Summer Issue 2012

Jan Klavora

64 Wellness – the future of tourism

78 Athens: Timeless Truths behind a Modern Myth

From medical to wellness tourism, a concept that takes over the idea of caring for the health of the individual.

95% of all hotels were renovated in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games

Petar Krvarić

Robert Cotter

SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE, VOLUME VI, ISSUE 3, JULY 2012 www.kongres-magazine.eu OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE SLOVENIAN CONVENTION BUREAU www.slovenia.info

ISSN 1 8 5 5 - 8 6 1 5

We have managed to lift Serbia from 79th to 41st place on ICCA rankings

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Contents

Our selection

5 6 7

Page 18 Interview:

A word from the editor Column by Rok Klančnik Column by Linda Pereira

News: 8 Half a million bees for Care Centre Draga 9 EIAT 2012 – Meet the World Famous Experts!

10 EIBTM will celebrate its 25th birthday this year 12 The First Carinthian Get-Together 14 Conventa News, Diary 16 Photo sessions Interview: 18 Gordana Plamenac 22 Ruhsar Eryoner

26 28 30

In focus: Facing the Future Together The Future of Meetings A Learning Experience

Gastronomy: 32 Wine recommendations for all (seasons) 34 Better nothing at all than something bad!

36

Kongres at the Keyhole

44

Top 10 Top 10 SPA meeting resorts in see

Kongres travelogue: 46 Maribor 50 Podgorica

54

Kongres personality: Enfant Terrible, Janko Humar

History: 56 Fourteen Congresses of CPY-LCY 1919–1990

Examples & advice: 60 Good practice examples 61 Gadgets

Croatia Addendum: 63 Agency presents: EURES design your meeting 64 Wellness – the future of tourism 66 PR: Spa & Sport Resort Sveti Martin 68 Business guests want it all, but are they allowed to have it?

72 Courageously into new investments 74 Is Travel Agency = PCO, DMC, EMC? 76 Croatia now has its own national cocktail!

78 80 81 83 84 86 88 89

Kongres telescope Athens: Timeless Truths behind a Modern Myth A Look at the ‘True Greece’ ACB: At the Heart of the Action ACB: At the Heart of the Acti on Interview with Hilt on Hotel Athens View from the Flight Deck An Indian Summer Viewing the World and in the World´s view

90

The last word, Well defined relationships are key to an orderly event organisation market

FIRST SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad; Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Jan Klavora; Editor of Croatia Addendum: Daniela Kos; Editor of Kongres Telescope: Robert Cotter; Associate Editor of Kongres Telescope: Artemis Skordili; Editorial Board: Renata Balažic, Gorazd Čad, Anuša Gaši, Miha Kovačič, Viljam Kvalić, Srečo Peterlič, Tatjana Radovič, Maja Vidergar, Rok Klančnik; Editorial Board of Croatia Addendum: Daniela Kos, Aleksandra Uhernik Đurđek, Roko Palmić; Photographer of Croatia Addendum: Ana Šesto; Design: Andreja Martinc; DTP and prepress: Premedia, Andrej Juvan; Translation: Nina Polak, Robert Cotter; Printing: Kerschoffset; Circulation: 6000 copies; ISSN Number: 1855-8615 KONGRES magazine is media partner of:

3

Gordana Plamenac

We have managed to lift Serbia from 79th to 41st place on ICCA rankings Jan Klavora Page 44 Top 10

Top 10 SPA Meeting Resorts in See Page 64 Croatia Addendum:

Wellness – the future of tourism

From medical to wellness tourism, a concept that takes over the idea of caring for the health of the individual.

Petar Krvarić Page 76 Croatia Addendum:

Croatia now has its own national cocktail!

In spite of a difficult environment and many barriers CROcktail is proving to be something really special Page 78 Kongres telescope

Athens: Timeless Truths behind a Modern Myth

95% of all hotels were renovated in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games Robert Cotter

The Kongres magazine is entered into the media register under sequence number 1423.

Magazine issued in: January; April; July; October; December Publisher, Production and Marketing: Toleranca Marketing 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: July 2012 For the content reproduction it is required to get the written editorial consigment.

Go smart. Go creative. Go mice.

conGress and

marketinG aGency

www.go-mice.eu

5

A word from the editor

Gorazd Čad

The Wild West Of Social Networks Social networks ‘self cleanse’ daily

he formula for a successful marketing campaign through social networks is simple: sincerity, honesty and trust. Besides that, we need to very precisely define the target group we want to address in order to avoid talking to those not at all interested in our service.

Only a personal approach reaches the target.

We have to constantly monitor what others are saying about us, including where we are not directly present.

T

This is what social capital of wild west of social networks is based on and your meetings industry story will spread like a virus through the Web. At our last Pecha Kucha evening a lively debate about social networks and their use in tourism took place. On one side was a team of Slovenian heckers and bloggers with Swizec, Gandalfar, Peter and the team from ‘heckovnik’; on the other side representatives from one of the biggest Slovenian tourism companies. For the first group social networks are a tool for making the world a better place. Free wi-fi is like their air, without which they cannot breathe. Democracy of

the Internet is limitless to them. On the other side social networks are a tool for achieving uncompromising profit and sometimes illegally obtaining information on potential buyers.

Unanimously, it was felt that the reallocation of marketing power has transferred to cyberspace, where new communities are being created that are as real as traditional marketing segments in tourism.

The discussion has shown that, unfortunately for meetings industry ethics, cyber subculture and specific rules of communication is not properly understood. The fundamental purpose of virtual communities is communication, about which the philosopher Philip spoke convincingly. And this is still on the interpersonal level, and with a much greater chance of overcoming distances, which will ultimately lower our carbon footprint. Meeting industry professionals are usually not among the best when it comes to this.

The arrogant interference of social elites and corporations and their wish to regulate the space simply does not work. Social networks ‘self cleanse’ daily and are becoming the space of new democracy, with limitless access to knowledge and information as well as entertainment. The key to success in social networks is the basic Internet accessibility of meeting industry providers. Today it makes no sense to waste words on this: it is followed by literacy in social networks, driven by honesty, authenticity and good stories. Geographical boundaries have been surpassed; they only exist in grey heads.

The meeting industry future will undoubtedly be hybrid, at times even completely virtual.

Today’s teen ‘cybernauts’ will be your future meeting clients. Learn to understand them and listen to their needs before it’s too late.

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Column

Here is Rhodes – jump here!

At first glance, a spa seems to be a perfect place for conventions, because they have an attractive added value. But – is it easier to market because of this? Not really ...

Rok Klančnik

An old Aesop fable talks about a pentathlon athlete, who was bragging how he jumped whole oh la la meters from one spot in Rhodes.

His doubting listeners replied to him “here is Rhodes, jump here!” (Hic Rhodes, hic salta!)

What has the old Greek to do with today’s topic?

To write about how medicinal spas, spas, wellness are ideal for at least smaller or medium sized meetings looks totally easy at first glance. One can say that spas are great, they have everything as well as meetings facilities, the food there is good, and one can also go to pools. End of debate.

Whilst some professional congress organiser could praise himself for how he brought a congress with 300 participants to Ljubljana (Salzburg, Barcelona ...), a representative from Slovene natural spas could retort to him: well, here is Ljubljana, bring them here.

This is not as easy as it seems.

Let’s make it clear from the onset: personally I find it great that all spas – let’s limit ourselves to Slovenian spas - also have conference facilities.

Nevertheless, I think that marketing them only seems to be easier because they have an added value – pools, massages and many other things that are in the offer of spas. Let’s look at some of the obstacles.

Natural spas have evolved in places where for a long time, perhaps centuries (or even from Roman times), there has been a tradition of use of mineral and thermal waters for preventive or therapeutic purposes. Their essential feature is also a natural, non-urban environment, which should have a stimulating effect on their guests. Spas cannot be placed just anywhere,

so that they would be conveniently placed near roads. On the contrary, the majority of Slovenian natural spas are located considerably far away from our main international airport, which occasionally poses a problem. Luckily we have a motorway ‘cross’, on railways it’s better to forget it. However it is a fact that many meeting planners would rather see that their participants would not have to suffer such a long drive from the airport. Making Maribor airport once again operational would be very helpful for the success of the majority of our natural spas.

A big problem is the fact that main market segments for spas are very different from that of conference and congress participants.

At spas, where prevention and recreation are the main reason for visiting, this could somehow pass. Often conference participants are keen visitors of spas themselves, but mostly, if not exclusively, for pleasant relaxation and to recharge their batteries. At the same time any serious event, let’s say a conference, offers little time to participants to miss lectures and serious talks, so they don’t get a lot from the spa.

An even greater problem are medicinal spas, which are intended for medical convalescents or patients with various diseases (e.g. psoriasis, gynaecological, lung problems, ...).

Simultaneously staying and working at these medical spas is not according to the tastes of conference and congress participants.

Many meeting participants are occasionally slightly uneasy about walking through the hotel lobby, hotel reception and restaurant in their best clothes where they encounter people in bathrobes. Generally there are a lot of differences between these two segments.

Conference or congress participants are full of adrenaline because of the event they

participate in and in the evening they tend to go to bed later than the ‘people in bathrobes’ who come to the spa for relaxation and tranquility. Many spas are also very popular in early spring and late autumn, right at the time of the high MICE season, among pensioners who have a somewhat different culture of staying at hotels than meeting participants.

The differences are simply very large and visible among guests, which often create some unease. This is usually diplomatically hidden, but it certainly has an impact on meeting planners.

There are more barriers like these, despite the fact that personally I swear on the success of spas and I also like to visit them. I understand that spas find it very difficult to distinguish between their market segments so that they would not bother each other, at the same time as they would like to have everything just so that their hotels would be adequately filled.

And also I’m not saying that does this is not done so successfully in Slovenia, I’m just saying that they have more problems with sales. Perhaps the right orientation would be so that it would offer to congress guests and meeting planners such a stay and work at the spas that would address the nature of existing market segments, especially healthy people who visit spas to enjoy natural surroundings and raise their health awareness with the help from mineral and thermal waters. In short, it is about incentive travel, many contents of which can also be implemented in the open, or in nearby natural and cultural surroundings.

Precisely because of this Cankarjev dom is only in Ljubljana, while in Kozjansko much of what the capital city cannot offer could be offered.

And when these benefits are presented in an appropriate way, it is no longer important that the distance from Olimje to the airport takes two hours or more to drive. Apparent barriers should therefore be presented not as barriers but as a surplus in the quality of supply. Then it will also be possible to jump the distance between the Styrian hills, as in Rhodes.

7

Column

Bled: standing in the wings, waiting for the spotlight….

Local operators must together create the destination-wide story that needs to be told Linda Pereira

At a glance, nature expresses itself in an especially exuberant way in Bled. From a geological perspective it is abundantly rich, immediately drawing the visitor’s attention to its imposing landscape, dotted with beautiful manor houses, the imposing castle (the much loved symbol of Slovenia), and the lone island on the lake with its imposing church. Trees and lush greenery cover the gentle slopes bordering the lake, which boasts ownership of the region.

But you would be wrong if that was all you saw in Bled. Beyond the picturesque mountains and glittering views,

Bled offers meeting professionals and their attendees an accessible, varied destination for small to medium sized up to 350 With its scenic countryside meetings, attendees, in an excellent and unspoiled natural value destination where landscape, Bled is one of service is still a Slovenia’s most picturesque quality given. regions.

Here you will find yourself witness to a tranquil and inspiring environment conducive to creativity and concentration among the almost ever-present reminders of the region’s rich history. It is a fairy-tale setting turned into reality, an alpine resort, renowned for its mild, healing climate and thermal lake water, and with the time-capsule villages that seem to float on the hills, it is a place to experience some of the best hospitality that Slovenia has to offer.

Bled has a clear vocation for activity tourism and for nature tourism.

The beauty of the landscape invites excursions on foot, on mountain bike and on horseback, and the country lanes, despite the absence of cycle lanes, are excellent for cycling-tourism.

Famed for rowing competitions, the lake, with the beauty of the surrounding mountains reflected on its surface, also offers numerous other water-based activities. Bled is ideal for those with creative spirits, from artists to athletes, explorers to sports enthusiasts, the old and the young, from all over the world, motivating them all to leave with renewed energies, ideas and ambitions.

Meeting planners will also find a variety of hotels with accommodating meeting space, young dynamic chefs making their name in the world of cuisine, turn of the centurystyle attitude to service, where nothing is too complicated and a can-do attitude dominates.

Bled envelops its visitors in love and attention and inspires them to produce and network like nowhere else.

Another option is the Festival Hall, currently considering a refurbishment plan. Furthermore, there is a variety of off-site venues just minutes away in the neighbouring towns, all of them of the highest quality and with great potential.

However, Bled still has a long way to go in order to raise its voice, not just in the region, but also internationally and be seen to proactively step forward. There is still a certain amount of confusion as regards a ‘voice’ in the destination as a connector with the meeting industry - a differentiated and targeted promotion for the tourism consumer and for the meeting industry, who do not by any means speak the same language or have the same requisites, such as locally provided diverse supplier services for the meeting industry, as well as the creation of a fixed yearround events calendar, which can be integrated

into social programmes and also create a reputation and notoriety for the destination.

For the time being Bled is very much seen as an addon to a meeting and not as the focus destination.

If locally the ambition is to take centre stage in this sector, and the potential is there, then local operators must together create the destinationwide story that needs to be told.

We are all aware that second tier cities and towns are rising in popularity in the meetings industry, as they often offer great quality-cost value. Bled has the potential to become one of these destinations – I look forward to hearing its voice in the industry.

My top 10 reasons that make Bled memorable.

1. A top management school, ranked among the best in the world 2. A beacon of friendly hospitality just over an hour’s drive from the capital city.

3. Old world charm, elegance and grace.

4. A nature destination famous for its sporting reputation, one that motivates activity.

5. Great wine and food.

6. Golf and ski on the same day, just 30 minutes apart.

7. Diverse cultural offer.

8. Scenic walks around the lake with great potential for team-building activities.

9. The ‘Bled cake’.

10. Venues all within walking distance from each other and from the town centre.

8 News

News Half a million bees for Care Centre Draga

The Slovenian meeting industry community took special privilege in hosting an event of immense importance. From 2 to 4 July 2012, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana hosted the second edition of the IMEX Challenge, one that strives to blend environmental objectives with social causes and create positive economic outcomes for the host community.

Jon Bradshaw, IMEX Group Consultant explained: “We were thinking where to go with the next IMEX Challenge. In was the enthusiasm, passion, creativity with the bees and the Draga Centre that made us decide for Slovenia. It is not just about writing a check, it is using people's time to do something for other people and to leave a legacy, an impression for many years."

The IMEX Challenge team was working hard to support CUDV Draga – a residential Care Centre for mentally and physically handicapped children and adults – and the Slovenian BeBee campaign, which supports the habitat of declining bee colonies. The Challenge included the construction of a 30 sqm beehouse in the Care Centre’s grounds, renovating a greenhouse, landscape gardening and building an educational path for people living at Slovenia’s Care Centre Draga.

To make learning about beekeeping easy for people with disabilities, the Beekeeper’s Association of Slovenia and the Care Centre Draga have drafted an easy-to-read textbook about beekeeping. The IMEX Challenge therefore helped mentally and physically disabled children and adults to expand their horizons and come to know new activities.

Many organisations and respected individuals are supporting the IMEX Challenge campaign.

Among the IMEX Challenge volunteers are representatives of Ovation Global DMC, Iceland Congress, Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre, Silversea Cruises with ITB dmc, Poland Convention Bureau, ExCeL London and Chair, Meetings Industry Meeting Needs with Fincentive House Ltd, fairservices.net, Incentive Concept Poland, IMEX Group, and SITE with London&Partners and Another Konzept.

Timo Heinaro from Fincentive House Ltd, Meetings Industry Meeting Needs describes his experience: "When I got the invitation it immediately stroke me that there are so many as-

pects that make this something I definitely want to volunteer for and give my contribution to. We have been making friends with the protégés and the staff here in Draga centre and it has been an amazing experience for everybody. With this amount of people we are truly capable of doing something good.”

James Rees, ExCeL London and Chair, ICCA UK & Ireland Chapter, UK added: “I felt that I have to do my part as well, with the support of my company and support of ICCA. I think Draga centre is the perfect choice. We had the chance to do things like planting trees, digging holes, painting,... When we can come back in 5 years time we can say “I helped a little bit with this”.

The staff here did all the hard work, we just did a little bit, but just to feel that we were able to do something to help, was amazing.”

All involved agreed that the IMEX Challenge Slovenia was a great project, an unforgettable experience and the work done over the three days

in July was just a small step forward to better the lives of the protégés of the care Centre Draga.

Tatjana Radovic, Head of Ljubjana Tourism / Convention Bureau, says: »I feel that I have received back much more than what was given and am convinced all the volunteers would share my thoughts. As Ljubljana CVB was involved from the project's concept onwards we can only say that the final outcome of Imex Challenge has far exceeded our initial imagination.”

Miha Kovačič, director of Slovenian Convention Bureau concluded: "Despite the financial and economic crisis, this was an example of successful integration of various industries and organizations, international and domestic, all with the aim of socially responsible act."

9

News

News

EIAT 2012 – Meet the World Famous Experts!

From 21 to 23 September in Novi Sad The 2012 EIAT conference will be held for the fifth successive year in Novi Sad and Belgrade from the 21 to 23 September. A large number of delegates and tourism experts from around the world are expected, including Rick Taylor, Rob Davidson, Dejan Djordjevic and Rok Klančnik.

Alongside these will be a lot of new speakers, such as Tareq Derbas, General Manager of St. Regis Doha Hotel; Paul Flackett, Director of IMEX Frankfurt, the largest fair of the meetings industry; Theodore Koumelis, Managing Director of Greece’s Travel Daily News portal; Ron Hilvert of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; and Patrick Delaney, Vice President of MCI Dublin, the leading Irish company for congress organization, as well as many others.

For this year EIAT has prepared two brand new sessions: the Executive Hotelier Track – for hotel industry professionals, and the Executive Track Destination - for everyone involved in destination management and rural tourism and created for NGO representatives, travel agencies and others from the public and private sectors in this field.

On the opening day of the conference the Future Leaders Forum will be held, under the organization of IMEX Fair and MPI association and bringing together the best students of tourism and hospitality in the South-East Europe region.

Faculty representatives will be given the opportunity to talk with the General Manager of the St. Regis Doha hotel, worth one billion dollars, with the best seven getting the opportunity to travel to Doha and undertake a cross-training program

for 12 months, followed by a job opportunity in this world famous hotel chain.

The conference is supported by the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Tourism Organisations of Serbia, Belgrade and Novi Sad, Danube Competence Center and many others, and it has been announced that 250 delegates and 25 faculties from 12 countries of Southeastern Europe will participate in this event.

More info at www.eiat-conference.orgv

10 News

News EIBTM will celebrate its 25th birthday this year Eastern Europe as a region has a lot to offer at country and city level

EIBTM (www.eibtm.com), the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, events and business travel industry will celebrate its 25th birthday this year from 27-29 November and there are lots of new and exciting events and initiatives planned to take place as part of the celebrations.

Held in the vibrant business and tourism destination of Barcelona and part of the IBTM Portfolio, the event is set to deliver three days of focused access to a dynamic business environment, thought provoking education and business networks for all attendees.

Innovation plays a key role in the development of EIBTM and the show team are continually challenged with creating new events and features that add real value for the buyers and exhibitors.

Graeme Barnett, Reed Travel Exhibitions, EIBTM Event Director comments, “Each year we conduct a full post show survey so that we can ensure we continuously move the show forward to meet and exceed the needs of our clients and visitors.

EIBTM 2012 will be more dynamic than ever before with a strong focus on technology, which is progressing at a rapid rate within the meetings sector.”

EIBTM is also dedicated to connecting all attendees with the global Meetings & Events community and delivering a world-class education programme for each person attending the show.

To achieve this, the show has secured strategic partnership with associations including Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), The Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE), The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Each partner will contribute to the delivery of a world-class education programme through a series of seminars, workshops and panel debates at this year’s show.

Another key objective for the show this year, as with every year is to ensure that exhibitors and Hosted Buyers are guaranteed valuable face-toface meetings with prospective business leads.

The Hosted Buyer programme attracts over 4000 senior level decision makers and the Pre Scheduled Appointment (PSA) system ensures this is delivered successfully and effectively with a focus

on providing relevant appointments and ROI. Prior to the show, Hosted Buyers and exhibitors are issued with a diary of PSA’s, enabling them to plan ahead for business at the show.

Post show analysis, following EIBTM 2011 confirmed that 63% of international buyers, who attended, placed business in Eastern Europe and the Baltics as a direct result of attending the show. Similarly, 64.8% also suggested they intended placing business in the region in the future.

“The 25th edition of EIBTM is as much about brand awareness as it is in providing real business opportunities. Eastern Europe as a region has a lot to offer at country and city level, but for some whom are not so well established their challenge is all about building their own image and status within the meetings sector.

“There’s lots for the region to talk about - last year we had 192 representative exhibitors - including the value for money and high quality of products, services and venues available, so we expect this region to really develop at the show this year based on buyer driven demand”, Barnett conclude.

This year the show team have developed a new logo reflecting the official “silver” associated with a 25th anniversary and to mark the first of many more initiatives which we plan to announce throughout the year, on the run up to the show in November (27th – 29th).

The team are also inviting everyone who has attended or is planning on participating in the show this year to celebrate 25 years of innovation with us by sharing photos, videos, memories and messages on the EIBTM Facebook page www. facebook.com/eibtmevent or by email to eibtmmarketing@reedexpo.co.uk To find out more about EIBTM 25th birthday celebrations and how to participate visit www. eibtm.com

CELEBRATING

The Global Meetings & Events Exhibition 27 – 29 November, 2012 Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain

Five star business opportunities for the Global Meetings, Events & Business Travel industry.

Enter a world of unique business opportunities and join over 15,200 industry professionals at EIBTM 2012.

www.eibtm.com/gomice

Scan the QR code to watch the EIBTM show video and be inspired. Or view via this link www.eibtm.com/eibtmvideo

Find us on: EIBTM is part of Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Global IBTM Portfolio: Organised By

12 News

News The First Carinthian Get-Together

Conventionland Carinthia sees Slovenia as a highpotential market On June 13th the first Carinthian get-together took place in Ljubljana’s City Museum. 14 Carinthian Congress hotels and venues introduced upcoming trends and possibilities in the Carinthian meeting industry to 65 invited representatives of the Slovenian economy.

Typical Carinthian food, from Kärntner Käsnudel and Gailtal valley ham to filet of Carinthian saibling and Villacher Kirchtagstorte, was served up while the guests enjoyed the sounds of Carinthian music played by Faiasalamanda, a band perfectly blending the Carinthian dialect with groovy reggae vibes. While the high-flying event will long be remembered for its amazing guests, great music and tasty Carinthian cuisine, the next get-together is already being planned.

Thanks to Conventionland Carinthia, which sees Slovenia as a high-potential market and has been participating at the Conventa trade show for the past 3 years, Slovenian congress organisers are now looking forward to an annual Carinthian get-together and a new hot spot for congress organisers.

Carinthia, Austria‘s most southerly province, in bordering both Slovenia and Italy is the heart of the Alps-Adriatic region: a place where three cultures meet. Its many crystal-clear lakes make Carinthia a lake district and this southernmost Austrian province is also a region of mountains set in a dramatic landscape perfect for hiking.

Carinthia’s pure paradise of nature and its varied and exciting activities offer make it a great visit at any time of the year. Once you arrive in Carinthia, you will immediately realise that work and enjoyment go hand in hand.

Conventionland Carinthia offers top quality and a professional service. Customised, individual support and care is a priority in the south. Great hotels, modern conference centres and a variety of locations make each event a success. Carinthia is suitable for hosting meetings, conventions and conferences for up to 1,000 people. The biggest and most modern event location in the region is the Congress Centre Villach, situated directly on the banks of the River Drau. Conventionland Carinthia supports its clients with the planning and organisation of events in Carinthia – professionally, quickly and free of charge.

Their services include support in selecting

Contact: Conventionland Carinthia Casinoplatz 1, 9220 Velden am Wörthersee, Austria Tel: +43 (0) 4274 52100 95 Fax.: +43(0)4274-52100-99 mail: convention@kaernten.at www.convention.kaernten.at

suitable conference hotels, meeting and event locations, obtaining non-binding quotes – from vacancy enquiries in hotels and locations to complete packages, organisation and support for site inspections, putting you in touch with professional providers, contacts for Carinthia‘s best event and supporting programme agencies, assistance for putting together supporting programmes on various themes and assistance in the advertising of congresses.

13

News

News

Kongres Magazine recommends the book “Trinajsti apostol” from Rok Klančnik

'The Thirteenth Apostle' is the literary debut of Rok Klančnik, the Director of the Slovenian Tourist Representation for Benelux and France in Brussels. The book brings a new literary genre to Slovenia, the so-called 'tourist thriller', in this case one that takes us from Bali to Mali and from the general to the intimate, blending together three stories under three themes pivotal to our times: global terrorism, the growth of which we have witnessed over the last decade; the question of God and atheism; and the umbrella theme of love, drawing the whole together. Events of the novel sweep the main characters of the protagonist and a mysterious woman very much embedded in odd terrorist attacks worldwide along until, fatefully, the loop is finally drawn together by a last bloody love sigh.

The scope and depth of the novel is especially enriched by the author's own extensive experiences in world tourism and 'behind the scene' events at the World Tourism Organisation, all of which he has skilfully intertwined into the protagonist's global peregrinations. A 'cosmopolitan' crime novel offering an intense new insight into conspiracy theories and at the same time a travel guide to the majority of world's capitals, the novel takes us seamlessly throughout the history of many destinations, sharing many interesting details of their culture, traditions and life. A book that has been written from the soul of an adventurer and for the souls of all lovers of adventure and good thrillers, it offers pleasures way beyond simply the literary. www.zalozbamis.com/knjiga/trinajsti-apostol/

Kongres Magazine at IMEX Frankfurt The 10th anniversary edition of IMEX in Frankfurt, the award-winning trade show for the worldwide meetings, incentive travel and events industry, closed on a strong note on 24th of May, with IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom, announcing a 21% rise in the number of individual buyer appointments with exhibitors during the show. In total over 64,000 appointments took place between buyers and exhibitors over the three-day trade show, 40,000 of which were made by individual buyers, the remainder being group appointments.

Bloom also confirmed that just under 4,000 hosted buyers attended the show from an overall total of nearly 9,000 visitors from around the world. The high quality of buyers was also widely remarked upon. He explained that appointment numbers are a key business indictor as they represent planned, face to face meetings between buyers and suppliers on their stands.

The 10th IMEX also succeeded in delivering its most ambitious education programme to date, with nearly 140 separate seminars, workshops and short-session campfires taking place. The informal campfires were first introduced last year to allow intimate discussions with subject experts to take place on the show floor. Sessions on social media, innovative event design and sustainable meetings and events were attended in especially high numbers this year, with many of the German Convention Bureau’s German language seminars also being presented to packed-out crowds.

14 News

Conventa News DIARY Kristina Jurjevec

Monday: WHEN BEING SMALL IS AN ADVANTAGE Every company exhibiting at an international trade show wants to justify the investment of their presentation. Trade shows in the meeting industry are the costliest kind of exhibition presentation; more expensive registration fees imply that the trade show will be attended by selected clients with the sincere purpose of negotiating pre-arranged sales meetings with congress destinations and service suppliers, rather than just a mass of strollers.

The biggest challenge when appearing at such an international trade show is the way you go about acquiring as many meetings as possible.

The last IMEX exposed once again the system of meetings, which has for a long time been angering both providers and customers at most of the trade shows operating in convention activities. Due to the large volume of trade show participants from around the world, it is difficult to implement a web application for meetings that would meet the needs of both suppliers and buyers in the industry. At Conventa, the scope of offer is limited to regional providers from SE European countries. A smaller number of exhibitors from the target region represents to clients a much easier choice for key meetings.

In addition, invited guests can set to what extent suppliers can invite them to meetings.

In building an effective system of meetings planning we have invested a lot of our time and knowledge, as well as multiplied our planned budget.

Tuesday: DESTINATIONS ARE INCREASING THEIR STANDARDS We, the organisers of Conventa, are pleased that our event also enables education, knowledge transfer and represents an opportunity for raising standards in the region. If we employ all the knowledge and experience of international and regional professionals, and at the same time take into account all the feedback from participants, we can engage this knowledge in our own business environment and consequently upgrade it. A main case in how to effectively use the information are destinations who host study tours prior to and after Conventa. From participant comments from the previous years’ study tours we formed

a programme of standards for implementation last year. These helped destinations in building the contents part of their programme to the specific demands of congress clients and also in implementation of programmes. The result of this learning process was to raise the average ratings from 0.1 to 1.1 (rating grade 0 - 5) across all destinations. As meeting industry standards in SE Europe are little-known throughout the world, we are extremely proud that it turned out to be above average in practice. Therefore, it is our wish to attract as many event organisers and incentive organisers that have not yet been in the region on the study tours.

Wednesday: WHO HASN’T YET ATTENDED CONVENTA? A successful event organiser, incentives programme organiser or congress organiser has little time to explore and discover new destinations. Therefore, he carefully considers when he can afford to be absent from the office with a view to learning about new destinations. In any case, the end clients of events and specialised programmes expect from event planners to be familiar with the diverse range of offer and new ideas from the field. Over the last five years we have come to know many successful congress experts and agents at Conventa. We hope that the dates of the 16th and 17th January 2013 will be ticked in their calendars by those who have not yet experienced the trade show. Four years of successful work and an above-average number of satisfied participants guarantee that their investment in learning about the SE Europe will pay off.

Thursday: IS THERE SOMETHING NEW IN THE REGION? We are fortunate to be able to publish meeting industry news almost daily. For a long time, our region was loaded with political history, which prevented ongoing investment in infrastructure.

Our partners have not been engaged with this for a decade and have thus opened their market to both domestic and foreign investors and have since flourished - standards are approaching and in some cases even exceeding those of the West.

The desire for international business burns in the

eyes of young employees, who have been given the opportunity in the developing convention business. While domestic clients rely on regional agents and hotel chains, foreign clients are looking for standards set by international brands. The region already boasts high category international chains: Kempinski, Hilton, Starwood, Radisson Blu, Hyatt Regency, Holiday Inn Falkensteiner ... And in addition to the Hilton, opening new facilities is planned by Marriott, Crown Plaza and others. Representatives of new facilities always join us at Conventa, where they are a true hit.

Friday: FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEST TRADE SHOW IN THE WORLD? In January 2013 we are going to meet at the fifth Conventa Trade Show. Every year we strive towards better results and increased satisfaction of our participants. In the last four years we have discovered the successful formula of how to design a programme that satisfies participants’ demands in terms of networking, education and forging new business opportunities. We would like to meet as many new professionals in the meeting industry as possible, and because of this we will introduce a new baits system. We also believe that for the fantastic atmosphere generated at Conventa, suppliers of our region who present themselves at Conventa as friends and in team spirit should also be credited. The energy that is created between the participants at Conventa can not be forged anywhere else in the world.

5

th SoUtH eASt eURoPeAN eXHiBitioN foR MeetiNGS, eveNtS & iNceNtive tRAveL

www.coNveNtA.iNfo

explore the emerging destinations of South east europe over a cup of coffee.

16 - 17 JANUARY 2013, Ljubljana—Slovenia

16 News

IMEX CHALLENGE

Photosession

17

Photosession

IMEX TRADE SHOW

News

19

Gordana Plamenac National Tourism Organisation of Serbia

Interview

We have managed to lift Serbia from 79th to 41st place on ICCA rankings

Ms Gordana Plamenac is the CEO/Managing Director of the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia and, since October 2010, Vice President of the European Travel Commission.

She began her career in tourism in the USbased Unitours travel company as a tour guide for American tourists travelling to Europe.

Upon her graduation from the University of Belgrade, where she majored in International Law, she joined Putnik travel agency, taking up the position of Managing Director of the Congress Department.

Her professional achievements as Chief Coordinator for the Summit for non-aligned countries in 1989 and key managerial responsibilities in other major international congresses and conventions led her to the post of CEO/Managing Director of Zepter Passport in 1994. Before being appointed to her current position in July 2007, she headed the Sales & Marketing Department of the Serbia and Montenegro branch of the Hogg Robinson Group, a leading international corporate travel services organisation. Throughout her career, her experience and reputation have been acknowledged by her election to several Board of Directors of professional associations and organisations.

First of all I would like to congratulate you on your IMEX Challenge Award. How do you feel and how important is the award for the Serbian meeting industry?

In my long professional career I have fortunately received many awards, but this one is indeed the most valuable for me, because it is coming from those who know to whom something like this naturally belongs. The moment of receiving the award was one of the happiest, if not the happiest, moment in my professional career.

You have been in the meeting and tourism industry for many years - can you give us a quick summary of your journey and highlight the most important moment?

A law degree at the University of Belgrade obviously did not determine my future, and working as a tour guide during the studies somehow directed my professional life. I worked as a meeting planner and organiser for a number of years and dedicated much of the time to establish the Convention Bureau of Serbia. Finally, five years ago, when I’d taken the post of the CEO of the National Tourism Organisation, I could relax with having the SCB alongside me. I am indeed very pleased with the fact that the young team at the SCB has the capacity to carry on this important mission for Serbia.

When we talked at IMEX you mentioned that you helped organise the biggest event in ex-Yugoslavia - the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Belgrade in 1989. There were more than 5000 participants at that event - how was it to organise such a huge event without the technology that we have today?

This event was really a unique experience for everyone who was involved in its organisation.

The government was instrumental for all levels of decision making, and even without up-to-date technology we managed to organise things impeccably with a small number of computers and a big amount of human power. Overall, it was not easy to coordinate all the country delegations, the highest

level of authorities attending, including royalty, presidents and prime ministers, and including of course the huge number of media representatives coming from everywhere.

Today you are the Managing Director of Serbia’s National Tourism Organisation.

How satisfied are you with Serbia’s current position as a congress destination?

Considering the fact that Serbia is an attractive convention destination and could be even more so, I have to admit that progress in this industry is a very obvious fact. In the past four years of the bureau’s existence we have managed to lift Serbia from 79th to 41st place in the ICCA rankings, which signifies and explains a lot. But we could always be better.

Development of the Serbian meeting industry has been extremely fast over the last 7 years. What are the main reasons for this?

Political changes in favour of democracy made a great impact on the convention industry and to its progress; in other words, everyday circumstances change into a socalled normal way of life. The establishment of the Convention Bureau, training and education of young people with the help of USAID, the process of gathering industry stakeholders around the Convention Bureau, a number of new hotels in the country, closer relations with professional associations and their representatives, participation in the bidding procedure, membership of different professional associations like ICCA, DMAI, MPI, etc., and attendance at international fairs, seminars and workshops have all helped a lot in the general development of the country and made an impact on the different perception of Serbia, resulting in overall growth.

Now that Belgrade is the centre of Serbia’s meeting industry, in your opinion which other destinations are also interesting for the business of meetings?

Other attractive destinations in Serbia that could definitely play an important role in

20 Interview

the meeting industry are Novi Sad, Subotica, Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

What are the top 5 USPs of the Serbian meeting industry?

Easily accessible, good accommodation, venues and other related facilities, reputable experts from Serbia in international associations, a variety of social programme activities, and eligible and competent young professionals gathered around the SCB. In conclusion, good value for money.

Countries in ex-Yugoslavia are once again connected on many levels. Do you believe that ex-Yugoslavian countries should present themselves together like Scandinavian and Baltic countries do?

By all means yes, especially in the context of global economic changes (and crisis), where the bond should be economic criteria.

How can we utilise our common history of having lived in the same country and our knowledge of each other in the meeting industry?

This could help a lot, but working together as mentioned earlier should be based on economic interest; things in common should be considered as added value for higher exposure, better promotion, cooperation and working together.

One of the main topics in this issue is congress subventions. How important do you think subventions are in the meeting industry? What subventions exist in Serbia?

We do not have financial subventions, but we do support the bidding procedure by furnishing all necessary items in the process of extending candidature, such as promotional material (video, publications), sight inspection visits together with the industry, etc.

Where do you see Serbia in the next 10 years in the fields of leisure tourism and the meeting industry?

Serbia is the fastest growing destination in Europe for the meeting industry and we lay

many hopes and expectations in this segment of tourism and travel business. As for leisure tourism, depending on the development of the infrastructure I believe that we do have a chance to continue to progress, especially as a city break and festivals destination; the Danube, with its cultural and active holidays offer, gastronomy (especially organic), wine routes, mountains, national parks and nature in general is important for our future.

Jan Klavora

21 Interview

22 Interview

23

Ruhsar Eryoner Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik

Interview

The key factor is being aware of your current position and setting targets in regards to where you could be

After graduating in Tourism and Hotel Management from Bosphorous University in Istanbul, I started my career at the Hilton Izmir’s Reservation Department. After 16 years at the Hilton Izmir in various positions from Front Office Manager and Director of Business Development to Director of Operations, I finally decided to become internationally mobile in 2005, firstly working for 3 years at the Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest as Director of Business Development before moving on to Prague as the Cluster Director of Business Development for 2 Hilton Properties in the city.

Dubrovnik is one of the top meeting destinations in SE Europe. How do you ‘see’ Dubrovnik? What are its USPs? In my opinion, the major strength of Dubrovnik as a destination is its uniqueness.

Its well preserved history and culture makes it an attractive destination for all types of tourism.

In Dubrovnik, you can feel at home away from home and at the same time experience a moment of history wrapped in culture, complimented also with sun, sea and rich local cuisine. Having said that, Dubrovnik is not only a summer location, with its rich cultural heritage and mild climate during winter it has a lot to offer all year round. It is a ‘City of all times’.

In addition to the above I strongly believe the hospitable people of Dubrovnik is a major strength for the destination. You are always approached by smiling faces ready to help or enhance your experience.

Looking at it through the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik’s perspective, being located on the doorstep of Dubrovnik’s Old town, a historic Dubrovnik hotel delivering hospitality service since 1897, with awards wining team and delivering the Hilton promise are definitely aspects which ensure that every guest feels cared for, valued and respected. 147 rooms luxuriously appointed with a mediterranean touch, the top floor Executive Lounge with spectacular views over the Old town and Adriatic sea, and the ultimate dining experience of the renowned Restaurant Porat in the mix with state of the art Meeting & Conference facilities make this hotel a unique venue for the MICE segment.

What do you think Dubrovnik is missing to attract even more international meetings?

Even though Dubrovnik has it all, it is still a very seasonal destination. It wakes up in March and shuts down in November. The local authorities of Dubrovnik and other major collaborators of its economy are putting in efforts to prolong the season.

Two factors that would give a strong boost

to getting more international meetings are better flight connections during the winter period and the construction of the Dubrovnik Conference centre. Hopefully we are getting closer and closer to this important goal every day.

Are you satisfied with the turnover of your hotel compared with the results (income) of other Hilton hotels across Europe?

I am extremely satisfied with the results of the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik. There is always space for improvement, but those are the sweet challenges for me and my team.

On the other hand, it is not only income that counts. It is at all times an ambition for us to maintain the position of having a high quality and award-winning hotel product. It is hard to speak nicely about your hotel, so I’ll let the awards speak in our name. In terms of quality and guest satisfaction, we continue to be among the top Hilton hotels in Europe. Beyond the host of awards and recognitions received, from the Croatian Tourist Board to the World Luxury Hotel Award, we highly appreciate the true voice of our customers and reflection of their satisfaction, which is visible through our position on the TripAdvisor site.

I know that you were working before in other Hilton hotels across Europe. If you compare local support in the rest of Europe and Dubrovnik, are you satisfied?

I believe there is always space for improvement, even though you feel you are at the peak. The key factor is being aware of your current position and setting targets in regards to where you could be. Once the target is set the next move is working on an action plan step by step. This is a lengthy process, which requires the effort from all stakeholders.

Dubrovnik as a destination is clearly working to achieve the target.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of SE Europe as a congress destination?

Many meeting organisers are looking for new destinations and unique experiences.

24 Interview

SE Europe, with its easy access from Europe, has a great advantage. Every successful event or congress organised in this region will be the ambassador for future events. Supported by strong marketing, this region can be ‘the’ destination in the coming years.

How important do you think major international hotel chains are for a destination and attracting international meetings?

The brand brings certain security to our clients. When delivered consistently, it earns the guests’ affection and loyalty in multiple location worldwide. This global culture and legacy, started in 1919 by the Conrad Hilton, continues to this day whilst allowing local flavours and the energy from our team members to infuse it with a local heart. This is extremely tangible in the MICE industry.

It is really precious when you earn the trust of your business partner, and even more when you revert it to a long and a positive relationship.

Do you know if Hilton Hotels & Resort is planning to open new hotels in SE Europe?

Hilton Worldwide, with its wide range of brands, will continue to develop in new countries around the globe and intends to

significantly expand its presence. With over 3800 properties in more than 88 countries today, Hilton worldwide is furthering its mission to be the preeminent global hospitality company. Locally this means a new opening in Zagreb, which will bring the Doubletree brand to the charming Croatian capital. This 152-room hotel, located in Radnicka cesta,

will open its doors in the last quarter of 2012.

It will offer a new experience through almost 1000m2 of Fitness & Spa, innovative and adventurous a la carte cuisine and state of the art Conference facilities.

Daniela Kos

26 In focus

Facing the Future Together More than ever is cooperation the most effective choice

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.

As with many other sectors, the eventual passage of the current financial crisis is going to leave a changed meetings industry in its wake, and one area that will likely feel a great deal of impact will be the financial equation. The results, while not entirely predictable at this point, will be of considerable interest to both convention centres and their clients as primary players whose decisions and circumstances will ultimately impact a lot of other industry suppliers and participants as well.

As with most things future, nobody really knows how all this will play out. But there are already some key factors that can at least narrow the range of possibilities based on effects already being felt and trends that aren’t likely to change direction anytime soon.

Some of these include: • Governments in most parts of the world are now financially strapped and likely to be living with the hangover resulting from lower revenues, stimulus funding and increasing service expectations for some time.

This means a couple of things; first, that they are going to be less inclined to make investments in anything they don’t see as the most urgent priorities (which, depending on their perspectives, may or may not include convention facilities) and at the same time less likely to support attendance by government officials at professional and / or business events like meetings and conventions.

• Overall event attendance (and the revenues that accompany this) is likely going to be increasingly challenged for a variety of reasons. First, because as suggested above, fewer employers – government or otherwise – are likely to be very interested in supporting meetings participation unless they can see

immediate and direct benefits to their most pressing issues – mainly around managing financial challenges. Secondly, because there is a residual concern around the perceived sustainability of meetings-related travel – which alone might not be enough to tip the balance but, when combined with factor number one, could become a formidable impact.

And, finally, there are plausible alternatives available today, including better virtual technologies that offer a more feasible option than anything available in the past.

• Next, while association events have been the ongoing strength of the industry during recent troubled times, even their finances will eventually start to show the strain. Along with attendance, another reason for this is that the trade shows that often accompany them (and that often supply a large proportion of their event revenues) are facing problems of their own, including new and potentially more targeted on-line promotional opportunities, new restrictions such as those now facing the pharmaceutical industry and, in some cases, a reduction in the number and size of exhibitors due to structural issues like industry consolidations that aren’t likely to reverse any time soon.

• And, finally, there are some fundamental changes taking place in client / supplier relationships and the overall financial equation as a result of downsizing, outsourcing and the retaining of intermediaries. These changes can introduce new costs, while at the same time creating an expectation of reductions in overall event expenses – a situation that obviously creates stresses which can only be sustained for so long before the equation starts to fall apart.

27 In focus

Any one of these issues could present a real challenge to the very survival of the industry as we know it – but taken together, they suggest that a major transition may be in the cards. What is clear is that while the existing formula can be stretched for a while,

it’s not realistic to think it’s possible to build a long term solution on a formula where a few members of the industry prosper at the expense of others.

And that means some fundamental changes are required, potentially including the whole distribution of risk and reward amongst all players.

But one very positive area for re-examination – which is also something common to all the factors noted above – is the need for a better job of recognizing, measuring and promoting our value to the overall economy and adjusting the financial picture accordingly.

Governments are more likely to keep investing if they see meetings as contributors to their most urgent priorities – things like economic recovery and the support of policy priorities like innovation, employment and economic transition. Similarly,

delegates and their sponsors are more likely to make participation a priority if they can more clearly see just what they will get out of their attendance, particularly in professional or business terms.

And exhibitors will be more inclined to maintain their participation if they can

see strong and informed attendance and understand why events and the audiences they deliver are more effective alternatives to the less personal options available for marketing their products.

So where the financial challenges we face have the potential to turn various sectors against each other in their striving to achieve a bigger slice at the other’s expense, the more effective choice is to cooperate more than ever on building the value proposition. That way, everyone really can win – and we will be better equipped to face whatever kind of future the ongoing global uncertainties may deliver.

28 In focus

The Future of Meetings Gen Zers are multi-taskers who value speed over accuracy

It seems that meeting professionals are more interested in today than tomorrow, according to Phase 1 of MPI’s ‘Future of Meetings’ research, which may leave them unprepared to change over time, and a focus on technology may come at the expense of other, more significant, trends, such as social and economic forces.

But, in order to meet the stringent demands of the future, it’s imperative that industry leaders understand the dominant forces that will influence the sector’s future, and how that influence will change perceptions, allegiances and budgets.

Joyce Dogniez. After having worked as a corporate and association meeting planner for about 10 years, Joyce decided to join Meeting Professional s International in 2005.

In her current role at MPI she is tasked with the challenge of further developing the association in the EMEA region as Director of Development.

Politics As difficult as it may seem to countries in the struggling Eurozone, national boundaries worldwide will continue to blur, which will provide opportunities for the industry to support integration and communication, knowledge sharing and innovation.

But fears remain about security, public and medical safety and terrorism that could impact data, knowledge and ideas stored by corporations and individuals.

Crisis management will be key, as well as contingency planning and political awareness.

Competing Values Event professionals will need to identify new business models, due to the financial crisis and increased competition. Three quarters (77 percent) of meeting professionals say that, by 2020, they will need to offer strong incentives to attract delegates; 60 percent say these delegates will want ‘pay as you receive’ structures and that event managers will be required to show quantifiable returns on investment.

Hyper-competitiveness—caused by easy entry

into the global business events marketplace— can be seen in a) the range of non-traditional and purpose-built venues, b) the rapid growth of convention centers and c) even flat-pack or ready-to-assemble structures. New competitors are emerging in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), and an over-supply of luxury hotels could threaten more established venues and destinations.

Consumer loyalty will be key to success in the meeting industry, but thrifty consumers and clients will be more likely than ever to shift allegiances.

The need for human resources and specialisation could threaten the industry and its current workforce. Professionalisation and emerging careers will create skill gaps.

Already, experts are questioning whether or not current education systems can prepare the next generations to support and strengthen the economy. Developments will require new industry-level skills in strategic management, crisis management and technology to achieve client goals.

Environmental Concerns About 12.5 percent of respondents say ‘green’ issues (or environmental sustainability) are driving industry change, due largely to increasing client expectations and concerns associated with the increased costs of green events (mainly food sourcing). Climate change makes environmental action the new norm.

Historically, recycling placed businesses at the forefront; it’s now a minimum requirement.

Research shows that the number of companies with online CSR material increased to 81 percent in 2010 from 75 percent in the previous year (in Europe it’s 94 percent). As for global Fortune 250 companies, 92 percent have a corporate governance code of conduct or ethics.

29 In focus

Social Shifts Managing social media and networks on a global scale is complex for the inter- connected and international meeting and hospitality industries. Social networks are diverse, and not universally adopted.

Social networking is seen as both “a great tool for getting your company out there and advertising what you have to offer” and something that will “wreck our industry.”

Social networking has quickly embedded within our behaviors and—some argue—our brains.

Meeting professionals say they are rethinking traditional conferences with keynote presentations and seated audiences in light of new innovations, which claim active learning as a way to attract delegates, foster collaboration and address the concepts that delegates find most interesting. Peer-driven un-conferences and open-space meetings demonstrate the extent to which participants control their own experiences, because “most adults are capable of finding out what they need, rather than someone else determining what they need.”

This presents significant challenges for venues and planners tasked with constructing infinite ‘palettes of places’ within finite spaces.

A proliferation of conference terminology emerges for these new events: brainjams, hypercamps, crosslabs, blending participant interaction, sharing and innovation in new ways and forms.

As for the new generations, it’s not just Gen Y that meeting professionals worry about. Gen Z will enter the meetings market in the next decade—a generation born into connectivity on-demand, complete with instant messaging, instant information and instant feedback. They may display much of the tech-savvy behavior

of Gen Yers, but their lives have been formed online. Their communities are without borders and identity.

For Gen Zers, face-to-face meetings offer the unique proposition of meeting ‘real people’, but won’t give them as many opportunities to control their identity. Gen Zers are multitaskers who value speed over accuracy. In a Gen Z world, the challenge won’t be to simply create the right activity-rich program, but to create the right activity-rich ‘right now’.

Technology Virtual meeting content will lead to more Citrix (desktop sharing), webcasting, 3-D environments and multiday events with trade shows (ON24).

The most popular virtual reality presentations will be followed by internal meetings and training to reinforce learning and outcomes.

Delegates will become more familiar with virtual environments or games as the average time spent in virtual worlds grows (currently 22 hours per week). Live events will need to exceed what virtual events deliver (due to costs on both front and back ends).

Calm technology is portrayed in sci-fi movies as embedded into the surroundings. It marks the disappearance of computers; they are no longer perceived as devices but as embedded elements of augmented artifacts in the environment. Embedding meeting technology will provide new opportunities for content delivered in new formats. In the further future, embedding unobtrusive, second nature technological enhancements within the fabric of venues and their facilities will be the norm.

Interested in learning more? Download the Phase 1 report at www.mpiweb.org/fom for the full research and recommended actions.

This fall, MPI will unveil Phase 2 of its

research, which focuses on the predictions of 26 experts in outside fields.

(This article includes excerpts from MPI’s Future of Meetings research.)

Headline Findings • Technology will be the No. 1 game changer for the meeting industry.

• Social networking will grow in importance.

• The importance of virtual and hybrid meetings will grow as processing speeds increase and new generations enter the meeting marketplace. Hybrid meetings will increasingly add value to face-to-face encounters.

• Knowledge and education will be critical to industry survival.

• Both environmental and social responsibility will help companies differentiate themselves from the competition.

• New generations and multiple generations will transform where and how people meet.

• New markets and industries will present new challenges and opportunities.

• Information management will be critical to success.

• The meeting industry will over-focus on technology to the point of ignoring political, economic, environmental and social trends.

• Long-term thinking will prove challenging to a meeting sector dominated by near-term goals and the bottom line.

30 In focus

A Learning Experience The meeting and events industry in south-east Europe has a bright future

The importance of networking at conferences cannot be overestimated, and I recently witnessed an excellent idea – which originated at a conference – coming to fruition in the form of my first lecturing tour of Croatia and Slovenia.

The conference was EIAT 2011. EIAT – Education and Industry Advancing Together – was the brainchild of a former Serbian student of mine, Milan Culic, who, on returning from London to his home country, created this annual conference bringing together leading international experts in tourism and hospitality with students from all over the formerYugoslavian countries and their professors.

Rob Davidson is a Senior Lecturer in Events Management at the University of Greenwich in London, where he works in the London Centre for Events Management, within the Business School. His main areas of expertise are conferences and business events, and over the last ten years he has written widely on these themes.

At last year’s edition of EIAT in Belgrade, I had the very good fortune to meet two dynamic and enterprising colleagues from the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management of the University of Rijeka in Opatija: Daniela Gračan and Sandra Janković.

Together, we soon began planning a working visit to Opatija for myself and a colleague of mine, Mady Keup.

Mady and I have very similar backgrounds - we have both worked for destination marketing organisations: in Mady’s case, for VisitLondon; and in mine, VisitBritain. And we have both made the transition into academia: Mady at the SKEMA School of Management near Nice; and me at the University of Greenwich, London, where I specialise in teaching conference management.

Word soon spread that Mady and I were coming to Croatia, and it wasn’t long before we were contacted by Miha Lesjak, of the Faculty for Tourism Studies of the University of Primorska in Portoroz. Miha is someone I regularly meet at conferences in SouthEast Europe, notably Turizmijada, an annual

gathering of tourism students from all over former Yugoslavia, which he attends with his colleague, Mitja Petelin.

Seeing an opportunity for turning a good idea into a great idea, Miha suggested that Mady and I follow our visit to Croatia with a visit to his faculty in Slovenia, to teach his students and also to run a training day for local meeting industry professionals.

Naturally, our answer was ‘da! da!’, and it was thus that Mady Keup and I spent a week in May teaching students and training meeting industry professionals in Croatia and Slovenia.

In Opatija, we began by running a one-day workshop, called ‘The Future of Congress Tourism’ for over 100 people with an interest in the meeting industry. These ranged from hotel venues sales staff and professors specialising in business tourism to journalists and representatives from the local convention bureau. The topics we covered included market segmentation in the meeting industry; persuading business visitors to prolong their trips by a few days for leisure; the impact of demographic trends (Generation Y) on congress tourism; the impacts of technological and economic trends on congress tourism; creating an effective brand for the destination; China and India as emerging markets for congress tourism; and the use of e-tools in destination marketing for business events. It was an intensive programme for one day, but we managed to cover all of these topics, and the participants engaged fully in discussions and debates on these subjects - and there was widespread sharing of ideas and best practice throughout the day.

The workshop in Portoroz was on a smaller scale, limited primarily to sales and marketing

31 In focus

staff for two hotel groups with properties in Portoroz: Lifeclass Hotels and Bernardin Hotels. However, they were joined by two representatives from the Tourism Board of Portoroz. The workshop was held in a beautifully decorated meeting room in the Hotel Slovenia, a Lifeclass property.

This time, the focus was much more on winning meetings business for venues, and we covered topics such as: sources of new business; analyzing the unique strengths and weaknesses of venues; preparing for appointments with potential buyers; and planning site visits for potential buyers.

Once again, the participants were fully engaged in the topics, building on our ideas for winning new business for venues, even in the current difficult economic climate.

Inevitably, Mady and I also learnt something about the challenges facing the men and women who are responsible for filling hotel seminar rooms in Portoroz, and the creative techniques used by sales and marketing staff in their negotiations with potential clients.

But I think that what we will remember most from that week in May is the wonderful reaction we received from the students of our host universities: the University of Rijeka and the University of Primorska. Our lectures were extremely well attended in both places, and we were highly impressed by the students’ level of interest in business tourism as well as their ability with the English language.

They seemed to have a genuine wish to learn from us, and it was a real pleasure for us to build upon their existing knowledge of the meeting and events industry and how

it functions. Their professors have certainly done an excellent job in educating them in the importance of that industry for Croatia and Slovenia, and we were able to add an international perspective to their knowledge, which was most appreciated. It was a learning experience for us, as much as for the students, and at the end of our trip Mady and I were in complete agreement on one issue: the future of the meetings and events industry in south-east Europe has a bright future in the hands of the young Croatians and Slovenians that we saw in Opatija and Portoroz. The next generation of readers of Kongres magazine are already well-informed, passionate about the meetings and events industry, and determined to contribute to its success in this region of Europe.

32 Gastronomy

Wine recommendations for all (seasons) Slovenia allows the selection of vine planting of 35 white and 17 red grape varieties

Rado Stojanovič, Director of the company Poslovno svetovanje, Rado Stojanovič, s.p.

The company mission is preparation and implementation of superb events for the promotion and presentation of Slovenian wines, foods and dishes, with the ultimate goal of increased profile of the Slovenian oenogastronomy offer and tourism.

Poet Tone Pavček, from Mirna peč in the heart of the wine growing Dolenjska region, wrote in one of his poems: »There are many beautiful countries in the world, but not all are happy. Slovenia is beautiful and happy: it has vineyards...« And with it immense wealth, extraordinary diversity and an endless beauty of the Slovenian wine regions, as well as excellence in wine. The uniqueness of nature’s gift, which conveys the mixed narrative of soil, earth, climate and tradition with the grower’s mind and soul, are an inspiration and a challenge for the organisation of the five traditional, wine-culinary events in the capital: the Late Spring and Autumn Ljubljana Wine Route, A Glass of Sparkling Wine in the City Hall, the Slovene Wine Festival and the Festival of Culinary Art.

According to the 2009 Office of Statistics data there were 25,580 growers in Slovenia cultivating grapes in some 42,970 vineyards (Slovenia is characterised by extremely high land fragmentation – average area of a vineyard is 0.6 hectares) spread over a total area of some 16,350 acres. In the three wine regions combined (Podravje Posavje, Primorje), which are sub-divided into nine wine regions, in that same year winemakers and wineries produced about 54 million litres of wine. Slovenia allows the selection of vine planting of 35 white and 17 red grape varieties (the first white variety is Riesling, and the first red Refosco). The terroir allows for the production of both sparkling and still wines, wines of all sugar content levels (dry, semidry, semi-sweet and sweet) and of all colours (white, rose, red), as well as different styles.

Slovenia is characterised by a great diversity in the wine offer. On the one hand this both thrills and irritates connoisseurs, on the other it misleads laymen.

The diversity of the wine offer is in combination with the tradition of wine production in Slovenia, which dates back to antiquity, and the culture of wine drinking,

which is also enriched by Slovenian idiosyncrasies, such as the oldest vine in the world (the 400 years old Blue Franconia in Lent) and an anthem which is (probably) the only one in the world praising of ‘Vine and Wine’. The vision of our company is therefore to strive to connect and intensify the promotion of Slovenian wine and culinary experiences with stories that take place throughout the year, and to spread the knowledge and awareness of the Slovenian wine-culinary tradition and culture.

In order to continuously enhance the culture of drinking good wine, the promotion of wine and wine makers, and our cuisine and culture of eating, we organise a large number of oenogastronomic events in the capital. Ljubljana boasts the title ‘City of Wine and Vine’, which it has been awarded because it has the oldest international evaluation of wines in the world, made up of active scientific institutions and its commercial wine tradition. It is a tradition that we wish to honour and continue to build on ... with the event A Glass of Sparkling Wine in the City Hall, which invited people to a tasting of sparkling wines and champagnes of fifteen Slovenian winemakers on the last spring Saturday; with the Ljubljana wine route, which has taken several thousand visitors on the ‘Summer Wine Pampering’ among stalls with wine and culinary delights; and in the beginning of November the route will take visitors once again into ‘pre-Martin’ Ljubljana and also this year with the jubilee festivals – 15th Festival of Slovenian Wines and the 5th Festival of Culinary Art - represent the culmination of the oeno-gastronomic pleasures, not only in the capital, but in the whole of Slovenia.

Summer This year saw the premiere of ‘A Glass of Sparkling Wine in the City Hall’, making it the opening event of the late Spring Ljubljana Wine Route. With the event we wanted to present to visitors (domestic and foreign) at the finest location in the capital – the City Hall

33 Gastronomy

– excellent Slovenian sparkling wines of 15 wine makers, thus easing their selection of the best or the most appropriate sparkling wine for this summer. We all know that the category of sparkling wines is the one that livens up hot summer days, with their elegant freshness and sparkling bubbles, and spices the long summer evenings too. Of course, sparkling wines are not the only possible summer companion - there’s also a wide range of last year’s wines, mainly white and rose, whose range is so broad and rich that everyone can find something to their taste. The entire range could be tasted and purchased at the Ljubljana Wine Route, where visitors could choose from over 70 stalls with almost a hundred suppliers of wine-culinary delights, in all offering the true ‘Summer Wine Pampering’.

Autumn Autumn will also bring a unique wine indulgence - the first weekend in November some wine growers and vintners will ‘open’ their 2012 vintage to tasting. The Ljubljana Wine Route devoted primarily to young wine was named ‘pre-Martin’ Ljubljana, as it represents an introduction to St. Martin events, which will be taking place in all three wine regions a week later. In addition to first assessments and tastings and purchase of the best and favourite white and/or red wines of this year, the autumn Ljubljana Wine Route will also bring numerous culinary delights. We are preparing something very special for the greatest connoisseurs and true wine lovers... just a hint to whet your appetite – it will be happening at the best location in the capital.

Winter At the end of the year, right before the so-called “Merry December”, and to add to wine-culinary pampering at the end of November, Ljubljana will be transformed into a capital of wine and cuisine. This years 15th Slovenian Wine Festival with its programme, participants, domestic and foreign guests will offer a true rainbow of colours (which will, apart from white, rose and red, this year also

see orange) and styles and a palette of smells and tastes of the best Slovenian (and some foreign) wines. Apart from wines of various maturity, visitors will be offered the chance to taste a wide selection of young wines from the 2012 vintage. Each and every visitor will be able to find and buy the best, their favourite and the most appropriate wine for him or herself – all getting ready to raise a toast to “Merry December” and welcome the New Year and think about new beginnings... This year the Slovenian Festival of Wines will be for the fifth consecutive time accompanied by the Festival of Culinary Art, which will be inviting its visitors to the Gallery as well as the Theatre of Tastes.

events, for us in the company of new wines (new wine makers, new lines, secret hints, prize winners... ) which will be presented in the next round of our wine-culinary events taking place in the capital.

More at: www.radost.si On photograpy (from left): Rado Stojanovič, Director of the Slovenian Wine Route Event, Martina Baškovič, Slovenian Wine Queen 2012, Lea Mlečnik, Vipava Wine Queen 2012, Aleš Čerin, Deputy Mayor of the Ljubljana Municipality.

Spring At the end of winter the previous months and events will be considered – with a glass of wine (or two) chosen at the Slovenian Festival of Wines. Then comes the time for a new beginning – for visitors of our events to be in the company of wines chosen at our previous

photo: Aleš Fevžer

34 Gastronomy

Better nothing at all than something bad!

Do we also offer souvenirs to congress guests?

Prof. Janez Bogataj, PhD

Participation at a congress is not only the opportunity to gain new knowledge and exchange experiences in various fields of expertise, but indirectly also an opportunity to appreciate local and regional cultures.

Because the duration of conferences is getting shorter, it is appropriate to ensure the most thorough content design for congress events, which are increasingly losing their ‘tourist’ characteristics and are increasingly becoming events with intensive programmes and professional exchanges.

In such a context souvenirs are also becoming much more than just a kind of necessary gift offered by the congress organisers.

To approach the concept of a souvenir we need to understand the tangible, more or less permanent information about the daily lives and holidays of the population of the towns or regions in which we organise congresses.

In doing so, we must also keep to the fundamental rule that less is more!

Of course, when selecting souvenirs, which we often simply stick in congress materials, we should not take various shortcuts on the principle: We’ll just have something to add! A strategically designed and selected souvenir must tell a story and educate. This means that it is no classical ‘dust collector’ from the range of tourist souvenirs or promotional gifts (a gadget, a give-away).

For example, consider how well it was accepted in some parts of Slovenia (especially among the foreign participants of congresses) when organisers added to the congress materials a business card holder made of wool from the “jezersko-solčavska” sheep.

If they would have added an accompanying text or the so called ‘story’, the effect would have been even greater. The effect would

have been doubled if, within the framework of the congress, a trip to Solčavsko had been organised where congress participants could have learned about the sheep in their primary environment and been presented the gift of these holders on the trip.

The complete opposite of all this, one with no content or ‘soul’, is to automatically add USB keys, pens, or other trinkets to the conference materials.

Of course, the planning and selection of souvenirs can only be serious professional work rather than a decision in accordance with the senses or only in the framework of financial constraints. We do the worst thing when we just add a few more items, so that we are recognised as very good hosts, and not exceed the amount we’ve set for congress materials. Choosing a souvenir is connected to numerous questions and areas that dictate the choice. We must clarify the question of whether the souvenir will be specific for each participant - a personal souvenir - or just a general souvenir, the same for all participants. We must consider the theme of the congress, because this will offer interesting possibilities for souvenir gifts. In choosing we must not forget the principles of sustainable development and sustainable growth. Therefore we must not consider the various possible - and above all impossible!

- options of ‘Asian toys’, such as various office electronics and other options from the endless worlds of pens.

We have therefore great potential in many handicraft industries. But here we must not only choose from the so-called repetition of historical memories, but look for souvenirs in the wide range of contemporary creativity.

Of course, all products need their stories,

35 Gastronomy

with which they are explained on the accompanying certificates or explanatory leaflets.

Even greater impact will be achieved if we organise an excursion or trip to visit the manufacturer of souvenirs and give the gifts to guests at the manufacturing site itself.

Such a move can be very successful. Souvenir options in the field of culinary arts and gastronomy, which are considered to be a very neglected area, especially in Slovenia, have increased dramatically in recent years (eg, vacuum bagged Carniolan sausage, premium wines in the relevant travel packages, pumpkin and olive oil, “fleur de selâ€? from SeÄ?ovlje, Istrian fig bread, different kinds of sausages, fruit and other spirits), but when selecting we

have to consider a number of cultural traits, which is especially true for congresses with international participants.

Of course we have also to be aware of something else:

souvenirs should not only be given to participants.

We must work hard to bring them directly to the congress participants and offer them the chance to buy them, for instance at breaks during the congress.

It is the time component that is often the root cause for congress participants not to have time for the purchase or visit to the manufacturers in their workshops and studios.

36 Kongres at the Keyhole

Falkensteiner Schloss Hotel Velden ★★★★★

LUXURY

FACT FILE CATEGORY

★★★★★

OPEN FROM

1890, renovated in 2007

STANDARD

HOTEL WITH CONFERENCE FACILITIES

NUMBER OF ROOMS ONLINE PRICE

103 rooms and suites 50 apartments 260 € - 450 € (June 2012)

ADDRESS

Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden ***** Schlosspark 1 A-9220 Velden Tel: +43 4274 52000-0 www.schlossvelden. falkensteiner.com

FACILITIES (pictograms)

Restaurant Seespitz Restaurant Schlosstern Schloss Bar Spa Caffe Acquapura SPA on 3500 m2

FINAL MARK

4.73 – LUXURY

LUXURY ★★★★★ PREMIUM ★★★★

ECONOMY ★★

BUSINESS ★★★

BUDGET ★

LOCATION The Hotel is located on the west side of the Wörthersee Lake at the site of castle Velden, which was built back in 1590. The warm Wörthersee Lake is called the Austrian Riviera and is one of the most popular tourist spots in Austria. It has been operating as a hotel from 1890 and has been a popular spot with both the local and international jet set. The hotel is picturesque and in the 1990s was the backdrop for numerous popular TV series. Years of decline followed afterwards, but today’s splendour was injected into the Hotel by the founder of the Ritz Carlton hotel chain, who in 2007 completely renovated it and made it the first hotel of the Capella hotel chain. The hotel has acquired a new modern wing, which is extremely well integrated into its surroundings.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel is easily accessible, being close to main traffic routes. It is located approximately 2 km from Klagenfurt (Celovec), making Klagenfurt Airport the closest one; however, with infrequent flights many guests also come via Ljubljana Airport. Possibly the only drawback of the wider area is the fact that the coast of the lake is not directly accessible as it is mostly fenced off.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The unique architecture of the castle with its yellow façade dominates the lakeside. The photogenic surroundings are begging for incentive events and one can easily imagine, for example, a car launch taking place here.

Its appearance is fascinating, however its ‘tiny desserts’ are even more satisfying - the latest technical equipment and technology are well incorporated into the classical architecture. The hotel impresses both the guests and passers-by, who look at it in amazement (or perhaps turn their heads in envy).

WARM APPETISER – Personnel and culinary offer Guests have two superb restaurants available, the Seespitz Restaurant overlooking the lake and offering local cuisine, as well as the superb Restaurant Schlosstern, one of the most famous and award winning restaurants of Kärnten. In the Gault Millau restaurant guide it is awarded 17 out of a possible 20 stars. Chef Stefan Lastin is renowned as one of the best Austrian chefs.

In the restaurant pension dinner is served, which is included in the price of an overnight stay. In the Spa area there is a small restaurant offering light snacks. The staff is extremely professional and friendly. For the most demanding guests a personal concierge service is available. Service according to guests’ wishes is the main speciality of the Hotel. The Hotel breakfast is a would be expected for a hotel of this category.

MAIN COURSE – Congress and hotel offer Hotel rooms are luxurious and tastefully furnished. In the old part of the hotel some of the rooms are equipped with fireplaces, marble bathrooms and a number of gadgets. Rooms are romantic in this older part of the castle and modern and minimalist in the newer part. One can also rent one of the 50 apartments, which are called the Schloss Velden Residences.

The conference centre is smaller and decorated in the style of the hotel. It has 5 halls with a capacity of up to 360 participants. The Hotel is ideal for smaller, closed conferences, incentives and banquets. Particularly important and attractive are numerous public spaces in the park and surrounding area, offering a prime venue for the organisation of outdoor events.

DESSERT – Additional offer A deluxe fitness centre is a simple embodiment of the name itself: Acquapura Spa is a brand of top spas in the Falkensteiner Group, the speciality in this hotel being the Zen Studio and an external pool with heated lake water.

The entire region is full of different incentive ideas and providers. In the immediate surroundings various sports grounds are on offer; the lake itself enables a wide range of water activities with the starting point the hotel marina right in front of the hotel. Practically nothing for organising top incentive events is missing.

FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES Very high prices in the summer season, however these are justified by the high standard of service. The service in the Seespitz Restaurant is not always at the same level as the rest of the Hotel.

TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES Friendly and helpful staff and the omnipresent hotel director. Free mini bar, internet access, parking and almost unbelievable fairytale surroundings.

37 Kongres at the Keyhole

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND CREDIBILITY The legendary hotel is no doubt one of the best hotels in the region. Managed with German precision and Austrian charm, it is the ideal of excellence in all areas. Unfortunately, the town Valden is not following the hotel standards and also the rest of the tourist offer is average. After the takeover by the Falkensteiner hotel chain the hotel was slightly refreshed and is probably one of the best incentive hotels for the most demanding guests. The Hotel was established as the best hotel for elite guests in Carinthia.

We consider that the goal is close, however still a little mastery of details will be needed by the Falkensteiner Team. You know what happens when a large hotel chain buys a boutique hotel; in the great zeal to rationalise, it is often forgotten that some things simply cannot be squeezed into a boutique hotel.

RESULTS 1. LOCATION

MARKS 4.90

2. ACCESSIBILITY

4.10

3. FIRST IMPRESSION

4.95

4. LOBBY

4.90

5. EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE

4.88

6. RECEPTION

4.34

7. HOTEL ROOM

4.95

8. HOTEL BED

4.95

9. BATHROOM AND RESTROOM

4.96

10. HOTEL BREAKFAST

4.49

11. BARS AND RESTAURANTS

4.62

12. CONGRESS HALL

4.56

13. ADDITIONAL OFFER

4.95

TOTAL:

4.73

Hotel HABAKUK ★★★★★

PREMIUM

FACT FILE CATEGORY OPEN FROM STANDARD NUMBER OF ROOMS

ONLINE PRICE ADDRESS

FACILITIES (pictograms)

FINAL MARK

★★★★★ 1974, renovated in 1998 CONGRESS HOTEL 101 rooms in the Hotel ***** 36 rooms in the outhouse **** 126 EUR - 160 EUR (June 2012) Hotel Habakuk ***** Pohorska ulica 59 SI2000 Maribor A la carte Restaurant Coffee Shop Mezzanin Hotel Restaurant Wine Bar Wellness Centre 4.11 – PREMIUM

LUXURY ★★★★★ PREMIUM ★★★★

ECONOMY ★★

BUSINESS ★★★

BUDGET ★

LOCATION The hotel is situated on the Pohorje hillside near the centre of Maribor. The second largest Slovenian city is the cultural, economic and university centre of Štajerska. Pohorje, a beautiful mountain range that is a green alpine oasis, is also known for the Golden Fox World Cup skiing for women that takes place there.

Conference guests are attracted mostly by the

pristine nature and the numerous possible options for recreation throughout all seasons.

The Hotel acquired its current image in 1998, when it gained 5 stars and became one of the best Slovenian hotels. Numerous events with well known and important personalities have taken place at the hotel. It has remained the central focus of congress tourism in the region, with over 300 events annually.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel is easily accessible at the bottom station of the Pohorje cable car and is located just 10 minutes from the centre of Maribor.

Access by car is simple, more complicated, however, is arrival by plane. Due to years of complications Maribor Airport is practically not operating, so guests have to use nearby airports. The first choice is definitely Graz, which is well connected to the world and some 60 km away, alternative also include airports in Ljubljana and Zagreb, which are some 120 km away.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The central part of the Hotel was renovated in 1998 and is connected nicely with the outpost located above the Conference Centre. It is all integrated sensibly into the surrounding environment. The green backdrop of the Pohorje ski slopes dominates and gives a central focus to the resort. The surroundings of the hotel are nicely maintained, with the exception of the pool complex, which is in need of renovation. The interior of the hotel is decorated in a rustic style typical of the nineties, making the entrance lobby burdened with materials and a little dark, all of which calls for a stylish renovation and a necessary architectural refreshing.

WARM APPETISER – Personnel and culinary offer The hotel staff has always been known for their openness, serenity and professionalism.

The team broadly bear this out; nevertheless, it sometimes shows some unreliability. Overall the hotel is well maintained and solid, but not outstanding. The hotel cuisine was once known as cosmopolitan and superior; today, however, it is no longer on the same level of glamour and elegance of the hotel as a whole. Currently the entire culinary offer is too much of a full board arrangement; mostly the hotel is missing

38 Kongres at the Keyhole

a quality a la carte restaurant. The ambience of the restaurants needs to be addressed, as they feel too big and empty. The hotel catering in the conference centre is excellently run by experienced waiters; however they lack a little more flexibility and sensitivity to clients’ wishes, which is realistically expected from a 5 star hotel.

MAIN COURSE – Congress and hotel offer Last year 52 hotel rooms and 6 suites were completely renovated. Well being in the hotel is good, both in terms of space and quality as well as cleanliness of the premises surrounding guests. The older part of the hotel is probably a bit outdated and too heavy for today’s tastes.

In 2002 the conference centre was added to the Hotel. At the time of construction the conference centre was the first proper hotel conference centre, with a six hall capacity of up to 830 participants. It remains one of the best in Slovenia but perhaps the only drawback is the somewhat awkward entrance into the centre through the hotel reception area and a narrow corridor. The great advantage is its own parking garage with 200 spaces.

DESSERT – Additional offer The top quality of the cosmetic and medical services and the wellness complex with thermal pools spreading over some 740 m2, including sauna and fitness. In addition, the largest ski centre in Slovenia with adrenaline, adventure and relaxation is a great offer for incentives.

partially moved forward. The integrity of the accompanying offer on Pohorje makes it one of the best Slovenian incentive hotels.

Whilst there are more beautiful, bigger, more seductive hotels, Habakuk is nevertheless one of the better ones, and it is skilfully navigating between the needs of different guests. Let’s hope it will stay this way after Russian ownership of the hotel, whose plans have not yet been disclosed to the public.

RESULTS

KEMPINSKI HOTEL ADRIATIC, Savudrija, Croatia ★★★★★

PREMIUM

MARKS

1. LOCATION

4.50

2. ACCESSIBILITY

3.15

3. FIRST IMPRESSION

3.86

4. LOBBY

3.90

5. EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE

4.12

6. RECEPTION

4.08

7. HOTEL ROOM

3.99

8. HOTEL BED

4.20

9. BATHROOM AND RESTROOM

4.18

10. HOTEL BREAKFAST

4.17

11. BARS AND RESTAURANTS

3.87

12. CONGRESS HALL

4.36

13. ADDITIONAL OFFER

4.99

TOTAL:

4.11

FACT FILE CATEGORY OPEN FROM

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND CREDIBILITY Hotel Habakuk is the leading conference hotel in the SE part of Slovenia. On entering the market it had a great advantage over competitors because of the vision of the owners and it still has good results to this day because of that. The hotel as a whole does not merit criticism. However, some adjustments that could put Habakuk amongst the top competition again will have to be considered.

With the renovation of the rooms they have

2009

STANDARD

CONGRESS RESORT HOTEL

NUMBER OF ROOMS

186 rooms and suites in the Hotel (165 rooms and 21 suites) ***** 36 rooms in the annexe ****

ONLINE PRICE

224 EUR - 600 EUR (June 2012)

ADDRESS

Kempinski Hotel Adriatic Alberi 300 A 52475 Savudrija, Istria Croatia Tel.: +385 52 707 000 Fax: + 385 52 737 093 www.kempinski.com/istria

FACILITIES (pictograms)

Kanova Restaurant , Dijana Restaurant, Pool Bar, Adriatic Bar , Beach Bar , Carolea Spa on 3000 m2, Own beach, 2 outdoor and 1 indoor swimming pool, 4 tennis courts, Basketball court , Golf course (18 holes), Private oratory (chapel)

FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES No “author” restaurant. The quality of the catering occasionally fluctuates.

TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES Arrangement of the entire hotel and its surroundings and the diversity and integrity of the offer.

★★★★★

FINAL MARK

4.32 – PREMIUM

LUXURY ★★★★★ PREMIUM ★★★★

ECONOMY ★★

BUSINESS ★★★

BUDGET ★

39 Kongres at the Keyhole

LOCATION Istria is one of Croatia’s most important tourist regions and the construction of the hotel and villas radically changed the appearance of Alberi. Once a typical agricultural landscape with favourable natural conditions, it gave way to the golf course and a modern tourist resort.

Nevertheless, the spirit and authenticity of the Istrian landscape remains at every step.

The hotel is located at the top of the hill, the buildings and villas in terraces descending to the coast, which has some of the most beautiful beaches of the Piran Bay. The magic and varied heart of Istria is close by, which nicely complements the hotel offer, making it is worth taking advantage of the gourmet, sporting or other incentive events.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel location has its good and bad sides. The relative isolation of the location offers a great deal of privacy and an authentic sense of exclusivity. On the other hand, access to the hotel is a bit less comfortable than you might expect for a hotel of this category. If you are looking for hotel in the heart of the tourist region, close to major cities, you will need to look elsewhere. The nearest airport is in Portoroz, on the Slovenian side of the border, which takes mainly small business aircraft. Guests are left with the choice of neighbouring airports in Trieste, Ljubljana and in nearby Pula. This one is steadily increasing its number of flights, especially during the summer season with flights to new destinations London, Frankfurt, Brussels, Manchester, Munich and Oslo. For now, despite this, the first choice is access via motorways of the Istria Y or, in extreme cases, organisation of a charter flight.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The Architecture of the hotel is the work of a Croatian superstar architect of the younger generation, Ante Vrban. Although at first sight the architecture of the building is not catching, it somehow fits organically into the environment and, contrary to what often happens, the resort does not appear too aggressive. After you adjust to the slightly confusing and not best indicated logic of the resort, a walk between the villas and pools

becomes fun and relaxing. Luxurious villas, which they haven’t managed to sell on the open market, appear a bit unrealistic and not sustainable at all. With many viewing points, and especially from the terrace of Kanova restaurant, the most beautiful views of Piran and the Slovenian coast are offered.

The interior is characterised by typical Kempinski design language, with a modern and attractive, at times even luxurious, interior. The main plus points are comfort, quality and the high level of feel good and spaciousness.

WARM APPETISER – Personnel and culinary offer Kenpinski is a global brand, present all over the world and with clear standards of quality.

Expectations of staff as a result are high in a hotel of this category. It is hard to say that the staff are not trying, or not friendly. Yet there are some organisational lapses, which cause delays and fumbling in the service.

Sometimes there are plenty of waiters, as often happens at breakfast, but at the same time you have to wait an unreasonably long time to be served at the bar. Here there is a lot of room for improvement. The hotel breakfast is rich and the dishes here are well marked for a change, the buffet is set clearly and logically and above all functionally.

Orange juice is squeezed from fresh oranges and the choice of fruit is exceptional. Three hotel restaurants is an adequate amount, but they hardly compete with the rich restaurant offer of Istria, which is one of the culinary epicentres of Croatia. The only restaurant stand-out is Kanova restaurant, with wonderful views of Piran.

MAIN COURSE – Congress and hotel offer The first impression of the hotel rooms is excellent. Rooms are furnished and equipped really well and with a number of gadgets at the top of the region’s offer. Numerous additions abound: lights are operated by digital control and the peak of technological sophistication is the LCD TV built into the bathroom mirror and the designer Bang & Olufsen TV set. Leaving aside the fine details such as bed sheets and plenty of space, perhaps the only flaw is a slightly small balcony with a glass fence that does not offer any privacy. Otherwise, excellent

equipment, solid quality and attention to every detail.

A banquet hall for 250 people, together with two smaller conference rooms, is located in the hotel, however the main and the most interesting facet is the smaller conference centre Marina, a few hundred metres away from the hotel and beside one of the most beautiful beaches of the northern Adriatic with views of Piran and the Alps. Meetings there take place under the indicative slogan “Meet on the Beach”. Because of the potential privatisation of the entire centre together with the beach, the remaining meetings industry suppliers in the region have got a serious challenger.

DESSERT – Additional offer For the Hotel we can say, as in automotive jargon, that it has all the accessories that you can wish for and the offer for creating active incentives in the resort and in the near-by pristine Istria surroundings. At the top of the additional offer is really the only professional golf course in Istria, followed by the Wellness Centre, which at the time of our visit (June) only had half of the facilities operational. There are many sports playgrounds, with which they followed the successful recipe of golf resorts in some other better-known destinations.

FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES Clearly, the Kempinski costs money for the level of service they offer, but the prices for additional services, especially catering, is overstated in the high season. In the resort a true ‘author restaurant’ is missing, which would set new culinary standards.

TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES The Golf Club Adriatic is the only golf course in Istria with 18 holes, which finally enables a combination of the conference offer with golf throughout the year and with top supplementary offer.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND CREDIBILITY If you are looking for a conference hotel with a very varied offer and a relative closure of the resort that offers privacy, then Kempinski Adriatic is the right choice.

The completeness of the offer and the supplementary extras makes sure you will

40 Kongres at the Keyhole

definitely not yawn. The design of the hotel is advanced, but sometimes a bit unpractical because of the size of the resort. However, most conference guests will be positively surprised and enthusiastic. The biggest minus for a hotel of the Kempinski brand is the staff, who are working hard, but the impression is spoilt by numerous smaller details. Loyal fans of the Kempinski brand will not be disappointed by the hotel, rather they will be enthusiastic about the tried and tested hotel service in a more modern Istrian disguise.

RESULTS

BEST WESTERN PREMIER HOTEL SLON ★★★★

where urban locals have been meeting since the 19th century. In 1937 the hotel got the look that it retains to this day, when it became the most beautiful and the most modern hotel in Ljubljana. The Hotel became part of the Best Western Hotel Chain in 1996, at which time it was fully renovated.

PREMIUM

ACCESSIBILITY The Hotel is located on the main city entrance route in the very centre of Ljubljana. Key institutions in Ljubljana can be reached by foot, which is very practical. The Ljubljana Airport is 25 km away and the hotel has a well organised shuttle service. Parking a car is slightly more complicated, but can be arranged by the Hotel Concierge. The hotel is right next to all the main bus lines.

MARKS

1. LOCATION

3.95

2. ACCESSIBILITY

3.10

3. FIRST IMPRESSION

4.20

4. LOBBY

4.42

5. EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE

3.80

6. RECEPTION

4.16

FACT FILE

7. HOTEL ROOM

4.95

CATEGORY

8. HOTEL BED

4.88

OPEN FROM

1856, renovated in 1937,

9. BATHROOM AND RESTROOM

5.00

STANDARD

10. HOTEL BREAKFAST

4.47

HOTEL WITH CONFERENCE FACILITIES

11. BARS AND RESTAURANTS

4.12

12. CONGRESS HALL

4.49

ONLINE PRICE

13. ADDITIONAL OFFER

4.62

ADDRESS

TOTAL:

4.32

NUMBER OF ROOMS

FACILITIES (pictograms)

FINAL MARK

★★★★

168 rooms in the hotel **** 110 EUR - 128 EUR Best Western Premier Hotel Slon **** Slovenska cesta 34 SI 1000 Ljubljana Tel: +386 (0)1 470 11 00 www.hotelslon.com Restaurant Slon, Lounge, Pastry Shop Zvezda, Relaxation Centre, Business Centre 4.07 – PREMIUM

LUXURY ★★★★★ PREMIUM ★★★★

ECONOMY ★★

BUSINESS ★★★

BUDGET ★

LOCATION It’s hard to imagine a more central location in Ljubljana than the busy Čopova Street - all of the key city attractions are on the doorstep.

The Hotel Slon (Elephant) is the oldest hotel in Ljubljana and is one of the city’s icons,

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics The modernist style of the Hotel was created in 1937, with the hotel evolving during the transition from Art Nouveau to Modernism, a time of constant change. The appearance of the hotel is typical of this period, but one cannot speak of a special effort put into the design. The architecture is good, maybe a bit predictable, but more important, of course, is the interior, which has been renovated and updated recently, and with a sense of fine detailing that gives the hotel a soul.

WARM APPETISER – Personnel and culinary offer Care and attention to guests are in the genetic code of the hotel and for the implementation of these policies the Director, Gregor Jamnik, pays especial attention. An excellent choice was the inclusion of the legendary pastry shop Zvezda (Star) as part of the hotel offer. With probably the best pastries and cakes in the city, it is an excellent offer with a pleasant ambience. Breakfast is fairly good too, so no comments here. The restaurant and lounge offer a solid Slovenian and Mediterranean cuisine, but the price is worth reviewing.

MAIN COURSE – Congress and hotel offer 168 hotel rooms were renovated in 2008.

Interior furnishings are tasteful with quality, almost prestige, materials, with only the capacity of some of the rooms subject to criticism. Accepting that this is not a five star hotel, a little more space is always welcome.

41 Kongres at the Keyhole

The cosmetics in the bathrooms are not lowend, with guests having L’Occitaine available to them. The special element, however, are the beds, probably amongst the best you can get. The entire experience of sleep at the Hotel is called ‘Sweet Dreams’. Sweet dreams are disturbed by the occasional noise coming from Ljubljana’s main roads, which the windows fail to fully block out.

The conference centre with its five halls was renovated in 2009 and here too a high level of ‘feel good factor’ is incorporated. All of the halls have daylight and pleasant pastel colours and nice, rich furnishings were used. The capacity of the centre is 250 participants for conferences and congresses and up to 350 for receptions.

DESSERT – Additional offer Location in the middle of the city’s main events scene with numerous cultural, historical and culinary desserts.

FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES Parking, parts of the hotel appear a bit dark.

TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES Fine details at every step. Elephant shaped chocolates, tidiness of the rooms, luxury cosmetics in the bathrooms, free Wi-Fi. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND CREDIBILITY Congress guests are rather spoilt here; the hotel itself is not even that important, more important are the services and the attitude towards the guests. This is something they are well aware of at the ‘Elephant’ Hotel. The long history of the hotel has its own advantages, the service has been tested and is reliable and the guest gets a lot for his/her money.

An additional safeguard is membership of the first league of the Best Western hotel chain.

Time and again I note that this is a nice hotel that is sometimes overlooked on the Ljubljana hotel scene. In general, the hotel is easily comparable to all the top competitors of its class.

RESULTS

MARKS

1. LOCATION

4.90

2. ACCESSIBILITY

3.90

3. FIRST IMPRESSION

3.42

4. LOBBY

3.87

5. EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE

4.02

6. RECEPTION

3.92

7. HOTEL ROOM

4.15

8. HOTEL BED

4.90

9. BATHROOM AND RESTROOM

4.32

10. HOTEL BREAKFAST

3.94

11. BARS AND RESTAURANTS

3.68

12. CONGRESS HALL

4.05

13. ADDITIONAL OFFER

3.83

TOTAL:

4.07

Hyatt Regency Belgrade ★★★★★

PREMIUM

FACT FILE CATEGORY

★★★★★

OPEN FROM STANDARD NUMBER OF ROOMS ONLINE PRICE

1989 CONGRESS HOTEL 302 rooms and suites 221,40 € - 441,80 € (June 2012)

ADDRESS

Hyatt Regency Belgrade Milentija Popovica 5 11070 Belgrade, Serbia Phone: +381 (0)1 65 69 437 www.belgrade.regency. hyatt.com

FACILITIES (pictograms)

Restaurant Foccacia, Restaurant Metropolitan, Grill, Pastry shop Tea House, The Bar , Club Olympus Fitness Centre & Spa Regency Club Business Centre

FINAL MARK

4.03 – PREMIUM

LUXURY ★★★★★ PREMIUM ★★★★

ECONOMY ★★

BUSINESS ★★★

BUDGET ★

LOCATION The hotel is located in the new part of Belgrade to the north side of the Sava River.

The gigantic Congress Centre Sava with the Hotel Continental and numerous other important business and administrative

42 Kongres at the Keyhole

buildings built in the golden era of socialism are all nearby. The hotel is located at Belgrade’s business and congress centre heart and it was opened right before the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1989.

Architecturally it stands out between brutal blocks which frame it. One of the advantages of the location are the abundant green spaces in the surrounding areas. Belgrade often presents itself as the capital of fun in the Balkans and a part of this can also be felt in the vicinity of the hotel on the famous barges - ‘splavovi’, as the locals call them.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel is easily accessible. A smaller problem is at rush hours, when the accessibility from the old centre to the hotel is sometimes more difficult. The distance from the airport to the hotel is 16 km. Guests arriving by car are well taken care of.

The general taxi service in Belgrade is inexpensive and the hotel has organised its own, which is more expensive than taking a normal taxi.

COLD APPETISER – Architecture and aesthetics For the architecture of the hotel you will either love it or hate it; however this does not change the fact that even after 20 years the hotel remains good and well maintained.

In terms of functionality it is a good practice example for many modern hotels. The hotel is built in the style of that time and in the dimensions of the much larger country we all lived in. The magnificent hotel lobby is a further sign of those times.

WARM APPETISER – Personnel and culinary offer When the Hyatt Regency appeared on the market at the end of 1980s, it set new standards in the hotel industry. It soon became a status symbol for business people to stop at the hotel when in Belgrade. The essence is concealed behind the facade of the hotel. The staff is extremely professional and obviously pay special attention to education.

They surprise guests every day with small treats. Breakfast is of a rich variety, with some dishes prepared in front of guests.

Both restaurants are excellent, although compromised by smoking in the hotel, which is still permitted.

MAIN COURSE – Congress and hotel offer The congress centre is an example of good practice in terms of functionality. It is clear that it was planned by pragmatic Americans. Easily accessible from all sides, this multifunctional centre is not among the largest, however it is definitely among the best and most useful and useable. The central Crystal Hall, which can be divided into three smaller ones, is multifunctional and with capacity of up to 600 guests.

Hotel rooms are designed according to U.S. standards with luxuriously calibrated measures and all the equipment of a five star hotel. The furniture and bathroom equipment are showing the first signs of aging; however, the hotel is excellently maintained.

DESSERT – Additional offer The Club Olympus Fitness Centre & Spa includes a pool and a modern equipped fitness suite. Beyond the obligatory hotel shops the most prestigious shopping centre, Ušče, is nearby. Last year Lonely Planet listed Belgrade among the ten best nightlife cities in the world, making the additional offer of the city or its surroundings not too hard to find.

FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES Sometimes the price is too high when related to the quality of the hotel, especially in the high season. Difficulties with Wi-Fi internet, which is free of charge only for the first 30 minutes in the lobby and chargeable in the rooms, which is not in the spirit of the times and to the satisfaction of the majority of business guests.

TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES Friendly and helpful staff going out of their way to please guests at every step.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS AND CREDIBILITY Hyatt Regency is a legend on the Belgrade hotel scene. It represents an excellent choice in Belgrade’s current premium class. For many years it has been the most reliable and convincing Belgrade hotel. Soon it will face fierce competition with an excess of hotels, which will necessarily demand a renovation of the existing hotel. Already the rooms are calling for renovation. The hotel has a soul, which has been successfully shared with its guests for a number of years and, like the city itself, it does not leave you feeling indifferent.

RESULTS

MARKS

1. LOCATION

3.50

2. ACCESSIBILITY

3.80

3. FIRST IMPRESSION

4.15

4. LOBBY

4.60

5. EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE

4.55

6. RECEPTION

4.05

7. HOTEL ROOM

3.70

8. HOTEL BED

3.90

9. BATHROOM AND RESTROOM

3.90

10. HOTEL BREAKFAST

4.20

11. BARS AND RESTAURANTS

3.95

12. CONGRESS HALL

4.15

13. ADDITIONAL OFFER

3.95

TOTAL:

4.03

44 Top 10

TOP 10 SPA MEETING RESORTS IN SEE

The wellness offer is one of the special features of the region that has become an integral part of the meeting industry offer. We have selected convention hotels that can take at least 200 conference participants and offer attractive incentive programmes related to their spa and wellness offer.

HOTEL FALKENSTEINER IADERA, Zadar, Croatia Luxurious and architecturally sophisticated Acquapura Spa offers an unusual, almost mystical spa experience. Hotel, spa and conference centre are combined in a great congress product that is ideal for incentive programmes.

RADISSON BLU RESORT & SPA, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Rating: AWARDED

Spa Occo is for lovers of minimalism, natural cosmetics and a holistic approach. A component of the offer is a convention centre on 1,800 m2 that can accommodate up to 900 guests in nine meeting rooms. The spa makes for interesting meetings in Dubrovnik, also outside of the main tourist season.

TERME TUHELJ, Tuhelj, Croatia

Rating: DESIGNER

SPAE Vita, in the newly opened 4-star Hotel Well, is based on the proven quality of the hotel owners of Terme Olimia and is the largest outdoor pool complex in all of Croatia. The new hotel, with 126 beds, is complemented with a modern multi-purpose conference centre for 500 people.

THERMANA, Laško, Slovenia Wellness Spa Centre is probably the most sustainable spa concept in the region based on the wealth of nature, the healing effects of honey and the tradition of Laško. A true conference centre with ten meeting halls and a superb conference service.

Rating: TRENDSETTER Rating: AWARDED

SPA OLIMIA, Podčetrtek, Slovenia

HOTEL KEMPINSKI PORTOROŽ, Portorož, Slovenia

Wellness Orhidelia, the most prestigious side of Spa Olimia, is architecturally emphatic and one of the best wellness centres in Slovenia. The space functions perfectly in combination with the convention centre and the wide range of incentive programmes offered in the area.

Kempinski Rose Spa is an elegant spa overlooking the Adriatic Sea. One of the most prestigious hotels on the Slovenian coast is also important as a venue for boutique events and incentives for up to 225 participants in its seven meeting halls, the most elite being the Crystal Hall.

Rating: HONEST

HOTEL LAV MERIDIEN, Split, Croatia

Rating: CREATIVE

Diocletian Spa is the largest in Croatia, extending to more than 2500 m2 and focussed on Roman and over 70 other treatments. The congress centre is among the largest on the Adriatic coast, hosting up to 850 participants.

Rating: AWESOME

45 Top 10

HOTEL DUBROVNIK PALACE, Dubrovnik, Croatia

with seven meeting halls of a capacity of up to 520 participants.

Comfort Zone Spa has been receiving prestigious international awards for a number of years for its offer and services. The convention component can take up to 750 participants and is in a picturesque location at the end of the bay of Lapad.

The first regional member of Design Hotels is specific in many ways, most notably on its exterior shape, reminiscent of a luxury cruise ship.

The interior has an open atrium and innovatively furnished rooms, with the copyrighted work of Croatian designers. Ten multi-purpose halls can accommodate up to 650 convention participants.

The design spa is a rest for the body as well as the soul. Deservedly outside the category.

Rating: BEYOND

Rating: FRIENDLY

The Spa & Sport Resort St. Martin Rating: MINIMAL

GOLF HOTEL BLED, Bled, Slovenia Wellness Živa is the stand-out facility in the realm of ‘green services’, for which only natural ingredients from the local area are used. With 8 conference rooms holding from 10 to 350 visitors, it is the largest convention centre in Bled and a great alpine experience.

The Spa & Sport Resort St. Martin welcomes you with it’s Golfer 4* hotel, the award-winning wellness centre and its conference halls with unique locations, the resort being close to Zagreb and its airport as well as to the Slovenian border. The largest conference hall, Mura, has a capacity of 450 participants.

Rating: CUTE

HOTEL LONE, Rovinj, Croatia Rating: FRESH

LIFECLASS PORTOROŽ, Portorož, Slovenia Terme & Wellness LifeClass Portorož Spa are the pioneers of Thai massage and complex wellness services, renowned in the region and throughout the world as a spa with more than a century of tradition of health and wellbeing. The offer is complemented by the Portus Convention Centre,

46 Kongres travelogue

MARIBOR

Congress Impressions from the European Capital of Culture

Being a former student of the Štajerska capital, I am able to confirm that Štajerska are always willing to help and have greater cordiality and positivism than residents of other parts of Slovenia. The other side of the coin is a great sense of belonging to the hometown, the European Capital of Culture this year and otherwise a nice and friendly place to stay.

Years of dominance of Maribor Football Team over ‘froggies’ (as they like to call footballers from Ljubljana) have further strengthened their local feelings of self-worth. And something else like this on the first ball: Štajerska women are extremely nice and true beauties.

The University City of Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia and represents the business, scientific, educational, cultural and political centre of Eastern Slovenia.

I read somewhere that Maribor is a unique blend of urbanity and ruralism. This is true, as suggested by the geography of the city itself.

I guess that the constant search for identity of the city stems from this, as it is generally

accepted that Maribor lost its identity three times - after the First World War, with the departure of Germans after the Second World War and with the collapse of the middle class, and after independence from the decline of industry. In any case, Maribor is the only Slovenian city comparable to Ljubljana, which makes the whole folklore of relations even more interesting.

Geographically the city is defined by the Drava River basin and the green Pohorje, which is one of Slovenia’s largest forested areas.

Impervious Pohorje rocks are the cause of a phenomena so dear to me - a dense network of surface streams, lakes and moors, which give a special character to Pohorje. The climate is also favourable, although the winters are becoming increasingly unfriendly with regards snow and are causing occasional problems to local tourism providers. The contrast between the flat Dravsko fields and the forested Pohorje Mountain creates a lot of variety, both in terms of landscape and adventure. If we add to this the rich cultural history and the soft vineyard slopes, this is one of the best known Slovenian tourist destinations, especially given the fact that beautiful nature is already encountered right at the end of the streets of Maribor.

Maribor with Pohorje, foto: Jurij Pivka

Štajerska, together with the city of Maribor, is considered to be one of the sunniest Slovenian Regions. If there is fog in Ljubljana, Maribor will probably be having sunshine.

In the past, Maribor was an important industrial centre of the former Yugoslavia, however the transition to a post-industrial society was not the most successful. Many factories stopped working and the city was spatially and spiritually devastated, something of a ‘Yugoslavian Manchester’. A stroll today, however through the old part of town will not disclose this - the city gives the impression of safety and tidiness.

Access to the city is extremely simple, since it is situated at the motorway junction of the fifth and tenth Pan-European transport corridor.

In the immediate vicinity (from 50 to 130 km away) are three international airports. Maribor is a small and friendly city, especially friendly and easy to use for conference and congress guests.

Apart from ‘mega events’ such as Lent Festival and the European Capital of Culture, the night life is peaceful and looks more like a ghost town. Being ECC should bring the revival of the city, and in truth the heartbeat of the city has changed considerably this year. For the better.

In the period following the collapse of heavy industry tourism was recognised as one of the most promising industries. This is also shown by the growth of many tourist facilities.

A great boost to tourism, apart from the city itself, was offered by skiing in Pohorje, the annual peak being the Golden Fox event.

Maribor is probably the most developed Slovenian cultural tourism destination: the Lent Festival has legendary status and the pinnacle of cultural tourism is this year’s ECC. An indispensable part of the Maribor tourist offer is the wealth and variety of its cuisine and quality wines. Tourists are attracted by many attractions in the city - in the city

47 Kongres travelogue

centre there is the Gothic style Maribor castle, also unique is the Jewish Quarter with its synagogue. At Lent there is probably the largest urban landmark, the oldest vine in the world. Also well developed is the segment of sports tourism. The offer is constantly evolving and in recent years products related to cycling and walking have been developed.

The city has several hotels with over 1000 beds. Business and transit tourism dominates.

It is encouraging also that, according to the Trip Advisor, this year’s interest in Maribor has seen an unprecedented increase because of the ECC project.

In Maribor the catalyst of the meeting industry is Terme Maribor, where they see annual growth of some 20 – 30 % in the number of events. Probably the biggest drawback is a lack of specialised agencies and PCOs. Over the last decade, Maribor’s 5* Hotel Habakkuk certainly became synonymous with meeting industry tourism. The hotel, at the foot of Pohorje, is distinguished by a conference centre that still appears fresh and bright today. The largest hall can accommodate up to 500 participants, with a few flexible rooms that can be opened up and

City pulse, Navdih.net

used as additional space for receptions and exhibitions.

Conference guests can be accommodated in the hotel’s 101 hotel rooms. For conferences where rooms of different categories are needed, perhaps a strange option at first sight can be offered, which is a proven combination of the Hotel Bellevue (4*), at an altitude of 1050m, giving an additional 42 rooms.

With the renewed cable car the Hotel Bellevue has a more elegant access, and the morning view over Maribor certainly outweighs its distance from the valley.

The offer at the bottom of Pohorje is complemented by Hotel Arena, renovated to a high standard in details both in equipment as well as cuisine and a sense of familiarity. The Hotel Arena also has its own seminar rooms for groups of up to 60 participants.

In the vicinity of the Hotel Habakuk there are a few smaller, private hotels and pensions that fill up nicely during bigger events. One of the

largest of these is the sports-oriented Hotel Draš, also offering conference facilities.

On the other side of the meetings industry in Maribor are the so-called ‘city hotels’.

Piramida, a traditional city hotel, offers a limited number of meeting rooms, the largest accommodating up to 95 participants. Having renovated its rooms it is becoming interesting for smaller international meetings again. New on the hotel scene is the Hotel City, which will certainly encourage city competition to improve their services. A modern design, its own garage, 66 rooms, a conference centre with the largest hall accommodating up to 300 participants and an emphasis on culinary offer are part of its attractions. In addition, the centre of the city certainly offers more options for evening social and cultural activities and culinary experiences beyond the hotels.

Maribor has no shortage of special venues for events. Lent, the former Drava River harbour, with its numerous bars and restaurants make it an excellent choice for ‘wining & dining around’. A special event can be organised in the Vinago Cellar in the city centre.

Underground there are tunnels spreading over 20,000 m2. Your guests will also no doubt be thrilled by Maribor Castle, where the Regional Museum Maribor can be found. You can rent

Golden Fox, foto: Arhiv Sportni center Pohorje

48 Kongres travelogue

the Knights Hall for a standing reception for up to 150 guests. When you have savoured all the special venues, I can also recommend the Ptuj Castle with its idyllic courtyard, calling out for romantic candlelit receptions....

Maribor has everything bigger ones have (only in a smaller format). Compared to other Slovenian Meetings destinations like Ljubljana, Portorož and Bled it possibly has a bit less experience in the field of meetings industry, which it compensates with friendly attitude of suppliers, that give the client a feeling that he or she is wanted.

Comparison with the Region: Maribor is one of the most promising meetings destinations in Slovenia. The city is historically, ethnically and culturally extremely interesting. It gives an impression of familiarity and warmth. Unfortunately the city lacks an attractive story that would also attract foreign event organisers. The main reason is the inexistence of a convention bureau. I have a feeling that the lack of knowledge in the field of meetings industry stems from the influence of the past and industrial thinking.

Maribor has everything that is necessary for development. On the other hand people are not fully aware of the potential the meetings industry could have. We hope that the ECC project will also use meetings tourism in its start-up phase.

Cool meetings: Before downing the “Pohorje blue berries” liquor, try the Pohorje pot. It is a traditional dish that can be found in huts all over Pohorje; on special request it will also be prepared for your guests at Hotel Habakuk!

General and transport infrastructure

3.2

Transport Infrastructure, mostly because of the inactive Maribor Airport, is the weakest part of the Maribor meetings industry offer. Otherwise Maribor is a safe and pleasant city to live in. Its speciality is an extraordinary access to nature.

Gorazd Čad

Tourism infrastructure

Destination mark: 3.74 – QUALITY MEETINGS DESTINATION Ranking: 5

luxury meetings destination

4

premium meetings destination

3

recommendable meetings destination

2

average meetings destination

1

so so meetings destination

Natural and cultural factors

In Maribor and its immediate surroundings there are over 109 accommodation facilities with some 1,500 rooms. A little over half of these are in hotels that are mostly of medium or higher categories and are suitable for business tourism. The additional tourist offer is well developed, especially for sports and recreation.

Congress infrastructure

Individual marks: 4.1

Maribor is in the centre of Štajerska with a rich history that is reflected in its cultural heritage.

The landscape diversity of fertile soil, beautiful nature, forests, clean streams, and the green Pohorje are the basics for all kinds of add-ons for the meetings industry. Maribor is also the cultural centre of the country.

4.1

3.4

Congress offer of Maribor is concentrated in company Terme Maribor and their hotels Habakuk, Piramida (Pyramid) and Bellevue. This company and partly also Sports Centre Pohorje and City Hotel are carriers of offer and development.

The town is very rich with additional convention programmes suitable for incentives but unfortunately a comprehensive offer of Pohorje and the town is under-utilised and not presented, convention bureau does not operate, and there are chronic shortages of specialised agencies. A more intensive co-operation between all players of the destination is essential and we hope that the ECC Project will have a positive impact on the destination.

Subjective mark Maribor is an excellent meetings destination whose biggest problem is its meetings identity and visibility and the absence of co-operation between the suppliers. In Maribor you will not be able to find a specialised DMC agency with local knowledge.

Hut on a ski slopes of Pohorje, foto: Marko Petrej

50 Kongres travelogue

PODGORICA

Meeting Impressions from the Region’s Warmest City

Podgorica is usually not on Montenegro’s list of sexiest destinations. Mostly it is in the shadow of Lovčen, Kotor, Budva and other places full of history, culture and charm. It seems that it became the capital of the small country, and thereby took the primacy of the royal capital Cetinje, more or less by chance.

Less known is the fact that this is one of the oldest towns of Montenegro, which is somewhat inconsistent with its current image.

Today’s modern image of the town can be attributed to a bombing during World War II, in which it was practically totally destroyed. After liberation, the town bore the name of Tito and was called Titograd until 1992. The town today is home to nearly a third of the population of Montenegro, precisely 186,000 out of the country’s 620,000 population. For a long time the town has been more than just an addition to the more developed Montenegrin coast.

The town lies on the fertile Zetski plain, which led to its rapid growth and almost unlimited expansion. In addition, it is intersected by

rivers, which give it charm as well as coolness during the hot summer months. It is known for the warm climate and is one of the hottest cities in SE Europe. During my previous trips, I was more of a transit guest and usually I pretty quickly pushed to the coast or towards the hilly inlands. Over this time I have witnessed a rapid transformation of the town.

It is actually in the heart of wild beauty, accessible at every step, and makes for a great adventure in a variety of landscapes.

On one side there is Durmitor, with the Piva and Tara canyons, on the other there is the Montenegrin coast and the Skadar Lake, all readily accessible and in a very wild state, which Montenegrins regard as ecological.

Indeed, the attitude towards sustainable development is the worst part of the offer, with litter and other phenomena at every turn. National parks occupy 7% of the country. The most famous are the Durmitor, the Biograd Mountain, the Skadar Lake, and Lovčen. Interestingly, Montenegro became the first ecological state in the world in 1991. In

practice, I got the feeling that these are topics that are much talked about and not worked on. Additionally, these feelings are enhanced because of numerous billboards, whose abundance and gaudy images are a unique kind of pollution.

Today’s image of the town does not present its rich history. Near the town centre the settlement Duklja evolved, which was in Roman times the regional centre, and later the town Ribnica formed, which in the Middle Ages became Podgorica. In 1484 the Turks prevailed in the town, ruling for over 400 years until the passage of Montenegro in 1878.

There is little history left in the town since it got a ‘soc-realistic’ look during the socialist reconstruction. This look is today also much faded, and in some parts of the town in a dire state. Nevertheless, a few remains of the past can be found. In the Old Varoša there are the Turkish baths that have been converted into a bookstore, Sahat Kula is still counting time and with a bit of time and effort you will find many other attractions.

Arriving in the capital by road requires some patience and nerves and reminds of the good old journeys from my childhood. Highways will long remain wishful thinking and for the trail on the main roads you simply need to take time. Drivers in Montenegro drive ‘Montenegrin style’ and it happens not infrequently that a bus will be overtaking a car. The vehicle fleet in Podgorica is above average age, and German car manufacturers have grateful customers in Montenegro.

While walking around town, you will need a good orientation, since clear markings of attractions are missing.

Another alternative is the train, which connects Belgrade and Bar along a picturesque route. With the frequency of trains and time taken it looks like the time has completely stopped here and reminds of the time when there was still ‘Chiro’ train ( a train that rode

51 Kongres travelogue

on a narrow gauge railway) riding on this route. All routes cross in Podgorica.

The only alternative is to arrive by plane at Podgorica or Tivat Airport, which is 41 km away. Both airports are well equipped and are constantly increasing the number of flights, but from the perspective of the meeting industry it is still inadequate. A further airport is Cilipi in Dubrovnik. The national carrier Montenegro Airlines has in recent years significantly increased the number of aircraft in its fleet, and connects the country with sixteen international destinations. The grand announcement of the arrival of lowcost carrier Ryanair has unfortunately failed miserably and with it the announced 50,000 new tourists annually.

Taxi services and rent-acar are well organised, but as everywhere in the Balkans, the price of the ride should be agreed in advance.

Although the destination might appear slightly chaotic, scattered and wild at first sight, it is completely safe. Telecommunications operate regardless of the mountainous and difficult terrain everywhere, although you should be careful with the price of calls, as it is the highest in Europe. The much talked about invasion by the Russians in the media is more myth than truth, as today in Montenegro other investors prevail, with Rothschilds at the forefront of investing in Porto Montenegro luxury marina for mega yachts. However, the Russians are frequent guests, due to a relaxed visa system and the traditional association of nations.

Montenegrins love to promenade. The streets become alive late in the afternoon and in the evening, with the numerous bars and restaurants full. Some of the owners’ deco taste borders on kitsch, however you can also find quite a decent offer. In the tourism sector the unsurpassed Balkan hospitality is the king. Montenegrin cuisine with a touch of the Mediterranean is also well worth trying.

In the town transit tourists prevail, who stay for just a short time. Because of this, the town is in sixth place (taking into account the number of overnight stays), with popular coastal resorts taking the top spots. The Hilton Hotel will be the new star in town, otherwise considered not to be very touristic, with his ‘sister’ Hotel Ramada having just been opened. Most of the hotel rooms in town are controlled by hotel company Utip, who apart from Hilton also owns the hotels Podgorica and City. The renovation of hotel Črna Gora into the Hilton will give a boost to the touristic development of the town. This will be the second Hilton hotel in the region, which is a prerequisite for a serious standing on the meetings industry market.

That the development of convention tourism is not only connected to a tradition of it is shown in Podgorica, where they believe that the future is also in this segment and where some conventions have already been organised. In the future, the Hilton hotel, with a conference centre for 300 participants, will be the centre of meetings industry tourism. Today you can already organise congresses in the hotels Podgorica, Ramada, City or Best Western. We believe that for meeting industry development

the entrance into the market by international hotel brands will be very important. At the same time the establishment of a local convention bureau will be necessary and the development of a host of convention suppliers that can today be counted on the fingers of one hand. In parallel an offer of incentive programmes will be developed, which is today relying on the offer of the costal part of the country, despite extremely favourable conditions in the town’s surroundings. A remarkable unexploited potential that, in addition, they have failed to pack into an appropriate brand.

When I visited Montenegro for the first time, I was fascinated by the combination of gorgeous landscape, biodiversity and its pleasant climate. The extraordinary natural resources have not been managed well, however, a consequence of non-sustainable development in the past. The same applies to the potential for the development of the meeting industry in Podgorica, which is remarkable, but poorly utilised. Moreover, the country is small but has a remarkable history and, consequently, a high concentration of tourist attractions that could become an integral part of the meeting industry, or simply offer a cooling down from

52 Kongres travelogue

the searing summer heat. The town is thus in the shadow of the bigger tourist places and unfortunately also touristically quite boring. Montenegro is probably one of the rare countries with two capitals, the formal one in Podgorica and its capital of the ‘heart’ in Cetinje. If you want to find the true heart of the country, you will have to have to go on a trip there.

Gorazd Čad

Comparison with the region: For now Podgorica can rarely be found on the meetings industry map. Considering the outstanding potential it will over time come to have all that is necessary to be a true meeting destination. Among its advantages there is its strategic position, which enables easy access to the most attractive parts of Montenegro for incentives. Among the weaknesses we have to point out the current state of the meeting infrastructure and its transport isolation. Being an air travel destination it is highly dependant on the number of flight connections, including low cost ones. A convention bureau for the town would greatly help in positioning the destination, which it deserves as a capital city.

The town is developing quickly and is looking for the right image, torn between the classic tourism flow and the idea of development into a meeting destination.

Cool meetings: Vranac – an aromatic and intoxicating wine, a true elixir of life, that put you in a good mood.

The best known is from the Plantaže vinyards, where they produce the best Vranac, pro corde and loza (brandy made from grapes).

Destination grade: 3.36 – RECOMMENDABLE Ranking: 5

excellent meetings destination

4

quality meetings destination

3

recommendable meetings destination

2

average meetings destination

1

so so

Tourism infrastructure

Individual grades: Natural and cultural factors

3.9

Podgorica lies at the cultural and transport crossroads of the middle of the Zetska plains, only a hop from the varied Montenegrin landscape. Montenegrins are justifiably a proud people, reflected in the awareness of outstanding natural and cultural heritage, which is the main attribute of the touristic / meetings offer.

According to statistical data Podgorica has 31 hotels, 580 rooms, 156 apartments and a total of 1,600 beds. Approximately half of the hotel rooms are appropriate for meeting industry guests (11 hotels are of 4* category), a hotel with 5 stars is lacking. Taking into account the size of the town, it has the largest concentration of bars and restaurants, over 700 in total.

Meetings infrastructure

General and transport infrastructure

3.1

The worst part of the meetings offer, largely based on air accessibility, is that roads, railways and other traffic infrastructure is poorly developed. Also poor is the tourist information infrastructure of signs and directions around town.

The attitude towards the environment is not proportional to the environmental statements, because the infrastructure is governed more or less ‘domestically’ and it is the weakest link in the tourist offer.

3.4

2.7

Meeting facilities currently are mostly located at hotels. For now the best choice is the Hotel Ramada, with a smaller congress centre for 200 participants, but after the opening of the Hilton Hotel that everyone is waiting for there will be a larger multifunctional centre. The greatest weaknesses are the undeveloped meetings brand of Podgorica, the lack of a convention bureau and the needed development of a network of meetings industry suppliers.

Subjective grade

3.7

For nor Podgorica is more a transit tourist destination, waiting to present itself to congress guests.

54 Kongres personalities

ENFANT TERRIBLE

Janko Humar

Introduce yourself to us in two sentences – one as a private person and the other as your public persona?

I believe I can draw a line between my personal and professional life, but I cannot divide my personality into a private and public one. There’s only one Janko! I’m trying to be attentive, responsible and reliable but I’m afraid I’m not always successful. I’m aware I’m not very good at explaining problems or disagreements in a soft and gentle way, but on the other side I get along well with small kids and dogs. They are still able to show their real feelings and they kind of like me, so it helps me to believe that I’m not the biggest threat to the rest of the world.

Which are your favourite magazines in the area of tourism?

I assume I have to vote for Kongres magazine?

What was the last book you read and which book would you recommend to our readers?

The last (2011) novel of the most translated Slovenian writer Drago Jančar – To noč sem jo videl, an excellent and tragic story on love, life and human nature. A month ago I bought a huge book on Steve Jobs at the airport, but I’m still somewhere at the beginning – luckily the holidays are coming...

My recommendation - Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince, a fantastic source of creativity and ability to see things in a different way.

What was the last event you attended?

The Golden Apple Award ceremony in Kobarid – the highest award of FIJET (international association of tourist journalists) was delivered

by FIJET president Mr. Haddad Tijani to the Walks of Peace Project, an excellent idea that aims to connect the monuments and the battle lines of the First World War throughout the Soča Valley to the Adriatic coast and to transform the historical ‘blood and horror’ events to the touristic themes of peace and friendship. Mr. Drago Bulc, the President of Slovenian FIJET, used the occasion to suggest and announce that the FIJET will support the idea to propose the Javorca memorial church and whole Walks of Peace area for UNESCO world heritage nomination.

55 Kongres personalities

What was the last movie you saw?

I haven’t been to the movies for a long time. The last one I saw two years ago with my youngest daughter in London was the fantastic 3-D movie Avatar.

How many foreign languages do you speak?

I wish I were Rok Klančnik or Janez Fajfar, but I’m not. I can manage it with English, I know some basic French words and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been living on the Italian border for 15 years now and I haven’t improved my Italian enough to speak it fluently. I really have to do it in the near future...

Who were your idols when you were growing up and who are they today?

Long ago my idols were some of world’s best mountain climbers; unfortunately most of them are dead today. Hard lesson learned: being the best does not protect you from making fatal mistakes. So I have no idols anymore. Every man is unique and everyone should work to develop his/her own potential.

What was your first job and the job you do now?

Collecting and selling herbs was the first job I got paid for. Afterwards I was doing many different things from chopping trees up in the mountains to painting the Devil’s bridge high above the Tolminka gorges. To be honest, studying economics was more like an excuse for me to climb mountains and travel the world. But then while I was serving the army (it was still obligatory those times) I was offered a job in the Bohinj Alpinum Hotel Company. I stayed there for 8 years as a marketing director - looking back, we were a really good team in those times and I learned a lot. Then I moved to Soča Valley; first managing the sales and operations of Bovec hotels, then working as an independent consultant for two years and finally I got a challenge in establishing a DMO in Tolmin.

So I’m the Managing Director of LTO Sotočje since the year 2000 and also the Director of regional indicative RDO Smaragdna pot for the last four years.

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

Check my mails and try to join a team coffee ceremony before opening the doors for visitors.

What was the greatest influence on your life the most - was it a person or an event?

After all those years it should be my wife.

Could you highlight your best and worse life experiences?

Sorry I can’t. There are many really beautiful moments in my mountain, family and professional life but it is very difficult to compare them and impossible for me to expose the best one. And I don’t want to talk about the worst ones.

What are you most proud of?

My two daughters no doubt, both full of energy, confidence and the desire to take on life and discover the world.

Which success story from the area of tourism would you highlight?

I have to mention the growth of the central Soča Valley destination I’m working for.

Neighbouring Bovec was quite known before, but Tolmin and Kobarid were hardly on the tourism map not so long ago. During the last decade we managed to extend the length of stay, we doubled the number of visitors and tripled the number of tourist nights, we have twice as many tourist beds than 10 years ago and most importantly we have over 200 new services, mostly offering rooms and apartments but also camps, sports, transportation, ... Over 2,000 tourist beds, over 1,000 camp accommodation, 141,000 overnights in 2011 – it is not much yet, but it is a good start. Life is not easy in our mountains and now we have over 200 families who can gain some extra earnings from tourism that helps them to improve their standard of living.

Of course there is still a long way to go to the developed destination, but we already have some excellent services, we have our strategy and we are on the right track...

Which marketing idea sticks out most for you in the area of tourism?

The Sudtirol concept seems a case that managed to connect tourism and the local way of life. The destination succeeded in using tourism to improve the quality of life of the local population and not to lose, but to strengthen their identity.

What do you think is most lacking in Slovenian and SE Europe’s meeting industry?

We are only entering the meeting industry, so I really do not feel qualified enough to give you a serious opinion. I believe the Slovenian Convention bureau is doing a good job and can support us well, but first of all we should do our homework to improve the weaknesses within our own destination and to elevate our competitiveness.

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

Spring – Soča valley streams, waterfalls and rivers Summer – Corsica or some of the Croatian islands Fall – USA west side national parks Winter – wherever you can find powder snow What do you do in your free time?

I might be not social enough for the job I’m doing – I prefer nature much more than parties. I will always enjoy climbing and off-piste skiing. I like any kind of activities in nature....

Your life motto?

I could borrow one from a good friend of mine, Matevž Lenarčič, who made a fantastic circle around the world all alone in a tinny ultralight plane this year. He was flying deserts, jungles and oceans, to the Antarctic and over Mt. Everest... - a fantastic achievement of personal strength, dedication and technology. When he came back he said: “I’ve been flying all around the world but I have seen no borders. The world is wide and open and beautiful and there and borders exist only in our heads.”

56 History

Fourteen Congresses of CPY-LCY 1919–1990 XIV. Extraordinary Congress of LCY is marked as the disintegration date of LCY

Jure Ramšak is a historian and a junior researcher at University of Primorska, Science and Research Centre, Koper. He works on research and is teaching on post-War political and social history of Slovenia and Yugoslavia; above all he deals with questions of social critique, cultural development and Foreign Policy. Results of his research are regularly published in reputable history journals.

»The scene, like the event, was in part familiar and in part different. Jamming the parking lot were the same serried ranks of well-polished Mercedes, mostly black and mostly new, which had characterised at least the last four Party Congresses, bringing cynical smiles or puzzled frowns to the faces of foreign observers still naïve enough to imagine that Communist ethics or discretion should discourage such ostentation. But the physical setting was new. In place of the pretentiously austere ‘early socialist’ trade union hall on Marx-Engels Square in downtown Belgrade, site of all previous post-war Party Congresses in the federal capital, the 10th Congress was held in a strikingly modern sports centre […]. The delegates presented the usual picture of the usual mixture of self-confident professional politicians (metropolitan easily distinguishable from provincial), self important intellectuals and managers and self-conscious members of the working-class, including the obligatory half-dozen peasants in homespun shirts and opanke, traditional Serbian shoes with turned-up toes.« With this description Dennison Rusinow, an American expert on political questions of post-war Yugoslavia and at the same time a lucid observer of deeper social changes, captured the picturesque image of one of the later Yugoslavian Party Congresses. Under the Statute of the Communist Party

the primary purpose of congresses was for the highest assemblies of delegates, held at least every five years, and past work was looked into whilst also providing guidelines for the future operation of the avantgarde of the working class and implementing the Central Committee

elections as a determining body in the period before the next Congress.

The first, uniting Congress of representatives of the social democratic and workers’ parties from the territory of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was held in April 1919 in Belgrade, where under the influence of the Russian Revolution, the Socialist Labour Party of Yugoslavia (Communists) was founded. Although the delegates voted for the revolution, the dictatorship of the proletariat and accession to the socialist international movement, the congress progressed in the name of compromise between eternal enemies on the Left: Reformers and Revolutionaries (Communists). At the next congress in 1920 in Vukovar the latter were already able to achieve dominance of revolutionary orientation and renaming to the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY), which in the same year reached third place in the Constituent Assembly elections. Given the electoral success, the strike wave and the revolutionary ferment in Europe, the Ministerial Council and King Alexander Karađorđević, in the name of protection from a coup d’état, that same year banned all communist activity. By this act, and later the Law on Protection of the State, the operation of Communist Party of Yugoslavia moved underground, where it remained until the end of World War II. A further two party congresses were thus organised abroad (Vienna in 1926 and 1928 in Dresden), and in the meantime, a number of party conferences were organised either illegally at home or abroad. By rank these were less important gatherings than the Party Congresses and were on the ‘advice’ of the Comintern characterised by sharp fractional struggles and frequent leadership changes, identifying key positions, such as revolutionary tactics to seize power and the stance on the national question, all of

57 History

which saw an escalating series of national unitaristic tendencies in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Kingdom of Yugoslavia being accentuated to dramatic dimensions.

Based on the opinion of the connection between national and class questions or revolution and self-determination of nations, the Constituent Congresses of Slovenian and Croatian Communist Party were held in 1937, also, of course, underground. That same year Josip Broz Tito became General Secretary of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. He had earlier been in Moscow, where he managed to avoid Stalin’s purges, in which over 800 of the Yugoslav Communists, including most of his opponents and rivals, disappeared.

In the atmosphere of World War II under way on the European continent, Tito called the last pre-war Congress of CPY, or rather the Vth state conference of CPY, as the assembly of 108 delegates was officially called, organised illegally and in complete secrecy in a specially adapted private house in the Zagreb suburbs.

At the conference 29 members of the Central Committee were named and 7 members of “Politburo”, based on lists of youngsters which were prepared in advance. Their names were not mentioned, they were limited to short descriptions out of a fear of conspiracy. At the conference, the war was interpreted as a clash between two world imperialisms and simultaneously the appropriate time to launch a decisive revolutionary movement through organising broad-based Popular Front was identified. Comintern directives in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which were reflected in the above mentioned positions of CPY, did not remain without consequences in the form of a conflict between the Yugoslav communists, yet also did not distract the leading group with Tito at the forefront from creating the national defence strategy against fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, which either directly or through their allies inferred a ring around Yugoslavia. The final decision on the armed struggle against the occupying army, that on 6th April 1941 breached the

Yugoslav border, was taken at the meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee in early July 1941 after Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union with the creation of the National Liberation Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia.

The Party, although not very strong in numbers but well organised and well prepared for working in an illegal situation, had thus stepped to the forefront of resistance, which it always more or less openly connected with a revolutionary twist.

On these foundations during the war in the liberated territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina it organised two meetings of the Anti-fascist Council of the People’s Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ), which laid the foundations of post-war socialist Yugoslavia.

CPY, which prevailed within the partisan movement during the War, had immediately after the War started to construct its own power system, the so-called ‘people’s authority’, while the remains of the pre-war bourgeois parties were completely disabled.

Socialist transformation of society, which in the post-war years was primarily the faithful imitation of Soviet examples, but with the enthusiasm based on the experience of their own revolution, was apart from the thorny border issues the main preoccupation of the CPY and Tito, whose heroic cult at that time took on unprecedented proportions. When Tito tried to extend his influence beyond the borders of Yugoslavia on the Balkan Peninsula, this was met with Stalin’s opposition. In the months after 28 June 1948, a resolution of Cominform in Bucharest was issued and this turned into Soviet attempts to remove Stalin’s recalcitrant pupil. In the dramatic atmosphere caused by the first quarrel in the communist block and thus astounding the world public, the Vth Congress of CPY was taking place at the end of July. The entire situation was ambiguous: on one hand Yugoslav

58 History

Communists rejected the criticism on all kinds of revisionism and they supported Tito’s policy; on the other hand, however, they tried to correct the alleged errors, and they understood the dispute as a misunderstanding. The quarrel was not yet reflected in the configuration of the seat of CPY in Belgrade during the Congress, where on the facade of the building images of Tito, Marx, Engels, Lenin and also Stalin were displayed. But the reconciliation did not occur until Stalin’s death in 1953. In the meantime Yugoslavia turned towards the West, who helped keep Tito’s regime afloat with generous help in the succeeding years and decades.

The next congress in Zagreb, that of 1952, was thus marked by the triumphant spirit of the independently walked path after 1948 and a new ideological direction of socialist self-management.

with which they wanted to emphasise the role of the idea before the political power.

Kardelj’s utopian vision of socialist self-management was codified at VII. LCY Congress (Ljubljana, 1958) by adopting the third and at the same time last LCY programme, which led to re-cooling of relations with the Soviet Union, which were otherwise normalised in 1955. The hall at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, where the only post-war federal Congress was held in Slovenia, was left by all the ambassadors of the Eastern Bloc countries, except the Polish one, who allegedly fell asleep during lengthy speeches.

Congresses in the 1960s and 1970s, characterised by the initially described picturesque image, have also seen ‘kolo’ dancing and singing of Partisan songs and were once resolved in the spirit of reform forecasts (1964 and 1969), then in the sign of consolidation after the crisis (rise of nationalism and liberalism) and strengthening the power of the Party (1974 and 1978), but consistently in terms of predictable ritual.

The unique Yugoslav road to socialism, resulting from re-readings of Marx’s works, as well as works by utopian socialists and anarchists in the 19th century, and chiefly known abroad as ‘Titoism’ (although the chief architect was Slovenian ideologue Edvard Kardelj), became, together with non-aligned policy, the key determinant of the development of Yugoslavia until the end of its existence.

The three Congresses that were held in the Belgrade Sava Congress Centre after Tito’s death in 1980 were spent in looking for an exit from the economic crisis, which had With a view to emphasising started to deteriorate the focus on the deviation immediately after Tito’s death. from the Soviet statisticbureaucratic system, In the following years it faced the gap between the Party conservatives and liberals, the CPY was at the VI. and even more fatally between centralist- and Congress in Zagreb (1952) federalist-oriented politicians, which took on renamed the League of political dimensions, from which the country Communists of Yugoslavia could not be protected even by the cult of Tito, which under the motto “after Tito Tito” (LCY), persisted even after his death.

Conflicts were the most intense at the end of the 1980s, when the demands for liberalisation, especially from Ljubljana and from Belgrade, were getting louder. However, they were soon drowned out by the nationalist rhetoric of Slobodan Milosevic, highlighting insurmountable differences within the LCY and thus the end of AVNOJ Yugoslavia. Thus the 22nd January 1990, with the protest departure of the Slovenian delegation, (others followed and also left the XIV. Extraordinary Congress of LCY in protest, except Serbia), is marked as the infamous date of completion of the last Congress, but also as the dissolution date for LCY.

SLOVENIA MEETINGS Feel the people.

Taste fresh ideas.

www.slovenia.info

www.slovenia-convention.com

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Good practise examples

“Dine-around Ljubljana” Event title: Social Event within the International A. Menarini Nurses Conference Date: 30th May – 1st June 2012 Number of participants: 570 from 12 countries Location: the old town centre of Ljubljana and Ljubljana Castle Contractor: GO.MICE & iDMC Client: Carlson Wagonlit Travel

ABOUT THE EVENT: Ljubljana was chosen to host the annual event attracting participants from all over Europe. The one-day expert conference took place at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention centre (GR).

CHALLENGE: Despite the fact that the client (CWT Italia) co-operated in organising accommodation, transfers, printing of materials and technical implementation at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention

centre (GR), the biggest challenge was posed by the organisers’ wish to invite all participants to a seated dinner that would not take place at the Conference Centre or Hotel. Unfortunately, there are very few appropriate locations where a seated dinner for 600 participants could be organised.

them. After the dinner they had a surprise at Ljubljana Castle, which was turned into a fairy tale venue with 600 white balloons that they released into the sky together with good wishes.

The party continued afterwards with a performance by street theatre group Ana Monro and a musical performance by the band Terrafolk.

SOLUTION: Because Ljubljana is known as a town you can explore by foot, a proposal was made to the client for a concept of ‘dine-around’, that is to say, dinner in various restaurants all over Ljubljana with a common conclusion at the Castle.

Together with colleagues from iDMC Agency a ‘team-bonding’ programme was prepared, where participants walked from hotels to restaurants and had the chance to see Ljubljana in a more active way.

Jelena Petkovič, from iDMC Agency, used a Slovenian fairy tale, Ela Peroci’s “My Umbrella Can Be a Balloon” as a unifying thread. Participants, divided into groups, listened to the introduction to the fairy tale in their hotels, each receiving instructions and an umbrella, and on the way to the restaurant a number of fun tasks awaited

EVENT ANALYSIS The event’s biggest success was its ability to take the challenge of a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage (in the old town centre Ljubljana has a number of excellent smaller restaurants). At the same time participants, who had no time for sightseeing of the town, were given the possibility to see it and explore it for themselves, taste excellent Slovenian cuisine and all meet up again at the end of the evening.

“The event was successful, location excellent, as well as organisation. Thank you for your effort!”

Vittoria Pamela Pragliola, Operations Manager, Meetings & Events , Italy, Carlson Wagonlit Travel www.go-mice.eu

61

Gadgets

Interactive Distribution of Information and Greener Events

Create a Smartphone App for your Conference!

Poken’s technology is creating a new breed of meetings and events

Creating a mobile application for your festival has never been easier

The digital revolution has changed the way we engage with and consume information. Having to navigate an increasingly abundant amount of content, we have become more selective. For this reason, we evaluate the relevance of information we come across in just a few seconds.

In view of the limits of people’s attention span, event organisers are being forced to better manage the content they want to deliver. To do this, it is necessary to measure and monitor the impact of each piece of content distributed.

Until now creating an app for your event was a time-consuming project that involved expensive external development agencies. From now on, however, it’s a walk in the park … twoppy provides an internet service that let’s you create your app in minutes!

More and more people are using their mobile phone in a ‘smart’ way and using apps is becoming second nature. Mobile browsing on the internet is growing rapidly, but there is nothing more irksome than searching for the right information on a website designed for desktop computers. Thanks to twoppy you can create a mobile friendly conference guide in just minutes.

Furthermore, people are becoming increasingly sensitive to the amount of paper wasted at events and trade shows, pressuring organisers to find alternative solutions for distributing information.

With these challenges in mind and following the success of Poken devices, Poken launched the pokenTAG, an electronic sticker that allows for the distribution of digital files offline. They can store presentations, PDFs, webpage links, audio, video, animation or any other type of multimedia files. Equipped with a pokenTAG, event and meeting participants can collect these files with a simple touch. The information they collect becomes instantly available on Poken’s website, along with the digital business cards they collect.

The events industry quickly realised it could benefit from the use of such devices, with Coca Cola, Adobe, Microsoft and BMW just a few of the major global brands that have been using Poken at their internal and external meetings and events.

Poken’s technology is creating a new breed of meetings and events, which are more interactive and fun for participants and provide organisers with invaluable insights to help them better organise and manage the distribution of content at their events. www.poken.com

Easy Accessing the user-friendly control panel on their website, you can submit all the event information, such as: general information, sessions, speakers’ biographies and interactive map(s). After you have submitted all the information, you can publish it and your app will be instantly accessible through the browser of most modern smart phones.

For free And you don’t even need a big budget. The basic functionality of twoppy is completely free, and if desired you can upgrade to one of the premium plans. Visitors to your event also use twoppy for free.

So, with the advent of twoppy not only are large annual world conferences with their corresponding budget able to offer a mobile guide, but conferences of all scales and budgets.

For more information or to start creating your conference app immediately, visit: www.twoppy.com.

.com

Croatia Meetings Special addendum for Croatian meetings industry PETAR KRVARIĆ

WELLNESS – THE FUTURE OF TOURISM ROKO PALMIĆ

BUSINESS GUESTS WANT IT ALL, BUT ARE THEY ALLOWED TO HAVE IT? IVANA KOLAR

COURAGEOUSLY INTO NEW INVESTMENTS RANKO FILIPOVIĆ

IS TRAVEL AGENCY = PCO, DMC, EMC? MARIN NEKIĆ

CROATIA NOW HAS ITS OWN NATIONAL COCKTAIL!

Editorial Board: Daniela Kos, Aleksandra Uhernik Đurđek, Roko Palmić

No2 07/2012

63

EURES design your meeting The strength of Eures-tim are its eight experienced professionals

The Eures-tim Agency was founded in 2005 with the goal of applying their years of experience and quality cooperation to congress tourism.

They organise various corporate events, such as conventions, seminars, workshops, presentations, conferences, business meetings and other events in Croatia and throughout Europe. The agency rents equipment for simultaneous interpretation, presentation and conference equipment and also provides professional technical assistance.

In 2009 Eures-tim was included in the top 13% of the most successful Croatian companies, making the top 10% in 2010 (Poslovna.hr) and is listed in the Golden book of best Croatian entrepreneurs and managers.

The strength of Eures-tim are its eight experienced professionals, who by their creativity, motivation, strong desire and quality cooperation with partners produce ideas that guarantee a satisfied client.

The Eures-tim Managing Director and two of its meeting planners have demonstrated their ability to organise international events, recognition of this coming through their CDMP certifification by IAHMP (International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals).

The company’s VISION is to be among the leading and renowned PCO agencies continuously working to upgrade the service quality in the meeting industry.

The company’s MISSION is to place themselves on the market with their own brand and standard of service, to be modern, innovative and a financially healthy agency that will contribute to the growth and quality of the tourist product.

Eures design your meeting.

www.eures-tim.com eures@eures-tim.com T: +385 (0)1 61 70 728

Agency presents

64 Croatia Addendum

Wellness – The Future of Tourism From medical to wellness tourism, a concept that takes over the idea of caring for the health of the individual.

Development of wellness tourism Founder of the wellness idea was the American physician Dr. Albert Dunn. In his1961 book „High Level Wellness“ he had connected the words „fitness“ and „wellbeing“ emphasizing the meaning of a tight connection and interdependency of physical, spiritual and social health. German scientists Lanz and Muller, on the other hand, had incorporated the term often associated with an active and healthy vacation offered at so called tourist medical facilities. Ever since, the wellness concept has been represented through various forms of touristic offers such as health and beauty, city, medical and sports wellness to name a few.

Petar Krvarić, MBA After completing his education at Mercersburg Academy and Kenyon College in the USA, Petar started out as a wellness manager at Bluesun Hotel Alan. After two years of experience in hotel operations, Petar joined the marketing and sales team as a marketing manager, where he has worked on branding projects, organising events and the continuous positioning of wellness products at Bluesun hotels & resorts.

Wellness tourism is a specialized branch of tourism based on the holistic approach that uses relevant natural and other resources such as location, climate, therapy methodology and/or a range of natural ingredients in products in order to preserve and enhance a health of the individual. The goal is to facilitate such preservation of health during leisure time.

Wellness requires a proactive approach in leading a healthy lifestyle and is depicted thorough a series of behavioral habits such as everyday exercise, balanced diet and proper relaxation. All this is done so as to prolong ageing as well as to preventing the occurrence of diseases associated with such process. It is believed that wellness lifestyle is one of the key future directions that tourism will undertake.

Wellness, despite being a relatively new concept, has been historically depicted across various programs related to health, recreation and sports. The modern wellness concept is not about curing, but rather on prevention as it guides individuals to work on their lifestyle.

According to the predictions of economist Paul Zane Pilzer, wellness is quickly becoming the high profit industry. It's not a passing lifestyle

trend as it has yet to answer to the series of needs of a modern man who want to function and perform adequately: enhancement of his diet, exercising, sleeping and working habits (wellness revolution). Today's modern lifestyle requires an individual to take better care of his health and search for so called good feeling. Companies that cater to the needs of tourism, food, exercise and housing have recognized this new lifestyle requirement and thus had developed their own series of solutions to personal relaxation, healthy diet, physical and spiritual activities.

A range of modern types of wellness facilities One of the most widespread forms of wellness found within the touristic product is the spa concept. The terms comes the Latin expression „Salus per Aquam“ which means „health by means of water“ and is also associated to a place in Belgium that is rich with thermal water and carries the same name (Spa). The International Spa Association in 2004 renewed the definition of a spa: „Spas are places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit.“

Spa centres offer programs that encompass healthy appliance of water, specifically hydro-massage therapy and medical baths.

Currently available spa classification categories include daily, destination, spa resort, hotel and medical spa. While on a global scale one may find all of the above mentioned types of facilities, croatia is mostly limited to hotel and daily spa centers.

65 Croatia Addendum

Daily Spa is conceptualized for a one-day use. It offers individual treatments, such as massages, lymph drainage treatments, manicures and pedicures and all are performed by a series of patented ritual techniques and products. The idea is to offer a packaged service of complimentary treatments to be completed within a block of a few hours. This is another reason why most daily spas are located in the cities. Among other features of a daily spa are individual treatment rooms and may include everything from massages, hydromassage baths and meditative programs.

The industry standards also require showers, changing rooms, rest rooms and a reception/ lobby area. In Croatia, facilities that closely resemble a daily spa concept are so called beauty salons which represent 80% of all Spa facilities across Croatia.

Destination Spa offers more holistic approach to the Spa experience. Besides individual treatments, these facilities also include an overnight stay, fitness and wellness menus in their restaurants and sometimes even spiritual workshops. These spas are expected to have a sophisticated interior and a wide range of thematic services such as the expanded sauna offer that besides a Finnish Sauna, a standardized and most common type of sauna, also includes Steam Bath, Bio, Roman and/or Infrared saunas. A proper Destination spa would also need to have water based facilities such as hydrotherapeutic whirlpools, swimming pools with up-stream swimming function or vichy showers. All this is intended so as to enable the spas to differentiate themselves. A good example of such differentiation is the use of fresh sea water in hydro-massage whirlpools often found in Thalasso destination facilities as Thalasso means that natural sea water resources are used in treatments. Sea water, sea algae and sea mud could also be used in preparing different types of masks and creams in individual treatments. In terms of the fitness element of service, a good example would be an addition of a special technique of

aquaerobic as it stipulates inhaling of healthy aerosol. Thalasso, Thai, Bali, Mediteran, Aromatherapy and Ayruveda themes are only some among many available themes that could be used in forming a thematic based wellness offer concept.

Destination spas may also include outdoor facilities such as water parks, gardens and thematical flora in gardens. A good example of catering to the need of thematic differentiation is having a Mediterranean wellness garden with lavender and rosemary plants.

Spa resorts are facilities with a lower differentiation among wellness services as the resort may be focused on covering many other activities such as golf, tennis, nordic walking, meditative sessions and excursions.

Restaurants at such facilities normally have an a la carte offer that, besides the offer of mainstream dishes, also provide vegetarian and several other thematic specialties depending on the thematic preference or general concept of the restaurant.

Club spa is usually associated with the city fitness club as most club spas have evolved in the late 80s, a time when gym facilities were the popular places for working out and meeting people. In order to expand on the offer and satisfy their customers, many clubs had build so called massage rooms and wellness bars that offer vegetable or fruit beverages in addition to food supplements (protein bars, shakes etc.).

The last in the series of wellness facility types are the hotel and medical spas. While hotel spas are associated with luxurious spa centers found in the high-end city hotels, medical spas are related to the institutions in which all the cosmetic programs are supervised by medical personnel and include interventions such as laser corrections and/or injections of botox.

MICE and wellness go together Wellness brings the added value to the

leisure experience in hotels and is also complementary to the MICE industry. Faced with a fast tempo lifestyle and a need to perform with high efficiency and precision at all times, businessmen carry their work home more often. It's not uncommon to see these people working from their laptops in hotel lobby on a holiday. Technology has brought work closer to their everyday lives and besides feeling „better informed and connected“, but they are often tense and aware of their work.

However, today the hotel resorts more and more cater to the need of the MICE industry and create an environment where business can be met with pleasure. There's an increased availability of healthy lifestyle-related facilities, and traditional holiday destination are being turned into oasis of peace and tranquility.

This is all being heavily marketed towards the MICE market. A conference group booker would traditionally get rooms at some city hotel due to a convenience and proximity to the urban facilities. Today he'd rather take a group to the resort that offers teambuilding and distraction-free environment filled with wellness related battery-boosting programs.

Wellness facility essentials Achieving excellence in wellness depends on the extent to which the service encompasses all the complimentary and relevant factors: people that work there, ambience, products, protocols and thematic programs. The goal is to get a happy customer who'll remember the facility and the service for something that it's unique for: whether that is a particularly interesting ritual, specific product, music, scent, ritual or therapists. Size of the facility is not as important, although it helps if used properly (i.e. world of saunas if that corresponds to the concept).

Minimum standards that every facility has to oblige are the cleanliness of the space, safety, interior design and professionally trained personnel.

66 PR

Be it business or pleasure, Sveti Martin Spa & Sport resort is the place to be!

The Golfer 4* hotel has already hosted many national and international events

Spa & Sport Resort Sveti Martin is a unique destination located in continental Croatia designed to offer relaxation, wellness, sports, active vacations, conference and team building facilities! All this in combination with the finest gourmet wine & dine offer and absolutely stunning nature. It is situated in the protected natural area of northern Croatia (Međimurje), an hour and a half drive from Zagreb.

Spa & Sport Resort Sveti Martin will welcome you with it’s Golfer 4* hotel, the award-winning wellness center, 4000 square meters of pool area, an aqua park, various water attractions for children and thermal water. The offer doesn’t just stop there so if you are a keen golfer you will have

found the right place to enjoy yourselves as the resort offers a 9 hole golf course as well as many other sports.

The Golfer 4* hotel has already hosted many national and international conferences, summits and exhibitions and thus gained a flattering reputation as one of the best organizers of events in Croatia. The capacity of the hotel›s largest conference hall is up to 500 participants, although also smaller groups can find perfect conditions.

Other activities usually combined with events, like teambuilding, entertainment or short trips are also organized within or by the Spa & Sport Resort.

Toplice Sveti Martin d.d.

Grkavescak BB, 40313 Sveti Martin na Muri, Croatia P: +385 40315904 E: tatjana@spa-sport.hr www.spa-sport.hr

68 Croatia Addendum

Business guests want it all, but are they allowed to have it?

A new challenge for the meeting industry – how to offer a wide range of services and still obey new regulations and “the pharmacy codex”

As I already stated in my previous article, business guests really do want it all. They want a perfectly organised congress or any sort of a business event, but afterwards they want to relax. Usually they don’t mind a swim in a hotel’s swimming pool, a massage or a spa treatment. Even during a congress break they can relax with a 5 minute neck massage, or enjoy some essential oils to boost their energy.

This is what we call a comprehensive service and it is designed to meet the individual needs of business guests.

Roko Palmić is a hotel industry professional, specialised in overall sales and marketing, strategic planning and execution of plans.

He has held positions, among others, as Director of Sales and Marketing for Hotel Sacher Vienna & Salzburg and The Regent Esplanade Zagreb. Currently he is a Managing Director/owner at JumpUp Hospitality & Tourism Consulting.

But now, the MICE industry is about to face a challenge. During the last couple of years, a lot of fuss has been made about some industries, especially the pharmaceutical industry and the way they used meetings services. There were numerous rumours, and almost informal allegations, about those business meetings, congresses, events, that were outshadowed by the informal side of the event. Spa treatments, trips to the beach (if the event was held on the shore), the evening programme at the hotel....all this was in the focus of the event more than the event itself. When the recession hit, numerous companies throughout the US and Europe started to cut costs firstly on MICE services. Hoteliers and the meeting industry had to confront this challenge: a lot of annual events were now cancelled and ‘moved online’, over Skype or similar communicators. Also, a lot of companies delivered strict rules in terms of budget, so many of the recent 5* business guests had to permanently transfer to 4* and even 3 * hotels, regardless of how much low(er) rate the 5* hotel offered to them. It was about the principle. 5* hotels became unpopular and it was considered in some way unethical to use luxurious hotels for business services.

Finally, the last challenge the meetings industry has to confront is the pharmaceutical codex, which might soon be adopted by some other industries, for example the banking sector. The codex is very strict about using hotels

with the word ‘resort’ or ‘spa’ in their name for meetings services.

In short, the pharmaceutical industry is not allowed to hold any business events in such hotels, regardless of their event programme, or the fact that they will use the company money solely for business purposes, excluding spa treatments and similar activities.

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the key generators of business for the meeting industry and hoteliers, so this codex came as a big problem, or as we like to use euphemisms, as a ‘major challenge’.

Now we have the meeting industry, especially hotels (since congress halls are not affected by this codex) trying to adapt to the new situation. Some hotels, for example in Germany, organised themselves under one reservation system/web site that gathers all hotels and venues that are approved according to the pharmaceutical industry codex. This is a good initiative and a powerful sales tool for hotels, as well as a useful tool for event organisers on behalf of the pharmaceutical companies. Other hotels, that are ‘lucky’ and do not incorporate the words ‘resort’ or ‘spa’ in their name, still do business as usual, offering their venues and business services, but some special treats, such as neck massage or free use of the swimming pool, are not offered in any written form. It is, of course, up to the participants themselves to see if they will use the swimming pool, or recreational centre. This leaves scope for the hotels to still keep offering ‘the perfect service’, offering, off the record and free of charge, all those services that are left out with the codex, focussing on the main

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goal: keeping participants happy, satisfied and willing to return to the hotel, with their family or within the business arrangement. It remains to be seen how the pharmaceutical industry will meet this challenge.

Finally, we have hotels and hotel chains by the coast named ‘resort’ and numerous city and coastal hotels that incorporate the word ‘spa’.

And for an even greater irony, these hotels deliberately added these words in their profile in order to differentiate themselves from others and to offer ‘one further step’ in providing the perfect service.

We really have a dilemma here: I do agree with the moral and ethical goals of the codex and yes, meeting primarily means serious business, not fun and relaxation. But some small perks, such as a neck massage, essential oil therapy or a simple swim in the hotel pool, do not always mean decadence and a waste of company money. It simply means, from the hotel’s point of view, a value-added service, and from the guest’s point of view it may mean that key word that all HR consultants are searching for: motivation.

Business people work hard, long hours, take uncomfortable trips and transfers, do stressful business deals and agreements, all for the benefit of the company. And sometimes a small favour, such as those I mentioned, can mean

the world to them and motivate them in two ways: to keep the hotel in mind as the best hotel they ever stayed in and transform them into a loyal guest, but also transform them into a motivated employee, a loyal contributor to the company. This represents a truly important detail for the company, because, as we all know, no matter the industry, the bottom line is that it all starts and ends with the people, with their skills, talent and motivation.

And this is, I assure you, one of the motivation tools. It is not a big decadent spending of company money at the hotel bar, but these are just small perks, that are now listed as ‘spa’ and as inappropriate, according to the codex.

I am almost sure that in the future we will more and more encounter demotivated employees, simply due to these regulations. How best to deal with this? Well, the meeting industry, and especially the hotels, are here with a wide range of services, available any time.

The future will bring either the current status quo and focus of the ‘spa’ and ‘resort’ hotels towards leisure guests and business guests, but outside of the pharmaceutical industry.

Or, maybe, we can expect a bit of a loosening of the tight rules of the codex, which would lead, in my opinion, to a less stressful day of the business guest, but also of the meeting organisers. This would mean that the comprehensive service with a wide range of options would be delivered again.

Hotels are ready and they offer everything the business guest needs. It is up to companies, especially pharmaceutical ones, to weigh the pros and cons of tight regulations once again with regards to motivation of the employees and how the meeting industry might reflect on them.

72 Croatia Addendum

Courageously into new investments Our advantage is having a diverse offer

Terme Tuhelj in the Croatian Zagorje just received a new addition: its existing capacity was overhauled and raised to 4* with a new 4* hotel built. The total investment of €12 million represents one of the largest in Croatian tourism this year, with which continental tourism in Croatia gets a new flywheel. Ivana Kolar, director of Terme Tuhelj, speaks of the ambitious plans of one of the largest spas in the region.

Ivana Kolar completed her studies at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, where she is currently finishing her post-graduate studies.

She has been leading Terme Tuhelj since just after its founding in 2003. Under her leadership the spas have received many plaudits and have become the largest wellness and thermal centre in Croatia. Ivana is a member of numerous organisations for the development and promotion of tourism and wellness, and in 2011 she received the Best Manager award for the from CROMA, the Croatian Manager Association.

How did you in Terme Tuhelj decide upon such an investment, given the recession has been ongoing for the last few years?

Even though it is somewhat an unusual period for such investments because of the stagnating economy and pessimism, we decided to go ahead with this brave move because we believe that a better time is ahead with new markets as well. We wanted to be prepared for new challenges so we used this time to ‘polish up our tools’, to develop new services and to build new content. I believe that this was a good decision and that this is not only a great step for Terme Tuhelj, but also for the year-round tourism in Croatia, since with the opening of the new hotel, Terme Tuhelj has become the largest continental tourist centre in Croatia.

Along with the existing wellness and spa offer, with the investment you have expanded the accommodation capacity to 270 four stars rooms, and in the new hotel you are opening a congress centre for 450 people. What segment of guests and which markets are you primarily targeting?

The primary orientation will certainly remain in the Croatian market, especially connected to congress and business tourism, since we can position ourselves highly due to the new congress contents. But this development will enable a more serious performance on foreign markets, since we now equalised the quality of the offer of the entire centre, or the wellness, congress and hotel part. Apart from the very high levels of congress technology that we

have installed, we have also built an atrium and amphitheatre next to the congress centre where workshops in the open air and coffee breaks in nature can be organised.

What standards does a wellness resort have to meet in order to offer suitable services even to that more demanding segment of the market - the business and congress guests?

In every case it is the level of service, or rather the quality of the offered service and the professionalism of the staff. Our advantage is having a diverse offer, taking into the account the size of the facility and the constant development of new services and the advancement of the package services. We offer our guests more every day. We invest a lot in development and for autumn, or the new season for wellness, we are preparing a completely new approach, which is individualised and adapted to each guest, and all with the goal of advancing the quality of their life.

The Croatian inland is not well known by international congress guests, who usually choose our seacoast destinations for organising business meetings. Can Terme Tuhelj influence an increase of congress guests in the region? What authentically Croatian aspects can Terme Tuhelj and Zagorje offer such guests?

In Terme Tuhelj we have set high goals for ourselves in the sphere of business tourism and we will certainly influence an increase of business meetings in our region. Other than multifunctional halls with modern technology, open areas without walls and pillars in halls with the possibility of complete darkness but also natural light and a view of the swimming pools and the Zagorje hills, there is also the already mentioned atrium and breaks in nature and greenery and the possibility of holding lectures in the open-air amphitheatre. Terme Tuhelj offers our business guests a complete series of additional contents – wellness services, gastro festivities and the organisation of events, team building in

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nature, but also professional lectures adapted to the needs of each group or individual.

Zagorje is a beautiful destination for excursions in nearby farms and castles, wine tasting, or visiting Zagorje museums – a true fairytale whatever you opt for.

The owner of Terme Tuhelj is the Slovenian Terme Olimia. How much has the wellness and spa experience of Slovenian colleagues helped you in all that you’ve done?

We do excellent business with our colleagues from the main company. We have learned much from them since their business is ‘older’ than ours, they have been unselfishly sharing their know-how with us since the beginning and today with our mutual strength and knowledge we are developing new contents and services in both companies. In Terme Tuhelj we are trying to also develop specific services for our area, using our natural values – thermal water, medical peloid mud, beautiful nature around us and the professionalism of our staff. A great part of our wellness treatment is based upon our peloid, which is excellent for the skin, but also for treating the conditions of various medical problems.

Do you plan to increase the regional cooperation with the Slovenians in the future, or enter into mutual tourist projects which would also be financed by the European Union?

We hope and try to connect our regions as well as certain institutions and individuals who are able to participate. One of the ideas is to make a bike trail between Terme Tuhelj and Terme Olimia, since the area is ideal for bicycle tourism, rich with castles, wine roads and beautiful nature. But there are serious projects as well. A small step towards that is the activation of mutual service packages, such as packages we are offering to remote destinations under the name “1 vacation in 2 countries”, where we offer a stay in both thermals and the chance to get to know both regions.

You are a new, young generation of managers and you have used this opportunity to prove yourself in the business environment. In what way did you establish authority and was it difficult for you, as a young woman, to lead such a demanding project?

I have always been a good organiser and I know what I want, so there were not such big problems in that regard, but it is a fact that in years of work I have learned quite a lot and I always try to implement new knowledge.

A bigger problem was my younger years, so I have to have much better results than my colleagues in order for me, being so young, to be accepted. I am happy that I have succeeded in that together with my team.

74 Croatia Addendum

Is Travel Agency = PCO, DMC, EMC? Diversification and Specialisation of Travel Agencies

Generally, travel agencies sell service packages to a whole range of very different clients, from holiday makers to business people. Most meeting industry experts point out that meetings, incentives, events and exhibitions are not tourism business at all, but only use tourism infrastructure. The situation is perfectly clear from the below chart done by Gary Grimmer of GainingEdge:

a PCO organises all those happenings itself providing it has got the in-depth knowledge of the destination.

AMC - Association Management Company Provides management and specialised administrative services to trade associations and professional societies, running them like businesses. If it has the knowledge and resources, an AMC may also act as a PCO or may engage

Meeting Industry* is Different from Tourism

Ranko Filipović has been a meeting industry expert in Croatia for over 20 years. His current engagement includes his brands PerfectMeetings.hr and Meeting Industry Consultants. He is also a co-founder and Vicepresident of Croatian Meeting Professionals Association serving it on a pro-bono basis.

FACTOR

TOURISM

MEETING INDUSTRY

Participants

Tourists

Professionals / Business People

Participant Motivations

Fun / Pleasure / Relaxation

Business / Networking / Learning

Purpose of Visit

Leisure

Work Related

Customer Needs

Bargains

High Level of Product and Service

Buyers

Tour Operators / Travel Agents

Meeting Planners / PCOs / AMCs

Buyer Motivations

Fees & Commissions

Successful & Profitable Meetings

Decision Criteria

Destination Appeal

Facilities / Access / Market Issues

Buyer Service Needs

Reservations / Itineraries

Housing / Registration / Events

Distribution Channels

Tour Operators / Travel Agents / GDS

Corp and Association HQs / AMCs / PCOs

Supply Chain

Hospitality Industry

PCOs / DMCs / Venues / Event Suppliers

Market Approach

Advertising / Marketing / Packaging

Direct Sales

Securing the Business

Strategic / Marketing Oriented

Tactical / Sales Oriented

Size of Groups

Individuals or Small Groups

100 – 10,000 delegates

Main Economic Impact

Direct Spending

Trade and Investment

TOURISM OFFICES

EXPERIENCED

NOT-EXPERIENCED

* Term Meeting Industry here includes all kinds of meetings, incentives, events, exhibitions, corporate events / Author: Gary Grimmer of GainingEdge, EdgyThinking Therefore, the approach to the meeting industry has to be completely different from that towards tourism. Companies dealing with meeting industry organisation can be roughly placed into the following categories: PCO - Professional Congress Organiser Provides full service to meeting planners.

Sometimes a PCO may engage a DMC for services in a destination like excursions, dinners etc. or an EMC for themed events. Very often,

a PCO to organise a meeting.

DMC - Destination Management Company Provides ground services based on understanding and familiarity of the destination, possessing extensive local knowledge, expertise and resources, specialising in the design and implementation of events, activities, tours, transportation and programme logistics.

EMC - Event Management Company Provides services in a variety of areas including corporate events, marketing programmes

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and special hospitality events like concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres, launch/ release parties, fashion shows, commercial events, private (personal) events such as weddings etc.

Now, which three factors make the difference between one of these above and a general travel agency or tour operator?

Number one – experience.

Number two – experience.

Number three – experience.

Of course, basic knowledge is a must but experience in the meeting industry is the key factor that differentiates, say, a PCO from a classic travel agency.

Meeting, incentive and corporate planners are too well aware of that fact and will look for such partners when planning their events.

Therefore, to meet their expectations, general travel agencies wishing to serve this market niche will surely have to specialise in order to gain serious business.

To qualify as a Professional Congress Organiser, a company has to be able to provide – among other things – the following specific services*: – Abstract Handling – Speaker / Programme Management – Marketing & Promotion – Budgeting – Financial Management – Exhibition Management – Sponsorship Management – Registration Process – On-site Management – Congress Materials and Print

– Venue Selection – Hotel Reservation / Accommodation – Congress Technology – Social Program, Tours and Transport – General Counselling and Management – Corporate Social Responsibility * List of standard PCO services adopted by IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers)

Case study Two years ago, we were asked to organise a European scientific conference in Dubrovnik.

This biennial conference has been running for 10 years in different European cities and Dubrovnik proved to be the ‘magnet’ to attract the conference decision makers as well as the delegates. It proved that 30% of delegate attendance increase is due to the attractive destination and a number of them combined it with a post-conference vacation in the Adriatic. In their feedback, besides the scientific part, delegates indicated Dubrovnik as a key factor to attend this conference, giving them the chance to visit the city and explore the country.

We developed a conference website with an online abstract, registration and payment management. Of course, we proposed and handled the venue and all the services in the destination as well as conference budgeting, marketing, sponsorship and exhibitors’ activities. Our office served as a conference secretariat and handled all the issues (like registration and accommodation, fee payment processing, social events handling, travel and visa information, etc.) apart from those strictly trade professional. We also managed the speakers’ requirements and post-conference follow-up.

The variety and choice within the social program offered something for all of the delegates. The relaxed atmosphere created in the venues shaped the evenings for the delegates to catch up with old friends and carry on the debates and discussions from the day’s science program.

One of the challenges we faced was a delayed delivery of goods sent by courier service from abroad containing conference posters and branded lanyards. The shipment got stuck at customs on the Friday due to the weekend.

To be able to open the registration on Sunday, together with our local supplier we managed to print posters locally and to replace missing lanyards with new un-branded ones. When the shipment finally arrived on Monday, we were giving branded lanyards to the participants as gifts.

Obviously, each and every travel agency is not a PCO or DMC or EMC or AMC. To become one of these it takes a lot more than just adding the acronym after the company’s name – first of all it takes continuous education, experience and knowledge gained through the years of hard work in this industry. The future is definitely in specialisation – be it compulsory through legislature or voluntarily through industry associations. The clients do recognise and reward it.

76 Croatia Addendum

Croatia now has its own national cocktail!

In spite of a difficult environment and many barriers CROcktail is proving to be something really special

During his travels to international bartender competitions Marin studied the history of various drinks and cocktail recipes specific to certain countries. He came to the conclusion that some of the world’s best known cocktails (like Mojito, Capirinha or Cuba Libre) are actually mostly made of local ingredients, specific to the regions where those drinks were first invented. In that way those cocktails do not only promote the countries of their origin, but also stimulate domestic production (sugar cane, rum...) which has a positive effect on the country’s economy in general.

When he put Croatia in that context, he concluded that there is no national drink or cocktail that is internationally recognized as originally ‘Croatian’.

Marin Nekić, award-winning bartender and cocktail master, came up with the idea of the first Croatian national cocktail - named CROcktail - which is made from original local ingredients - cherry Maraska, liquor Maraschino and orange peel candy, locally called ‘arancin’.

“One of the first things that a foreign tourist experiences in a destination is local food and beverages,” says Marin. “Through gastronomy we can tell interesting stories about our country and present it to our guest in a new and interesting way. Besides that, in creating such stories I see an opportunity to connect and integrate several different industries that could benefit from such a project.”

Cherry Maraska - Queen of Taste After three years of detailed research Marin came up with his recipe for the CROcktail - the Croatian national cocktail, made entirely from local ingredients. The biggest challenge he faced was detecting what will make this cocktail authentic. In addressing this he started exploring the history of Croatian drinks, trying to find the one with the longest tradition. His research led him back to the region where he grew up, Dalmatia, where he now found Maraschino - the liquor with the longest tradition in Croatia. Maraschino itself is produced from a specific type of cherry named ‘Maraska’, only growing in the Croatian area between Karlobag and Makarska and reckoned to be the tastiest cherry in the world.

The first historical record of Maraschino liquor dates back to 16th century, when it was used

as a medicament in a recipe that was carefully guarded by the Dominicans. Other records of the Maraska cherry go way back, to 1399, where it is strongly related to the Zadar area.

“Maraska is 100% Dalmatian and Croatian and you won’t find this type of cherry anywhere else in the world,” explains Marin.

For that reason Marin decided to use Maraschino as the base ingredient for CROcktail.

Other ingredients added are cherry juice, lemon juice and a traditional Dalmatian candy made from dried orange peel, locally known as ‘arancin’. Those four ingredients together make the CROcktail, with several other variations available making use of seasonal ingredients like rose hip juice, tangerine juice, fig juice or even quince juice.

Looking for local support

If every Croat would drink only one CROcktail it would take around 180 tons of Maraska cherry and around 35 tons of orange peel candies or figs.

In other words CROcktail doesn’t just promote Croatian ingredients, it also uses them! CROcktail is in fact an end product that could help boost several other industries and, ultimately, increase the production and export of alcoholic drinks.

CROcktail is currently offered by around 30 cocktail bars in Croatia, but there is a lot of work yet to be done by Marin and his team.

“Institutions in Croatia that could help this project still don’t seem to see the big picture

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and all its potential,” says Marin. “We like to stick with things that are already market proven which, in many cases, means imported... It’s a long road, but every new cocktail bar that serves CROcktail gives me hope and inspiration to continue with this project.”

“In spite of a difficult environment and many barriers CROcktail is proving to be something really special and not just as another item on a cocktail list,” concludes this young visionary.

“Therefore I will give my best to keep pushing and I hope that someone from the main institutions will realise the opportunities this idea

presents. First of all I want to make CROcktail widely popular in Croatia, it has to become a part of national drinking culture. Without that it is hard to talk about international success.”

We hope that Marin will succeed in his mission, and that someday CROcktail will be one of the first things you think of when someone asks you about Croatia. If you happen to be in Croatia this summer make sure you try one it’s great!

CROCKTAIL RECIPE • 5cl MARASCHINO from Zadar • 3cl fresh lemon juice • 3cl sour cherry juice (Maraska cherry if possible) • fresh orange grind • orange peel candy (arancini) • cherry GLASS: Long drink glass PREPARATION: Place some crushed ice in a long drink glass, adding the ingredients as listed in the order above over the ice. Place some orange grind on top. Mix all of the ingredients with a spoon and decorate.

DECORATION: Sour cherry and orange or lemon arancin.

78 Kongres telescope

Athens: Timeless Truths behind a Modern Myth 95% of all hotels were renovated in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games

Welcome to the second edition of The Kongres Telescope and to the profile of a South East Europe destination regularly making news headlines over the last few years - Greek capital Athens.

Following our inaugural Telescope zooming in on the distant South Korean capital of Seoul, as we swung the lens back onto this SEE extremity a lot of media exposure was blurring its ability to focus clearly, so much so, in fact, that we thought it wisest to drop in on Athens to get a true picture of what is happening on the ground and how those involved in and supporting the meeting industry are coping with the current challenges. So we packed up our telescope and made our way there to take an even closer look - here’s what we found...

Firstly, for many people that we talked to, some of the reasons for the headlines relentlessly splashed across media outlets over the past four years are indisputable: a general economic stress and biting austerity measures hitting all areas of commercial viability; improvements needed to tax collection and an end to political cronyism; and more flexibility required in the labour market.

The country is one of a growing list within the euro zone going through important political, economic and, consequently, social adjustment.

However, for industry professionals across the board the broadcasts from Athens that have been dominating the headlines - those focussing on a small number of localised demonstrations around the city’s Syntagma Square - have not only been hugely damaging to the city’s international image, but have also generated a completely false portrait of Athens to the world. These headlines have made their job, already difficult in times of economic duress, even more challenging.

After some days touring Athens’ fine meeting facilities and quality hotels that support them, enjoying numerous restaurants in many of

its vibrant neighbourhoods, and visiting its wealth of cultural treasures, where you experience a warm and friendly welcome at every step of the way,

it is abundantly clear that the everyday reality of life in the city couldn’t be further from the damaging images generated by an often hysterical and selfserving media response to the demonstrations.

On the contrary, Athens is a peaceful, cultivated, welcoming and, importantly for today, great value destination in every sense, and with the Greek economy relying on tourism for up to 17% of its GDP it is important that the media-driven modern myth is quickly and rightfully dispelled by some of the timeless truths about Athens.

In order to make sure this myth is indeed quickly quashed, all of those involved in the meeting and tourism industries are tirelessly working above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that a genuine image of Athens and what the city offers is broadcast to the international audience, and that their product is the best, and best value, that it can be.

For this the meeting industry has a very strong foundation to build upon - Athens possesses a number of high-quality conference facilities, the most recent addition to the portfolio the three year-old Metropolitan Expo centre close to the airport and offering up to 60,000m2 across four halls. The recent Posidonia shipping event held at Metropolitan, with 1,800 exhibitors from 90 countries making it one of the biggest shipping events in the world, was a clear indication of how the €50 million centre has helped Athens expand on the scale of events it can attract to the city.

In addition to the Metropolitan are the established city venues that in their architectural differences reflect the many sides

of Athens itself. The 25 rooms from 1001000m2 available in the classically styled and historically significant Zappeion conference centre in the heart of the city, for example, offer the perfect venue for more intimate or prestige, as well as official and diplomatic, functions. The acknowledged jewel of the city’s convention centre crown, however, remains the Megaron Athens ICC. Although twenty years old, the centre is still among the finest and most technologically advanced in Europe, with 18 spaces covering 143,000m2 in addition to its foyer areas and large, private grounds, all just a short hop from the city centre.

Also just a short hop from the Megaron is the stunning Hilton Athens landmark hotel building, one of the city’s many international brand hotels and a key facility for events taking place at the Megaron as well as other centres throughout Athens. In 2003 the Hilton, like many other hotels around that time, was renovated in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Estimates suggest that as many as 95% of all hotels were renovated and upgraded, leaving a legacy of a high-quality hotel provision right across the city.

For the Hilton this included improvements to and modernisation of its capacious lobby area, making it brighter and airier whilst respecting its architectural qualities, as well as upgrading and improvements to the hotel’s excellent conference facilities, with 24 rooms set over 6,000m2 of function space, some of them offering views over the outdoor swimming pool, the largest in the city. To top it off (literally) and perhaps the greatest reminder of exactly where you are, the Galaxy room on the hotel’s roof offers the city’s most amazing views, an unparalleled panorama of the city with the Parthenon in its midst - always amazing, no matter how often you see it.

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Robert Cotter, Editor of Kongres Telescope

Not only were the Hilton and the vast majority of Athens hotels upgraded in time for the 2004 Games, but a new airport was built along with new roads to connect it to the city. The airport has allowed for the growth of Greece’s flagship airline, Aegean, who have been receiving industry accolades for the quality of their service. These are set to continue as they expand their route network and draw visitors from more new sources. Many of the roads within the city were also upgraded, the metro system was expanded and renovated to a very high standard and, of course, state-of-the-art sports facilities constructed (one of which, the Tae Kwon-Do stadium, is the subject of a consortium bid for conversion to a mega convention centre). In successfully hosting the Olympics, the pinnacle of the events world, Athens demonstrated to the world that the city could host events of any scale.

All of these are part of the timeless truths of Athens that have become blurred in the image of the modern myth - the city’s very highquality convention infrastructure, varied in form, can accommodate events right across the events spectrum. Supporting this is a network of high-end hotels, the vast majority of which have not even had a decade’s use since pre-Olympic modernisation. On top of this, with economic restructuring in Greece and in Athens, hotel prices have dropped to a level where it is difficult to find better value elsewhere in Europe.

And there is much more, too much to detail in our focus, but it’s useful to highlight just a few, as they have been pivotal to meeting industry developments of late. Greek food, for example, is renowned across the world for both being healthy and for the high quality of its produce. The restaurant scene in Athens offers everything international and Greek, from the local taverna to high-end Greek cuisine with a modern twist, from rooftop panorama restaurants to waterside dining at the harbour in Piraeus. The strong national affinity for cuisine was borne out by the recent successful bid for Athens to host the 2016 World Association of Chefs Societies at the city’s Athenaeum Intercontinental

Athens Hotel, beating off major international competition and securing the majority of votes from a 75-strong international panel.

Not just the health benefits of the country’s cuisine, but also health in general and western medicine having its roots in Greece (think Hippocrates) may also have helped the same conference and event organiser, Artion (see interview below), secure the 16th Congress of Neurosurgery for Athens, also for 2016, a year shaping up to be a busy one for events in the city. These are just two examples amongst many that could be listed.

For these busy years ahead in a city aiming to reestablish its credentials, it’s helpful that there is a such a professional team at the Athens Convention Bureau (www. athensconventionbureau.gr) to support all of their efforts, a team whose industry and dedication has been recognised by the latest MICE Report’s award of Best in Services and Assistance in Southeast Europe.

Having had access to numerous representatives of the Athens and Greek meetings industry over several days in Athens (see the following series of interviews) and

spoken to a lot of people in the industry, beyond the services and assistance and the range of positive aspects one encounters when in the city,

there is a further timeless truth that will quickly ensure that the Athens and Greek meeting industry is quickly back to its rightful place on the circuit: philoxenia.

It’s a Greek word dating from ancient times, loosely meaning ‘taking care of a guest’s wants or needs’. They have been practicing this for millennia in Greece. I could try to further expand on it here, but I have a much better suggestion: go there, be part of The True Athens that will dispel the modern myth that has grown around the city, and experience a warm, hospitable, welcoming and aweinspiring city for yourself and for your next meeting.

Robert Cotter

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A Look at the ‘True Greece’ “Now is the time for charismatic leadership”

With visitor numbers falling, public sector budgets squeezed and the international media’s unfavourable portrayal of Athens, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) has a task on its hands to turn the tide. George Koletsos, GNTO General Secretary, spoke to us about some of the tools they have engaged and successes they have already registered.

Tell us of any headline initiatives you have set in motion to boost visitor confidence in Greece as a destination?

It’s fortunate that you have come this week, as we have just launched our new microsite on the “true” story about Greece, www. truegreece.org, that can be accessed through our main website, www.visitgreece.gr. We invite visitors to Greece to upload their own stories with videos, images and testimonials.

This true image of Greece will make a real difference through social media.

A special part of our True Greece promotional drive this year is to invite 2012 influential social media users to visit our website, see the ‘real’ Greece for themselves and comment on why they’d like to visit. We hope to get the good news about Greece out to 10 million social media users and we will be selecting winners based on their comments, who will get a complimentary week in Greece and will become True Ambassadors for Greece.

In addition to this and in collaboration with the Hotel Chamber of Greece, we have together with Vodafone recently launched a free app available on their smartphones (Vodafone Explore Greece) that has the potential to reach 1.5 billion Vodafone users. It is a pioneering move and the first time ever that the public sector is working that way. The crisis has been the mother of innovation for us and we have come up with new ideas in new economic times.

How do you find the business climate in Greece now for launching such innovative ideas and how has the response been so far?

For the current economic climate there are three primary pillars upon which we work: the first is that it is “business as usual”, which is the case for all of us. The second is that of affordability and value for money - the prices are much less than they were two or three years ago. The third pillar that we build on is safety the recent media images are no reflection of the fact that Greece is, and always has been, one of the safest destinations in the world.

In terms of advertising in this business climate, we have moved away from TV or print and towards social media, on a much more targeted basis. The response has been very positive and the results more than encouraging.

What do you think are the key skills and key partnerships to help get through these challenging times?

Now is the time for charismatic leadership, but with very great know-how and experience. We want to create value and then claim value for our business, so a key skill is to develop lowbudget ideas that have multiplication effects.

Our recent projects have been the first time ever that the public sector is doing this, almost like a multinational with low-cost start-ups. Because of our projects, there is now a lot more interest from the private sector to get involved and we tell them we would like to cooperate and work with them to help them in terms of promoting and upgrading. Our project with Vodafone is the biggest example - we provided intellectual property, knowledge and content management, and for no cost we have been able to support Greek tourism through the app.

In realising this app we worked closely with the Greek Chamber of Hotels. We are also working to support the ACB on events thinking of coming to Athens and I am planning to hold a MICE round table to talk to all the opinion and market leaders to understand their wishes for Greece.

Tell us what you would like the GNTO to achieve within the next five years?

Our goal is that over the next five to ten years we will play our part in reaching the general touristic target, also set by SETE (Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises), of 30 million tourists, through upgrading and promoting all the other touristic sides of Greece, including all the possibilities available from mainland Greece. Current infrastructure can already support that level of tourism and Greece has a tremendous range of options to achieve this.

You can go from your conference to sailing within an hour, skiing on Mount Olympus to Aegean swimming on the same day. We need to promote the complete experience of Greece.

With each job in tourism - for Greece a strategic ‘heavy’ industry and important economic multiplier - creating another job in the general economy, it will help the country quickly return to growth.

Robert Cotter

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ACB: At the Heart of the Action “The key challenge remains how to better manage and develop our destination”

What changes have you observed in visitor numbers to Athens since the onset of the GFC? It’s common knowledge that visitor numbers have been declining over the last few years, especially in light of the crisis, leading to a fall in visitor demand for Athens. As we all know, this has to do also with the image that has been cultivated by the foreign media regarding Greece and Athens, but not with the product itself or the experience once you visit the destination. We feel that we are running through the worst period right now, but we are optimistic that in the months to come we will get back on our feet as a destination.

Alexis Galinos, CEO of the award-winning Athens Convention Bureau, took time out from a hectic schedule to share with us some of the current challenges they face as well as some of the great initiatives in place to tackle them.

Has the issue of visitor security been raised due to the media image you mentioned? If yes, how are you dealing with this?

The most noise that we have been getting concerns the convention side of tourism, where the organiser assumes the risk and now that the perception of this risk is increased it is raising the cost and challenging their profitability. Many have opted to skip Athens for now. However, we are in constant contact with them and we keep the links and our contacts alive in order to make sure this demand returns to Athens as soon as possible.

Another way we are managing this is through B2B channels and organising FAM trips, for which we just had a very successful trip from the US and Canada that generated very positive coverage. We also plan to organise a virtual FAM trip in order to be accessible to a greater pool of professionals through the web, and of course continue participating in events such as international expos and getting the message out as much as we can.

Is the economic climate being used by event organisers to push beyond best value and place additional stress on Athens’ ability to secure events and simultaneously remain profitable?

We have seen some of this and I’m sure we’ll see more, but we cannot work under such terms, as it would form an unhealthy form of dependency between the supplier and the buyer, which would place Athens in the worst position. As a destination, we have a specific way of doing business; we want to work with

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foreign buyers with a long-term perspective, build relationships with a foundation that is mutually beneficial and benefits Athens as a destination in the long run.

At the ACB what tools are you using to re-profile Athens as the attractive event destination that it clearly is and which do you find most useful for achieving that?

We will be using social media outlets that we participate in and manage as much as we can. We are also coordinating volunteer initiatives to spread the word that Athenians are hospitable people and Athens is a fun place to be, so we have a greeter’s programme - This is my Athens (www.thisisathens. org) - where locals voluntarily meet up with anybody interested in visiting the city to show their own Athens, something that works on a match-making platform to bring together people of similar interests. We are trying to work on user-generated experiences and to really spread the word through that type of communication.

What’s new in terms of infrastructure to support and bolster the Athens meeting industry?

We have been talking for the past few years about a large conference centre to put us on the map for that and there is a consortium bid to take on the redevelopment of the Olympic Tae Kwon-Do stadium to be modeled for this. We currently have the new, large scale Metropolitan Expo centre right next to the airport that opens the way for some larger events in the city. Beyond that we have ongoing projects that renew the tourist product, including the outstanding Acropolis Museum and the Onassis Cultural Centre, and we have a huge project starting on the coast outside Athens to include an Opera House amongst its many other attractions.

What attention are you giving to CSR and environmental initiatives for the Athens meeting industry and could you give us some examples?

We are working a lot with the civic society, the NGOs and we are investing a lot in creating a social economy element in Athens.

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There is also as part of our development plan the creation of a new ‘green zone’ in the western part of Athens, an ongoing project that people can be a part of or make a tour in. Furthermore, we work with schools, specifically greening the roofs of schools and getting the parents and pupils involved in maintaining them. We’ve also been allocating plots of land, a scarce resource in Athens, to vulnerable groups and training them in cultivating their own piece of land to help them be sustainable. These are all big parts of our programme and there are a lot of opportunities for participation.

With prolonged uncertainty in the euro zone and Greece often in the spotlight, what are the main risks to your events calendar and

what tools can you engage to minimise this?

Stability will help us better to know what our tools are and how best to use them.

Irrespective of the uncertainties, the key challenge remains how to better manage and develop our destination, which will always be the common thread against any other matters presently happening. This is within the remit of our mandate and this is what we focus on.

We feel confident that once the uncertainty that revolves around Greece’s future decreases and gets stabilised, there will be a re-boot.

The main challenge now is psychology and the perception of uncertainty. Once this is stabilised, we will be back on track.

Robert Cotter

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Meeting the Meeting Organiser “A Success Story is Always an Initiative”

Greek cuisine being famous throughout the world, the ingredients were in place to cook up the winning bid for Athens hosting the 2016 World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) Convention. Despina Amarantidou, Partner at Artion Conferences & Events behind the bid, shared with us the secrets of an Athens recipe that scooped the majority vote of the panel of 75 participating countries.

In your opinion, what were the main reasons for winning this event against such strong international competition?

There were several reasons, as follows: 1. W e respected and followed every single guideline and procedure (presentation content - duration, proposed venue and hotels - approach of the association members and promotion of our bid) 2. W e added value to our booth by offering Greek food and drink products etc. during the breaks, showing that we have the industry on our side 3. We sponsored a congress dinner and showed our commitment in supporting the WACS events 4. W e were honest about what we can and what we cannot offer.

These facts and all of our efforts promoted Athens; we had the chance to prove that the city offers the required infrastructure and interesting sightseeing points. On top of that, despite the economic downturn, we showed our government’s support and our wish and efforts to continue and evolve our business activity.

As a part of the bid preparation did you encounter problems with the media image that has been portrayed of Athens over the past few years?

We have been honest. We didn’t deny that there is an economic crisis; all of Europe is in crisis. We made clear that the private sector and the local government can and will support such initiatives and are still active and profit-making. In addition the congress subject is connected to stable sectors of the Greek economy: food & tourism. This was communicated mainly during the congress where the voting took place. During the bidding procedure before the congress there was no need to explain the situation.

What role did national and regional public organisations play in your bid success?

We have had great support from the ACB and the Mayor of Athens in financial and other means.

The National Tourism Organisation provided us with promotional material and the Greek food industry products and their commitment to support the congress in 2016.

What do you consider to be Athens’ key USPs in successfully securing further events on the back of such successes?

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Organising a big successful international event is always a plus point when you bid for another event; it makes the potential client trust you and feel comfortable with the destination. Athens has always been and will continue to be the gateway to the most famous touristic attractions of our country and this is something all event organisers should bear in mind. In combination with the infrastructure and the accessibility of the city it is the perfect congress destination.

Do you think enough has been done to unlock the full potential of the city’s assets for the events industry?

We can always do more and we are pushing ourselves to do so. Keeping the museums and historical sites open for the whole day, hosting social events in these premises and giving our guests the opportunity to visit more with less effort are some of our targets, but we need governmental support and approval and are working on this.

Does winning such events give you a confidence that Athens will always be an attractive destination for the meetings industry? How can you build on this confidence and use it as a platform for new markets and government support for the industry?

Yes it does. We can use this success in order to ask for support in other bids. A success story is always an initiative for the government or industry to support your next efforts. You build up cooperations that keep following you for your next attempts.

How do you and the Greek meetings industry best represent commitment to CSR and environmental initiatives? Can you give us some best practice examples?

Green events is something we are always working on - we use recyclable material for our events and make efforts to keep the consumption of paper to a minimum, by increasing the use of technology and electronic information exchange.

CSR activities depend on the event and usually involve organisations for the protection of children or families in need and protection of the environment (planting of trees, cleaning of beaches, etc).

Robert Cotter

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Interview with Hilton Hotel Athens “The approach has changed from all sides”

Tina Toribaba, Communications Manager, and Olga Maliko, Assistant Director of Sales, took a little break from the engine room of their busy hotel office to talk to us about how things have changed since 2008 and how they are continuing to attract MICE and leisure visitors.

What trends have you noted in visitor numbers to the hotel since 2008?

Well, 2008 was a good year for us in the hotel because everything was booked in advance, 2009 we started seeing a decrease, 2010 was difficult, 2011 was a year that saw everything pick up at the last minute and we did well as we attracted some large conferences, but in general end clients and organisers have been feeling more insecure and we have to work a little more to reassure them that everything is ok in the city. To do this we have the support of the Mayor of Athens, whose formal letters of support we sent to the organisers to forward to end clients. For every single piece of business that we have, we have to fight much harder than before and we are more competitive in rates. Once it is confirmed, we then have to work extra hard to keep the business in the hotel.

What kind of extra work and initiatives do you use to secure business in today’s environment?

Obviously the rates are one part of our offer, but we also work a lot on providing added value. For example, we are trying to attract the city break traveller and so we have created a package called ‘Cultural Weekend for Two’, which has gone really well and has a very good rate. It offer six double tickets to the most important museums in Athens free of charge, so in this way we promote Athens as the perfect destination for a cultural break. We also come up with a lot of offers both for the leisure and the MICE traveller. Those booking now at the Hilton Athens, for example, can save 50% with a great getaway offer that is valid worldwide and importantly in Hilton hotels across Europe. There is also the MICE offer of ‘1-in-5’, also offered throughout Europe but a real focus for us here, where for meetings of, say, up to 50 delegates, one in five goes free for DDR and room. These are special packages that we create with a small booking window in order to secure this business. We have offers starting from incredibly competitive rates for the product that we are offering. Our price policy has changed, our aggressiveness has changed, the market has changed a lot throughout Europe,

and for us it is also the consistent support we have to offer to the organisers about the confidence of the city.

How have you responded to today’s culture of shortened lead-in times for events?

Now we have to be more flexible and we have to respond very quickly - if a request is for one month from now and it is 250 participants, it’s your priority. You answer right away, you contact the client, you look at all the possibilities. In this difficult period you really become very alert and you have to be very professional in everything that you offer.

You really need to understand what the client needs and offer exactly that or even more.

Every business request is treated individually - we look at what kind of company it is, what other destinations are they considering, what is their general budget, we analyse how to split the budget in the department, look at what added value we can offer, we do everything to tailor-make the request for the client, to show a real professional service of a very good product. Also, something we do very much more of now is invite conference organisers for free weekends to see the hotel and city - not for a site inspection, but on a ‘come to Athens and see the city’ basis. When they come and see the hotel and the city, we are confident that they will book.

Is it a difficult time now to sell Athens as a destination?

This needs to be looked at the right way. It’s not difficult to sell Athens, we have an opportunity here now. You can get excellent service and products at a much more competitive rate that we have never before seen, it’s really very good value for money today.

We also think that city branding is now the most important thing of all - we as a hotel have lately tried to do more city branding than hotel branding. All our efforts have mainly focussed on the city advantages and not so much the hotel. Clients know us, recognise us and appreciate us, but we are trying to do the best to promote Athens. For example, we have uploaded a link on our website with ten reasons to visit Athens. All our presentations abroad and the press releases focus on the

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destination, as it deserves this attention. The city has a wealth of assets.

With Athens better value for money, do event organisers expect even more?

Yes, but you know your limits and it depends on the time and how much you want the business and your relationship with the client and a range of other factors. It is definitely a buyer’s market, not just for us, but also for the destinations. The approach has changed from all sides.

What activity can we expect from Hilton Athens in the short and medium term to

ensure their MICE business remains intact?

For us we will continue participating in all the major exhibitions in both Europe and the United States. We will not stop visiting the markets, either at exhibitions, direct sales visits to their offices or inviting them to the city. For all of this we work closely with the Athens Convention Bureau, as this is not something we can do on our own. We do what we can as Hilton, but it’s about the city. ACB do a good job with this and we look forward to further collaboration with them.

Robert Cotter

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View from the Flight Deck Aegean strongly focuses on quality, reliability and customer satisfaction

With Aegean Airlines ensuring that a trip to Greece begins at check-in and that you can savour Hellenic delicacies until they get you home, Stephanos Sadopoulos, Sales Manager for Greece, and Giannis Goulielmos, Congress and Conventions Specialist, took some time out from their busy schedule at Greece’s favourite airline to talk about some of their latest initiatives that make Aegean your first choice for travel to and from Greece.

What have been some of Aegean Airline’s most recent initiatives and developments to increase traffic and accessibility to Greece?

In 2012 alone the company launched 17 new international routes and with the commencement of its summer schedule Aegean reinforced its network with the addition of new services from Athens to Budapest, Prague, Tbilisi, Mariupol, and Kuwait, one new service from Thessaloniki to St. Petersburg and direct flight connections from 6 Greek islands to capitals in Western Europe (Brussels, Munich, Milan, Rome) as well as Tel Aviv and Cyprus. With Brussels being the heart of the European meeting industry, this is a very important connecting route. In addition to this, Aegean also operates 12 routes from Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Rhodes, Kos and Corfu to 5 cities in Russia, an important emerging tourist market. With these new additions, we now operate a total of 139 routes, 116 of which are international and 23 domestic. And lastly, it is worth mentioning that a fleet of 6 of the airline’s aircraft operates in the charter market, covering 67 international routes in markets which are extremely important for Greek tourism.

Could you tell us a little bit about the fleet required to operate your expanding network of destinations?

Im May 2011 we made the last changes to our fleet, since when we have been operating exclusively Airbus craft, making the standardisation of maintenance more straightforward for us. For our routes we operate a fleet of 29 aircraft of the A320 family, 4 A321, 22 A320 and 3 A319. Importantly, all of our craft have an average age of 4 years.

You joined the ranks of internationally recognised airlines by becoming a member of Star Alliance in 2010 - how did this assist your business strategy and what additional value has it offered?

We have of course gained from being a member of Star Alliance, with it helping our international strategy and proving beneficial to domestic traffic too. For example, it brings in customers from the United States and Asia that

would have been beyond our reach. And it seems that the linking of frequent flyer points has also been a very positive experience for us and our customers. We are now two years into our membership and so there is a lot we are still trying to assess. It’s certainly our goal to utilise the alliance as much as possible.

In existence since only 1999 and already garnering plaudits from across the aviation industry for a high-quality service, what do you consider to have been the key factors in your success and continued growth?

Aegean strongly focuses on quality, reliability and customer satisfaction, and we take great pride in the special services we offer, for example those pertaining to gastronomy.

Specifically, passengers of Aegean’s business class are provided with a wide selection of gourmet dishes designed specifically for us, which showcase traditional recipes from the various regions of Greece and use fresh local products and produce that exemplify Greek gastronomy.

In addition to this, business class passengers on international flights, as well as visitors to Business Class Lounges in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larnaca, have the chance to taste a range of selected wines. The purpose of this initiative is to promote Greek wines throughout Europe and introduce to Aegean passengers leading Greek winemakers and the Greek wine varieties from regions around the country. We also make sure that the Aegean Club Lounges at Athens, Thessaloniki and Larnaca are luxuriously fitted, offering unsurpassed comfort and catering to discerning passengers, as well as offering desk-top stations (where passengers can also use the new iPads we have available in these areas), wireless internet, and lockers where passengers can leave their valuables. For us, these are all key factors in becoming and remaining successful.

Robert Cotter

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An Indian Summer IT&CM India gears up for its first outing as part of the IT&CM circuit this August Robert Cotter, Editor of Kongres Telescope

After a summer of disappointing and autumnal-like weather, a phenomenon all too common when you live on the British Isles, sometimes the climate takes pity and sends a mini-summer in the month of September, something referred to as an ‘Indian summer’.

It comes late, but it is certainly welcome.

“The board discussed this in great detail, and we decided that it was better to be part of a larger pie,” explained Rajeev Kohli, Vice President of ICPB. “This will benefit the entire industry. We have a lot of respect for TTG Asia Media and we are delighted to welcome IT&CM to India.”

And so it is with this year’s IT&CM India scheduled for August 21-23 in New Delhi’s India Expo Centre and Mart - the latecomer to the IT&CM family of events, but a more than welcome addition, bringing the capital of the world’s second most populous country into focus for the the meeting industry and throwing the spotlight on some of the vast potential that to be explored in India over the coming decade.

Showcasing what modern India has to offer and what can be expected in the years to come, five new hotels in Delhi were announced as official hospitality partners, being the Hilton New Delhi, Fraser Suites, Radisson Blu, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort and the DoubleTree by Hilton. The interntional curiosity about the event has been signalled by the spectrum of exhibitors already registered, including Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, the Singapore Association of Conventions, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Tourism of Cambodia.

Already interest in this inaugural event has been high, with registration from well over 300 international and Indian buyers and almost 100 registered media confirmed to attend, numbers sure to swell as the opening day draws closer. Organised and run by TTG Asia Media, the event will be based on the ingredients that have made the IT&CM events in China and Thailand so successful, those of business, education and networking.

It also offers a new direction in its format.

“IT&CM India will be the first IT&CM event to incorporate luxury travel in its exhibition showcase and, as such, in addition to meetings and events industry and corporate buyers, we will also be targeting buyers representing upmarket clientele,” said Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media.

The organisation of the event has been carried out in collaboration with the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), the bureau being the event’s endorsing association, meaning that Delegates to IT&CM India will also gain access to ICPB’s Conventions India Conclave (CIC), featuring educational sessions on industry topics focusing on doing business in India.

The collaboration is expected to mutually enhance both the IT&CM India and the CIC offering.

A lot is expected from the Indian business market and its meeting industry over the next decade, on a scale to match the potential of China. The IT&CM India event is an important step in opening up this dynamic market much faster and much further - especially as it has promised some “added features”. Kongres are

eagerly looking forward to the event in August and will be on the ground to send live blogs and a report in the September issue - keep an eye out for that!

Robert Cotter

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Viewing the World and in the World’s View IT&CM China 2012: The express goal is to double the size of the event over the next 2-3 years

From the top of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, it feels like you can see right across the world. Located in Shanghai’s central Pudong district and reaching a height of just under 500m, the 474m observation deck offers views that are hard to imagine, never mind to describe. Whilst the field of view mightn’t actually make it quite the whole way across the world, a peek in a south-westerly direction, towards the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, will take your gaze to a spot that did manage to attract the world to it during April of this year.

The 6th edition of IT&CM China, between 17-19 April, built on the theme of promoting China to the world and the world to China with this year’s ‘Advancing MICE and Business Minds’ and was a hub of activity for the numerous buyers and exhibitors who had made their way to dynamic heart of China’s financial city. And numerous they were: a 30% larger MICE exhibitor showcase than last year saw records break, with 1,302 registered delegates from 45 countries and territories filling up the 6000m2 of floorspace (with more to come), including 850 exhibitors representing 317 organisations from across the world, 380 buyers (of whom 50% were from China), and 72 international and Chinese media. An approximate 800 trade visitors also attended the exhibition and the IT&CM China Seminar sessions. Significantly, there were 50 new international and domestic companies exhibiting and 50% of the buyers were first time participants, all clear signals of the direction of growth that the event is moving in. The event was also being visited by buyers from south-east European destinations, such as Prague and Budapest, further demonstrating just how widely the event continues to cast its international appeal.

In response to an exhibitor desire to meet with more Chinese buyers, this year’s event was co-organised by both MP International and, in 2012 for the first time, CITS International M.I.C.E - a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITS (China International Travel Service) alongside TTG Asia. The express goal of this collaborative effort - and one that seems on

course from experiencing the event - is to double its size over the next 2-3 years and have it directly compete with IMEX and EIBTM. The gauntlet has been laid down!

The combination of the number, type and geographical scope of delegates with the collaborative organisation at this year’s IT&CM China guaranteed that it was again a major forum for business, with more than 12,000 business appointments conducted on site and at the social events as well as a significant number more at events connected to the Shanghai Business Events Week (SBEW), an event organised by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Authority (SMTA) and of which IT&CM China was one element.

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Artemis Skordili, Associate Editor of Kongres Telescope

Back at the observation tower of the Financial Centre and the views are still truly dizzying.

As the buildings in Shanghai continue to go up and up, so too does the country’s business prominence and, naturally as a part of this, its profile and importance as a meeting industry destination. And as IT&CM China continues to emerge and develop over the years ahead, it too will offer a view as expansive as that of the Financial Centre, but one for the meetings industry. And thankfully it will be from it’s reassuringly less vertiginous setting at ground level.

Artemis Skordili

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The last word

Anuša Gaši, Loža

Well defined relationships are key to an orderly event organisation market Established criteria regarding who can be declared an event organiser and what is the award, would bring many mid-term benefits xperience teaches us that poor leads to poorer, however when it comes to the event organisation industry, which was hit by trimmed marketing budgets, cut back attitudes and a flood of ad hoc writers and set designers, we should not give up too soon. I repeat this to myself when I am insisting at superficially prepared tenders to face the competition that is (usually) winning by constant price reductions and cheap ideas, which places the whole event organisation sector at a level of charlatans.

E

Event organisation is as old as humankind.

In the beginning there were rituals, then came spectacles of all kinds and further development into corporate and marketing communication.

In Slovenia this segment of marketing communications was taken more seriously at the same time as the growth of the advertising industry in the early 90s of the

previous century, when the first specialised event organisation agencies appeared or – as we called them in a more “wise sounding” way – event management. Only a few of these agencies are still alive today; most of them sank – under the weight of a blown ego trip (unfortunately very typical among event organisers), irreconcilable differences between revenue and expenditure in balance sheets, or delayed responses to new market realities.

I was lucky that in the few years when I was active in event organisation, I had essential experience of everything event organisers are faced with – I was a part of an organising team of some of the largest events (largest in our conditions), I have seen that rise and fall of people who were driven by money instead of the heart, I’ve seen meteoric rises of newly formed event masters, above all I have learned to check the business interests of clients of events of extremely varied types.

In fact I am still learning today, also because I do not employ the popular copy–paste method when creating solutions. I would be more than happy to finish some formal education in this field, but unfortunately this is not available apart from occasional and sporadic lectures. I would be equally happy to be inspected and put under the spotlight of credible auditors in

the field. However, they do not exist.

From what the rare well-skilled, experienced, professional and immaculate event organisers have failed to do so far, the introduction of a formal education and acquisition of a certificate of competency for this kind of work, as well as an organisation that would look after the development of the profession, represent our main debt for the future.

Experience of advertisers and PR professionals shows us that professional organisations and events like SOF, SKOJ, not to mention the Golden Drum, have undoubtedly contributed to the recognition and establishment of the branch.

At the same time they enabled a space within which at least some relevant relationships between knowledge (services) and their market value were created.

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These experiences might seem a weak argument for event organisers to take on the complex ventures that I mentioned above, however the fact that our industry is increasingly becoming a place of anomaly and not of incisive thought, and that the balance is not tipped on the basis of argument but rather on the basis of power, should not leave us in peace. Let’s forget high-flying thoughts for our successors who would allegedly be grateful for our stance, for such a distant future that nowadays only artists (rightly) and politicians (completely unduly) deal and otherwise no one is taking care of.

It is about us. And our clients, that no-one is even trying to educate enough so that they would be competently choosing between offers that are signed by people whose experience is limited to a few weddings and a few trade union picnics, their reading limited to Facebook and Twitter and they count among their greatest achievements shaking hands with some Z list Slovenian celebrities; and those offers that are prepared by a team of well educated and experienced individuals who have a variety of knowledge from scenographic, technological to marketing techniques and writing skills.

Nowadays their decisions are mostly on numbers.

On simplified weighting between more or less. More complex mathematical functions that would also show effects of financial investment in events and true value of bought services are the exception, not the rule.

Established criteria on who can be called an event organiser and what is the reward they can expect for their services would bring at least three medium-term benefits: a transparent suppliers market, balanced and realistic market prices and it would raise the reputation of event organisers.

That is why it is worth making an effort on this. Now.

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Meeting services spot

CVB (National, Regional or Local CVB (CVB - Convention and Visitors Bureau) Zagreb Convention Bureau Kaptol 5, Zagreb Croatia +385 (0)14 898 555 info@zagreb-convention.hr www.zagreb-convention.hr

Kongresno-turistični servis Albatros Ribenska cesta 2 4260 Bled Slovenia +386 (0)45 780 350 Info@albatros-bled.com www.albatros-bled.com

DMC (Destination management company

Ljubljana Tourism / Convention Bureau Krekov trg 10, Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 306 45 73 convention@visitljubljana.si www.visitljubljana.si

DUBROVNIK TRAVEL Obala S. Radica 25 20 000 Dubrovnik Croatia +385 (0)20 313 555 croatia@dubrovniktravel.com www.dubrovniktravel.com

Slovenian Convention Bureau Dunajska 156 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 569 1260 info@slovenia-convention.com www.slovenia-convention.com

KOMPAS DMC Pražakova 4 1514 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 200 64 09 viljam.kvalic@kompas.si www.kompasmice.com

PCO (Professional Congress Organiser)

®

LIBERTY INCENTIVES & CONGRESSES SLOVENIA Robbova 2, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia +386 (0)1 232 11 71 info@liberty-slovenia.com www.slovenia-dmc.com www.liberty-incentive.net

Congress & Exhitbition Centre

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 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

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

93 Legend

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

Congress & Exhitbition Centre

PCO (Professional Congress Organiser)

Congress Hotel

DMC (Destination management company

Hotel with conference facilities

Event agency

Other Congress Services

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

Congress Hotel

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

Hotel Lone, Rovinj Luje Adamovića 31 HR - 52210 Rovinj Hrvaška +385 (0)52 632 000 lone@maistra.hr www.lonehotel.com

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 Maribor d.d.

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

MILENIJ HOTELI d.o.o.

V. Cara Emina 6 51410 Opatija Croatia +385 (0)51 278 004 +385 (0)51 278 024 kongresi@milenijhoteli.hr www.milenijhoteli.hr

Thermana d.d., Hotels and Resorts Zdraviliška c. 6 3270 Laško Slovenia +386 (0)3 423 20 00 info@thermana.si www.thermana.si

Hotel with conference facilities

Other Congress Services

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

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

CATERING Jezeršek Jezeršek gostinstvo d.o.o.

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

Špičnik

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BUSINESS & WELLNESS

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Casino Velden – gaming, dining and entertainment!

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