over the expectations of the organizers at the very beginning. Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia and president of ATF said he feels the new economic optimism is the main reason for the interest in the forum. www.asiatraveltips.com

International Eco Forum ‘Save the Planet’ Bulgarian market in water, waste and recycling branches is in need of expertise and technology products. The conference and exhibition ‘Save the Planet’ will be a major meeting point of specialists, investors and public authorities from

16 News

the South-Eastern Europe. The events Strategic Partner is the Netherlands.

In 2010 the conference attracted 38 speakers and 218 attendees from 13 countries. At the exhibition there was a group participation of Dutch companies.

accompanied by extensive refurbishment and redesign activities that encompass its changing direction. The traditional Art Nouveau Palace Hotel Zagreb offers warm, familiar atmosphere, excellent services and highly skilled and attentive staff.

www.viaexpo.com

www.palace.hr

SHORTcuT TO THE EE & RES buLGARIAN MARKET The EE & RES Congress and Exhibition is a leading event, bringing latest industry know-how to the countries in South-East Europe. In 2010 it attracted 118 exhibitors, 3255 professional visitors, more than 300 congress attendees and speakers from 34 countries. At the exhibition there will be group participations from Austria, Czech Republic, China, Finland, UK and the USA. The event will gather energy and utility service providers, financial players, technology developers, major energy consumers and public sector authorities. www.viaexpo.com

fIRST HILTON IN MONTENEGRO PALAcE HOTEL zAGREb NEW MEMbER Of WORLdHOTELS GROuP Zagreb’s Landmark property, Hotel Palace Zagreb has selected WORLDHOTELS as its strategic partner for global marketing, sales and distribution by joining the group’s portfolio on August 1st 2010. The new partnership also reflects the hotel’s updated image which is

Hilton Worldwide is set to open a property in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica by the end of 2012. Hilton Podgorica Montenegro will be the chain’s first hotel in the country, and will see the multi-million euro redevelopment of a historic building. The 200-room hotel will be located in the city centre and will offer a spa and wellness centre, restaurant, bar and bistro. Event spaces will cover 900m2 and include a ballroom with an original grand staircase.

KOMPAS DESIGN

CHOOSING THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS IS HALF THE SUCCESS For this reason, we pay most attention to business management, accommodation, gastronomy and relaxation, which we combine with logistics, good organisation and the ability to meet the expectations of our guests, thus making an overall, good-quality offer which guarantees success for business events.

The HABAKUK, BELLEVUE and PIRAMIDA hotels • The large congress hall, which seats 500 people, fitted with the most up-to-date audio and visual equipment, a number of smaller halls fitted with up-to-date technical equipment, private lounges …

• Wellness centres, swimming pools with thermal water etc.

• Coordination of special events, social gatherings, and outdoor events

Terme Maribor. A natural environment for business events. www.termemb.si

Hotel Habakuk Pohorska ulica 59 2000 Maribor Tel.: +386 02 30 08 100 habakuk@termemb.si

Hotel Bellevue Na Slemenu 35 2208 Pohorje Tel.: +386 02 60 75 100 bellevue@termemb.si

Hotel Piramida Ulica heroja Šlandra 10 2000 Maribor Tel.: +386 02 23 44 400 piramida@termemb.si

18 In focus

How to improve your search engine listings If you’re not on the first page, you don’t exist

Search engines such as Google are most common entry points for users to navigate to other web sites.

If your web site is not listed on the first page of search results, this means you lost up to 80% of potential clients. Only two out of ten internet users surf beyond the first page of search results.

Uroš Čimžar is the director of Web agency Klaro, which developed from a company established by him and his classmates during their studies at the Faculty of Computer and Information science. Uroš is an expert in information architecture; he studies the different aspects of the web. He always follows technological and creative innovations offered by the internet.

Activities which contribute to a better placement of your web site in search engines are called search engine optimizations. Search engines use “crawler” programmes, which visit web sites on occasion and read the contents. On the basis of collected data the search engine indexes the sites: Collects them, processes and saves the data which enables a quick and accurate passing of information.

Google uses a special algorithm to designate importance, which is a carefully kept secret.

Optimization can roughly be divided on technical optimization, optimization of contents and building connections.

Our first concern is to ensure proper programming. Optimization of contents means adopting the texts, titles, names of menu bars and other attributes, so search engines

properly “understand” the contents and can do a better job placing them. Here we can make a few simple, yet useful changes. This can support the activities of other contractors you might hire to optimize your web site, or just work on the third segment – building connections.

Your key words Key words are the terms users type into the search engine when looking for something.

It can be a single word or a phrase. First, try to think like a user, and think what they are likely to write if they were interested in contents at your web site. If you are for example a part of the meetings industry, your key words will include: conference hall hire, conference, event organizers et cetera.

You can check your key words in two ways.

First, simply type them into the search engine and see how relevant they are. Remember the placing of your web site among the search results. To get relevant results use the version of Google which doesn’t consider your search history and gives you unbiased and impersonalized results. You can find it at http://www.google.com/xhtml.

Then you can check how searched your key words are. You can use the free tools Google Insights for Search (http://www.google. com/insights/search/) and Google Adwords Keyword Tool (you can find it by typing google keyword tool into the search engine).

This way you can asses which of your key words are searched enough they are worth highlighting on the web site and maybe even get other ideas.

Web site contents When your list of key words is ready it’s time

19 In focus

to include them on your web site. If you can edit the contents of your website yourself you have many options for improvement.

Check the text on your web site and change it to include the key words you have selected. It

is important they are present at the beginning of the text, in titles and subtitles. They can even be written in bold letters since the search engine crawlers can pick this up and mark it as more important. Also, manage the names of menus on the web site. Key words used in

names of menus will have more weight from the point of view of the search engine.

Metacontents are contents which can’t be seen directly on the web site and are directed exclusively at search engines. If you can edit this part of the web site as well, make sure your key words are included along with brief descriptions. These should also include key words and should not be copies of text from the site.

Pictures can be a valuable asset as well. Most of the time the picture files on web sites are named like this: IMG00965.jpg. Before uploading them to your webpage make sure they have relevant key words in their names, such as conference-hall.jpg. When naming them also enter a short text where you describe what is on the picture.

Patience pays off The visits from crawlers and site indexation take time, so optimisation results won’t be visible immediately.

You will have to wait a few months to see results, yet you should still take time to check your position in the search results as well as your key words.

Your list of key words will help you when preparing new content for the web site as well as aid possible contractors, who will carry out other activities to optimize your search listings.

20 In focus

Communication 2.0 Be aware of Social Media’s power

Social Media’s power is growing every minute and the vast majority of organisations no longer chose to ignore this channel of communication.

In recent years the World Wide Web has effectively become “web 2.0”,

Miguel Neves is based in London where he heads the European headquarters of SYNAXIS Meetings & Events. Miguel also serves as VP of Marketing for the MPI United Kingdom & Ireland chapter and holds a Masters degree in Conference and Events Management from Westminster University. Miguel is a passionate apprentice of Meeting Architecture and seeks to gain and share knowledge on improving the effectiveness of communal human experiences.

a term coined by Tim O’Reilly to describe an updated version of the internet that promotes participation and interactivity, rather than static information. This upgrade of the World Wide Web has sparked significant changes in communication style and methods.

“Communication 2.0” is a way to look at communicating in this new world. It is in constant development and there are yet to be definitive texts written on the matter, however as is the nature of the internet there is a multitude of information online.

To further understand social media and “communication 2.0”, it is worth considering what social really means. Social is plural, communal and interactive all in one. Social is about creating and sharing content that informs, entertains and excites. Social means that a viral video can be created, accessed, shared, promoted and commented on by anyone who is online and this same video

can reach millions of people overnight, with low marketing costs. Social media’s reach is unheard of and its biggest star, Facebook, recently reached 500 million active users. To put this number into perspective, Facebook now has an active user base 1.6 times larger than the entire population of the United States of America.

Social media encompasses a wide variety of sites and internet services. These include: Skype, Wikipedia, Flickr, MySpace, Last.fm, Tripadvisor, Twitter, Linkedin, amongst others.

This incredible wealth of tools has the sideeffect of changing the way we communicate, both by design and by consequence.

Tools such as Skype are making us truly global citizens by replacing expensive long-distance phone calls with good quality free audio and video communication.

The growing popularity of these tools has the effect of increasing digital “noise”. There are more and more people creating and watching media every day and this leads to the necessity of cutting through this digital noise.

This factor aligned with an audience that is

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media strategies, but it’s important to note that the return from using social media as a communication channel may not be directly related to mass exposure and sales. Many organisations use social media as a way to efficiently give customer support, Easyjet are a good example here with a dedicated Twitter customer service presence. Customer feedback and the creation of online communities, which focus on sharing knowledge online, can also be very beneficial to organisations. The success of creating a positive brand image is in many cases attributed to the success of clients having fans rather than clients, a concept that is clearly tied in with “communication 2.0”.

increasingly comfortable in the digital world and has less discretionary time available, this has led to some organisations committing big mistakes in their use of social media. Habitat UK famously made a big blunder with their initial attempts to use Twitter for marketing by mixing their marketing messages with key words of unrelated subjects. The negative exposure that this action created was a major set-back to Habitat’s social media presence and creates an excellent case for the careful consideration of “communication 2.0”.

It is frequently stated in journalism that, “content is king”, and this remains true in “communication 2.0”. What does change is the way messages are transmitted, and which ones spread further. In order to cut through the noise the use of short succinct messaging is encouraged, much like print headlines.

With a wealth of formats available, it is very important to use images or video as these will always be worth a thousand words. It is of course important to complement images and video with good quality copy, but rather than a complex intellectual style, a simple direct style is much more effective. Search engines are key word hungry, and with Google being the first option when searching for online content, it is imperative to make content

search friendly. Taking this concept event further, in “communication 2.0” it is key to make content easily shareable to make its spreading simpler.

The ultimate aim is of course to spread context extensively, but in order to achieve this crucial point a certain loss of control of the content is necessary, which is a challenging prospect for many organisations.

Ultimately content is clearly the focus and the content creator is largely irrelevant, but this association is very valuable. If successfully shared by a mass audience the content may go from being strange and unusual, thus cutting through the noise, to exciting and fresh and end up being viral and ultimately popular to the masses, the ultimate social media content goal.

The return on investment is a frequent stumbling block when considering social

Whilst the basics of being active in social media are in many ways no different from creating content for traditional media, this communication channel inherently presents new challenges.

A personal touch to call communications is essential; social media users do not want to talk to machines, they want to talk to people. For organisations wanting to interact with users it is important to remember this and refrain from spamming, direct selling and imposing its views. A correct usage of “communication 2.0” that takes time because rather than flooding the channels with content, a custom approach is required for each channel and must involve much more than a monologue. For this reason, while social media may have a small cost of technology, it has a large cost in terms of human resources. “Communication 2.0” is here to stay and mass appeal organisations will certainly make more and more use of it.

Whilst it can be daunting and full of dangers, social media certainly has incredible potential for benefits to all its users.

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BTPS challenges are waiting for the cooperation of the meetings industry Meetings industry can learn a lot from BTPS challenge participants – co-operate with them or submit your own BTPS challenges.

The Bank of Tourism Potentials of Slovenia (BTPS) – a portal for developing tourism – now offers a new service, BTPS challenges.

With it the BTPS and its partners (Slovenian tourist board, Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož – Turistica, Faculty of management Koper at University of Primorska) extend a hand to all tourist organisations, to come together and take advantage of the ideas of youth, visiting guests or experts in solving problems which occur in the industry.

The first series of challenges deals with innovating the marketing of green tourism.

Dejan Križaj, MSc, is a researcher and senior lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism Studies Portorož – Turistica, University of Primorska. His research centres on the specifics of innovation in tourism and their encouragements. He has been running the Innovations Corner column in the magazine Tur!zem since 2005. He is also a co-ordinator of tenders for creative and innovative tourist innovations and achievements (Snovalec and Sejalec) as well as the project leader of the Bank of Tourism Potentials of Slovenia.

The solutions of the challenges (the deadline was 22nd of September) will be presented at the 17th marketing festival The Golden Drum.

Besides the reward by the partners the Challenges have an added bonus – the winners get to have their fifteen minutes of fame at the Golden Drum festival, a global event which reaches the 400 million European market and is the second largest festival of its kind in Europe.

Promoting green tourism The first challenger, Kompas, Novo mesto is an innovative tourist agency which takes care of developing sustainable tourism in the countryside. Four of their products made into the finals of STB “Sejalec” tender for tourist accomplishments: “Rafting with Rudolf’s ferry on the Krka river”, “The story of “Cviček” at the farm of Matjaž", "Regional network of theme routes" and "Tourism in vineyard cottages".

Kompas Novo mesto challenges the participants to find an innovative marketing

scheme for the abovementioned products.

They will choose the winner according to their green note, the attractiveness of the proposal and its business efficiency.

The best solution of the BTPS challenge will win an unforgettable day on the river Krka among the hills of Dolenjska with up to 30 participants or a 5-day package in a vineyard house with a programme.

“Eco catering” solutions Vivo catering is one of the top-notch caterers in Slovenia, with its seat at Fužine castle. It has lots of experience in Slovenia and abroad.

This year they decided to develop a range of Vivo Eco catering. Eco catering is about tracing the origin of foods, the ways of preparing them, use of paper, detergents, electricity, sorting waste, ways of serving the food, its transport and everything else, which comprises a good catering. They are searching for the most innovative suggestion for their Eco range.

The winner will receive royal treatment – namely the menu made for the British queen Elizabeth II., when she visited Slovenia, for eight people.

Attracting tourists who like photography Adriatic2Alps.com project won last year’s perspective tourist idea at Snovalec, and now offers organized tours of Slovenia for

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photographers. The tours are carried out in smaller groups; the programme and time table are adapted to achieve optimal conditions.

They are led by experienced photographers who also serve as tutors.

Photography enthusiasts are a specific interest group so the BTPS challenge is looking for these answers: “How to reach photography enthusiasts to stand out from the competition and be provocative enough to attract potential clients?” The best solution will win a free participation at a photography course valued at 300€ or a photo shooting for a photobook with the same value.

Marketing Slovenia’s first Eco Hotel Bohinj Park EKO Hotel is marketed as the first eco hotel in Slovenia. It lays at the footsteps of Slovenias only National Park and promotes the contact of foreign and domestic guests with unspoilt nature.

Their BTPS challenge asks how to market a Slovenian eco hotel in overseas countries, how to attract the tourists out of season, which tourist products would most attract German, French and Dutch bikers and does it make sense to include an “all inclusive” option in such a hotel.

The best suggestions will be rewarded with a weekend package for two in the Bohinj Park EKO Hotel.

Marketing the story of honey in tourism Thermana Laško and its surroundings decide to create a new tourist product for spa and outside guests, called the honey story, which includes a visit of the beekeepers heritage exhibition, a garden of honey plants, beehives, a view into the work of a beekeeper, honey harvesting and making honey sweets and decoration. They further included a honey spat treatment, honey culinary experience, a session with an apitherapist on the preventative use of bee products and honeymade souvenirs.

They are challenging the BTPS participants to come up with an interesting way of marketing the story on German and Italian markets and to assess whether the product is suitable for Slovenian guests.

As a reward they are offering a weekend package for two in the Wellness Park Laško and a gift certificate for 10€ for the wellness programme.

Encouraging responsible tourism Society for human rights and supportive action Humanits started a campaign on responsible tourism in Burkina Faso. Responsible tourism is seen as tourism which does not harm the environment and the community, contributes to the economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability and encourages the tourist to get to know the local couture and issues. The tourist can attend seven different workshop on their trip, organized by the society along with Slovenian and foreign

travel agencies.

In their BTPS challenge Humanitas wants to find out how to encourage Slovenian tourist agencies to include responsible travels to Burkina Faso and the workshops into their programme and to respect the principle of responsible tourism in their business strategies.

The best solution will be rewarded with a three-day stay in Burkina Faso and participation of workshops of their choice.

Marketing a world attraction The company Tourism Kras manages two of Slovenia’s biggest pearls – Postojna cave and Predjama Castle, attractions known all over the world. Postojna cave is the world’s second largest cave, open for tourists and the only one that can be seem with a train, Predjama castle is listed as one of the top 10 most spectacular castles in the world.

Tourism Kras challenges the participants to prepare a print add in A4 format and a jumbo poster for the two attractions (separate or together) to publish in print and on jumbo posters and to market them as must see destinations.

The prize for the winners is an alternative tour of the Postojna cave system and a lunch in the cave mansion for four people.

Seven bidders, seven challenges... Meetings industry can learn a lot from BTPS challenge participants – co-operate with them and even publish new BTPS challenges.

You’re invited to participate!

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The Art and Science of Good Presentations Do you believe you have good presentation skills? Read the article and find out.

When a friend gave me a book on presentation skills, I had reason to be offended as he had heard me speak many times. Today I am grateful that he did, it totally changed how I look at presentations, whether my own or those given by others. The main lesson was that most presentations can be significantly, even dramatically, improved by just following some simple guidelines.

Let us look at some of the most obvious things to fix in order to make a presentation more effective.

Elling Hamso, Managing Partner, Event ROI Institute (www.eventroi.org)

Make the listener do something!

What have you got to say to the audience?

Why should they want to listen to you? Unless you are a pure entertainer and they listen just for the enjoyment of the moment, they will be wanting something in return from spending the time, and maybe also money, to listen to you.

There is only one way for the listener and any other stakeholder, such as the speaker, sponsor or meeting owner, to get value back from the presentation. The listener has to do something afterwards which creates value to himself or any other stakeholder. It is not enough for the listener to feel or think something, that does not create value.

It is not enough for the listener to learn something, learning on its own has no value. It is only what the listener does when he has learned, which creates value.

So the only thing that matters is what the listener will do afterwards. Something that

he would not have done without attending the presentation. Any part of the presentation which does not contribute to such behaviour, is at best a waste of time and probably distracting from the key message.

In his book Presentation Zen, Garr Reynolds suggests that when preparing the presentation you should ask yourself: "If the listener could only remember one thing (and you would be lucky!), what should it be?" I agree with Reynolds and would add; what would it make him do, and how would that create value to him or other stakeholders?

Kill the bullets Bullet points have gone out of fashion, but not without first having done a lot of harm, distracting the listener's attention from what the speaker has to say. The worst case is a long list of bullet points presented at once, it is better when bullets are introduced one by one, but why use bullet lists at all?

If you bullet point is not important enough to occupy a slide on its own whilst you talk about it, one bullet one slide, then it probably should not be included at all.

When you have presented all the points, you may summarise and repeat, that is probably the only circumstance where a list of bullets is serving a useful purpose.

The 7 words rule Words in general, not just bullets, are real presentation killers. The reason is simple, you

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could say it seems like a human design fault, but we are incapable of listening and reading at the same time. So when the audience reads the text on your slides, they don't listen to what you say. It is as simple as that. Text on slides really detract attention from the presenter and repeated studies have shown that the audience remembers less when the presenter supports his message with text on slides.

garr reynolds says maximum 7 words per slide.

If you need more words, make more slides, or use a picture instead Pictures are louder It is an old clichĂŠ that a picture is a thousand words, but it is true. What more, neurologists have found that pictoral information is processed in a different part of the brain from language, so we can process information from pictures and listen to speakers at the same time!

But just any picture will not do, there has to be a clear connection. A dramatic picture which is clearly related to your message works best as a 'memory hook'. Some times a simple hand drawing will do the trick, or searching websites like Istockphoto.com or just Google image search, makes it easy to find good images to support the presentation.

The 10 minutes rule If you are an engaging and entertaining speaker, for how long can you hold the listener's attention? 10 minutes maximum.

In fact there is extensive neurological research which confirms that after ten minutes, the mind starts to drift.

It doesn't mean that the presentation needs to be less than ten minutes, but the speaker somehow has to regain the interest of the audience every ten minutes. Look at Steve Jobs on YouTube, possibly the world's best presenter. Before ten minutes are up, he shows a video, gives a demonstration, brings someone on stage, or something else to change the format of his presentation, reengaging the listeners.

Time to think We listen and we forget. The information enters our short term memory and doesn't get processed into the long term memory, which is necessary if we are going to use it later. The listener must actively process the information, for example by relating it to what he already knows, discussing with others, ask questions and make comments based on past experience.

Every presentation needs to include some time for reflection and discussion. The traditional questions and answers immediately afterwards, don't help much. Why not give the audience ten or twenty minutes to talk amongst themselves first, sharing with each other how they may use what they have just learned in their jobs and preparing questions or comments to the speaker. A good presentation format is called 4 x 20, twenty minutes presentation, twenty minutes discussion, twenty minutes questions and answers, twenty minutes break.

How to become a better speaker?

Of course it takes much more than a few tricks, such as those above, to make you a world class speaker. There are three elements to excellence in this field: First, the content of the presentation must be crafted effectively, the introduction, body and conclusion, the call to action, avoiding anything that distracts, repeating and summarising everything important. Second, the supporting slide must be effectively designed, pictures, graphs and a few words that will support, and not distract from what the speaker has to say. Third, the stage performance of the speaker, pacing, voice projection, body language, involvement.

There are many books, among the best are Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen and Presentation Zen Design. There are also some good resource centres on the web, an excellent one is Andrew Dlugan's www. dlugan.sixminutes.com. There are also many professional speakers' associations who provide training and coaching.

Another opportunity to learn is a two day course by Dianne Lowther during Event ROI Week first week in September every year at Down Hall near London (www.eventroi.org/ roi-week).

Interesting reviews and video: http://meetingsupport.org/content/sixminutes-speaking-and-presentation-skills http://meetingsupport.org/content/ presentation-secrets-steve-jobs http://vimeo.com/channels/ roiweek#13293684

26 In focus

Prepared for a greener future?

To the Danes, “Being Green” is not just about the environment, but also about economics and social responsibility

VisitDenmark is the Official National Tourism Organisation of Denmark, marketing Denmark as an attractive leisure and business tourism destination abroad. The aim is to increase the awareness of and preference for Denmark and thereby attract more foreign visitors to the destination. All international marketing activities are carried out in close collaboration with private and public sector partners within the tourism industry. www.visitdenmark.com

The world is constantly changing, many factors need to be considered and environmental issues are only part of it. These days going “green” is a competitive trend and many industries are joining the green wave.

This is not any different for the international meetings industry, of course. But what does it actually mean to be green? Is it about eating organic food, re-using towels, recycling garbage or using public transportation?

Sustainable meetings in Denmark For quite a few years, Denmark has put a lot of focus on sustainability.

To the Danes, “Being Green” is not just about the environment, but much more. It is about focusing on three elements of sustainability, i.e. environment, economics and social responsibility.

Being green should not only have an environmental advantage, but also a competitive advantage. By also rethinking the way meetings are held, the Danes believe that it is possible to be both environmentally conscious and competitive – it’s the key to the future.

In December 2009, the Danish capital Copenhagen was hosting COP15 – the big UN Climate Change Conference – and naturally VisitDenmark, the Official National Tourism Organisation of Denmark, used this opportunity to promote its green meetings portfolio abroad. As part of its strategy, VisitDenmark united with some of the biggest partners in the global meetings industry to discuss recommendations on how to hold sustainable meetings. A consortium was made up of seven key stakeholders in the Danish meetings industry, and the result was the launch of a "Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol" (CSMP) in Spring 2010 – an advanced level guide to organising sustainable meetings aimed at corporate, governmental and association event organisers, consultants

and managers of large venues and hotels.

Jonathan Cohen, Marketing Manager – Business Tourism at VisitDenmark, explains: “The CSMP was another way of showing the world that Denmark is very committed to staging and further developing sustainable meetings. It is our firm belief, that the international meetings industry must create a more sustainable path if it is to continue to validate its societal license to operate, deliver value to clients and provide good returns on investment to its stakeholders – and the “Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol” was – and is – one more step in the right direction.”

The COP15 has also been certified as the world's first sustainable, international political summit, and the fact that the Danish Foreign Ministry decided to take the event to a far higher level of sustainability than the UN required also worked as a major catalyst for in particular the Danish capital's meetings industry, which now offers a choice that is far greener than prior to the prestigious event.

The Danish capital Copenhagen was also recently named the greenest major city in Europe by Siemens’ Green City Index – a study of the environmental sustainability of 30 major cities in 30 European countries published.

The index consists of eight categories, among others CO2-emissions, environmental policy

27 In focus

and recycling. Copenhagen was among the seven best cities in all eight categories and rated the city with the best overall performance.

In 2009 a record number of Copenhagen hotels also went green.

As a result, by the beginning of 2010 no less than 51% of all hotel rooms in Copenhagen were officially environmentally friendly whereas in 2008, the number was only 8% – another indication of the high level of ambitions when it comes to developing a green meeting destination.

What makes Denmark different?

Some examples of how Denmark embraces sustainability in all aspects of life – including its meetings industry – include: Environmental Taxes: are high in Denmark but

also “given back” to the industry, earmarking much of it to subsidize environmental innovation. In a way, Danish firms are pushed away from carbon and pulled into environmental innovation...

Alternative Energy: Denmark is a frontrunner when it comes to alternative energies such as wind-, hydrogen- and water-power. The Danish wind turbine industry boasts a 40% share of the global market, making it the world-leader in wind power. Around 20% of Denmark's domestic electricity production is generated by wind. Danish concepts such as “EnergyTours” offers technical study tours to foreign delegations to come visit and take advantage of lessons already learned in Denmark.

Public Transportation: Denmark has an advanced and developed infrastructure and public transport system. In Copenhagen the Metro connects the capital’s airport with the city centre in less than 15 minutes and has been awarded the best Metro in the world.

Copenhagen also introduced electricallypowered CityCirkel busses in 2009 operating in the inner city and passing some of the capital’s best sights, shopping districts, restaurants and hotels.

Cycling Culture: Almost each Dane owns a bicycle and uses it frequently, and due to the vast system of bicycle lanes, it is very safe to cycle in Denmark. Bikes are cheap to rent in Denmark and you can borrow “City-Bikes” for free in major cities like Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg.

In Copenhagen 36% of the citizens choose to cycle to work, school, etc. The official goal of the City of Copenhagen is to increase the percentage of cyclists to 50% by 2015 and thereby reduce the city’s CO2-emissions by 80,000 tons per year. Yet in many cases you don’t even need a bicycle to get around, as Copenhagen is one of the most "walkable" cities in the world. Its compact city centre means walking between meeting venues, hotels, sights, restaurants and shopping areas only takes minutes…

Waste Management: Reuse and recycling in various forms account for 67% of all waste in Denmark. The generated heat from waste incineration covers approx. 20% of district heating in Denmark. Only 7% of all waste

generated in Denmark is disposed of at landfills.

Recycling: Denmark has established deposit and return systems for a number of packaging types such as cans, bottles and plastic shopping bags to encourage their return for reuse or recycling instead of being incinerated or landfilled.

Eco-labelling: There is an organic version of much basic food in every supermarket in Denmark. If marked with the “Ø-mærke” a product has been approved as organic food by the Danish authorities and thus adheres to strict regulations. Other certifications include the Swan- and the Flower-logos ensuring the consumers that a given product is manufactured with the least possible impact on the environment, and that it does not contain toxic ingredients. And finally, the international Green Key eco-label is widely used in Denmark too.

In short, Denmark continuously strives to become a world leader in creating sustainable initiatives and solutions, and although it may not claim to be the ”greenest” destination in the world, for years the Danes have embraced sustainability in all aspects of life, including business, and it seems like they intend to continue down the same road for years to come…

For further information about Denmark as a Green Meetings Destination go to: www.visitdenmark.com For further information about the Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol, and its corollary document the “COP15 Event Sustainability Report”, go to: www.csmp.dk

28 In focus

“m-Communication” with meeting participants Make sure your participants get the right information at the right time.

Mobile phones are no longer merely a tool for chatting and sending short messages. With the ongoing development of mobile technology our perception of mobile phones has changed as well.

Marko Marn graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana. The title of his thesis was Mobile technology in the meeting industry – a case study., his mentor was doc. dr. Peter Baloh. He now works at Media Entertainment Networks d.o.o. where he takes care of sales and marketing of Pay TV and IPTV hotel systems and other solutions for advanced communications in public places.

These are now highperformance, multimedia devices which connected with fast mobile networks, offer many services in communication, business and entertainment.

The development of mobile technology has added value for the user as well as the companies who are smart enough to use its potential.

The question arises: Is it possible (and how) to use mobile potential for advanced communication with meeting participants?

The answer is yes. Studies of the needs of meeting participants have shown they want a quick and simple means of informing them on the events. Their clearly structured needs for information can be met by using mobile technology.

When introducing mobile technologies to new areas, we need to pay attention to the specific needs and habits of the users, since we want them to gain added value from the experience.

The solution should not present itself as a burden for the user, since this could lead to the users avoiding it.

For the needs of the meetings industry a mobile portal proved to be the most adequate solution.

The portal would include all the materials the participants need.

We’re talking about web sites designed especially for the use on mobile phones (mobile web sites). These do not include unnecessary elements and make sure they are clear and don't take too long to load. Only key information, valuable to the user should be displayed.

Use The participants use their mobile browsers to connect to the mobile web site of the convention or other event. The home page offers some navigation options. By choosing a certain link the user is redirected to requested content (hotel, event, city guide, invitations to additional activities). The information flows both ways: from user to user. The user receives the requested information via SMS or by downloading files to his mobile phone. The users may submit the following information and thereby influence the content: setting their location (when navigating to the hotel, through the city, points of interest), settings of notifications (notifications on schedule) and other contents they choose as their favourites.

The company gains a new marketing channel with a mobile portal, where they can market their additional offers.

For example, they can market the restaurants near the convention venue.

Mobile technology could represent a fresh breeze for the meetings industry and make sure they have the competitive advantage and technological innovation.

Delicious autumn flavours

Enjoy the autumn experience in restaurant Borbona & excellence of seductive Borbona catering.

Executive chef Branko Podmenik with cuisine Jure Kapelar and Dejan Mastnak are expecting you.

Verovťkova 55, 1000 Ljubljana Phone: 00386 1 5802912, fax: 00386 1 5802659 info@borbona.si – www.borbona.si

30 Gastronomy

How to taste Slovenia?

Who and where are the makers of the tastes of Slovenia?

First and foremost tasting is associated with gastronomy, which is among the basic motives in contemporary tourism.

For Slovenia culinary variety and diversity are common.

Prof. Janez Bogataj, PhD

For centuries it has been formed at the juncture of the Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonia plane. Since the end of the Second World War it is also being influenced by the Balkans and other non-European countries. Historically strong influences from the Danubian kitchen were present, which can be attributed to centuries of cohabitation in Central Europe. Of course we can’t say the dishes are copied – new versions are created in tune with natural conditions and needs of the region. Slovenia’s 24 gastronomic regions and 180 characteristic dishes are a reflection of these processes. Slovenia also boasts a unique symbiosis of vineyards and wine, where indigenous wines are most important (such

as Šipon, Ranina, Cviček, Teran, Grganja, Klarnica, Rebula, Zelen etc.)

North-eastern gastronomic regions of Slovenia have developed in the area of grain cultures with mealy foods, flat cakes (like prekmurska gibanica, prleška gibanica, haloška gibanica, ajdov krapec, postržjača, erpica etc.) and meat dishes, based on pig products (prekmurske koline, prekmurje ham, tünka, zabel etc.).

In the area of mealy foods, bread is in the foreground. The heritage of bread making is very diverse all over Slovenia, yet the Pannonian region has the most particularities.

One of them is a braided white bun, which used to be a typical wedding gift for the bride, or to the mother at childbirth. The rich image of bread with braided dough symbolizes a child or offspring.

31 Gastronomy

Another example of quality in the Slovenian area and even abroad is the Carniola sausage or Kranjska klobasa. Along with other meat products it represents a treasure of regional knowledge and culinary technology. Kranjska klobasa is protected since 2008, a national competition where the best Kranjska klobasa is selected is held in Sora pri Medvodah since 2004. A similar event is also being held in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States of America.

Stews of all kinds also play an important role, be it meat or vegetable stews, as well as sauerkraut, turnip, legume and potato stew.

the reason we are creating a new brand and consortium of the most recognized and quality taverns in Slovenia under the brand “Gostilna Slovenija”. We can consider this an innovative tourist or generally cultural product, which builds its innovation on connecting and distinguishing the best, which is actually a part of our gastronomic legacy on one side and modern culinary creativity on the other. Of course it is aimed in a green and sustainable direction.

Potato culture and potato dishes are actually historically younger dishes, but very popular none the less.

Until you don't taste you don’t really discover, get to know or investigate Slovenia, a country which offers short trips, active holidays, and shorter and longer vacations in an abundant cultural and natural environment.

The unique “Society for the Recognition of Pan-Fried Potatoes as an Independent Dish” is proof of that, with its many members and annual festival of fried potato which is internationally known. Among mealy dishes Slovenia is also known for rolled dumplings or štruklji which can be sweet or salted, cooked or fried, stuffed with different cheeses, egg, fruit, vegetable or meat stuffing. Written accounts of this dish reach as far as the 15th century. The same is true of the most common sweet or salted holiday flat cake – potica.

Among the 120 sorts of potica, the most common is made with tarragon, as well as honey, cracklings or bacon, walnuts, chive and others. Most commonly potica is made for Christmas or Easter, and other holiday occasions.

Mediteranean or Primorska region of Slovenia offers the most enticing and quality foods in its taverns, restaurants and agritourism farms. Mediterranean taverns offer excellent foods rounded by top-notch wines. Taverns are quality "shrines" where we meet a varied palette of Slovenian culinary diversity. This is

To taste Slovenia means to discover, get to know, investigate...

We taste the stories from Slovenian cities with rich cultural events. A walk in the city streets can lead us to well kept museums and galleries and other cultural buildings.

Villages are weaved into the picturesque countryside, with developed forms of tourism which offer great accommodation as well as well thought out types of ecotourism and connections with nature on fertile planes and valleys, high mountains, river banks and the Adriatic coast. Slovenia is twice the size if you consider the underground. With many karst caves, rivers and other karst curiosities...

The environment is ideal for outdoor sports activities. Excellent, healthy and tasty food which we mentioned earlier is also one of the foundations of healthy living and feeling good, which we can combine in many natural and thermal spas. These are not only good for

our physical health but also for our soul. It is therefore no surprise Slovenia offers excellent conditions for different types of business tourism. Organizing conventions, meetings, symposia and other professional events requires a good service but also a connection to nature, cultural heritage and other everyday specialities of the Slovenian people. We can also taste fun – music, dancing, casinos. Taste of Slovenia offers something for everyone: For all age groups or better yet – for all youths. Of course everyone working in tourism should know how to connect the pallets of tastes and stories, acknowledge and know them. Even the meetings organizers!

32 Surveys

The position of Slovenia in the international meetings market The world supply in the meetings industry highly exceeds the demand, which creates an extremely competitive market. And where does Slovenia place in this market?

The questions the editorial board of Kongres magazine wanted to answer was, how well is Slovenia doing in the associations market, measured by the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association). We compared Slovenia to a group of countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, which entered the European Union in May 2004, and with a group of SE European countries.

In the market of meetings, which rotate between at least three countries and attract at least 50 participants, Slovenia places on the 42nd place, or 23rd place in Europe. Among the new EU members Slovenia ranks in the golden middle. Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland attract twice as many meetings as Slovenia and almost five-times as much as Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia and Latvia.

MaruĹĄa Rosulnik, early stage researcher at Go. Mice, congress and marketing agency, assistant at Anton Melik Geographical institute, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, doctor level student in the area of sustainable congress destinations and contributor to the Challenge Europe project.

The largest growth of events in this group was noted between 2002 and 2004; the first few countries in the group have noted a decrease in events in the last two years. The number of meetings is declining in Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia. Meanwhile it has been growing in Estonia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus and Slovakia. If we focus on the timeframe from 2000 to 2009, the first part of the group notes an average growth of 7 to 8 percent, while the second part achieved and average growth of 22 percent. Slovenia, with its average growth and decline in the past two years hold its position in the middle, while competitive destinations, such as Estonia and Lithuania move ahead with triple the growth.

On the list of cities Ljubljana ranks on the 64th place. In the number of international scientific associations meetings it places on the 35th place along with Florence and behind Reykjavik and Porto.

In the group of new EU members Ljubljana ranks in the middle – with Vilnius, Warsaw and Tallinn, just behind Prague and Budapest.

Graph 1: Number of meetings per country Table 1 Czech Republic

Poland

Estonia

17

18

19

22

23

25

29

30

31

50 32

100,5

95,8

93,2

25,1

40,7

20,5

17,3

18,6

17,7

19,4 40

Rank on European level Average nr. of meetings

Slovenia Lithuania

Malta Cyprus Slovakia

150

120

90 30

Table 2

80,1

25 17,4

27 32,2

30 16,4

35 21

Bratislava

57

72

17,3

11,1

120

133

4,9

10 2,5

30

0

Belgrade

Bucharest

Sofia

Zagreb

Rank on European level

21

8,8

12

8,3

10,3

Average nr. of meetings

35

37

53

81

90

Hungary

Slovenia

Slovakia

Czech Rep.

Lithuania

Latvia

Poland

Malta

Estonia

Cyprus

2009

2008

2000 Ljubljana

2007

0

Table 3 Year 2009

60

Nicosia La Valletta 20

2006

81,4

11

Riga

2005

Average nr. of meetings

9

Warsaw Vilnius Ljubljana

2004

Rank on European level

Prague Tallinn

2003

Budapest

2002

Year 2009

60 Latvia

Hungary

2001

Year 2009

33 Surveys

The growth of events in the capitals is similarly 8 to 9 percent for the first part of the group and over 10 percent for the second.

The exceptions are Tallinn and Vilnius which rank 25th and 30th and have seen a 40.9 percent and 33.6 percent growth respectively.

In comparison Ljubljana in 35th place marks a 10.9 percent growth. The capitals in the middle of the group are experiencing faster growth and are catching the traditionally high ranking cities with a smaller growth or decrease.

If we then compare Ljubljana to other SE Europe capitals, it ranks first due to its economic conditions, followed by Belgrade, Bucharest, Zagreb and Sofia. We need to highlight the fast growth of the meetings industry in Belgrade (52.5 percent from 2000 to 2009, in comparison to 10.9 percent growth in Ljubljana) and Sofia (70.5 percent growth on average).

Zagreb’s poor placement can be attributed to the calculation of all meetings held in the country and the percent of those held in the capital, which is 26.3 percent for Zagreb in 2009. Meanwhile the percent of meetings held in Ljubljana in comparison to all meetings held in Slovenia is 61.9 percent and in Belgrade 83.3.

The rank of a country by the number of association meetings does not encompass the entire spectre of the meetings industry, yet it clearly indicates the opportunity to improve the position of Slovenia and Ljubljana in the international meetings market.

Among Croatia, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, Slovenia has kept its first place. What is surprising is the index of growth, which exceeds 150 everywhere except Slovenia. The meetings industry between 2000 and 2009 has seen an average growth of 98.2 percent in Bulgaria, 63.7% in Romania, 59.8% in Serbia, 55.2% in Croatia and only 7.3% in Slovenia.

The above average growth of SE European countries and small growth in Slovenia decreases the gap between these countries and opens the competition for the first place.

Table 4 Year 2009

Slovenia

Croatia

Romania

Serbia

Bulgaria

40,7

34,5

24,2

11,4

15,2

23

24

26

28

33

Average Rank on European level

Graph 2: Number of meetings per country capital 150 150

120 120

Graph 3: Number of meetings per country capital

Graph 4: Number of meetings per country

120 120

30 30

100 100

25 25

80 80

20 20

60 60

15 15

40 40

10 10

20 20

55

00

00

60

50

40

90 90 30

20

10

Budapest

Vilnius

Nicosia

Prague

Ljubljana

La Valletta

Ljubljana

Sofia

Slovenia

Serbia

Tallinn

Riga

Belgrade

Zagreb

Croatia

Bulgaria

Warsaw

Bratislava

Bucharest

Romania

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

0 2000

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

00

2001

30 30

2000

60 60

34 Surveys

Over 3.4 billion € from leading PCOs in 2009!

The total number of meetings handled by the 100 IAPCO members rose by 9% over 2008

The year 2009 was no exception. IAPCO has, at IMEX for the past 4 years, announced the results of their members’ annual survey and this year the figures proved to be surprisingly buoyant, bucking the trend of the recession and economic downturn. The 2008 survey, announced at IMEX 2009, indicated the concerns that members felt might occur in 2009, but generally member companies experienced little dramatic downturn in conference outcomes through the tough year.

“Of course there were challenges for our members during the economic downturn in 2009” said IAPCO President Philippe Fournier “however, well trained resources and the constant drive to maintain and develop quality has certainly had a positive impact on results.”

The total number of meetings handled by the 100 IAPCO members rose by 9% over 2008, a staggering total of 5,641 run over the year. Association meetings rose by 15%, Governmental meetings by 46% and Corporate meetings by just 2%, reflecting a 46% drop in the international corporate market. The total number of participants rose from 1,968,519 to 2,117,915.

Perhaps the most significant figures are the overall budgets managed by IAPCO members: budget equivalent to 1.121 B€ (530€ per registrant) for the meetings and about 300 M€ (545€ per sqm) for the exhibitions. This equates to 3,431 B€ of economic impact.

Meetings matter for the economy as well!

www.iapco.org

79 % Response

84 % Response

99 % Response

97 % Response

2006

2007

2008

2009

MEETINGS

Total number of Association Meetings

1465

1909

1818

2102

National

961

1200

1086

1283

International

504

709

732

819

Total number of Governmental Meetings

307

458

273

399

National

135

170

100

176

International

172

288

173

223

1154

1622

3079

3140

National

714

1134

2021

2572

International

440

488

1058

568

1422011

1798589

1968518

2117915

414385

492251

425078

550605

Total number of Corporate Meetings

Total number of participants Total number of square meters handled

79 % Response

84 % Response

99 % Response

97 % Response

2006

2007

2008

2009

Average number of participants per event

486

451

381

375

Average number of square meters per event

142

123

82

98

71

87

89

90

EVENTS

Average number of events per IAPCO member

79 % Response

84 % Response

99 % Response

97 % Response

2006

2007

2008

2009

0,775

0,900

1,273

1,121

billion euros

2,3

2,9

3,18

3,43

billion euros

FINANCE Managed budgets Economic impact

35

Presentation of agency SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA

SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA was founded in 1988 and is today a well known agency which shares a vision and has the passion for connecting meeting buyers and suppliers, with additional services for incoming and outgoing programs, airline tickets and charter packages, tours and excursions.

The original company mission is to provide sourcing support services by finding the right venue for meeting planning customers and placing them in specially selected Exceptional Meeting and Conference Venues.

A Visionary Meeting Planning Company, defined by Leadership PCO SPEKTAR putovanja Meeting Sourcing Services are absolutely free of charge. Our goal is to save the time and help maximize our clients’ profits. Our team will help in finding the right meeting site, at the right location, for the right price.

PCO SPEKTAR Putovanja offers meeting support services that provide end-to-end services for the event and business meeting planning cycle. Our suite of products and services enables companies and associations to receive the support they need to manage the myriad of details associated with meetings and events.

Your Central Source for Meeting and Event Planning Whether our partners are looking for a venue on their own with our VenueFinder tool, or need help with finding the right place, negotiating contract addendums, conference marketing, online registration and housing support, pre- and post-meeting details, or onsite logistics, we can help. We’re the brand our customers trust to support their event and meeting management needs again and again.

At PCO SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA, we understand that planning a successful conference, meeting, or event requires expertise and time.

The years of industry experience acquired by our team will help answer all the questions of our partners. They simply contact us or

use the valuable information stored in our Resource Centre. By offering a single point of contact for multiple conference venues, our team of professionals can assist with finding a meeting facility and negotiating a contract which saves the money and minimizes risk to the organizers.

A Cost-Effective Solution for Your Attendee Management Needs There are a multitude of attendee management software companies in the market today. Don't be confused. PCO SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA is not one of them. We are a customer-driven company, dedicated to providing customized and consolidated communication and attendee registration services for the events. We work in cooperation with the best software programmers in the country to provide our clients with effective and personalized online and offline attendee management services.

Attendee Registration and Management Made Simple PCO SPEKTAR PUTOVANJA Attendee Management Services can save money in marketing costs, labour, and license fees, as well as help simplify and automate the meeting processes. Our attendee management system includes: - Customized Event Communications and Attendee Registration Website; - Automatic Reminders and Confirmations; - Real-Time Reports and Expense Tracking; - Pre-, During and Post-Event Surveys to Help Develop the Content and Analyze the Meeting's Success; - Onsite Event Support.

A Simple Solution for Conference Registration and Meeting Planning Logistics PCO SPEKTAR putovanja offers exceptional conference registration services and logistical support for all meetings or events. We understand that executing an exceptional meeting experience takes hours and hours of hard work and focus and requires extraordinary people to make it happen.

We provide meeting professionals who will support our clients in all aspects of event management – from meeting registration and

Agency presents

pre-event services, to onsite support and postmeeting evaluation and reporting.

Our clients are: International and Croatian Associations: Pliva Croatia, Belupo, Medika, Novonordisc, Oktalpharma, Alkaloid, Jansen Cilag, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, MSD, Merck, Lima OI, Discovery Cascade (France), International and Croatian Corporations: Croatian Cardiac Society & ESC –European Cardiac Society Croatian Psychiatric Society Croatian Dermatovenereology Society & EADV – European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Croatian Rhinologic Society Croatian Society of Hypertension & ESH – European Society of Hypertension IUSTI – International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections Croatian Trauma Society Croatian Society of Gynecological Oncology & ESGO – European Society of Gynecological Oncology Croatian Society of Toxicology & European Society of Toxicology ADEE – Association for Dental Care in Europe IHMF – International herpes management Forum Croatian medical Chamber

36 Slovenia Convention Bureau presents

News from Slovenia Convention Bureau

A whole day July workshop in London On July 8th Slovenian Convention Bureau in cooperation with Slovenia Tourist Board and agency Moulden Marketing organized a whole day workshop at the Melia White House, which is quite unusual, since the workshops are usually held only in the afternoon. The event combined Slovenian and Spanish exhibitors and was met with enthusiasm among more than sixty invited event organizers from the English market.

Slovenian companies also contributed wonderful prizes for the guests. The meetings organizers had the opportunity to personally meet the thirteen exhibitors and exchange information on their offers and requirements.

Naslov: A workshop in Brussels On September 15th 2010 Slovenian Convention Bureau and STB held a workshop for 40 important Belgian clients. The marketing agency Allied Consultants helped in selecting them. The workshop took place in the centre of Brussels the Bruxelles Info Place at Place Royale. Slovenian gastronomy was provided by Culinary house Jezeršek, the evening was accompanied by pleasant music. All the participants received promotion materials and wonderful prizes from Slovenian companies.

as one of the most important marketing tools in the area of meetings and MICE industry. It enables personal contact with our focus groups in a formal and informal setting; therefore it is growing into one of the most important meetings industry events in Europe. Nine out of ten exhibitors recognize Conventa as an event nobody involved in the meetings industry in SE Europe should miss.

Conventa 2011 preparations in full swing

New knowledge and contacts with Academy Conventa

The preparations for Conventa 2011, which will take place from 19th to 20th January 2010 at Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, have been running since March. We are expecting a larger number of exhibitors and invited buyers, which can be seen from the number of early applications. Conventa has established itself

“New knowledge, new contacts, new ideas” are the most common responses of the participants at Academy Conventa. Proof, that employees in the field of the meetings industry wish for more of such events and experiences. The seminars of Academy Conventa represent the largest and best education in the area of meetings

industry in Slovenia. The seminars are structured with the aim of teaching the participants practical skills which they can use to further the development of their company or destination.

They are based on long-term experience and knowledge of experts, willing to share them with new members of the meetings industry. In May the Basic Module of Academy Conventa was carried out, lead by experienced professional Srečo Peterlič. It was aimed at introducing the meetings industry as a whole. The participants got operating knowledge on running convention projects and carrying out different projects.

They got to know the systematic approach to project management and financial execution of convention projects and learned the methods and tricks of convention logistics. “The lecturers have practical experience and don't dwell on the theoretical. They mostly talk about practical examples so they are easy to follow and listen to. We are gaining tips we can use in practise,” summed up Špela Pipan from Sava Hotels Bled.

The Marketing Module will be led by Gorazd Čad, director of meetings and marketing agency Go.Mice from 11th to 12th of November and the Communications module, by Rok Klančnik, representative of STB in Brussels on 25th and 26th of November 2010. In October (14th and 15th) the Destination module led by Convention Bureau president Miha Kovačič will be held and the Executive module by Paul Kennedy of Kennedy Consulting is planned for the end of October or beginning of November. Mr. Kovačič will introduce the mechanisms in destination development and Mr. Kennedy will present strategic business development and marketing in the global scale. www.academyconventa.com

37 Slovenia Convention Bureau presents

Thermana Laško joins the Convention Bureau

Slovenia to participate at EIBTM in Barcelona

In August a new Congress Centre Wellness Park Laško, with a capacity of 1.100 participants, opened its doors and immediately joined the Slovenian Convention Bureau under the category F – Congress hotel. The visitors will be able to choose among eight modern convention halls and three conference rooms on 3.700 m². The largest hall can seat 490 people. The halls have a modern audio-video system so meetings can be carried out on a professional level. All halls have daylight and the option of complete darkness. Wireless internet is free. There are enough parking spaces near the hotel or in the subterranean garage. The Congress Centre is connected to a modern hotel, where the guest can enjoy the offer of the Thermal Centre with a glass dome and the Wellness Spa Centre. www.thermana.si

From November 30th to December 2nd the Convention Bureau in cooperation with STB and around fifteen other Slovenian companies, will again take part at the traditional EIBTM in Barcelona. During the course of the event SCB and STB will organize a dinner for invited foreign organizers, where they will present Slovenia as an attractive meetings destinations. www.eibtm.com

Presenting meetings industry at destination level

30 November - 2 December 2010

The Convention Bureau is preparing a series of public meetings on the topic of meetings industry at destination level. The aim of these meetings is to elevate the recognition of the meetings industry and to encourage cooperation on the destination level – all with the goal to make the destination more successful in gaining national and international clients. The meetings will be co-organized with local tourist boards and with close cooperation of Convention Bureau members.

38 Slovenia Convention Bureau presents

List of members of Slovenian Convention Bureau We would like to introduce all the members of the Slovenian Convention Bureau along with their acquired standards and contacts.

You can find more information on the Convention Bureau at the website www.sloveniaconvention.com.

Name of Slovenian Convention Bureau member

Name of contact person

E-mail

Website

Standard

ABC rent a car, EUROPCAR Slovenija

Mitja Karun

mitja.karun@europcar.si

www.europcar.si

H

Adria Airways

Alen Mlekuž

alen.mlekuz@adria.si

www.adria-airways.com

H

Aerodrom Ljubljana

Janez Krašnja

janez.krasnja@lju-airport.si

www.lju-airport.si

H,J

Agencija Promo

Marko Križnik

marko@promo-ag.si

www.promo-ag.si

D

Auditoria

Boris Vrhovec

boris.vrhovec@auditoria.si

www.auditoria.si

Austria Trend Hotel Ljubljana

Jernej Osterman

jernej.osterman@austria-trend.at

www.austria-trend.at

Cankarjev dom

Breda Pečovnik

breda.pecovnik@cd-cc.si

www.cd-cc.si/congress

Intours

Tomaž Krušič

tomaz.krusic@intours.si

www.intours.si

C

The Slovenia Times

Brane Krajnik

brane.krajnik@sloveniatimes.com

www.sloveniatimes.com

H

Festival Ljubljana

Maja Pangršič

maja.pangrsic@ljubljanafestival.si

www.festival-lj.si

I

M-Tours Bled

Miro Mulej

mtours@mtours.net

www.mtours.net

C

Hotel Paka

Stanko Brunšek

stanko.brunsek@hotelpaka.com

www.hotelpaka.com

G

Go-Mice

Gorazd Čad

gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

www.go-mice.eu

H,B

Gospodarsko razstavišče

Špela Terpin

spela.terpin@gr-sejem.si

www.gr-sejem.si

E,H

Grand hotel Union

Renata Balažic

renata.balazic@gh-union.si

www.gh-union.si

F,G

Hiša Kulinarike Jezeršek

Jure Jezeršek

jure@jezersek.si

www.jezersek.com

H

HIT Holidays Kranjska Gora

Polonca Bačnar

polonca.bacnar@hitholidays-kg.si

www.hitholidays-kg.si

G

HIT Nova Gorica

Nelida Nemec

nelida.nemec@hit.si

www.hit.si

G

Hotel Lek

Sandra Fiorelli

sandra.fiorelli@hotel-lek.si

www.hotel-lek.si

G

Hotel Lev

Mojca Peterkovič

mojca.peterkovic@hotel-lev.si

www.hotel-lev.si

G

Rogaška Hotels & Lotus Terme

Damijan Merc

damijan@hotel-sava-rogaska.si

www.rogaska.si

G

Best Western Premier Hotel Slon

Nataša Keršič

natasa.kersic@hotelslon.com

www.hotelslon.com

G

Best Western Premier Hotel Lovec

Monika Poklukar

monika.poklukar@kompas-lovec.eu

www.lovechotel.com

G

St. Bernardin

Mojca Gobina

mojca.gobina@h-bernardin.si

www.h-bernardin.si

F

LifeClass Hotels & Spa

Marko Lenček

marko.lencek@lifeclass.net

www.lifeclass.net

F,G

Kobilarna Lipica

Klavdij Čehovin

klavdij.cehovin@lipica.org

www.lipica.org

G,I

Kompas

Tina Možina

tina.mozina@kompas.si

www.kompas.si

C

Kompas Hoteli Bled

Nataša Keršič

natasa.kersic@hotelslon.com

www.kompashotel.com

G

Koren Sports

Matija Koren

matija@humanfish.com

www.humanfish.com

D

City hotel

Erika Bokal

erika.bokal@cityhotel.si

www.cityhotel.si

G

Lifetrek

Matej Mejovšek

matej@lifetrek.si

www.lifetrek.si

D

Hotel Mons - Hotel in kongresni center Ljubljana

Vesna Lešnik

vesna.lesnik@hotel.mons.si

www.hotel.mons.si

F

Prevajalska agencija Alkemist

Saša Gorše

sasa.gorse@alkemist.si

www.alkemist.si

B,D G B,E

39 Slovenia Convention Bureau presents

Name of Slovenian Convention Bureau member

Name of contact person

E-mail

Website

Standard

Terme Radenci

Polona Baš

polona.bas@zdravilisce-radenci.si

www.radenska-zdravilisce.si

G

Robotrade

Robert Omovšek

robert@robotrade.si

www.robotrade.si

H

Klaro d.o.o.

Uroš Čimžar

uros@klaro.si

www.rs-klan.com

H

Sava hoteli Bled

Elvira Krupić

elvira.krupic@hotelibled.com

www.hotel-toplice.com

G

SIQ - Slovenski inštitut za kakovost in meroslovje

Dajana Kragelj

dajana.kragelj@siq.si

www.siq.si

Slovenska turistična organizacija

Karmen Novarlič

karmen.novarlic@slovenia.info

www.slovenia.info

Terme Čatež

Marjanka Bužančič

marjanka.buzancic@terme-catez.si

www.terme–catez.si

G

Terme Krka

Renata Zorman

renata.zorman@terme-krka.si

www.terme-krka.si

G

Terme Maribor

Darja Slivnjak

darja.slivnjak@termemb.si

www.termemb.si

Wellness Hotel Sotelia

Alenka Brglez

alenka.brglez@terme-olimia.com

www.terme-olimia.com

G

Terme Ptuj

Peter Šimenko

peter.simenko@terme-ptuj.si

www.terme-ptuj.si

G

Terme Spa Rogaška

Katarina Abraham

katarina.abraham@terme-rogaska.si

www.terme-rogaska.si

G

Liberty Slovenia

Boštjan Horjak

bostjan@liberty-slovenia.com

www.liberty-slovenia.com

C

Postojnska jama

Tamara Miljković

tamara.miljkovic@turizem-kras.si

www.postojnska-jama.si

UP, Turistica-Visoka šola za turizem Portorož

Marjan Tkalčič

marjan.tkalcic@turistica.si

www.turistica.si

H

Hotel Astoria Bled

Alisa Cerič

alisa.ceric@vgs-bled.si

www.hotelastoria-bled.com

G

Vivo Catering

Jerneja Kamnikar

jerneja.kamnikar@vivo.si

www.vivo.si

H

Zavod za kulturo Bled

Matjaž Završnik

matjaz.zavrsnik@zkbled.si

www.zavod-za-kulturo-bled.si

J,I

Zavod za turizem Ljubljana

Tatjana Radovič

tatjana.radovic@visitljubljana.si

www.visitljubljana.si

A

Terme Dobrna

Brigita Tantura

brigita.tantura@terme-dobrna.si

www.terme-dobrna.si

G

turistična agencija Maya

Borut Nikolaš

borut@maya.si

www.maya.si

D

Zavod za turizem Maribor

Bernarda Karo

bernarda.karo@maribor.si

www.maribor-pohorje.si

A

Vila Bled

Petra Čuk

petra.cuk@sportina-turizem.si

www.vila-bled.si

Teambuilding Akademija

Gregor Levič

gregor@tba.si

www.tba.si

D

Bohinj Park Hotel

Nataša Andlovec

natasa.andlovec@phb.si

www.bohinj-park-hotel.si

G

Hotel Drnča

Helena Vokič

helena.vokic@hotel-drnca.si

www.hotel-drnca.com

G

Hotel Plesnik

Marjana Cvetko

marjana.cvetko@plesnik.si

www.plesnik.si

G

Kempinski Palace Portorož

Marcos Torres Mueller

marcos.torres@kempinski.com

www.kempinski-portoroz.com

G

ŠC Pohorje

Iris Kociper

iris.kociper@sc-pohorje.si

www.pohorje.org

G

Terme Unior Zreče

Breda Einfalt

breda.einfalt@unitur.eu

www.unitur.eu

G

Thermana Laško

Daniela Likar

daniela.likar@thermana.si

www.thermana.si

F

Hotel Triglav Bled

Marcela Klofutar

marcela@hoteltriglavbled.si

www.hoteltriglavbled.si

G

F,G

H,I

I

40 Slovenia Convention Bureau presents

Introduction of PCO, DMC in event agencies of the Slovenian Convention Bureau

The Slovenian Convention Bureau has prepared a standardisation for its members, based upon the existing standards and recommendations in the field of business tourism. The bureau sees standardization as a strategic tool in raising quality and recognisability of the Slovenian meetings industry. Slovenia is amongst the first countries in the world to introduce wholesome standards in the field of the meetings industry.

The certificates of a certain standard confirm the service provider fulfils strict criteria in its category and is a reliable and trustworthy partner in the opinion of Slovenian Convention Bureau.

The certificates are valid for three years so the fulfilment of criteria is constantly monitored.

And what do the B, C and D standards mean?

Category B, in English PCO (Professional Congress Organiser), is the key element in organizing congresses and other types of meetings.

The organizers cover a broad area and offer wholesome technical assistance in carrying out even the most demanding events. From the point of view of the meetings industry service providers, this is the most demanding standard.

Category C, known in English as well as Slovenian as DMC (Destination management company), is a specialized tourist agency focused on the meetings industry. This agency is fully familiar with the meetings capacities of the destination they represent. It can help the client answer all the questions concerning the destination and the venue. This encompasses hotel accommodation for participants, to recommendation on food and reception locations. The client expects the DMC agency to be familiar with meetings industry principals.

Category D, event agency, is an agency specializing in organizing events. This category includes incentive and teambuilding programmes or other programmes aimed at improving team spirit. In most cases the commissioners of such events are companies trying to promote their events or to attach clients to their services. To clarify: A convention is made out of more events.

Introduction of Slovenian Convention Bureau members who achieved B, C and D standards.

Auditoria Boris Vrhovec Tržaška cesta 286d 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 24 45 670 www.auditoria.si boris.vrhovec@auditoria.si

Agencija Promo Marko Križnik Mesarska cesta 4d 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 43 82 470 www.promo-ag.si marko@promo-ag.si

Go.Mice Gorazd Čad Štihova ulica 4 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 43 05 103 www.go-mice.eu gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

Auditoria Boris Vrhovec Tržaška cesta 286d 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 24 45 670 www.auditoria.si boris.vrhovec@auditoria.si

Intours Tomaž Krušič Dalmatinova ulica 3 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 43 03 550 www.intours.si tomaz.krusic@intours.si

Koren Sports Matija Koren Pot na Bistriško planino 10 4290 Tržič +386 1/ 30 03 845 www.humanfish.com matija@humanfish.com

M-Tours Bled Miro Mulej Prešernova cesta 3 4260 Bled +386 4/ 575 33 12 www.mtours.net mtours@mtours.net

Lifetrek Matej Mejovšek Partizanska cesta 18 4000 Kranj +386 4/ 20 14 875 www.lifetrek.si matej@lifetrek.si

Kompas Tina Možina Pražakova 4 1514 Ljubljana +386 1/ 20 06 312 www.kompas.si tina.mozina@kompas.si

Turistična agencija Maya Borut Nikolaš Padlih borcev 1, 5220 Tolmin +386 5/ 38 00 530 www.maya.si borut@maya.si

Liberty Slovenia Boštjan Horjak Parmova 51 1000 Ljubljana +386 1/ 23 61 018 www.liberty-slovenia.com bostjan@liberty-slovenia.com

Teambuilding Akademija Gregor Levič Stegne 3 1000 Ljubljana +386 590 720 70 www.tba.si gregor@tba.si

SLOVENIA MEETINGS Feel the people.

Taste fresh ideas.

www.slovenia.info

www.slovenia-convention.com

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Sports stadiums have become a popular choice for conference and event organisers in UK Would you like to participate in or organize a meeting on a sports stadium?

Andrew Kirby, Lecturer in Events Management at Regent’s College London

Introduction There is no doubt that during the past decade, the UK conference and events industry has seen the growing emergence of a new type of venue.

Often classified as ‘unusual venues’, sporting stadia, concert halls, museums and theme parks have all increased their marketing activities towards events professionals, and are now offering wide-ranging 21st century facilities.

Sports stadiums in particular have become a popular choice for conference and event organisers, all eager to use a venue with distinctive heritage, providing a unique delegate experience, and capitalising on an atmosphere

not generated at other more traditional venues including hotels and conference centres. With the use of marketing consortia such as Stadium Experience (an organisation comprised of over 40 UK football clubs), football clubs benefit from increased promotion in the events industry, and a substantial extra secondary revenue stream which is separate from their primary function of hosting football matches.

This article discusses several key issues in the growth and attractiveness of such venues within the events industry.

Flexibility of Space In contrast to many of their competitors, football stadiums often offer large indoor spaces which can be used for a vast range of different conferences, meetings and events.

The flexibility of these spaces is a key factor attracting events organisers, as they are able to use the space for their own requirements, whether it be for a car/product launch, fashion show, corporate conference, or informal drinks reception. Such flexibility is not often found at more traditional venues, given their history and limitations. As an example, the Emirates Stadium (home of Arsenal Football Club) was built in 2006 as a 21st century football stadium to replace the previous Highbury stadium. Crucially, however, this stadium was purposefully built with the importance of non-match day activity in mind, as the Club recognised the importance of being able to use its facilities on the 330 odd days a year when football matches were not being held.

Atmosphere The atmosphere generated from a sports stadium, even on a non-match day, is another influencing factor in venue site selection. Being able to spend time in the stadium, explore behind the scenes areas such as dressing rooms and hospitality areas, and look out over (or touch) the famous pitch are added value elements which many organisers maximise in their events. In the UK, stadium tours are a common feature added into a conference or event programme in order to give delegates an extra special experience to remember.

Catering Catering is a particular area where sports venues have invested heavily in the last 5 years to better compete with more traditional conference venues. With the use of skilled and highly trained staff, often with in-depth hotel or restaurant experience, a football club no longer has the reputation of serving ‘pie and mash’ or ‘steak and chips’ to its corporate and event customers.

High quality offerings to match those served at established city restaurants are not uncommon for the demanding conference organiser. Given that the food served at an event is likely to be the factor most remembered by an attendee (whether positive or negative), sports venues have recognized the importance of this area and have allocated appropriate resources.

Technology In order to create a memorable and distinctive event, organisers place high demands on the use of the latest technology in lighting and sound. Once again, many high-profile UK sports venues have responded to this need and are able to host the most elaborate and visually impressive events, without lacking the necessary

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equipment. For the client, this requirement can make or break the delivery of an event, and is therefore a key consideration for any event venue.

Location Finally, the physical location of an event venue is another factor in site selection. The event organiser has to be confident that his/her delegates will be able to find the venue without any inconvenience, whether by road, rail or air.

As football stadiums are frequently used to handling large numbers of people for matches, it is common for such venues to have excellent accessibility, together with visible signage by road.

When plentiful (often free) car parking is added into the equation, the location of sports stadia proves a further selling point in itself.

Marketing Sporting Venues With clear increased interest in their use, UK sports venues have re-evaluated how they promote and sell themselves to national and international event organisers. Attendance at high-profile industry exhibitions such as International Confex and Event-UK help to inform event organisers of their existence, and push their unique characteristics. Much re-development of venue websites has also taken place to enforce a strong marketing brand and a positive perception of industry experience and quality.

With little difference in cost compared to industry hotels and conference centres, sports stadia are able to strongly compete in a growing market.

In summary, recent years have shown how conferences and events provide sporting venues with many practical, commercial and financial rewards by attracting both frequent and firsttime customers. The popularity of such venues in the conference market is a clear indicator that

their presence is now being fully developed, with an increasing amount of event organisers appreciating their flexibility, uniqueness and tangible atmosphere. As the profile of sports stars continues to rise, and sport becomes an integral part of everyday life, sporting venues look set to further develop these secondary activities within the events industry.

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Stožice Centre Interview with the director of Public Institute Tivoli

1. When do you predict work on all objects of Stožice Centre will be done? When will we be able to say “The stadium and arena Stožice can now be used for the meetings industry as well”?

Roman Jakič was born in 1967 in Ljubljana.

He is a university graduated pedagogue and professor of sociology. He was the co-founder of the Studensts Organization. In 1990 he was elected into the Slovenian parliament for the first time as a representative of the University of Ljubljana. From 1992 to 1996 he was the secretary of the Liberal academy and after that a member of parliament till 2004. From 1998 he has been a member of the City Council of Ljubljana where he works in the area of international relations and sports. He was a member of the European parliament from 2002 to 2004. He has held many other important functions in politics and other fields (such as President of Athletics Association of Slovenia). As a volunteer with the Paraolympic Committee he leads the team of disabled skiers. From 2004 to 2008 he worked with Slovenian and foreign companies as a private entrepreneur. From 2008 he is the director of Public Institute Tivoli.

The entire Centre will come to life when the shopping centre and the outside park are finished. The outside of Stožice Center is waiting for additional sports facilities (football field, volleyball pitch, skate park, playground...), which will round off the image of the entire centre along with all other parts. At the moment the visitors can enjoy the stadium and the arena, which already play host to different Slovenian and international events.

2. What are your views on using the Stožice stadium and arena on days when there are no sports activates going on?

We first of all want to fulfil the mission of Public Institute Tivoli, which is to enable the best possible conditions for professional and recreational sports in Ljubljana. The Stožice Centre will enable the Public Institute Tivoli to have a larger influence on sports on the national level. Stožice Centre can host the highest level international sports events, we would like to bring closer to the Slovenian public. Besides sports events, we aim to host other cultural and entertainment events and other spectacles for the Slovenian and foreign public.

3. Where do you see the biggest opportunities to fill the stadium and Stožice Centre in the future?

Our biggest market niche is in organizing different events, such as large international productions, different shows, musical and cultural events (like opera), equestrian events, different tournaments, European and world championships in various sports, dance events, festivals, auto-moto shows, artistic circuses, exhibitions, fair, meetings...

4. Do you already advertise the Stožice Center as a potential venue of meetings, conventions, conferences...?

At the moment the event organizers take care of their own marketing. Our aim is to definitely put ourselves on the map of the meetings industry.

As I’ve mentioned the marketing is done by the organizers at the moment, but we do not exclude the possibility we will market certain events our self.

5. Who is your target audience? Do you want to market the Stožice Centre outside Slovenia?

As I’ve mentioned our goal is to get the attention of the public and organizers. Our target audience encompasses a broad spectre of the public. Considering the mission of Public Institute Tivoli our fist target group are athletes and their fans and supporters. The second group consists of potential visitors of all other events.

6. Sports facilities are getting more and more popular as venues for different events, business meetings, conventions... Do you think you are well prepared for that?

We are definitely aware of this fact and have considered it in our marketing strategy. We would like to bring a variety of events to Stožice Centre and offer a vivid programme for all visitors. The new sports venue hasn’t been around too long, and we want it to reach its full potential. Our aim is to make the venue recognizable in the business world, meetings industry, sports, culture, etc. and to attract Slovenian and foreign public.

7. What is your advantage in comparison to other exhibition or congress centres and hotels?

We feel the location near the Ljubljana bypass is a factor, as well as numerous parking spaces in the centre itself and good access with public

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transport. Also, the new sports venue is not far from the city centre and therefore near the colourful scene of central Ljubljana. Stožice Centre is architecturally a very attractive building and is interesting for visitors from all over the region. It will soon also be richer for the second largest outdoor sports area in Slovenia.

Official name of stadium and Stožice Centre arena Large events held at Stožice Centre (not sports related):

- Regional meeting of pensioners (plateau between the stadium and arena), - Musical event: NOTPADU LAJV, - Concert: JOSÉ CARRERAS, - Concert: LEONARD COHEN, - Lipizzaner show, - Concert: JOE COCKER, - DJ TIME D. GUETTA

Number of seats

- Stožice Arena: 12,400 seats (without the ground floor) - Stožice Stadium: 16,100 seats (without the ground floor)

Additional spaces in Stožice Center, where events can be held

1. Stožice Arena: - Small (warm-up) arena, - Climbing hall, - VIP lounges in the Arena, - Arena.

2. Stožice Stadium: - Stadium, - VIP Lounges in the stadium.

3. Outside plateau between the arena and the stadium; 4. Park (under construction, with a football field, skate park, volleyball pitch, playground...)

Contact person

Roman Jakič, director

Contact

e-mail: info@zavod-tivoli.si www.zavod-tivoli.si phone: +386 1 430 66 60 fax: +386 1 231 77 84

46

Stadiums and catering Let’s all go to the stadium to have a good meal.

Large sports objects have recently become a big deal in the media in Slovenia. We ask ourselves: “Does Slovenia really need such large arenas and stadiums?”

sports objects offer beer and hamburgers.

Catering, like any other business, requires us to be innovative. We need to find new and attractive locations, which enable us to be moreproductive.

Stožice Stadium is a new up and coming venue for organizing events in Slovenia and Jezeršek house was prepared for the new location with a fresh offer.

If you ask the meetings organizers of Slovenia, the answer will probably be “Yes, of course we do!”

We have carried out almost ten successful Contemporary management approaches from abroad show how profitable and useful this kind caterings of events and of objects can be. Concerts and shopping centres proven a sports event are well known to us all. New trends are also can also be a very tasty pointing to the large potential of catering. experience.

Meetings organizers are putting a lot of effort into offering something fresh and different to the guests. So why not use large sports centres?

Professor Andrew Kirby from the UK has made a lot of research in the area of the meetings industry and sports objects. He especially highlighted the development of catering in sports objects. He wrote: Catering is a particular area where sports venues have invested heavily in the last 5 years to better compete with more traditional conference venues.

With the use of skilled and highly trained staff, often with in-depth hotel or restaurant experience, a football club no longer has the reputation of serving ‘pie and mash’ or ‘steak and chips’ to its corporate and event customers. High quality offerings to match those served at established city restaurants are not uncommon for the demanding conference organiser. Given that the food served at an event is likely to be the factor most remembered by an attendee (whether positive or negative), sports venues have recognized the importance of this area and have allocated appropriate resources.

The development of catering in sports objects is one of the short term goals of our company –Jezeršek gostinstvo d.o.o., which specializes in catering at different locations. Traditionally,

Catering is a specific and logistically very demanding branch. Demand for these services is large, yet so is the supply. Good logistics conditions enable better quality and decrease the difficulty of carrying out caterings of events.

Modern objects, such as Stožice, are an ideal environment for holding events of all kinds.

Sports arenas with upto-date audio-video technology are ideal for organizing even the largest business meetings.

A wide selection of halls is yet another advantage for organizers of medium sized events. VIPlounges can be an excellent place to hold smaller meetings. Modern sports venues can truly be used in numerous ways.

Jure Ježeršek

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Congress Ljubljana

The Ljubljana bid book – an excellent aid in acquiring events The Ljubljana Tourism/Convention Bureau has prepared the newest edition of the Ljubljana bid book – Ljubljana Invites – a product for everyone, trying to bring a professional, scientific or other event to Ljubljana.

The second awarded edition first of all facilitates the process of preparing a candidature and mostly presents all key attributes of Ljubljana as an attractive convention destination, based on the knowledge of most common criteria in a clear and professional manner.

The concept of the Ljubljana bid book is based on the principle of standardized graphic design of the Tourist Destination Ljubljana and a combination of fixed and variable content, which can be adopted and personalized for each event.

The edition is divided into nine chapters through which the candidate and the destination as a whole are introduced (Ljubljana and Slovenia).

The contents include: Invitation letters (*VC), organization/candidacy holder (*VC), Ljubljana as a destination – eight chapters introducing it in a brief and wholesome manner (**FC), access and traffic connections (**FC), event venue and accommodation (**FC), professional meetings organizers (**FC), preliminary programme (*VC), record of expenses (*VC) and tourist excursions and sightseeing (**FC).

Note: *VC means variable content, prepared especially for the event, **FC means fixed or preprepared content on the destination.

The chapters on the location and accommodation are standardized and already include information on four largest service providers (Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana exhibition and convention centre, Grand hotel Union in Hotel Mons), and include the basic description, technical data and most important references.

If the candidacy holder only recommends one location, only one of these service providers

is included, the content can then be more detailed (ground plans, suggested halls for plenary meetings, panel discussions, exhibitions, refreshments...).

Since the demands of individual associations or organisations are very different, special attention is paid to the variable content not only aimed at classic conventions of professional and scientific associations. The edition was first used for the candidacy of Ljubljana for the European Veteran’s Athletics Championship and it was also included in the candidacy for Ljubljana as World Book Capital.

The functional concept and contents of the Ljubljana bid book did not remain unnoticed; our edition has been mentioned as a good practice example in the book “Marketing Destinations and Venues for Conferences, Conventions and Business Events”. The authors, Professor Rob Davidson and Professor Tony Rogers, are world renowned British experts in the area of the meetings industry, so we count this mention as a relevant recognition.

The Ljubljana bid book is a part of the free services provided by the Ljubljana Tourism/ Convention Bureau within the framework of meetings organizers and destination marketing support. We make contact with numerous associations and organizations in the beginning phase of the candidacy or establish it later, for example when Ljubljana is already shortlisted and an inspection visit follows, to facilitate the selection of a host city. Ljubljana is thus far the only Slovenian city with such a product – we can call it the best aid in preparing the candidacy. It is available in print as well as digital form, which is in tune with the eco friendly guidelines of Tourism Ljubljana.

Ljubljana as a convention destination and our support for meetings organizers is extensively introduced in a special tab on our portal at www. visitljubljana.si/meetings/.

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Congress Ljubljana

A cherry on top... or restaurant Gostilna na gradu The recent opening of the restaurant at Ljubljana castle represents the fulfilment of a long time dream, which was well worth the wait. An ambitious culinary project still in progress, has brought together two top-level institutions – Restaurants As and Hiša Franko from Staro Selo near Kobarid, and promises an upgrade in the next year when the opening of a restaurant with high level gastronomy is planned.

If you are among those who awaken their memories through taste (like the famous Madeleines in Prousts In Search of Lost Time) or are nostalgic for you grandma’s culinary masterpieces, the solution is simple: take a hike to Ljubljana castle! The menu represents the selection of typical Slovenian dishes prepared by modern recipes and accompanied by a wide selection of Slovenian wines. Fresh and quality ingredients are most important and mainly local, the dishes are adapted to the season, so high quality is available for affordable prices.

Or like in the introduction of Gostilna na gradu: “The smells of the olden days from the stoves and fireplaces of are grandmothers, are now coming from our kitchen: Karst jota, Histrian bobiči, Prekmurje bograč, Fried chicken wings, Idrija žlikrofi, Primorska calamari, roasted anchovies...

Slovenian gastronomy is a gastronomy of regions. And that’s how we see it as well. Three large European cultures – the Alps, the Pannonia plain and the Mediterranean go hand in hand in our kitchen: Prekmurje gibanica, Bled cream cakes, Kobarid dumplings.

We swear by carefully chosen ingredients, biological produce and healthy food. We only use the best olive and pumpkin seed oils, meat of Slovenian origin, vegetables and fruits from the market, wines from the cellars of Slovenian wine makers. Making homemade dishes requires skill and knowledge. These have been passed on to our young chefs by three masters who have changed our views on food with their creativity and have captured the attention of the world’s gastronomic public: Ana Roš and Valter Kramar from Hiša Franko and Svetozar Raspopović – Pope from Gostilna As. Slovenia boasts a rich culinary culture with its

24 gastronomic regions and 178 typical and distinguishable dishes based on a large palette of tastes. That is part of the reason the kitchen at Gostilna na gradu will smell differently every week.

Gostilna na gradu, which can seat 70 guests inside and 200 in the shade of the castle outside, is open every day. The restaurant can be hired for business or other special events; we also offer catering for events held in other venues at Ljubljana castle or at other locations. www.nagradu.si

Fresh on the scene: the Urbana – Ljubljana Tourist Card In mid July, Ljubljana Tourism has launched the Urbana – Ljubljana Tourist Card, which is a functional upgrade of the original Ljubljana Card, a tourist pass introduced six years ago as the first product of the kind in Slovenia. Conceived as a smart card containing a RFID chip for card validation and free admission, it enables visitors to explore Ljubljana's major sights and experience the city in a comfortable way and at the lowest cost.

The goal of Ljubljana Tourism in relation to the Card is to strongly enhance the image of the

city's tourism offerings by marketing them under a joint arrangement. The Card is intended for both foreign and domestic visitors, and it can be a helpful »personal assistant« also for conference delegates or accompanying guests who are spending a few days in Ljubljana.

Within the card validity period, which is 24, 48 or 72 hours, the Urbana - Ljubljana Tourist Card entitles visitors to free unlimited travel on Ljubljana city buses and one ride using other means of transport (funicular to Ljubljana Castle, tourist train, tourist boat, bicycle rental). The Card also provides one free admission to each of the city's museums, galleries (13 institutions) and other tourist attractions, as well as some of the services provided by Ljubljana Tourism (a guided city tour of the cardholder's choice, digital tour guide hire, internet access).

Detailed information about Urbana - Ljubljana Tourist Card, including the cost-saving benefits, is available on the website at http://www. visitljubljana.si/en/ljubljana-and-more/ljubljanatourist-card/.

The Card can be purchased from all Ljubljana's Tourist Information Centres and a number of other locations, as well as online.

The prices are €23.00 for a 24-hour pass, €30.00 for a 48-hour pass and €35.00 for a 72-hour pass.

Conference / event organisers who consider ordering a certain number of cards are entitled to discounts.

50 Congress travelogue

DUBROVNIK

Congress impressions from Dubrovnik

Congress geography of the former Yugoslavia recognized city locations of Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade, and Adriatic locations Portorož, Opatija and Dubrovnik. These cities are still by some accounts still seen as locations from the olden days.

I was first turned to Dubrovnik by legendary professor Ignacij Voje, one of the experts on SE Europe and the Dubrovnik republic, which used to dictate the faith of the entire region.

With each visit I remember his comparison of Dubrovnik to some sort of renaissance Hong Kong. The republic peaked in the 15th century. For twelve centuries it defied the pressures and threats of superpowers with trade skills and diplomacy. The character of the people of Dubrovnik can be summarized by the inscription above the entrance to the Lovrijenac fortress: “Freedom is not for sale for all the gold in the world”. I was fascinated by progressiveness of Dubrovnik, especially in hygiene standards and care for nutrition and health. An interesting practise was a form of early capitalism with credits, forms of insurance and double book-keeping. To me the Republic of Dubrovnik is a wonderful example of an economically and politically successful small state, which uses all of its potentials.

I’ve been visiting Dubrovnik on a regular basis since 1996, when the city was wounded by a brutal Chetnik attack. In 1998 I was one of the few guests of a conference on Project Management in Cavtat. At that time Hotel Croatia was the only serious convention

hotel and it didn't look too bright. Hotels at Babin kuk still looked pretty grim and were mostly abandoned. Where the Radisson Blu stands today, the former Dubrovački vrtovi sunca were full of refugees. The Dubrovnik of that time was replaced by new convention hotels, the insufferable summer crowds and a feeling your at the centre of the world. On a random visit to Stradun you can run into John McEnroe, preparing for a tennis match against veteran Goran Ivanišević in front of the Duke’s Palace. Many celebrities visit the city. As a sign of complete tourist renovation the Srđ funicular was finished this year, finally putting an unpleasant era of the city behind it.

Dubrovnik is a city growing and developing due to the meetings industry. It will be a big part of the future of this industry for the entire region. First, as the most successful Croatian and regional brand on the global meetings market. With little exaggeration we can claim the destination brand of the entire region will hang on Dubrovnik.

It will lead the region as the first destination where international and local hotel chains are opening convention centres and performing intensive co-branding. The results are numerous incentives of international corporations to book up the season and convention centre openings one after the other. Last year saw the opening of Valmar Lacroma and Radisson Blu convention centres, and the renovation of many others.

In a very short time Dubrovnik developed all

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kinds of convention agencies and other service providers. Business innovations and ideas have no limit, except with the deal to build a new convention centre, which has been put off for many years and would enable Dubrovnik to compete for large international conventions.

Considering the number of available rooms and other infrastructure, we can be certain meetings industry is important for Dubrovnik.

The people of Dubrovnik will tell you themselves that everything is not ideal.

Accessibility is still not as good as it should be (to few air connections). High season is not suitable for organizing meetings, since overbooking can happen and the tourist priorities are aimed elsewhere. Terrible crowds can cause less friendly tourist workers.

Additional culinary services are not always the best and are mostly overpriced. The traffic jams can get out of control – travelling from Babin kuk to the centre can become quite a feat. Everybody is eagerly awaiting the highway form Ploče to Dubrovnik, which is coming at an unknown time in the future, since no one can yet predict what will happen with the bridge to Pelješac.

I personally believe the meetings industry can change the image of Dubrovnik. It is possible new investments in meetings industry will change the sociological structure of tourists.

I have to add, the key question is always the vision of the destination and the knowledge the infrastructure will be successfully marketed.

The wonderful setting of Dubrovnik is only a part of the story; the meetings industry is largely the logical industry for Dubrovnik. It is only missing some important investments into infrastructure and convention infrastructure.

The meetings organizers can learn much from Dubrovnik, the inscription on the door to the Duke’s Palace: “Obliti privatorum publica curate” or “Forget your own gains and take care of the common ones”.

LIBERTAS!

For more information visit: www.visitdubrovnik.hr Gorazd Čad

Comparison with the Region Dubrovnik is the flagship of regional tourism and is the first association of meetings organizers we meet daily. It has still not reached its full potential. It is the closest in the region to renowned Mediterranean convention destinations Cannes and Monte Carlo. It has the biggest potential in the area of corporate and other incentives; after the completion of the convention centre also in the area of international associations conventions.

Destination grade

**** Marks ***** **** *** ** *

excellent convention destination quality convention destination recommendable convention destination average convention destination passable

52 Congress personality

Enfant terrible Rok Klančnik

1. Could you introduce yourself in two sentences – one describing you as a private and other as a public person?

I'm a person who’s been looking to find a proper balance between my private and business life for a long time. I haven't always been successful, I admit. But at least I’m trying, as Jack Nicholoson would say in One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. In the business world I’ve successfully taken the place of strategic communicator and opinion leader in destination management as well as full time grump and part time sommelier.

2. Which are your favourite magazines from the area of tourism?

My favourite is of course Kongres, but there are a few more I like, such as the Czech MICE Central & Eastern Europe, which is pretty informative, I also follow the Belgian MIM. And also every other magazine I come across, especial English ones. But my very favourite thing to read – for the soul – are magazines from the area of tourism and gastronomy (like Food and Travel). For study I use Annals of Tourism Research and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing.

5. Which was the last movie you saw?

Belle Époque – a wonderful and funny Spanish drama from 1992, from the director Fernando Trueba. Penelope Cruz still looked very much un-Hollywood, her bra size was at least two sizes smaller. A Spanish film gives me everything I miss in a Slovenian film – love of life, love of love and a dose of crazy.

6. How many foreign languages do you speak?

I can speak, write and read in eight foreign languages and some dialects. I’ve gone a bit rusty with my Russian alphabet. I simply adore languages and their variations. Yet, what’s the use, since the business world (maybe soon our private lives as well?) is increasingly being ruled by “ingliš”.

7. Who were your idols growing up and who are they today?

In my childhood it had to be Kekec, in the last two decades, after a profound meeting with Argentinean culture, Carlos Gardel. Carlitos was a tango singer who rose to international fame from a poor background in the honour of his culture and homeland.

3. Which was the last book you read and which book would you recommend to our readers?

It has to be The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green and his The Art of Seduction.

Considering the state in Slovenia I would happily recommend The power of Kindness by Piere Ferrucci to everyone.

8. Which were your first and your current job?

As a student I used to work part time at the Poreč branch of Kompas Yugoslavia. After that I was a professional journalist. Now I combine “work and means” as an employee of the Slovenian Tourist Board and am heading its office in Brussels for Benelux.

4. Which was the last event you attended?

I attended the wine tasting of seventy of Europe’s best wines at the end of August. The event was held at Le Meridien in Brussels. Two Slovenian winemakers proudly made it on the list – Movia and Čotar. I think even exclusive events like this are a part of our branch of the meetings industry.

9. What is the first thing you do when you come to work?

I delete my junk mail, then I browse through Slovenian articles on tourism and try to find out who is the net so called expert in our field.

10. What influenced your life the most? Was it a person or an event?

It had to be the loss of my father in my early childhood. Despite the drama this gave me a lot of strength.

11. Could you highlight your best and worse life experience?

The best had to be winning the tender for the position of communications director at the World Tourist Organization in Madrid. The worse…there were a few, but I didn’t let any of them bring me down.

12. What are you most proud of?

I swell with pride every time my son Maj calls me the best dad in the world.

13. Who were the most positive and negative people to influence Slovenian tourism?

Uf! I’m not giving in, I’m going to answer.

A breakthrough – in a positive sense – was made by secretary for tourism Peter Vesenjak in 1995. He dared to take on the post-socialist wind mills and funded the Slovenian Tourist Board, scraped the old linden tree logo and guided the national tourism in the right direction. I also think highly of Dimitrij Piciga and his work in the last four years. There have been plenty of negative personalities as well, but they aren't worth mentioning. By them I mostly mean people who had the power and opportunity and did nothing.

14. Which success story from the area of tourism would you mention?

I will mention two: The development of Slovenian meetings industry and natural spas.

Both met many obstacles and often didn’t find the support of public administration, yet they both succeeded and I for one am very proud of these achievements. We should all be.

15. Which marketing idea sticks out the most in the area of tourism?

At the sunny side of the Alps. Unbeatable.

53 Congress personality

16. What do you miss most in Slovenian and SE Europe’s meeting industry?

Slovenian and SE European meetings industry is developing by its own logic. Slovenian is still lacking some self-confidence – we are better than we sometimes dare to admit! We will always be small, but we have a big heart – that’s what our football players say. The one thing I would highlight is the wish for more commitment to the formula PPP (people, planet, profit) as well as the involvement of the governments in providing infrastructure (roads, airports, railways) which are a key to success.

17. Would you share your favourite places to visit in spring, summer, fall and winter?

I wish I could, but I’m afraid I’m so fickle I’m still looking for a favourite place for every season. They so far include Buenos Aires, Pokljuka, a small cottage in Premantura and the surroundings of Kranjska Gora, when there’s about one meter of snow.

18. What do you do in your free time?

Till now I’ve spent my free time thinking about the reasons I have no free time and I work all the time. Now (after I have successful battled a serious disease and “fried the shrimp” I had growing in my chest) everything will be different: I will be even happier about travelling, working and studying, enjoying good food with truffles, laughter with friends and cuddling with life.

19. Your life’s motto?

Don’t live your life so fast the guardian angels won’t be able to catch up with you.

54 Interview

An international trade show full of crates About the unique setting of booths at the Slovenia incoming workshop SIW 2010 with Matej Kadunc

Matej Kadunc works at Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and is the author of the idea of booths out of wooden crates.

1. The editorial board of Kongres magazine thought the idea of creating booths from wooden crates was quite daring. There is no in-between. It could only be good or bad.

What do you think?

I agree, it is a daring project, but we believed in it and got the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) intrigued as well. The image also impressed the participants of SIW. 2. The idea turned out to be well received by the client and participants – did you encounter difficulties in its realization?

Yes, the endeavour was risky, but well thought out. I first had to convince myself about the project and figure out the details, and then convince the client.

3. How did you get the idea?

I got the final idea one Saturday at two in the morning (laughter). I thought about the starting points I had set for myself at the beginning of the project a lot. That is when I got the idea for wooden crates, yet the key factors were the starting points I had set earlier.

4. Which was your key starting point in finding an innovative solution for the booths?

There were a few. I tried to see it through the eyes of the client – the STB and on the other hand the venue Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre (GR).

55 Interview

5. Were the wishes of the STB your number one priority?

No, I treated them equally as the requirements of the Exhibition centre. It might be more accurate to say the Exhibition centre had set more conditions as the Tourist Board. The STB focused mostly on the requirements regarding the price of the project, since the booths created for SIW 2010 couldn’t be much more expensive than the ones from previous years.

6. What were the other requirements of the STB? The boots had to be functional above all.

The exhibition space had to look attractive and functional, since its size was limited by the price. The space needed to be useful – it needed to make the most of the small space and include room for all that is needed – from exhibits to promotion material.

7. You also considered the perspective of exhibitors, the people, who will actually be using the booths.

Of course. I had to consider that my client, namely the STB will ultimately be as satisfied as its clients – the exhibitors using these booths. The exhibitors were mostly marketing tourist destinations in Slovenia. If I were in there place, I would want the foreign guests (from agencies marketing these destinations abroad) to see the destination as one that can be found in the midst of unspoilt nature in Europe. The booths were aimed at convincing the congress visitors that these destinations are full natural beauty, healthy living and active family vacations in this unspoilt environment which is unlike any other in Europe. I tried to make the booths look unique. These two components – recognition and impression were a part of the set up of the booths. If you ask the participants of the congress if they remember it in a few years, they will surely remember the interesting booths.

8. The booths included wooden crates full of apples. Was that symbolic?

The apples were a part of the whole concept

of enjoying in unspoilt nature. We can live healthy with nature, we move in it and also enjoy its natural products. The idea was strong in itself, so the fresh fruit merely added a special touch.

9. How did the Exhibition centre dictate the terms of work?

The only limitations from their side were technical. One of the demands was to ensure the construction was sturdy and safe, so it could easily be moved and stored in the end. Despite that, the presentation had to be elegant as well. This was done with exact composition of the crates. The key in their manufacturing was a tiny pattern, which highlighted the amount of craftsmanship and thought put into the making of the crates.

Each crate was made accurately to avoid possible trouble in putting together the entire construction, since the size of the crates had to be identical. To ensure minimal size deviations (less than half a millimetre) was one of the most challenging tasks of the entire project.

We also had to take the time constraints into account, since we only had one month to put the crates together.

10. A wooden crate is a product which can be used in our everyday in this form.

We thought of that as well. The wooden elements can be used for the same exhibition next year or for other exhibitions. We even considered the possibility of exhibitors keeping the crates when the exhibition is over – that way we would avoid clean-up costs. By the time the exhibitors leave, the exhibition space is already empty.

Very well thought through!

As well as cost-efficient.

11. Do you have any ideas for an upgrade already?

This setting tested the response of users to booths from wooden crates, now we can make daring structures, sets, unusual booths from these crates...There are still a lot of ideas for upgrades.

56 Examples & advice

Good practise examples

Conventions during renovations Clients: Statistical Society of Slovenia and Jožef Stefan Institute Contractor: Cankarjev dom Date: 11.–16. and 19.–23. 7. 2010

8th International Conference on Teaching Statistics and 16th European Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry Cankarjev dom (CD) just entered its 31st season. Each year their programme includes over 2000 events, and over 600.000 visitors and participants visit CD, as well as 20.000 performers. All this is part of the reason the venue needs constant maintenance and renovation to ensure up to date technology and equipment. The key issue in planning an event and performing maintenance at the same time is to ensure the events going on are undisturbed and the visitors are kept safe and well. The key to managing these two activities is in careful planning of investments and events in partnership with contractors for the renovation, investors (CD) and organizers of the events in CD. All the contractors are selected by public tenders on the basis of exact project plans and talks with CD officials, and are highly motivated to make sure the job is done on time and well. They were told in advance why CD is renovating certain spaces or equipment (because of the number of visitors, the clients or rational energy consumption,...), why quality is just as important as deadlines (since each delay can disrupt the schedule of an events). In July the renovation of the Great Reception Hall begun with the aim to replace the installation and move the cables it into the ceiling. In the “demolition” phase all the rubble had to be removed quickly and the spaces needed to be kept clean. The investors and contractors found solutions to ensure movement between the rooms for each day at a time and set the time table to ensure the work would not disturb the events, the renovation site would be tidy and the visitors could have undisturbed access to the halls. We can say the London Barbican closed its doors for a few months because of the renovation of the lobby, but Cankarjev dom successful carried out two events – namely the 8th International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOT8) and 16th European Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry (ESFC).

ICOT8 was held in the extremely hot week in July, when the temperature outside reached well over 30°C and cooling was essential to ensure the comfort of the participants (despite the ongoing renovation of the installation). The opening ceremony of the conference posed the biggest challenge. Cankarjev dom kept its promises to the client and ensured the use of the Great Reception Hall for 600 participants that evening. A curtain covered the part that was already under construction, the venue was cleaned thoroughly and the sound and lights were managed properly. None of the participants even noticed the event almost took place in a building site. They were impressed by the lovely reception, which spread into the green park in front of the hall. The next morning renovation of the Great reception hall carried on and the conference was held one floor lower. Since the event was held during the World Football Championship, the Second lobby served as a venue for watching the games on large LCD screens along with jugs of beer. To finish with two fun facts – it is a rare opportunity the organizers can say none of the participants left the convention venue – in

this case they didn't, all the places for networking were full on all days of the convention. The convention was held in nine separate rooms were over 400 online lectures were held.

When ICOT8 ended, a new event begun in CD, namely the 16th European Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry (ESFC), which hosted 327 participants from 21 countries, mostly from Europe, North America, Japan and China.

ESFC brought back quite a few guests who visited Ljubljana some decades ago and they were all impressed with the progress. A part of the lectures was also open for the public, especial young people, since one of the lectures was the renowned prof. Dr. Herbert Roesky from the University of Göttingen. Instead of a classic lecture he put on quite a chemistry show with the help of a video camera in Lihart Hall. The audience cheerfully applauded all the bangs and flashes.

To sum up: Carefully planned projects, cooperation and daily adjustments can make sure we use all our capacities in these times of crisis, achieve good business results and keep our clients happy.

The renovation in numbers: The Great Reception Hall can now boast over 70 km of new electric cables, over 2.000 sockets and just as many lights, as well as 40.000 new pieces of the ceiling. www.cd-cc.si

57 Examples & advice

Client: Abbott Laboratories Contractor: Life Events Date: 29.–31. 8. 2010 Location: Belgrade, Serbia

In the evening hours the team of the pharmaceutical company embarked on the night drive from Ljubljana to Belgrade. The ride itself would be nothing special if it wasn't designed as a special adventure on the train – from a special catering carriage and the cheerful “yugo” carriage, to a carriage with very simple sitting – like a scene from the movie “Who Sings Over There”. Early in the morning we reached Belgrade platform nr. 5 where a legendary accordion player Mičo greeted us, just like in the movie, and accompanied the participants to the city centre with the sounds of the Balcans. After that it was time for the official part of the National Sales Meeting.

Later we had many more adventures. Creative team workshops created a new look for the “Titovka” hat. After that the teams enjoyed a wonderful evening with Serbian gastronomy at a unique location on the Sava river bank. The goals of the meeting were definitely met or even exceeded.

We experienced a genuine Serbian feeling which still adorns a somewhat melancholically Belgrade. This is a good thing. We tried to keep order and discipline, but we weren’t always successful. Belgrade is a city that never leaves you indifferent and is worth visiting again and again.

This year’s largest congress in Slovenia at GR Client: Kenes International Contractor: Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre (GR) Date: 5.–9. 5. 2010

The Seventh International Congress on Autoimmunity, a disease which is caused by a reaction of the immune system to its own cells, was organized at GR by Kenes International. This is one of the largest organizers of medical and scientific meetings in the world. As project manager Michal Krasny claimed, Slovenia and GR were chosen as a congress destination since the organizers were charmed by Ljubljana as “a picturesque mixture of medieval, baroque and secession masterpieces combined with excellent food, wines and wonderful vistas... The decision for the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre was easy since it is situated near the city canter and is not a classic convention centre. Its biggest advantage are its multipurpose halls. In case of this congress we wanted the opportunity to guide the participants through an exhibition, which was very important for the congress, to the plenary hall... In the name of Kenes International I would like to thank the staff of GR for a great cooperation and excellent services before, during and after the congress. Working with such a professional team and excellent individuals was a great privilege. We can ensure Ljubljana and GR will become one of our favourite congress destinations for the future.”

Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld from Israel, the president of the Seventh International Congress on Autoimmunity, expressed his gratitude on behalf of over a 1500 participants: “The organization of the congress was magnificent, the event was memorable for all the participants. We have received very positive feedback from our board members, the guest lecturers and students. The congress was wonderful along with great food, audiovisual support and social events, which were a pleasure to attend.

Your responsibility and support have been a great help in ensuring the success of this congress.” www.gr-sejem.si

Blaž Zupančič

Who Sings Over There

58 Examples & advice

A triumph of team spirit in Posočje Client: DHL Global Forwarding Austria GmbH Contractor: Maya team, Borut Nikolaš s.p.

Date: 10.–11. 9. 2010 Location: Tolmin, Slovenia

The second weekend in September Posočje played host to a team building programme for DHL Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. The goal of the programme was to improve communication among employees on different levels and in different countries. On the first evening the participants got to know each other with the help of local culinary achievements and a great band. After a long night, a whole day programme of team work in different locations of Posočje followed. In the morning four teams were formed with the help of “Icebreaker” games. Each team chose a leader. Their job was to make sure their team was better than the competition, with the emphasis on communication, motivation, trust and team spirit. The client wanted the tasks to be challenging, dynamic and attractive, so many participants quickly tired. Yet in the end team spirit prevailed and all of them were the winners. After analyzing the team we carried out another homogeneity test also used by NASA and confirmed the DHL team successfully fulfilled the requirements of the programme and reached its goals. The next episode will be carried out in the winter in another one of Slovenians winter wonderlands.

59 Examples & advice

A Place to hide away – St Nikola’s island

Seventh Party with a reason Client: Si.mobil d.d.

Contractor: Event manager d.o.o.

Date: 28. 8. 2010

Client: Megafon Contractor: Talas-M DMC Date: 5. – 8. July

Apart from the sophisticated flashy Mediterranean cities, the Mediterranean region still hides some unspoiled hideaways.

One of those, St Nikola’s island in Montenegro, was chosen as a main venue for the latest incentive program organized by Talas-M DMC. The final objective, to strengthen team spirit and internal communication between employees of the company, was achieved through a dozen of attractive stressless activities.

Four teams were competing in different disciplines such as cake throwing, water guns contest, giant Twister game, banana and ring riding, water trampoline and iceberg climbing.

While catching their breath between activities participants were enjoying a party with a DJ and cocktails, followed by live music, bartenders show and a belly dance performance.

After a dynamic day all teams were rewarded with a delicious BBQ dinner and cool cocktails on the beach enlightened by the sunset over the Budva Riviera.

Quite tired but still very enthusiastic they came back to the hotel to enjoy some rest before facing the next day’s challenge – how to make their own costume for a Gala Dinner costume contest?

This year’s Party with a reason was already the seventh put together by the company Si.mobil. World class DJs DJ Umek and the legendary Carl Cox made this a top-notch electro-spectacle.

The event was held in park Tivoli and had a humanitarian aspect as well.

The participants donated funds to the Beli obroč charity by sending SMS messages. Beli obroč is a charity aimed at victims of crimes. All collected means will go to creating a new “safe room” in Slovenia.

The atmosphere in the VIP areas and meeting friends from Si.mobil was an added bonus to an already unforgettable event.

This year Si.mobil used the online tool Event manager to carry out inviting and applying of guests, for the very first time. With its help a web site was established where all the information about the event, about the donations and about the VIP areas was published. The participants could confirm their attendance with only one click.

The process of applications was made much easier for the organizers, since all the information about the guests was held in one place. They could contribute more of their time to ensure the quality of the event. Since the organizers had a pretty good idea about the number of guests, they could easily plan the space, catering and other resources. The event was carried out smoothly and without trouble or complication. The participants had a positive user experience due to the simple application process and were not scared away from the event because of a complex application. http://www.zurzrazlogom.si/

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Gadgets

Take your office with you all the time A Fujitsu notebook for the demanding costumer Fujitsu created a new tiny 1,4 kg notebook for business users – the LIFEBOOK T580, which combines the advantages of a notebook and a tablet PC. The screen can be managed by fourfinger multitouch and recognizes 14 different commands. The mini notebook offers all the functions of a regular sized one, yet is so small it isn’t uncomfortable to transport and can be used anywhere.

Access to the World Wide Web is ensured by 3G/UMTS (along with GPS-technology) a WLAN interface and Bluetooth. A high definition LED and light sensor ensure the clarity and brightness of the screen even in sunlight. A brand new Intel® Core™ processor ensures speed, as a regular sized notebook the LIFEBOOK T580 also has 2 USB ports, an SD and smart card reader and a built in web cam. VGA and HDMI ports are also available, so the notebook can be plugged to bigger screens to watch multimedia presentations. www.si.ts.fujitsu.com

Examples & advice

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Gadgets

Examples & advice

The new iPod nano with »Multi-Touch« technology

An innovative approach to organizing events

Dance with it

With a desire for progress and in tune with new technology trends the company Studio 37 d.o.o. developed its own network of an interactive systems of “digital signage”. A part of the unit of the system is always a high definition screen (Ful HD), with a touchscreen function, which is intuitive to use without any special instructions.

The device can be used or upgraded from a distant location, which enables a quick loading of new applications and lowers the maintenance costs. The applications are tailor made for the user and enable almost unlimited use in the environment the Multituda device is connected to. A specially made electronic system enables a broad spectre of use, which can display audiovideo contents as well as static objects.

The Multituda system enables an innovative approach to organizing meetings, such as festivals, conferences, congresses, fairs and exhibitions.

Apple introduced its new iPod nano, with a new Multi-Touch interface, which enables browsing the music collection with simple pushes and glides with your fingers on the screen. The new iPod nano is almost half the weight from the previous one, has casing made from aluminium and glass, as well as a built in clasp for wearing.

You can fasten it to your sleeve, jacket or training suit and have your favourite songs at your fingertips the whole time – along with the option of Genius Mixes, a built in FM-tuner, step counter and Nike + iPod support. One battery charge will provide for 24 hours of music. iPod nano comes in silver, graphite, blue, green, orange and pink. www.store.apcom.si

Are you tired of standard posters...

www.multidata.si

We combine professionalism, creativity and fun. Join us.

Incentive programmes, Corporate entertainment events, Team building programmes, Organisation of congress activities

www.events-teambuilding.com info@maya.si +386 (0)5 380 05 30

66 PR

Column by AIPC President, Edgar Hirt Client Expectations Driving Need for Quality Standards

Edgar Hirt is the President of the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC); and Managing Director of CCH, Congress Center Hamburg

AIPC is the pre-eminent international association of convention centres, with a mission of encouraging, supporting and recognizing excellence in centre management.

It’s global network of over 165 leading centres in 53 countries, combined with the active involvement of more than 650 centre management professionals ensures a broad and diversified level of industry knowledge and expertise, while its wide variety of program activities supports members in developing and enhancing their skills in the areas of operations, finance, technology, staff development, marketing, client relations and sustainability.

AIPC President Edgar Hirt says universally recognized quality standards are going to play a growing role for convention centres in a future where increasing globalization and rising client expectations will create a need for a more reliable means of assessing what they can expect from a given facility. At the same time, such standards will provide qualified centres with a way to demonstrate and document their accomplishments to a discriminating market.

"Centres have typically developed in relative isolation, with few cities world-wide having more than a single major facility," said Hirt.

"This has meant that for a very long time, no universally accepted accreditation has existed.

Now, we are seeing more efforts to develop such standards, driven in many cases by client concerns as to what they can expect in facilities and destinations that are new in the market, and in other cases by a more metricsdriven approach to site selection, often by third party planners who need a measurable basis for their recommendations."

Some centres have used credentials that were essentially adapted from other areas such as hospitality or manufacturing, said Hirt, but these generally failed to really reflect the kinds of performance important to the management of a centre. At the same time, there were credentials developed in particular countries or regions, but these lacked the universality required by clients who were regularly looking for venues world-wide because of their event rotation.

For this reason AIPC undertook the challenging task of developing quality standards specific to convention centres.

The standards had to meet a number of tests, including a need to be flexible and adaptable to a wide variety of facility types, ages and configurations; to be seen from a client perspective so they were relevant to

the market and to be “graduated” in order to give participating centres a way forward in addressing any performance issues that were in the process of being addressed. Finally, they needed to be seen as having been developed by an arms-length body like AIPC, using an external auditor, in order to maintain their credibility.

The standards have now been developed and address 10 key areas of centre management: Customer Service, Quality of Facilities and Operations, Employee Relations, Health, Safety, Security and Emergency Response, Financial Integrity, Community Relations, Environmental Responsibility, Industry Relations and Supplier Relations. The qualification process is one in which centres must demonstrate that measurable policies and procedures in place for each area in a form that can be reviewed and assessed by an external auditor.

"At AIPC, our challenge now is to facilitate as many members as possible to achieve this distinction," said Hirt. "We realize it’s another demand on managers who are already very busy with meeting client expectations.

However, it is a way for centres to distinguish themselves for their performance in a way that will be increasingly recognized in today’s highly competitive market."

Edgar Hirt www.aipr.org

68 PR

What makes a difference...

Natural attributes of the landscape, friendly staff and service quality make this resort the best in continental tourism.

After the hotel and golf courses were completed, they became the largest project of continental tourism with the investment of over HRK 300 million and over 200 employees so far.

One of the largest greenfield investments in whole of Croatia.

The Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort is located in the protected nature area of the northwest part of upper Medjimurje. It is surrounded by stunning landscape and traditional rural buildings. It consists of a complex of closed thermal pools, summer water park, wellness, restaurant, pub and a charming shopping mall. The new 9-hole golf course with heated, artificial turf putting greens is among the first such courses in Europe which, due to a reduced use of pesticides, preserves the environment. It gives you the opportunity to play golf all year round! The Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort features accommodation in the Regina Apartments (120 apartments).

Since 2009, it also provides accommodation at the Spa Golfer Hotel, which has 151 modern rooms and 6 suites. Within the hotel, there is a luxurious 1,800 m2 wellness centre which, besides holistic programmes, individual approach and modern equipment, provides the unity of body and soul as well. Educated and friendly staff is the finishing touch that makes the unique wellness centres a magical source of beauty and pleasure.

By gradually gaining its recognition based primarily on the natural attributes of the landscape, staff hospitality and service quality, the resort has become the leader in continental tourism. The Sveti Martin Spa & Golf Resort won the New Millennium Award, a prestigious international award for achievements in MICE tourism. It was also awarded the prize for the most beautiful and best arranged Croatian resort in 2005. In 2006, it received the Golden Green Flower acknowledgement.

The exciting world of business is full of challenges and new events. In that world Spa & Golf Resort Sveti Martin is the right

place for moments of success and pleasure.

Rich amenities and connected facilities offer several levels of accommodation, relaxation, recreation and entertainment. In the luxurious ambient of Spa Golfer hotel, there is a high quality offer of superior conference centres.

With its size and spaciousness, the attractive space of the conference hall Mura suits events with up to 500 persons. In a constructive atmosphere, its layout can be customized to your vision, with an option to divide the conference hall into three separate sound isolated rooms. A modern system allows for simple handling of all parts of the congress

hall. The team of Sveti Martin offers a custom solution for all your needs – from exclusive closed meetings to large conferences and banquets. At your service, they will combine their experience as hosts of numerous events with creative ideas, achieving your business and personal success.

Food prepared by authentic, local recipes and excellent ingredients has been attracting the attention of the gourmet community for years.

Top-quality wines produced from hard work in the surrounding vineyards and carefully stored in the cellars of wine families are also an essential companion to dishes offered at restaurants of Sveti Martin. At your desire their splendid chefs will create specialities that will make your business lunch, dinner or banquet a true feast. Every one of six locations for organized banquets offers a unique ambient with its interior, service, atmosphere and view.

Views include green vineyard hills, golf course, local village and blue summer pools. It is up to you to choose in which restaurant, with which music and which menu, you will enjoy the moment of symbiosis of work and pleasure.

Spa & Golf Resort Sveti Martin GrkaveĹĄÄ?ak bb, Sv. Martin na Muri Telephone: +385 (0)40 371 111 E-mail: info@spa-golf.com.hr Web: www.spa-golf.com.hr Open: Whole year

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»TERVETULOA TAMPEREELLE!«*

PR

* Welcome to Tampere!

This year’s ECM Summer School was held in Tampere, second largest city in Finland.

The city of Tampere has a population of 210.000, is located 175 km north of Helsinki and surrounded by two beautiful lakes.

The decision of the organizers to hold the Summer School in Tampere was probably not difficult since the city is located near the birth town of one of the most famous mobile phone companies – Nokia, known also as the organizer of numerous conventions worldwide. On average the city hosts 40 to 50 international conventions per year (or 10 to 20 by ICCA statistics) which places it on the second place in Finland, right after Helsinki.

The city was founded by the Swedish king in 1779 and started developing quickly. In the 1800s, textile industry started to develop along with metal and paper industry and shoe manufacturing. Along with the industry the population grew. Towards the end of the 20th century the textile and metal industries started to make way for information and telecommunication industry, as well as medical technology, which are now the driving forces of the city.

Some 50 years ago the city opened its first University, which raised the levels of education and encouraged the establishment of new research facilities connecting the university and industry. The professors quickly became one of the best and biggest meetings industry ambassadors in Tampere.

The turn from old to new high quality industry is evident in architecture as well. Old factory grounds are now museums, libraries, restaurants, offices, schools.

With a strong industry like in Tampere and its surroundings and two universities and one polytechnic, it is no surprise the city took up the meetings industry. To accelerate the development of the industry the city built a new convention centre named ”Tampere

Hall”, which can host from 20 to up to 2000 participants. Tampere Hall was voted best convention centre in Finland four times consecutively. The city has a small city centre where the convention centre is located. This means most convention facilities are just a short walk away. Total accommodation capacity of Tampere is just over 2,500.

The participants of ECM Summer School were received in the city hall and were greeted by Mr. Kari Kankaala, director of Economic and Urban Development at the City of Tampere, which clearly states the city authorities are aware of the positive economic benefits of the meetings industry. For faster development of the meetings industry a city needs more than just a good convention centre, but also good air and rail connections, political support, a good convention bureau and much more.

Tampere has an international airport with a direct connection to Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga, London (Stanstedt), Dublin, Frankfurt (Hahn), Bremen, Milano (Bergamo), Edinburgh, Oslo, Malaga and Gdansk.

The Tampere Convention Bureau (TCB) is the leading organization for promoting the meetings industry and aiding the organizers with acquiring national and international conventions. On the other hand the TCB also offers free help to all meetings organizers wishing to hold meetings in or near Tampere.

The parallels between Tampere and Ljubljana are evident. The cities share a similar history, have a similar population and convention capacities. Both cities are aware of the importance of the meetings industry and invest heavily into its development.

Why organize a meeting in Tampere: - Tampere has the offer of a large city but the atmosphere of a small one.

- Due to the small city centre all the important facilities are within walking distance.

- In recent years Tampere Hall won best convention centre in Finland several times.

- As a former industry city Tampere offers unique venues for meetings, dinners and other events.

- The museums offer great supplementary activities.

- The city and its surroundings are a perfect venue for different outdoor activities, such as Nordic walking, swimming or saunas.

- Tampere is a very lively city full of students and knowledge.

Date

Name

Number of participants

May 2009

EAA, The Annual Congress of the European Accounting Association (Letni kongres Evropskega združenja računovodij)

1.200

August 2008

16th Congress of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology FESPB (16. kongres Zveze evropskih združenj za biologijo rastlin FESPB)

1.300

July 2004

ICT X - 10th International Congress of Toxicology

2.500

June 2001

Conference of the European Society of General Practice Family Medicine - WONCA Region Europe

2.200

August 1995

IUFRO XX World Congress, International Union of Forestry Research Organizations

3.000

70 PR

Interview with course directors of ECM Summer School

European Cities Marketing is promoting and linking the interests of more than 125 members from more than 100 major cities in 32 countries. The association provides a platform on a pan-European basis for cities to perform better in their convention and tourism activities through the exchange of knowledge and best practice within a city marketing framework.

European Cities Marketing is the organizational association of ECM Summer School.

ECM Summer School is an unmissable learning opportunity for all professionals working in the meetings industry. Established in 1986, it has become THE essential seminar event for people working in all sectors of the European conference marketplace.

The 25th ECM Summer School will take place in Cracow, Poland, from 27th to 31st August 2011.

Elisabeth Hansa

Editorial of Kongres magazine decided to interview the past course director of ECM Summer School Ms. Elisabeth Hansa and future course director Mr. Pier Paolo Mariotti.

Can you please briefly introduce the Summer School?

Elisabeth Hansa: The Summer School is now in its 24 anniversary. We started 24 years ago in Austria with our first Summer School that had 20 students. Now we are very proud that in general we have about 50 to even sometimes 75 students. And that number is our limit.

What is the purpose of the school?

Elisabeth Hansa: Is to give beginners or people who started in the meeting industry basic introduction to this industry – how do I work in it, who do I work with, who are my clients, how do I start up my own business, ‌ We try to spread the content as much as possible. At the beginning it was just for convention bureaus but through the time it turned out to be open for the other sectors in the meeting industry.

Pier Paolo Mariotti: The content is basic but also very solid. All the speakers are really experts in their field. The students are able to get a very good grasp of the overall situation – a bird view of the meeting industry.

Pier Paolo Mariotti

71 PR

Elisabeth Hansa: One of the big advantages of the Summer School always was a big faculty.

The students really have the possibility to interact and ask questions, talk to the faculty.

The faculty members are from different cities, countries so that students get really brought spectre of experience.

Was the Summer School always moving around different cities?

Elisabeth Hansa: Yes it was always moving around. I cannot remember all the cities but it was always moving around within Europe.

Is there any policy about moving around Europe? Looking for new markets?

Pier Paolo Mariotti: Yes, it is a policy, but at the same time students go everywhere.

New destinations are preferred, booming destinations. If the city is hosting it is an opportunity for the entire county to participate. This year we are hosting lot of people from Nordic countries. So it is very important that school is moving around.

Why Tampere?

Elisabeth Hansa: First, we do not want to go to the capital cities. We try to go to the secondary cities, cities that are really willing to host the Summer School. Tampere tried to host it for many years. I think that it was a really good choice. To come back to the Nordic counties was very important. Last two years the Summer School was held in the Southern region (Bolzano, Opatia).

What is the difference if we compare this year with last year?

Elisabeth Hansa: We changed a little bit of the content for the Summer School. Not completely but a little bit. As I said before more and more people are coming from hotels, PCOs … and not only from convention bureaus. Therefore we try to change, adopt our content to this fact and try to implement the point of corporate meetings, incentives, and so on – subjects which are more important for

hotels or convention centres.

Which are the reasons for visiting your school? Is it just about learning or also networking?

Elisabeth Hansa: I believe the networking part is equally important as the learning part, since people tend to stay in this industry a long time. You can meet these people again and again at work shops, trade shows,…

You can always exchange ideas and information. You have a source of information that you can use, that is why I believe that networking is equally important.

What do you think of SE Europe as a congress destination?

Elisabeth Hansa: The Summer School was held at least twice in that region. I believe the region is wonderful and we would like to come back one day.

What about future plans for the Summer School?

Pier Paolo Mariotti: Our industry is moving very fast and therefore the school has to adopt. Our most important idea is that education is a good tool for cooperation. The meeting industry is evolving very fast so the school has to adopt all the time. Finding new topics, new activities is our main goal, since the structure and format of the Summer School are very good already. I sent all my staff to the Summer School in the previous year. The idea is that education is definitely fundamental. In our industry you need to constantly update information.

How do you see the future – will there still be need to meet or everything will be on line?

Pier Paolo Mariotti: Formats are changing.

Sometimes it is possible to have interaction between virtual meetings and face to face meetings. But face to face meetings are always so relevant and important so I believe they will always be there. Using new technology just

improves face to face meetings. Technology is helping us out because we are so busy.

What about next destination for the Summer School?

Pier Paolo Mariotti: It is a very nice destination, very important destination. It has been declared a Unesco sight so it is a part of the world heritage. It is very important for political aspect in Poland too. Krakow is THE city. It is an amazing young city. About 10 000 students are study there at two universities.

If I would be one of the potential students for the Summer School next year – which would be 5 most important reason to participate?

Pier Paolo Mariotti: - I can meet my colleagues from all over Europe; - I can learn from the best teachers you can find on the market; - I can learn from the practice; - All the information that I get is really updated; - The program is very interactive.

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Interview with Mr. Graeme Barnett, director of EIBTM

1. Almost everyone in the meetings industry knows about EIBTM. But anyway, could you briefly introduce it? How many exhibitors?

How many Hosted Buyers? How many years does it exist?

Graeme Barnett, direcor of EIBTM

For over 21 years, EIBTM has been connecting meeting professionals from around the world, and is the longest running show of its kind. EIBTM allows buyers to source new destinations, venues and services, and creates the ideal environment to network and build relationships, whilst keeping up with current trends. EIBTM received a total visitor attendance of 8,170 in 2009, 3,827 of which were Hosted Buyers. In addition, with exhibiting personnel, press, VIP’s and speakers, EIBTM brought together over 14,000 industry professionals in Barcelona with the purpose of doing business. Our Hosted Buyer Programme guarantees the attendance of top level decision makers from around the globe, by hosting them at the show.

With over 3,300 exhibiting companies representing more than 90 countries, over 40 education sessions, including dedicated seminars aimed at the corporate, association and agency markets, and lots of official networking events over the 3 days, EIBTM 2010 equips the industry with the contacts and the environment to deliver business and real ROI. EIBTM is the flagship event for the Reed Meetings and Events Portfolio.

2. If you compare EIBTM 2010 with 2009 – what is the difference?

Recognising the return on investment that is delivered by attending EIBTM, this year will see more than 20 new exhibitors from destinations to hotel companies, venue services to conference organisers.

We are also pleased to be introducing a number of new features to EIBTM in 2010. To name a few, a purpose built Lecture Theatre will be situated on the show floor this year, where events taking place include the Spanish speaking education sessions, and the Daily Technology Hours. The Daily Technology Hours are an integral part of the Education Programme, keeping visitors up-to-date with the latest technological advances in the industry.

Another new feature this year is EIBTM’s very own “Green Room”, which is a dedicated seminar area focussed on CSR. There are a number of sessions taking place daily, which tackle some of the key sustainable issues of today. Also new this year are the EIBTM Stand Awards, which have been created to recognise and acknowledge the brightest, busiest and best stands at this year’s show.

3. Why Barcelona?

Barcelona is a city fully equipped to host congress and conventions as one of the world’s major meetings and incentives destinations, and has proved itself to be one of Europe’s most attractive and dynamic cities. It is the ideal place to organise any type of event because of its location (brand new international airport terminal at El Prat) and climate, (hot summers and cool winters),

73 PR

together with the conscientiousness of its professionals and modern network of facilities make it a unique destination and perfect to host EIBTM. Reed Travel Exhibitions has a strong relationship with the Barcelona Convention Bureau and other local partners who have been instrumental in the delivery of EIBTM. Partners and supporters include the Fira de Barcelona venue, Ultramar Express Event Management and a hotel network of 40 properties including the brand new Porta Fira Hotel, right next door to the venue. For those who want to arrive early or stay on after the show, Barcelona has its own way of life, which makes it unique for business and leisure.

4. Can you provide 10 reasons why a buyer should attend EIBTM? - It’s an opportunity to meet over 3,300 international exhibitors from over 90 countries; - Develop knowledge and learning through the extensive professional education programme – the world-renowned seminar programme (that attracted 4,000 attendees in 2009) offers a variety of subjects led by some of the most influential industry experts; - Incredible networking opportunities; - Discover new destinations, products and services; - Make purchasing decisions; - Get up to date with industry trends, latest news and developments; - Maximise your return on time – achieving in three days what could potentially take

months; - Discuss business opportunities with the key players in the industry; - Hosted Buyer Programme – available to those who organise, influence or make budgetary decisions for international business travel, meetings, incentive travel, conventions, product launches, staff training or events; - Post Event Tours for Hosted Buyers – including destinations such as Bilbao, Costa Daurada, Costa del Sol/Malaga, Florence/ Tuscany, Madrid, Valencia, Rotterdam, Catalunya/Barcelona/Costa Brava – Pirineu de Girona.

5. Our magazine covers mainly Southeast Europe. Why should SE Europe present on EIBTM? We have a large amount of exhibitors representing South East Europe including, Lidia Tours from Bulgaria, Liberty Incentives & Congress, Hilton Athens, A La Carte Travel Ltd, The DMC Greece, Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Slovak Tourist Board, The Slovenian Tourist Board, and Belgrade Convention Bureau, as well as 28 exhibitors from Croatia and 22 from Turkey.

The Serbia Convention Bureau gives a good example of why companies should be at EIBTM. They have been exhibiting for the past three years, and will be using the event to promote their first Meeting Planners Guide.

They had some 250 business leads from their attendance in 2009 and see the event as key to their meetings business.

6. Are you familiar with the Conventa trade show? If you are, what do you think about it?

Yes, I’m familiar with the Conventa trade show. We have a partnership with Conventa and assist them with bringing Hosted Buyers who are interested in Slovenia at EIBTM. In my opinion, it’s a great regional show.

7. Final message for our readers?

There is still time to qualify as a Hosted Buyer or to register as a trade visitor. All the information you need for either, is to be found on the EIBTM website, www.eibtm.com.

We also encourage trade visitors to pre-register their attendance, as the earlier this happens, the earlier visitors can plan their business schedule and take advantage of discounted flights and accommodation in Barcelona. Preregistering is free of charge and will save the onsite entry fee of 20€.

74 PR

Introduction of Youth cultural centre Brežice An adaptable centre with conference facilities with modern audio-video and communication technology

Youth cultural centre Brežice with conference facilities covers more than 2.500 m2 in the hearth of the city park and can host up to 850 participants in 2 larger and 4 smaller conference halls.

The largest multipurpose hall with modern equipment (top-notch sound system, stage and speaker’s podium) can host up to 230 people with a banquet room for 80 guests. We also offer three seminar halls (from 10 to 30 participants), a conference room with a voting system for 30 to 45 people, a computer room for 10 and a recording and radio studio which can be used as a press room with the proper infrastructure. All conference rooms have air conditioning and a LCD-projector as well as a Wi-Fi connection.

Additional: - Nr. of parking spaces: 51; - technical and catering support of the events; - accommodation.

Information: Mladinski centar Brežice, Gubčeva 10a, 8250 Brežice, Slovenija Phone.: +386 (0) 590 83 790 E-mail: mc-brezice@siol.net

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The most innovative tourist agency in Slovenia Excellent additional offer for meetings organizers!

- 1. Panoramic bus along Slovenia (Dolenjska, Ljubljana and other places) - Rafting with Rudolfs ferry on the Krka river (up to 64 people): Organized culinary experiences, business meetings, presentations - The story of “cviček” at Matjaž farm (a house with tradition, a space for business meetings).

- Active vacations: 1400 km hiking, cycling, horse riding and water trails in Dolenjska and Bela krajina(www.slovenia-heritage.net) - Dolenjska vineyard cottages – new, unique offer www.zidanice.si

PR

- A hike along the Heritage trail of Dolenjska and Bela krajina – 28 natural and cultural heritage sites (www.slovenia-heritage.net , www.kompas-nm.si ) KOMPAS NOVO MESTO Novi trg 10, 8000 Novo mesto kompas.nm@siol.net www.kompas-nm.si

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The last word

Paul Kennedy, Kennedy Consulting

Setting the agenda

The supply side of our industry can choose to sit back and wait to see what happens or …

e are once again facing an economic paradox; the private sector being expected to drive economic recovery while, particularly in Europe, government spending being reduced and in some countries sharply so. The impact of public sector expenditure spending reductions in both capital and operational areas will impact aggregate spending in any economy and as expected by all commentators will lead to further unemployment and, therefore, reduced demand for goods and services.

The supply side of our industry can choose to sit back and wait to see what happens-many will indeed do this.

W

However, those who by nature are business drivers could well do with adopting a strategic account management approach to their business and have a greater say in the agenda of business.

Earlier this year at the annual industry conference organised by the Slovenia Convention Bureau it was clear that some suppliers really were simply reactive in their business philosophy, others recognised that they need higher visibility in the eyes of meeting planners/buyers in order to thrive in an increasingly competitive market. This competition is not just about your business neighbour but perhaps more realistically other destinations.

Some years ago the concept of strategic account management emerged which is in essence all about knowing the market place, identifying key existing and importantly key future clients that your business would ideally like to have. In our sector this means knowing the top agencies in each key geographical market place, the key associations (and their rotational policy) and assigning account managers with a clear AND consistent brief to establish contact, get to know how key decisions about venue and destination selection are made, and then maintaining a personalised business development approach.

It’s key that for each of these target or key accounts you identify how and who makes the

key decisions (on meeting content, logistics and signing the contract including the role of procurement).

In my experience meeting the target account in their office displays clear messages of commitment, professionalism and is by its very nature incredibly respectful. I recall one supplier saying to me how few bids the company won – how many more could have been won had someone from the company travelled to the clients office to discuss the RFP – not always welcome but the offer to do so is generally very much appreciated and is noted.

This November Strategic Account Management or SAM as it is known will be the topic covered by the Conventa Academy – senior business leaders are invited to be there to explore SAM and also listen first hand to one of Europe’s leading PCOs, about the expectations her company expects from suppliers – it’s very revealing.

Order form Please complete the following questions to order the Kongres Magazine Title & First name Last name Institution or Company Name Address City Post Code Country Phone Fax E-mail Company tax number

I would like to order Kongres Magazine for year 2010 at price 62,00 € (5 issues: special edition – Conventa 2010, spring 2010, summer 2010, autumn 2010, winter 2010):

I would like to order 1 issue at price 18,00 €.

Please write year and month of the issue: Date & Location

Stamp & Signature

Fulfill order form and send it to address bellow: GO®MICE d.o.o. , Štihova 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia Invoice will be sent to the given address. After the payment has been done, Kongres Magazin will be sent to the given address. Postal costs and VAT are included in the price. You can also order your own magazine here: http://en.kongres-magazine.eu/order-kongres-magazine/order-form/ For more information you can contact Jan Klavora: M: +386 (0)40 598 005, T: + 386 (0)1 430 51 03, E: jan.klavora@go-mice.eu

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Meeting services spot

CVB (National, Regional or Local CVB (CVB - Convention and Visitors Bureau)

SLOVENIAN TOuRIST bOARd Dimičeva 13 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 1 5898 550 info@slovenia.info www.slovenia.info

bELGRAdE cONVENTION buREAu Masarikova 5/IX 11000 Belgrade Serbia +381 11 3061-400 office@tob.co.rs www.tob.co.rs www.belgradetourism.org.rs

dubROVNIK & NERETVA cOuNTRy TOuRIST bOARd 20 000 Dubrovnik Croatia +385 20 324 999 www.visitdubrovnik.hr info@visitdubrovnik.hr

MONTENEGRO cONVENTION buREAu Rimski trg 47 81000 Podgorica Montenegro +382 (0) 20 235 157 mice@montenegro.travel www.montenegro.travel

LjubLjANA TOuRISM / cONVENTION buREAu Krekov trg 10 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 306 45 94 convention@visitljubljana.si www.visitljubljana.si/meetings

OPATIjA cONVENTION & INcENTIVE buREAu HR-51410 Opatija, V. Nazora 3 Croatia +385 51 271 710 convention.bureau@opatija-tourism.hr www.opatija-tourism.hr

SLOVENIAN cONVENTION buREAu Dunajska 156 1000 Ljubljana +386 (0)1 569 1260 info@slovenia-convention.com www.slovenia-convention.com

RIjEKA cONVENTION buREAu Užarska 14, 51000 Rijeka Croatia +385 51 315 716 convention@tz-rijeka.hr www.tz-rijeka.hr

MARIbOR TOuRIST bOARd Partizanska 47 2000 Maribor Slovenia +386 2 234 66 08 www. Maribor.travel www.maribor-pohorje.si zzt@maribor.si

SERbIA cONVENTION buREAu Čika Ljubina 8 11000 Belgrade Serbia +381 (11) 655 7 102 scb@serbia.travel www.scb.travel zAGREb TOuRIST bOARd ANd cONVENTION buREAu Kaptol 5 10 000 Zagreb Croatia T: +385 1 48 98 555 www.zagreb-convention.hr info@zagreb-convention.hr

PCO (Professional Congress Organiser)

GO®MIcE d.o.o. Štihova ulica 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 430 51 03 info@go-mice.eu www.go-mice.eu

Go smart.

Go creative.

Go mice.

www.go-mice.eu

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Meeting services spot

�1�0�0 �9�5 �7�5

Kongresno-turistični servis Albatros �2�5 Ribenska cesta 2 4260 Bled �5 Slovenia �0 +386 (0) 45 780 350 Info@albatros-bled.com www.albatros-bled.com �B�a�n�e�r

DMC (Destination management company �9�.��a�p�r�i�l��2�0�1�0��1�1�:�4�6�:�2�8

DUBROVNIK TRAVEL Obala S. Radica 25 20 000 Dubrovnik Croatia +385 20 313 555 Croatia@DubrovnikTravel.com www.DubrovnikTravel.com

It’s a beautiful world!

Destination Destination: estination:: EARTH

Earth.indd 2

8.4.2010 10:25:56

KOMPAS Destination Management Company Pražakova 4 1514 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 2006 324 mice@kompas.si www.kompas-online.net LIBERTY INCENTIVES & CONGRESSES SLOVENIA Robbova 2 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 1 232 11 71 info@liberty-slovenia.com www.liberty-incentive.net INTOURS DMC Demaco d.o.o.

Dalmatinova 3 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 1 430 3550 www.intours-dmc.si info@intours-dmc.si

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Meeting services spot

Event agency

Congress & Exhitbition Centre

MAYA TEAM Padlih borcev 1 5220 Tolmin Slovenia +386 (0)5 380 05 30 info@maya.si www.events-teambuilding.com

Cankarjev dom, Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana Presernova cesta 10 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 2417 122 congress@cd-cc.si www.cd-cc.si/congress

Unique Slovenia Rakovnik 132 1215 Medvode Slovenia +386 (0)1 361 62 44 www.unique-slovenia.si miha.rott@unique-slovenia.si

Gospodarsko razstavišče - Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Dunajska cesta 18 1001 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1300 26 00 info@gr-sejem.si www.ljubljanafair.com

Obsotelje in Kozjansko

Coexistence of tourism and nature The Obsotelje and Kozjansko region is still one of those parts of Slovenia, where the air is clean and the countryside unspoiled. These hills hide many secrets. All you need is enough time to drive through them, walk through them and get to know them personally. There are so many interesting stories here and so much to experience that a day will not suffice. You will have to come again and again.

We have prepared for you one-day and several-days long tours of this part of Slovenia.

Gastronomic delights, beautiful nature and cultural heritage, amazing pieces made by local craftsmen and many more unique and special things you can experience.

The Obsotelje and Kozjansko hills will entice you to come again and again...

More: Development Agency Sotla, Aškerčev trg 24, 3240 Šmarje pri Jelšah, Slovenia, 00386 (0)3 817 18 60, rasotla@siol.net and www.ra-sotla.si/turizem.

The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.

Project part-financed by the European Union.

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Meeting services spot

Congress Hotel

GRANd HOTEL uNION Miklošičeva 1 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 308 12 70 hotel.union@gh-union.si www.gh-union.si

TERME MARIbOR d.d.

Ulica heroja Šlandra 10 2000 Maribor Slovenia +386 (0)2 234 43 20 marketing@termemb.si www.termemb.si/EN MONSAdRIA d.o.o.

Pot za Brdom 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 47 02 745 www.hotel.mons.si info@hotel.mons.si

bERNARdIN GROuP Obala 2 6320 Portorož-Portorose Slovenia +386 (0)5 690 70 00 booking@h–bernardin.si www.bernardingroup.si

KOMPAS − DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY Pražakova 4, 1514 Ljubljana, Slovenia www.kompas-online.net

Contact: Barbara Kladnik T: +386 1 2006 174 E: mice@kompas.si

)F ONLY WEÖD GONE

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Meeting services spot

Hotel with conference facilities

Hotel DrnÄ?a Dvorska vas 37a 4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem Slovenia + 386 08 200 5000 info@hotel-drnca.si www.hotel-drnca.si

Bohinj Park EKO Hotel Triglavska cesta 17 4264 Bohinjska Bistrica Slovenia www.phb.si info@phb.si +386 (0)8 200 4000

Hotel Lev VoĹĄnjakova ulica 1 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia T: +386 (0)1 231 77 97 E: Info@hotel-lev.si www.hotel-lev.si

Falkensteiner Club Funimation Borik Ulica Majstora Radovana 7 23000 Zadar Croatia +385 (0)23 206 630 ana.belamaric@falkensteiner.com www.borik.falkensteiner.com

Maistra Obala Vladimira Nazora 6.

GRAD HR-52210 Rovinj Croatia +385 52 800 250 info@maistra.hr www.maistra.com

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Meeting services spot

Perla, Casinò & Hotel Kidričeva 7 5000 Nova Gorica Slovenia +386 (0)5 336 36 66 conference.perla@hit.si www.hit.si

Terme Olimia d.d.

Zdraviliška cesta 24 3254 Podčetrtek Slovenia +386 (0)38297848 alenka.brglez@terme-olimia.com www.terme-olimia.com/si

Sava Hoteli Bled, d.d.

Cakarjeva 6 4260 Bled Slovenia +386 (0)4 579 16 07 info@hotelibled.com www.hotelibled.com

TERME ČATEŽ d.d.

Topliška cesta 35 8251 Čatež ob Savi Slovenia +386 (0)749 36 700 www.terme-catez.si info@terme-catez.si

Sport Centre Pohorje Mladinska ulica 29 2000 Maribor Slovenia +386 (0)2 614 0950 tea.kozar@sc-pohorje.si www.pohorje.org

Thermana d.d., Hotels and Resorts Zdraviliška c. 6 3270 Laško Slovenia +386 (0)3423 20 00 info@thermana.si www.thermana.si

New, contemporary and unique

Congress Centre Wellness Park Laško • Over 3,700 square metres you can choose from 8 contemporarily decorated congress halls and three meeting rooms. The largest hall can accommodate up to 490 people.

• The Congress Centre is connected to a contemporary hotel where we will spoil you in an environment that houses a thermal centre enclosed in a glass dome and includes a wellness spa centre.

• Halls decorated in the most modern contemporary style. The built in audio and video systems will ensure a fully professionally presented event. All halls have good natural light as well as the ability to produce total darkness. Wireless internet is available without extra charge.

Informacije: Thermana d.d., Laško 080 81 19, 03 734 89 00

Info: Thermana d.d., Laško, info@thermana.si, Slovenia www.thermana.si, www.thermana.si | info@thermana.si | +386 3 423 21 00

V primeru slabega vremena je prireditev odpovedana!

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Meeting services spot

Other venues PMS 281 C PMS 131 C PMS 2603 C PMS 542 C

PARTHEN Of MEETING ESSENTIALS Stroombaan 4 1181 VX Amstelveen The Netherlands +31 (0)20 572 73 74 info@parthen.nl www.parthen.nl

PMS 315 C

AdRIA AIRWAyS Zgornji Brnik 130h 4210 Brnik Slovenia +386 (0)4 259 4555 events@adria.si www.adria-airways.com

RESTAuRANT & cATERING bORbONA Verovškova 55 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 620 77 15 info@borbona.si www.borbona.si

ALKIMIST, PREVAjALSKA AGENcIjA Obirska ulica 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia info@alkemist.si www.alkemist.si +386 (0)59073273

TuRIzEM KRAS dESTINAcIjSKI MANAGEMENT d.d.

Jamska cesta 30 6230 Postojna Slovenia +386 (0)5 7000 100 info@turizem-kras.si www.turizem-kras.si

dNEVNIK d.d.

Kopitarjeva 2 in 4 1510 Ljubljana Slovenia pr@dnevnik.si www.dnevnik.si +386 (0)13082150

HI[A KULINARIKE

HIŠA KuLINARIKE jEzERŠEK Jezeršek gostinstvo d.o.o.

Sora 1a 1215 Medvode Slovenia www.jezersek.com info@jezersek.si +386 (0)1 361 94 21

Fairs, trade shows and events

30 November - 2 December 2010

EIbTM Gateway House 28, The Quadrant Richmond Surrey TW9 1DN United Kingdom +44 (0) 20 8271 2127 eibtm.helpline@reedexpo.co.uk www.eibtm.com

KLARO d.o.o.

Peruzzijeva 84b 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia www.klaro.si info@klaro.si +386 (0)1 280 7770

GO®MIcE d.o.o (cONVENTA) Štihova ulica 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 430 51 03 info@go-mice.eu www.conventa.si

MEETINGS:review Hammer Hill Studios Stanbrook CM6 2NH Thaxted United Kingdom +44 1371 831555 www.meetingsreview.com

IMEX The Agora, 1st Floor Ellen Street Hove East Sussex England BN3 3LN +44 1273 227311 www.imex-frankfurt.com/

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Meeting services spot

Legend

CVB (National, Regional or Local CVB (CVB - Convention and Visitors Bureau)

PCO (Professional Congress Organiser)

DMC (Destination management company

Event agency

Congress & Exhitbition Centre

Congress Hotel

Hotel with conference facilities

Other venues

LAKE BLED,

One of the most attractive meetings and incentives destinations in SE Europe that you just need to try out!

A prime location at the edge of Julian Alps and just a short drive from the capital city Ljubljana 6 hotels with over 660 hotel rooms and 21 meeting rooms of different size Membership of the five star Grand Hotel Toplice in the prestigious‚ Small Luxury Hotels of the World‘ In 2009 Bled Golf Course was ranked 54th among 100 Top European golf courses by Golf World magazine Incentive programmes, excursions, cultural events, entertainment, modern wellness facilities and diverse culinary offer High–quality conference services and equipment All-round support in the organisation of an event HUNGARY AUSTRIA

Graz

Klagenfurt

Brnik

Ljubljana Zagreb Venice

ITALY

CROATIA

Sava Hoteli Bled, d.d., Tel.: +386 4 579 16 07, e-mail: conference@hotelibled.com, www.hotelibled.com

revija Kongres 6_10_ SHB ang.indd 1

7.10.2010 11:19:10

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Distribution points of Kongres magazine

The editorial board of Kongres magazine is in agreement with a few congress centres, hotels and airline Adria Airways to distribute the Kongres magazine in their facilities.

The points of distribution are:

Cankarjev dom, Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana Presernova cesta 10 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 2417 122 congress@cd-cc.si www.cd-cc.si/congress

Terme Krka, d.o.o.

Ljubljanska c. 26 8501 Novo mesto Slovenia +386 7 373 19 15 E: booking.hotel.krka@terme-krka.si www.terme-krka.si

GRAND HOTEL UNION Miklošičeva 1 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 308 12 70 hotel.union@gh-union.si www.gh-union.si

Sava Hoteli Bled, d.d.

Cakarjeva 6 4260 Bled Slovenia +386 (0)4 579 16 07 info@hotelibled.com www.hotelibled.com

TERME ČATEŽ d.d.

Topliška cesta 35 8251 Čatež ob Savi Slovenia +386 (0)749 36 700 www.terme-catez.si info@terme-catez.si

Terme Maribor d.d.

Ulica heroja Šlandra 10 2000 Maribor Slovenia +386 (0)2 234 43 20 marketing@termemb.si www.termemb.si/EN

Hotel Lev Vošnjakova ulica 1 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia T: +386 (0)1 231 77 97 E: Info@hotel-lev.si www.hotel-lev.si

Terme Olimia d.d.

Zdraviliška cesta 24 3254 Podčetrtek Slovenia +386 (0)38297848 alenka.brglez@terme-olimia.com www.terme-olimia.com/si

Best Western Premier Hotel Slon Slovenska cesta 34 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0) 1 470 11 00 E: recepcija@hotelslon.com www.hotelslon.com

Adria Airways Zgornji Brnik 130h 4210 Brnik Slovenia +386 (0)4 259 4555 events@adria.si www.adria-airways.com

Monsadria d.o.o.

Pot za Brdom 4 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 47 02 745 www.hotel.mons.si info@hotel.mons.si

Gospodarsko razstavišče - Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Dunajska cesta 18 1001 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1300 26 00 info@gr-sejem.si www.ljubljanafair.com If your hotel, agency ore congress centre would like to become one of the distributers of Kongres magazine email us at jan.klavora@go-mice.eu.

Meet in SEE je prvi katalog ponudnikov kongresnih produktov in storitev JV Evrope.

Meet in Southeast Europe Southeast Europe Meeting Guide 2010/2011

“Would you like to be a part of the new Meet in Southeast Europe catalogue? Visit www. meetinsee.com, register and you will be included automatically. The catalogue will be a direct copy of the meetinsee portal, which will be introduced in digital form at the EIBTM in Barcelona�

Global Meetings & Events Exhibition Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain

30 November – 2 December 2010 www.eibtm.com

Where The World Meets Best for Business, Education and Networking

Register now at www.eibtm.com/register

SLOVENIA FOR YOU

Logarska Valley

Feel the presence of nature.

Taste the harmony of diversity.

Postojna Cave

Ljubljana

Lipica Stud Farm

Come and take a closer look: Slovenia

www.slovenia.info

www.visitljubljana.si

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