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Business Events Opportunities 2 0 1 5
We Need Better Tourist Products
Serbia should look up to nearby countries like Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, which, despite being landlocked, have achieved economic growth thanks to the development of tourism products
DRAGANA ŠABIĆ
SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S TOURISM ASSOCIATION
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ccording to the relevant statistical hotels are also expected to be opened in data, Serbia is considered by many as 2015, including a Marriott and Holiday Inn a well-known and interesting destinaExpress. Hotel accommodation in Central tion, and for some it has proved a revSerbia is at a satisfactory level, but the elation. In 2014 Serbia recorded 1.5 milroads leading to certain destinations have lion of overnight stays by foreign tourists, proved to be a very limiting factor when it which is a 14 per cent rise year-on-year. comes to the tourist offer. Belgrade, Novi Considering how difficult global economic Sad and other destinations along Corridor conditions are, this is a commendable re10 are easy to reach and they definitely sult – says Dragana Šabić, Secretary Generhave all the required prerequisites for the al of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce's staging of the biggest conferences. Tourism Association. Nevertheless, she notes, this is far be What do you think are the low the results Serbia could greatest achievements of achieve if it had better inSerbian congress tourThe potential frastructure and a better ism and how can this reach of Serbian formulated tourist offer. tourism segment imcongress tourism is prove even further? - The potential reach of How able is Serbia of a mainly regional to meet the requireSerbian congress tourcharacter and is also ments put forward by ism is of a mainly regional quite big organisers of various character and is also quite business events, considbig. Belgrade has a reputaering the country's tourism tion as a very important conference destination and it is no accapacity and tourist offer? cident that last year’s Conference Tourism - In the last few years Serbia has increased Fair 'Konvent' saw Belgrade declared one accommodation capacities significantly, of the top 10 conference destinations. Our which is a good foundation for meeting capital city does have certain flaws in rethe requirements of organisers of various gard to this tourism segment. For instance, business events. This, however, mostly the Sava Centre (built in 1977) needs to be applies to Belgrade, which saw 16 new renovated as soon as possible, in order to hotels open in the space of just one year. continue playing its major role in the orSo, at the moment, our capital city has ganising and staging of conferences. 76 three-, four- and five-star hotels. New
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How important are international events like the summit of the heads of government of China and 16 CEE countries in Belgrade, in terms of sparking more interest in visiting Belgrade among the business communities from these countries? - The economic summit of China and 16 countries of Central and Southeast Europe gave Belgrade an excellent opportunity to make money, as well as introducing itself as a good tourist destination, which is what actually happened. The capital city earned approximately a million euros thanks to the summit. The event proved to be one of the most important events in Serbia in the last 30 years and creates a serious opportunity for Belgrade and Serbia to organise similar events in the future, receiving new investments and new tourists. Over 2,000 people, including the political and economic leaders of the participating countries, attended the summit, as did quite a few accredited media representatives, which just proves the summit was a success and that it contributed greatly to boosting the tourist offer and the image of both Belgrade and Serbia. How well adapted are hotels in Serbia to the needs of business tourism? - Hotel facilities in Serbia satisfy the needs of business tourism to a great extent. Quite a few hotels can host conferences and pro-
vide additional conference-related services. Roads remain the biggest problem, as does the distance that conference participants, especially foreign visitors, need to cover in order to get to a conference. This limits the offer severely and there is a further problem with the sluggishness of hotel sales managers. We should also be concerned with the fact that hotels in Central Serbia don’t boast sufficient capacities to meet the needs of many foreign companies operating in their area or seeking to start doing business there. The hotels in towns which were once important business centres, particularly for industrial production, today share the same fate as the large corporations that served those towns; as these companies have closed down in the last two decades, so the need to provide accommodation for businesspeople has declined. Many of these hotels are almost completely ruined. This is a problem that needs to be resolved urgently at a systemic level.
stakeholders, and the local population fail to grasp how important tourism is for their overall development. We should work continuously to raise awareness among locals about the importance of the service sector, in order to utilise the overall tourism potential as efficiently as possible.
In which way does the Serbian Cham-
ber of Commerce articulate the interests of its members with regard to creating the prerequisites for positioning Serbia on the radar of the organisers of important international business events? - The country’s negative export-import ratio has become a chronic and inherited
given as much publicity as possible, in addition to devise measures that will ensure better education and more efficient involvement of the Serbian business community in all important international business flows.
Which countries are Serbia’s role models when it comes to developing the country’s tourist offer? - Serbia should look up to nearby countries like Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, which, despite being landlocked, have achieved economic growth thanks to the development of tourism products. Moreover, countries like Poland and the Scandinavian countries should also
velopment of congress tourism are sufficiently recognised in Central Serbia, in terms of the construction of hotels and other accommodation suited to business tourism? - Efforts aimed at improving the current situation also require relevant institutions to do their part, and that includes the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and other institutions like the responsible ministry, the Tourist Organisation of Serbia and local tourist boards. We really don't need randomness and disorganisation. Certain areas already have spatial master plans, which are often expensive to produce and have not yet begun to be implemented. A question also remains over whether they are still applicable.
How much has the development of the tourist offer in Serbia impacted on the development of related activities, be they technical or in terms of hospitality services? - The positive influence is evident. In that regard, I can give you several good examples that definitely include Belgrade, quite often Novi Sad, and also tourist centres like Zlatibor and Kopaonik. However, it often happens that hoteliers, i.e. tourism
Source: www.cosmorama.gr
Do you think opportunities for the de-
problem of the Serbian economy, so improving quality of export and the import of services should be deemed a priority for both the state and the business community. Reaching this goal requires an efficient and active position for Serbian companies in all important international business gatherings and events. As the biggest association of Serbian businesspeople, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce recognises the importance of our country finding its proper place on the radars of important international business event organisers and provides support to its members accordingly. The activities of the chamber's branches abroad are geared towards establishing communication with the organisers of important international business gatherings. The activities and position of Serbian companies at major business events is not an isolated issue, but rather one that relates to the system itself. Considering its objective capacities, the SCC insists on this issue being
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be mentioned as good examples of regional cooperation, since they host many major regional events. In order to advance our tourist offer, we should look into an opportunity to form as many professional associations as possible with regional countries that are going to hold their respective events in the region and, by so doing, strengthen their influence on decisions made by relevant bodies in international associations.
Hotel accommodation in Central Serbia is at a satisfactory level, but the roads leading to certain destinations have proved to be a very limiting factor when it comes to the tourist offer
Creativity Makes the Difference If you have a creative approach, you can always do more with less
MILOŠ ŠORGIĆ
FOUNDER, PRODUCTION POOL
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ur approach to our work is very simple: we accept challenges and set new standards – says Miloš Šorgić, founder of Production Pool.
Which development direction is the Serbian market taking in terms of event organisation and how do we compare to the rest of the region and globally? - If you look at the calendar of the Tourist Organisation of Serbia, you can see that there are events taking place almost every day. The market has grown slightly and we believe this trend will continue. We are ahead in the region, but lagging behind the rest of the world.
How difficult it is to draw consumer attention to this kind of promotional activity and contribute to the overall promotion of a brand in this way? - This task is very easy, as consumers react well to direct promotion and it is through this direct communication that the strength of a brand is developed in the consumer conscious. It is one thing when you see a TV or newspaper advertisement, but it is a completely different thing when you are part of a promotion. The more senses we stimulate in the consumer, the stronger the impression becomes and the more successful the promotion proves. Do you think Belgrade and Serbia
can provide agencies with a sufficiently wide array of event venues? - The choice is big enough. The only thing that needs to be done is to overcome ste-
reotypes with creativity. If a client uses the same venue several times consecutively, that means we’ve succeeded. Sometimes the solution lies in an unorthodox approach. We often spend time in our office contemplating what and how to do something. You need to be free to be creative. A brisk walk through town often yields a solution. New venues are always welcome. They carry a certain appeal for a while, but later they are just reduced to being space. That's when creative work can make the difference.
art, religion) and sporting. We are usually engaged in corporate events. Last year we became part of a very successful festival and this year we plan to organise sporting events in order to complete our business offer. We provide all sorts of support to our clients – from ideas and creative solutions to implementation.
What kinds of events does your agen-
In which way do you differ from your competition? - We represent an connection of long-term experience in various marketing segments. We possess both the knowhow and the experience.
What type of promotions will compa-
nies spend most of their budgets on in 2015? - We haven't discussed digital promotions in this interview. Apart from traditional media, like TV and print, social media also Every event is a story in itself. How difficult it is to harmonise a client's wishes acts as an excellent tool and has a wide with realistic possibilities? reach. We believe this segment - We need to find balance bewill be targeted not only in tween desire and capability, 2015, but also in the years as desires are often deto come. Through this If we put in the fined by a set budget. It type of promotion we effort and do a is up to us to bring these are targeting the spelittle more each time, cific groups we want. If wishes to life or offer we advertise on TV then something better. If we wishes will come only those watching TV put in the effort and do true and the client will see it. If we do street a little more each time, will be happy promotions, only those wishes will come true and passing by will see it. But the client will be happy. Despite often being asked to do if we do promotions on social “more with less”, we have managed media, we can be more precise in to adapt and align wishes with capabilities. our targeting of specific groups. cy organise and what can the clients count on when they hire you? - Events can be divided into three categories – corporate (promotions, conferences, congresses, fairs), cultural (music,
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lub Reset is situated on Čardak, in the Novi Sad suburb of Sremska Kamenica, less than an hour’s drive from Belgrade and far from the hustle and bustle of urban life. The unique views and landscape of Fruška Gora accentuate the club's contemporary interior and exterior perfectly. The venue is designed in a modern style and is intended for various events requiring different capacities and of different character. The club's comfortable apartments complete its offer. As a modern and flexible venue, Club Reset is an excellent choice for organising corporate events such as seminars, lectures, conferences, presentations, team building sessions and business celebrations.
Ideal Venue for Corporate Gatherings A comfortable and stylish ambience guarantee a pleasant experience for participants in corporate events, as well as providing much needed relaxation in the club’s comfortable apartments, outdoor swimming pool or tennis court. Depending on the type of event and clients’ needs, the venue is also ideal for smaller and more intimate gatherings of up to 200 guests. Club Reset can be hired for special occasions and the utmost privacy is guaranteed for you and your guests. The club's professional and attentive team is available to you for catering, technical support and assistance in choosing additional activities. The Club was awarded the Silver Medal for Corporate Events in 2014 by the Association of Serbian Market Communications for the event Digital Night, which the club hosted. This speaks volumes about the appeal of the venue, its creative team and guests’ impressions of the club's atmosphere. Web: www.clubreset.org Tel:+381 66 66 17 998 Email: kontakt@clubreset.org
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