KONGRES MAGAZINE - IBTM ISSUE 2019

November 2019 //

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www.kongres-magazine.eu

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GOOD STORIES NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE // Kongres Views

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KONGRES JOURNEYS // MTLG 2019 Winners

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YOUR LIKES DETERMINE YOUR WORTH // Kogres InFocus

CONT RIBU TORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF // GORAZD ČAD Editor of the magazine is a geographer and historian by profession. He united his professional education and love of discovering new lesser-known meetings destinations with love and passion for the meetings industry. In meetologues he shares his enthusiasm with the readers.

NATALIJA BAH ČAD // MEETINGS AND EVENT MANAGER An unforgettable member in the editorial board of travelogues. She has insight into the soul of destinations based on many years of practical experience with the organisation of events. She is interested in everything from the history, geography and destination marketing to care for the tiny little things that make the big events.

MAJA MIRTIČ // EVENT MANAGER ASSISTANT A passionate communicator with great interest in international relations, diplomacy and PR, firmly believing that communication can tackle every and any, even most persistent challenge. She trusts in positive, comprehensive, consistent and competent communication.

SARA TIEFENGRABER // ASSISTANT EDITOR An enthusiastic traveller and wordsmith on a mission of taking the reader for a fascinating and enriching journey. She is inspired by the little things that go unnoticed and shares them eagerly through written word. Her motivation is driven by the belief that even something ordinary can be converted into a powerful marketing message.

JASMINA JERANT // CONTENT WRITER A creative writer since childhood was brought into the meetings industry where she can release her passion for storytelling. She seeks for unusual, hidden, and charming facts that make a town or a building shine in a different way. She believes that places are like people. In each one of them you can find something amusing.

BARBARA DIMEC // GRAPHIC DESIGNER Visual explorer, creative problem solver, graphic designer with interest in creating innovative digital and print design solutions. Curious and always in search for new inspiration and knowledge. She strives towards positive attitude in every challenging situation with goal to translate plain information to compelling visual messages.

PUBLISHER AND PRODUCTION Poslovni turizem Gorazd Čad s.p., Kamnica 6B, SI-1262 Dol pri Ljubljani T: +385 (0)1 430 51 03 E: gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu

MARKETING Toleranca Marketing d.o.o., Štihova 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +385 (0)1 430 51 03 E: gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu

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KONGRES MAGAZINE

360° MICE ACTIVATION

ANALYTICS Marketing analytics

CONTENT Copywriting and Content marketing

SALES Personal sales

EXPERIENCE Sales events

VIDEO Video campaigns

DATABASE Big data targeting

360° MICE ACTIVATION

PRINT Image building

ONLINE Digital Campaigns

SOCIAL Social media campaigns

DIRECT E-mail marketing and Telemarketing

with TOLERANCA MARKETING

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

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GOOD STORIES NEVER GO OUT OF STYLE The digital beast is hungry for content… FEED IT! GORAZD ČAD //

@gorazdcad

It’s happened before. A “naive” young PR manager from a large tourist company will ask me if we can publish their original, native content. After all, we are the leading media in the field and a story like that should, of course, be published right away. They weren’t prepared to pay anything, but they do appreciate us as a credible media. I was told on the same day that they were giving out complimentary services to influencers from the last European middle of nowhere.

In a way, this speaks about the relationship towards content marketing, where after a decade of training and hundreds of articles written, knowledge is still worth less than a post on Instagram. According to them, the value is only found in articles that they manage to scrounge for free.

What you will get are repetitive, dull stories, no analytics and fishy content marketing.

Good stories will never go out of style.

Stories shape the world, history and the meetings industry. The world of events is a world of stories first. Many have already been written, but the majority of them are waiting to be read by our readers. Good stories make our heart beat faster and reveal what was previously hidden.

Stories are the locomotives of digital marketing and social media. Despite the rather pessimistic introduction, many of our clients have started to realise how important good stories actually are. They realise that storytelling is a profession. One that carefully analyses and synthesises events. We have to ask ourselves, what would the world be like without expert storytellers?

Just like in architecture, not just anyone can design a house and the same goes for content marketing. Good content marketing is built upon three interconnected processes: 1. CONTENT CREATION: top-notch content is the easiest way to reach the hearts of meeting planners.

2. CONTENT DISTRIBUTION: without an efficient distribution platform, we cannot reach meeting planners. Having your own media is extremely important.

3. TARGET AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP: it’s vital to understand the needs and habits of meeting planners.

Content should be produced on a daily basis, but also analysed accordingly. Content marketing has become a strategic tool for the most developed meeting destinations and suppliers. It is integrated into all

Gorazd Čad // Editor-in-Chief

"Stories are the locomotives of digital marketing and social media."

pores of marketing. As the final outcome, it is thoroughly changing the organisation process and technical support of destination marketing.

Content marketing goes hand in hand with artificial intelligence, as it is the field where it has seen the fastest development. Everything is focused towards making the content relevant. It’s AI that is helping us understand our audience, their interests and purchasing user experience. Artificial intelligence helps us reach our target audience and is able to offer them relevant information.

It’s important to note that Google’s unpredictable algorithm went from analysing key phrases to analysing content quality. At the moment, quality content can only be guaranteed by experienced writers who know the field. Agencies developing and using specialised AI tools for content production are on the rise, but the chances are none of us will be able to afford them any time soon.

Future is on the doorstep of the meetings industry. Destinations relying on old-fashioned tricks and techniques will quickly lose the battle in our new ecosystem.

At Kongres Magazine, we are fascinated by the intertwining of creativity, the use of data and artificial intelligence. It’s a huge opportunity for the meetings industry. Moreover, AI can help us improve that creativity and make our content even more effective.

We decided to ask some leading destinations and suppliers for their thoughts on the topic. We received a ton of interesting answers which you can read in this issue’s IN FOCUS segment.

AI will be able to create a New York Times Bestseller by 2049 At this time, artificial intelligence has not yet reached the point of creating content that meets all quality standards on its own. It cannot, therefore, effectively help brands with establishing an emotional connection with their buyers yet. According to a survey completed by 350 artificial intelligence experts, AI will be able to create a complete high school essay by 2026 and a New York Times Bestseller by 2049.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

WE PROMISE OUR GUESTS THAT WE WILL MAKE THEM FEEL RENEWED Interview with David Flam, Marketing Director at Maistra d.d.

SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: How important for you are events as a strategic marketing tool?

For a small destination like Rovinj, large image events were an important tool to draw attention to our destination and to prove that though small, we have the muscle and the strength to do big events, ones that only larger destinations would normally organise. In recent years, Maistra has been the host of the Redbull Air race, which has been visited by several thousand people, the RC 44 Sailing Cup and the Rovinj Beach Polo Cup, to name just a few.

"Be creative, be strong, learn from others’ successes and from your own mistakes."

Q: What was your biggest challenge to develop Rovinj as a premier meetings destination?

Rovinj has all the advantages that a premier congress destination should have—high quality accommodation with a wide range of conference facilities and good geographical position as a destination that is not far from Milan, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Belgrade and Sarajevo. It’s a small picturesque seaside town with mild winters and a Mediterranean climate, with lots of interesting things to do in Istria—like truffle hunting, wine tasting, olive oil sampling; it has an exquisite gourmet offer and all within minutes from Rovinj. Therefore, there are many positive sides of Rovinj. The biggest challenge was the flight connections with Pula, which have improved a lot in the last few years; the number of flights and destinations has increased. In addition, the flights operate from April towards the end of October, whereas previously it was only in the period from June to August.

Q: What is your plan for the development of Maistra in the coming 5–10 years?

Adris Grupa PLC, our mother company, acquired HUP Zagreb and HDR Dubrovnik in 2018, with a total of 12 properties, among which are Sheratons in Zagreb and Dubrovnik as well as the Westin Zagreb. In September this year, Adris bought Hotel Marjan in the centre of Split.

Maistra is well on the way to become a strong regional company with a focus on becoming a leader in the luxury segment in Croatia.

Q: How do you capture the essence of Maistra through your actual marketing campaign?

We have conducted several types of surveys including focus groups where we asked our guests what they like about Maistra. How does Maistra make them feel? How do they perceive us? They described brand personality—calming, renewing, refined, local, natural, personal, original, Istrian. It all rolled into a slogan—Feel reborn. We promise our guests that we will make them feel renewed—with calming, renewing and refined experiences and activities that reveal the history and culture of the destination.

Q: What can event participants expect to experience in Maistra?

Besides a wide range of multipurpose halls combined with high-end service and state-of-the-art equipment, first-class entertainment matched with exquisite gourmet experiences, refined accommodation, and a fantastic spa & wellness centre.

Q: What are Croatia’s advantages compared to the wider region?

It is the diversity of the small country: you have Istria as one region, green, hilly, that is totally different to Dalmatia, or you have the hilly areas of Gorski Kotar or flat Slavonia. Many different parts for such a small country.

Q: Your best incentive idea in Croatia?

There are so many possibilities but what a great incentive should

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

definitely have is a tailor-made programme, an attractive and unique location, and leisure planning that includes the opportunity to experience the city, culture and local customs.

Q: If you had a magic wand, what would you instantly change to increase the development of the meetings industry in Croatia?

Better flight connections in the off-season period.

Q: Can you please describe the most spectacular event that has taken place in Rovinj?

Every year we try to be better. This year’s event celebrated the finalisation of the Rovinj luxury complex Monte Mulini with the opening of the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj. Adris has invested over 300 million euros in the luxury complex with the best Maistra hotels: Hotel Monte Mulini was built 10 years ago, followed 2 years later by the Lone design hotel and this year the Grand Park. For over 10 years, Adris and Maistra have invested in the vision that has ultimately repositioned Rovinj as a luxury destination.

This gala happening lasted five days and consisted of several events: • A prestigious 44 Cup regatta that was going on in Rovinj waters for five days, with a press conference and morning briefings every day and after sailing mingling at the Primi Terreni Restaurant on the Lungomare Promenade. The sailing boats were all docked in the marina in front of the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj where social events and parties were hosted.

• Welcome party for 500 guests: VIPs, media, business partners, local and international influencers at the Laurel & Berry Restaurant terrace on

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the Friday evening.

• Gala dinners on the Saturday evening; one, for 150 guests, taking place in the ballroom that has the largest one-piece glass wall made in Europe, overlooking Rovinj, and another one for 450 guests at the pool deck enjoying finger food, snacks and most beautiful view of Rovinj old town.

• At the end, a gala concert by Maestro Andrea Bocelli and guests at the Monte Mulini Beach for 2000 guests by invitation only. A spectacular stage was built on a 50-metre-long boat that was anchored in the Monte Mulini bay, while a VIP auditorium covered with a transparent roof was built on the MM beach. We rounded off this magical night with 150-metre-high fireworks over the sea and after parties at the Lone and Grand Park hotels.

• On the Sunday there was the final 44 Cup match race and the victory celebrations.

The event got only the best feedback, and we have proven once again that only by working together with the local authorities are the best results are guaranteed.

Q: What would be your ideal event to host in your hotels?

In recent years we have proven that we can host any event in our hotels; there are no limits really.

Q: What is your advice to younger generations starting out in your field?

Be creative, be strong, learn from others’ successes and from your own mistakes.

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VIEWS ON CONTENT MARKETING

THE CONTENT MANAGER IS THE VOICE OF YOUR DESTINATION Interview with Eleni Sotiriou, Managing Director of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: What makes for a remarkable piece of content?

A true story, relevant and to the point for your audience, a modern and fascinating way to present it, updated info and of course, a great content manager who understands and complies with the strategy.

Q: How do you decide what topics to focus on and what format to use?

Destinations have to decide: what has always been there and never loses its charm, what has recently been added, creating a new point of interest and what can become more or less important to feature according to the latest trends of the industry. It is important to be able to create at any point the right mixture of these three that encapsulates the core existence of the city, highlights its modernity and presents its ability to adapt to the latest needs of the market. The right format is more or less defined by the topic, as long as it is instantly appealing, has a responsive design and is easily sharable.

"The content manager is the voice of your destination."

Q: Why does content marketing matter for the meetings industry today?

Any kind of business can benefit from content marketing—as long as you have the right goals and strategy in place. From the point of view of a destination addressing the meetings industry, content marketing becomes more than essential and valuable. It becomes the core tool to communicate the advantages you decide to focus on, targeting different audiences, in order to create awareness and visibility. Even more, as destinations have many stories to narrate, based on their history, culture, people, landscape and atmosphere, it is absolutely necessary to invest in their story telling, it is the most effective way to communicate them.

Q: Does content marketing carry any real substance or is it just a buzz

word?

It can be a buzz word for any other product but destinations! People are attracted by the content but upon arriving, either as meeting planners or as event attendees, they have to match the narrative with real substance—they have to find on site what has been actually promised.

Q: What makes content successful?

Successful content is the product of a proficient content manager. One that distinguishes the eye-catching information from the mundane, has perfect writing skills, a deep knowledge of the different audiences they are aiming at, is creative and uses digital media to their advantage. The content manager is the voice of your destination, someone who can increase the visibility of your actions through digital campaigns and turn thousands of people in favour of your destination, using a simple—but at the same time complex—“click”.

Q: How do you know whether your content has performed well?

The digital media world has offered an amazing number of tools to measure the effectiveness of content marketing approaches. The quality of a digital marketing strategy directly impacts visits. Social media affects the decision-making process of its users very effectively. A news feed turns into a canvas of ideas that are shared between digital “friends” who have a very strong influence on each other. If the visibility and visits to your digital actions are increasing, then you know that your content has reached a lot of people and its performance is a winner!

Q: What is your ultimate definition of content marketing?

Well, here’s my definition: Content marketing is the strategy of creating and sharing valuable content to attract visitors and create prospects for your destination. Of course, the style and the type of content you share is inextricably linked to what you “sell”; in other words, you’re educating people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business and plan events with you.

VIEWS ON CONTENT MARKETING

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GOOD CONTENT HELPS PEOPLE RE-THINK AND INNOVATE Interview with Gernot Marx, Managing Director of the Salzburg Convention Bureau SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

the intention you produce content with and how well you know your audience and database.

Q: What makes for a remarkable piece of content?

Really good content helps people re-think and innovate in their existing mindset. When they find out that you give them something, the benefit from it eventually succeeds. Content does not only mean text and imagery, it could be a piece of a video, too. In any circumstance, the content must be of value for readers and must not only satisfy the product owner’s image cultivation.

Q: How do you decide what topics to focus on and what format to use?

"Good content helps people re-think and innovate."

We listen to our clients very carefully. For example, we produce video footage together with our clients who attended product experience tours in Salzburg. This footage is used by agencies, for example, to promote Salzburg in general and certain sequences are even used within their pitches. When it comes to text, it is a little trickier. We started writing articles as many of our clients come up with similar questions. So content can also be used for support and it is not always a perfect shiny blog article. Last but not least, content can also be generated by clients. We involve clients in the production of new content pieces as this raises the interaction rate.

Q: What makes content successful?

The relevance for readers and correct distribution in the right channels.

Q: Why does content marketing matter for the meetings industry

today?

Meetings are something every industry and every organisation have in common. Just like projects, marketing campaigns and invoices, meetings are a part of any organisation’s day-to-day life. However, not every organisation has its own department for event management; we often find people who are involved in the event process in different departments and hierarchy levels. So, if you start it in your own company, you might open Pandora’s box if you do not know who you want to reach with your activities.

Q: Does content marketing carry any real substance or is it just a buzz

word?

I think that many companies are way over the content marketing buzz.

So if your goal is to sell something by producing content and spending budgets on marketing this content, it is without any substance. It is more

Q: How do you know whether your content has performed well?

We get immediate responses from our clients very often, but we have also defined KPIs to measure whether our content is relevant to users.

So rather than measuring how often the content is read, we measure what the readers of an article do after they read it. Very often this leads to a close relationship with new clients.

Q: What is your ultimate definition of content marketing?

If you have to market the content you produce, you have to ask yourself what resources I have for paid media to reach the people, as the organic reach of most content is weak. This is because of the business models of social media and search engine networks. We ask: What are the needs of the people with whom we are first in contact. Once you have clients who interact with content, you can start producing and marketing new content for similar personas—because if there is one person out there interacting with your content, there must be another, and another, and another one.

10 VIEWS ON CONTENT MARKETING

SOMETIMES IT’S VERY EASY TO DO ORDINARY THINGS IN AN EXTRAORDINARY WAY

Interview with Igor Kovačević, CEO of the Serbia Convention Bureau and Assistant Professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Economics SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

photos and a contemporary approach. But in both cases, the destination stakeholders fail not just to communicate and provide content, but before that to create a real experience that someone can achieve while in the destination. Overall, it is a buzz word, and if you ask me, all it is doing is content marketing. But if you scratch the surface, there is nothing beneath the iceberg.

Q: What makes for a remarkable piece of content?

This is THE question. Destination stakeholders will say to be unique, to be new, to be different. But this is wrong. These are passive approaches that put the destination in first place, and not the client, event organisers and delegates. Content needs to inspire. It needs to fire the imagination.

It needs to be realistic and real.

"Content needs to inspire. It needs to fire the imagination. It needs to be realistic and real."

Q: Why does content marketing matter for the meetings industry today?

Content is the key essence of any destination, in terms of experience management. In total, all destinations in the world are more or less the same—the same hotels, same meeting rooms, and same conference centres—but what makes a destination different is the content they provide to meeting organisers and delegates. It can be a subjective or objective feeling and perception of a destination, but as long as it fulfils needs and wants, it is the content. But the key obstacle for most destinations is how to create and communicate that content, and this where content marketing is put in the spotlight.

Q: Does content marketing carry any real substance or is it just a buzz word?

It depends on the destination managers and sales people at venues, hotels, DMCs and PCOs. If you take a look at the websites or Instagram profiles of destinations, the same old-school approach dominates, with photos of landscapes or meeting rooms, all with no people on them. On the other hand, there is also a large number of examples with super-posh

Q: How do you decide what topics to focus on and what format to use?

Having in mind lack of resources, most of my content communication is done through bid documents, and especially through bid presentations, when I can use storytelling and sight-living approaches in person when speaking about Serbia as a congress destination.

Q: What makes content successful?

It needs to motivate and inspire organisers and delegates. Destination stakeholders tend to be passive and are always selling the same things— and this makes content unsuccessful. Sometimes, it’s very easy to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

Q: How do you know whether your content has performed well?

I am after eye contact and a smile. And since during 7–10-minute bid presentation, decision makers are watching me most of the time, and not the screen, and have wide-open eyes and smiles, I know that the content is well received.

Q: What is your ultimate definition of content marketing?

Most content marketing definitions would refer to online and digital communication platforms that should create and increase interest towards a destination product. I see it as a communication platform that creates a realistic perception of a destination based on the ordinary experiences wrapped up in an extraordinary story.

VIEWS ON CONTENT MARKETING 11

WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF SIMPLICITY

Interview with Kadri Karu, Managing Director of the Estonian Convention Bureau SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

content has actually happened naturally. In order to really communicate effectively, we need to have meaningful content. Clients can get a lot of information online, so marketing has to provide some added value for them that is not so easily obtained just by Googling. I believe there are a lot of opportunities for us all to use content marketing to a wider extent than we do today.

Q: What makes for a remarkable piece of content?

I find that content is about telling stories that create emotional responses and establish meaningful connections. A good story is meaningful to the audience, has real value for them inspires and creates curiosity.

A fresh or different approach to the topic attracts attention. In today’s swipe and scroll world, our attention span is very short so the message has to be very clear and we should not be afraid of simplicity. Sometimes adding a bit of a personal touch and sweetness can be very charming to create an emotional connection.

"The shift towards content marketing has actually happened naturally."

Q: Why does content marketing matter for the meetings industry today?

Today’s meetings are all about content—creating more meaningful information sharing, learning experiences and connection building at events, increasing real value to all players involved. To achieve meaningful and valuable relationships within the industry “traditional marketing” or even “hard selling” doesn’t work anymore.

Successful events are created only with the close partnership of clients, suppliers, destinations and other stakeholders. It has to be a dialogue between these different partners, and this is where the more targeted communication that content marketing is about steps in to build these meaningful relationships.

Q: Does content marketing carry any real substance or is it just a buzz

word?

We hear the preaching “Content is king!” so often that, yes, it might seem like a cliché with no actual “substance” behind it. But as there is so much and intense information around us every day, I think the shift towards

Q: How do you decide what topics to focus on and what format to use?

Firstly, we try to understand our client segments, their challenges and interests the best way. Trying to put ourselves into our audience’s shoes and communicating with them we look at what would be of relevance and interest to our target groups. To build relationships we need to know what is the “problem” for the client and what our unique value proposition is for that. This means creating content and trying to communicate the information that the clients are looking for. Based on the enquiries we receive, search words at our website, questions from our clients, information that our members want to provide, we can identify what content to provide. And of course, just thinking outside the box—tailoring content that could be surprising and interesting to the audience to inspire and attract attention.

This was also our approach with last year’s successful “Go Wild, Choose Estonia” campaign.

The right format depends on the content—for more informationpacked, educational content we have found blog posts and very targeted newsletters to be most efficient. For shorter and more visual content we are using Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Q: What makes content successful?

A clear message, authenticity, fresh approach, quality and relevance to the audience, the right timing, right format and channels, good

12 VIEWS ON CONTENT MARKETING

copytext supported by great visual materials, a personal touch and being proactive—in the experience of the ECB all of these are part of the recipe for good content. Regular communication and consistency of the message/content are also important to actually getting the message through. Having a Content Marketing Plan for communication helps a lot but also being flexible, if needed. Occasionally, being first, quick and “on time” to provide some content to whom it might be useful may have great marketing value.

Q: How do you know whether your content has performed well?

First of all, you need to have measurable goals to evaluate the success.

We look at the performance of our social media channels, website, newsletters. But more importantly, we measure the engagement that our communication creates including the inquiries and requests that we receive and the profile of these requests. Very often we see that the same content that we have communicated is reflected back to us in inquiries—the same services, solutions or ideas are asked for.

We work also closely with our conference ambassadors and create content for them not only in the digital format but also with events and personal contacts. Their engagement to host meetings in Estonia, and the feedback and partnerships they create with ECB members are important KPIs for us as well.

"We should not be afraid of simplicity."

Q: What is your ultimate definition of content marketing?

Content marketing is a highly effective strategy where by communicating relevant information to the right target audience we can raise awareness and build meaningful win-win business connections.

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www.olympiavodice.com 13

MEETINGS & EVENTS mixing business with pleasure

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Hotel's lobby is ideal for exhibitors. Space is adorned with a large plant oasis. That raises the whole impression to a higher level.

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14 ADVERTORIAL

WE ALREADY SEE A 27% INCREASE OF PASSENGERS

Interview with Marko Guček, CEO of Go-Opti, a Slovenian company providing transfers to and from airports ADVERTORIAL //

JASMINA JERANT //

GOOPTI

Q: Which cities (and countries) does GoOpti drive to?

GoOpti operates in 25 cities in Slovenia, Croatia and Northern Italy. We are connecting these cities with all the airports in the region within the radius of 500 km. For example, we connect the city of Ljubljana with the airports in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Trieste, Venice, Graz, Pula, Rijeka, Vienna, Bergamo, Bologna and even Malpensa.

Q: Which cities are since Adria’s bankruptcy the most popular for flying towards and from Slovenia?

A lot of passengers still fly from Ljubljana Airport using other airline services, however Zagreb, Trieste, Venice, Graz and Vienna are the most popular in the region.

"When searching for a flight to Slovenia it is best to use metasearch engines that allow searching through multiple cities."

At the end of September, the news from Slovenia hit international media outlets about Slovenian airline Adria Airways, owned by German investment firm 4K invest, filing for bankruptcy and cancelling all flights.

Since the planes by Adria were grounded, there has been a severe disruption in the international travels to the Central European country of Slovenia. The government of Slovenia is trying to figure out a solution, in the meantime there are a few alternatives provided for those arriving to or departing from Ljubljana. The alternatives are possible from crossborder regional airports and nearby cities well connected with regular direct road transfers like shuttles. GoOpti company provides innovative matching of passengers for shared and private transfers between airports and remote towns and cities.

We talked to Marko Guček, CEO of Go-Opti, what options and solutions does the company provide for arrivals and departures to Ljubljana.

Q: How much increase in service have you noticed since Adria’s bankruptcy?

In October we already see a 27% increase of passengers, which means that locals who now need to travel to further airports, prefer our dynamic shuttle service over their personal car, which was their main mean of transport to Ljubljana Airport.

Q: Why, do you think, GoOpti is a good option for travelers?

I think GoOpti is a great option, because we give approximately the comfort of a taxi for the cost of a bus. We pick up and drop off our passengers directly at home or at their hotel address at any desired time, which is ideal when you have to catch a flight. For lowest prices passengers need to be a bit more flexible about the pickup / drop-off time, but we always optimize the transfer so that it is as close to the desired time as possible. Needless to say, we always make sure that the passenger is not late to their flight.

Q: What do passengers need to be aware of when ordering your company’s ride?

We have private and shared services. Private is usually cheaper than a taxi because we always make sure that we have our van filled in both directions with at least one passenger. In that way, there are no empty routes, kilometers and empty emissions for the transport company. A shared transfer can be booked at a fixed departure time, so it’s similar to a taxi, just that the duration could be a bit longer due to a few more stops on the way to collect other passengers. If booking a flexible departure shared service, it is important not to be in a hurry and acknowledge the possibility that one might need to adapt the departure time to other

ADVERTORIAL 15

passengers. Even in this case, we always optimize our transfers so that each passenger gets to be transported as close to his desired time as possible. The final departure times are always set one day before the transfer, and are communicated by sms and email. Hence, even the flexible passenger will be able to plan his day around; instead of waiting for the van to show up, he can go shopping, to a restaurant, get some rest, etc.

Q: Where do your drivers pick up the passengers and where to they drop them off?

At each airport we have designated locations, which are communicated in the booking confirmation and also by sms/email sent one day and then again one hour before the transfer. Otherwise, passengers can choose the desired pickup/drop-off location, be it at home, at their office or a major public place in the city.

Q: Your transfers are provided 24/7. What if, for example, the passsenger’s flight that is supposed to arrive to Venice’s airport at 11pm, is severely delayed. How does the passenger in the middle of the night get to Ljubljana then?

Between Ljubljana and Venice we have over 30 rides per day, so usually there are some seats available in later vehicles. But this is not always the case, so to be sure, we have an option called Absolutely No Worries package, at a small surcharge, which is very important for most customers. With this additional package we send a new vehicle or pay for a taxi if there’s no availability in our booked tranfers. We also buy a new flight ticket to the final destination in rare occasions of force majeure like unforeseen traffic jams.

Q: And what if the GoOpti’s van breaks down on the highway in Hungary, for example, how do the passengers get to Budapest Airport on time?

In this case it’s GoOpti’s fault, which means we find an immediate alternative to get the client to the airport. At the moment we have over 800 vehicles in our platform, and if no one is available nearby we have a rescue list with local private transfers and taxi providers on all our routes.

Q: If there is a severe traffic accident that completely shuts down the highway for several hours, what then?

If it happens just a few meters before our van, so that the driver cannot get off the highway, it means bad luck for the passenger. Unless he

purchased the Absolutely No Worries package. In that case we arrange a new flight immediately. We have 24/7 operations control monitoring all highways and vehicle locations, and a great notification system from our drivers, so we always try to prevent getting stuck in traffic jams and find alternative routes instead.

Q: Your company also provides private rides, not just shared ones.

Their price goes much higher comparing to shared rides. What kind of a vehicle provides the private ride considering the high price?

Our private rides should always still be cheaper than a taxi, so they are more expensive than shared rides, but still less expensive than the competition. At the moment our platform does not differentiate the type or quality of the vehicle, so we might pick you up with a luxury vehicle, which we have also in the system, but not necessarily. Our marketplace works in the way to first offer the best priced vehicles, then usually, if booked a day or two before the departure, the prices are higher as they are calculated from the more expensive vehicles, which are the only ones left available. To be sure to get a luxury vehicle the booking has to be done through a phone call or with our key account agents.

Q: What kind of insurance can you offer to your passengers in case that the vehicle is involved in a traffic accident?

We work only with licensed professional operators, which by law already need to have additional insurance for the passengers. We as a mediator do not need it.

Q: For the end: what would you, personally, suggest to the passengers trying to get to or from Slovenia? Which city? What time slot? Etc. When searching for a flight to Slovenia it is best to use metasearch engines that allow searching through multiple cities (or click a bit more if the search engine does not allow or use travel agent). It is best to select the following cities: Ljubljana, Zagreb, Trieste, Graz, Klagenfurt, Venice and maybe even Vienna, which is a bit further away but has many direct connections to all over the world. In the end, I believe it is better to fly directly and then drive one hour or two, than to catch flight connections.

With direct flights you will always find a good option. Sometimes the most costwise and timewise option is to fly to one airport and then fly back from another, which is called an open-jaw flight. Since GoOpti offers connections to all the airports in the region there’s no need to return to the same one.

16 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

BAKU

In a few words: Looks to the east and to the west GORAZD ČAD //

BAKU

The easiest and fastest way to get to the heart of a destination is through music and food. “Rast”, a musical modal system in traditional mugham music, will quickly get under your skin. It evokes courage, cheerfulness and promotes peacefulness, a trait that all Azerbaijanis have in common.

The perfect metaphor to describe the immensely hospitable and warm

people of Azerbaijan, who are making business events stronger each year. This is part of the country’s transformation. A country that remains the bridge between Asia and Europe, hosting events of the highest calibre in its capital city of Baku.

4.30 Final Grade

QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION

WHAT’S HOT IN 2019 • FORMULA 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix / 26–28 April 2019 • UEFA Europe League Final / 29 May 2019 • Caspian International Oil & Gas Exhibition / 29 May–1 June 2019 • Fintex Summit 2019 / 16–17 May 2019 • European Championships in Aerobic Gymnastics Baku 2019 / April 2019 • International Banking Forum / 6 November 2019

KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET 17

ON THE SILK ROAD Baku was once a very important post on the ancient trade route linking China with the West. Silk got replaced by oil and today, meeting participants are the regulars. A strong strategic position by the Caspian Sea is one of the key advantages of Baku. Developing the railway system connecting Baku, the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and Kars in Turkey was an immensely important strategic project. It’s also the shortest connection between Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan’s tradition of hospitality is known around the world and is something everyone will be able to experience.

Every traveller will be able to find his sanctuary in Baku. He will probably also be invited to tea, keeping tradition alive and well.

THE DUBAI OF THE CAUCASUS Baku has seen incredible development in the last decade. Giant, gleaming commercial and residential buildings are growing like weeds. European entrepreneurs, who come to Baku for fresh opportunities, are opening new, modernly equipped offices on a weekly basis. A city of 2 million needs modern infrastructure and that is where Baku’s polished metro line comes in handy. Numerous international companies have moved to Baku, mostly those involved with the oil industry. Comparing Baku to Dubai is quite common, but the city offers so much more. It has managed to keep the old city centre intact, along with many cultural and historical monuments, making it even more attractive.

MEETINGS RENAISSANCE With the opening of Baku Convention Centre in 2015, meetings tourism in Baku started to flourish. The neighbouring Heydar Aliyev Center was completed three years prior. Both buildings are iconic and represent the turning of a new chapter for Baku’s meetings industry. Their completion was the foundation for future development in the city. Contributing greatly to the fast development was the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau, which started operations in 2013. For the past two years, the Bureau has been part of Azerbaijan Tourism Board and its young team of professionals, under the leadership of Sevda Aliyeva, has high ambitions. From what we’ve seen, those goals will be achieved in no time. Connections between providers are really strong and the Tourism Board has successfully transformed into a real one-stop-shop for meeting planners.

FEMININE AND MASCULINE ARCHITECTURE PRINCIPLES An interesting architectural dialogue has been established between two of Baku’s most iconic buildings., between the masculine Baku Convention Centre which resembles a spaceship and the magnificent, more feminine architecture of the Heydar Aliyev Centre. Many visit Baku just to eye these two impressive buildings. Both projects are extravagant and have become architectural icons for good reason.

The international superstar architect Zaha Hadid has left a big mark on the city with her futuristic Heydar Aliyev Center. It’s arguably her most impressive work. The centre houses a library, museum, meetings centre, and art exhibitions on multiple floors and a jaw-dropping collection of cars. Zaha’s architecture is all about avoiding straight lines. The white waves and rounded edges make everything feel more organic, flowing seamlessly and elegantly into the park outside. Her architecture impresses at every moment and every step. The building is a sculpture in itself. And just when you think things couldn’t get any crazier, you step into the meeting hall, where massive oak arches cradle the participants.

The acoustics are impressive, and everything seems as if it were created by nature.

The Baku Convention Center is a stroll across the street from the Heydar Aliyev Center. It was designed by Austrian architect, Wolf D. Prix together with his team from the architectural bureau Coop Himmelblau from Vienna. The exterior of the building looks like a spaceship in the midtake-off into another galaxy. The interior follows a more refined aesthetic and strives towards being efficient, as part of the centre’s functionalist principles. Innovativeness and research are driven by a strong desire to be energetically more efficient, ecological and in line with the latest technologies. This can be felt throughout the entire building, especially in the main meeting hall that can host up to 3500 participants and has enviably advanced equipment. The hall can be completely transformed using hydraulic lifts, elevators and two giant movable walls on each side. In addition to the fast development of the hotel sector, these two impressive buildings are the main support pillars for Baku’s new meetings future.

LARGE EVENTS AS PART OF A STRATEGY In Baku, they are firm believers that events have a positive effect on the city’s image in the public eye, as every event it acquires strengthens Baku as a brand. It is because of this that Baku has been the host of numerous, internationally resounding mega events, which have helped position it on the list of the most important metropolises. Eurovision in 2012 was one of those mega events, with Eldar & Nigar bringing Baku the home win.

Everyone will remember the slogan; “Light your fire” and the impeccable organisation of the event in Baku’s Crystal Hall, when 23,000 participants attended the spectacle.

The First European Games in 2015 were a sports experiment, but Baku managed to carry them out on such a high level you could easily compare them to the Olympics. The grand opening was directed by James Hadley, famous for his magical Cirque du Soleil spectacle.

Baku is also known as the home of “Street Fighters” and has been hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2016, making it the newest street circuit on the Formula 1 calendar. The Baku City Circuit is one of the most challenging tracks of the championship and also one of the most attractive, as drivers whiz past the tight bends in Baku’s old town and reach top speed along the Baku shoreline.

Sport plays a central role in the national development and Baku was the chosen venue for the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games. This multinational, multi-sport event was held between 12 and 22 May 2017 in various sports centres and arenas around the city and largely boosted Baku as the destination for large-scale sports events.

These kinds of events are first-class promotional tools and their marketing effects cannot be measured through regular marketing channels. It’s not even surprising that Baku was on the list of candidates to host the Olympics in 2020. The bid was won by Tokyo, but there is no doubt that we will hear about Baku in this context.

SPECIAL VENUES INSIDE THE MEDIEVAL CITY WALLS The mighty stone walls with guard towers surrounding the old town

18 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

immediately caught the attention of F1 fans, as videos of dramatic overtakes around the city walls went viral. The Icheri Sheher grandstand in the old town is one of the most popular spots from which to watch the race. The labyrinth of narrow streets and old houses hide numerous special venues like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs built by one of the Shahs of the Shirvan dynasty in the 15th century. According to UNESCO, it is one of the pearls of Azerbaijani architecture. Another interesting venue is the Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature, situated in a gorgeous park where many young people come to hang out. It’s also the starting point of the main shopping street, Nizami. When walking along the streets of the Inner City you will find yourself taken aback by the palaces built during the 19th century oil boom. To contrast the imposing buildings around Baku, there are also plenty of cute hidden places like the Marionette Theatre.

impressive LED facade used to project colourful animations.

A DETERMINED MEETINGS SCENE The core of Baku’s ultramodern meetings offer are the Baku Convention Center and Heydar Aliyev Center. The Baku Convention Center has 16 conference halls of different sizes and 73 smaller meeting rooms. The city is more than capable of organising large meetings, which is why our methodology positions it among XL Destinations—destinations that can host more than 2000 participants. Optimal meetings in Baku are up to 3500 participants.

INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION Azerbaijan is excellently prepared to tackle meetings industry challenges.

International association conferences can be organised in the Baku Convention Center and incentive programme organisers will find great services in top-notch hotels. The services provided by local PCOs and DMCs is also well developed. From the standpoint of European event planners, Baku is an overlooked destination which should be getting more attention. It has a complete meetings package that won’t disappoint. The quality-to-price ratio is incomparable and is one of the reasons why you should be taking your next event to Baku.

For mega events, there’s the Baku Crystal Hall, built specifically for the Eurovision finals in 2012. It can host 16,000 participants and has an

The range of services is nicely rounded off by numerous hotels specialised in meetings tourism, among which Hotel Boulevard, part of Marriott’s Autograph collection, is the largest. It offers 800 rooms and an impressive meetings centre. The backbone of Baku’s hotels are the three hotels on the main city avenue, the Four Seasons, JW Marriott Absheron and Hilton, along with a handful of others with well-developed meetings services. The Fairmont is probably the most famous hotel, as it is located in the instantly recognisable Baku Flame Towers. The hotel offers an incredibly diverse range of services and there simply isn’t enough space to list them all. Baku also has a well-developed fair activity, with most fairs being carried out in the Baku Expo Center which extends across 26,000 sqm of space and three large fair halls.

MUST SEE Baku Carpet Museum – Baku’s iconic carpet museum is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It houses beautiful carpets, which are firmly embedded in Azerbaijani heritage and can easily be considered works of art. A visit to the museum can be incorporated into almost any incentive programme.

BEST INCENTIVE IDEA The Land of Fire: The Ateshgah (Fire Temple) constructed by the Hindu merchants trading in Baku and Yanardag (Burning Mountain).

DESTINATION CAPACITY The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms

7,000

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels

80

Destination population

3,202,300

Banquet hall maximum capacity

900

The largest hall in the city (in m2)

5,019 m2

Maximum hall capacity in theatre style

3,500

KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET 19

A. NATURAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS: 4.81 The Caucasus Mountains stretch across the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, positioned at the intersection of continents and cultures. Culture is something Azerbaijanis are very proud of and rightfully so, as their national heritage is immensely rich. They also gladly present it to their guests. Despite rapid development, many historical monuments have been kept intact, making the city even more interesting. Baku’s charm and historical importance was recognised by UNESCO in 1977. Call it the Paris or Dubai of the Caucasus, the city definitely won’t disappoint when it comes to natural and cultural factors.

B. GENERAL AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.81 The oil boom heavily transformed the look of the 2 million strong city, which is in the middle of architectural blossoming. There is still a lot of socialist realist architecture on the outskirts of the city, but the beachfront promenade is completely modern and well taken care of. Air connectivity is solid, and the modern Baku airport is directly connected to 78 destinations. A good sense of safety raises the overall well-being of meeting participants and public transport infrastructure is also well maintained and orderly.

C. TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.91 According to official statistical data, the combined number of hotel beds is 20,778. A large portion of that belongs to higher category hotels that offer above-standard meetings services. The new e-visa system allows tourists incredibly easy access to the destination. We tried it ourselves and it was really fast and efficient. The selection of restaurants, bars and nightclubs is extremely diverse, ranging from iconic traditional restaurants like the Shirvanshah Museum Restaurant to cool, trendy places in the new part of the city. Shopping is comparable to Dubai.

D. MEETING INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.88 We evaluate Baku’s meeting infrastructure as excellent, ready to take on the most demanding international events. In the future, an important role will be taken on by the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau which has some really ambitious plans. Talking with the representatives, their focus will be directed towards acquiring large events, association congresses and developing incentive programmes.

E. SUBJECTIVE GRADE: 4.92 Comparing Baku to Dubai is hard to avoid. The biggest differences are culturally bound. The country is secular and extremely multicultural.

It is because of this that the city is so suitable for meetings tourism.

Everything is spiced up with a hefty dose of authentic hospitality and the happy, open Azerbaijani character makes a great first impression. One big myth was busted upon having explored the city thoroughly. Azerbaijan does not lack authenticity. It is actually one of its greatest assets.

F. MARKETING BUZZ: 4.70 The Azerbaijan Convention Bureau is in the middle of launching multiple marketing projects with the goal of thoroughly changing the perception and image of the country. Right now, the marketing buzz score is relatively low, as you cannot yet find all of the information about the destination in one place. They are, however, putting in a great effort to improve in this field. We are certain that comprehensive content and digital marketing will drastically improve the image of Baku.

RESULTS Natural and cultural factors General and transport infrastructure Tourist infrastructure Meeting infrastructure Subjective grade Marketing Buzz ICCA index Numbeo Quality of Life Index Numbeo Safety Index ACI Airport Connectivity Index

MARKS 4.81 4.81 4.91 4.88 4.92 4.70 2.20 2.38 4.38 5.00

FINAL GRADE 4.30 QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION INDIVIDUAL GRADES

Superb meeting destinations 5 Quality meeting destinations 4 Quality meeting destinations 3 Average meeting destinations 2 So-so 1

MTLG CATEGORY

XL-Extra Large

XL - MEETING DESTINATIONS: Destinations that can host more than 2000 congress attendees

WHO TO CONTACT Azerbaijan Convention Bureau 96E Nizami Street, Landmark I​ Baku, AZ1010, Azerbaijan​ +994 12 505 87 04 ext. 2102​ +994 51 229 60 45 | +994 51 355 05 06​ meetinazerbaijan.az COMPARISON WITH THE REGION Baku is the meetings champion of the region and basically has no competition in the Caucasus. Neighbouring Georgia is putting in a great effort but hasn’t reached the level of infrastructural development that can be seen in Baku. On a wider spectrum, the biggest competition for Baku are countries that count on the connection between Asia and Europe. Countries like Istanbul, Dubai and other emirates. We mustn’t forget the ex-Soviet space, where the meetings industry is also rapidly developing. During our visit, the Baku Convention Centre was hosting a sales conference for the Russian auto manufacturer Vaz and an increasing number of Russian corporate events are taking place in the city each year. One of the reasons is that most Azerbaijanis speak Russian as their second or even first language. A bright, creative, hospitable and modern country like Baku is bound to develop even further. I won’t be surprised if the former oil-industry mecca also becomes a mecca for the meetings industry.

COOL MEETINGS Plov (pilaf) – It is impossible to imagine any gathering, party, wedding or other festivity without flavoured, tender and incredibly tasty pilaf. Among the types of pilaf, is Crown Pilaf (Shah Plov) the name of which derives from its appearance that resembles the crown of the medieval ruler.

20 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

BUDAPEST

City comprised of two sides the Buda and the Pest, connected with bridges above the Danube.

NATALIJA BAH ČAD //

BUDAPEST

In a city with over 1,7 million inhabitants, novelties in the hotel and congress industry are constant. In addition to the numerous hotels and special venues, many urban centres have emerged in the past few years.

You will see them come alive if you visit the city in the summer days. Local meeting professionals will tell you that they miss a true congress centre, but Budapest, with an array of congress hotels and exhibition centres,

4.44

Final Grade 2019 QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION

hosts an increasing number of international congresses each year. On the Buda, and the Pest side, connected by the imposing bridges above the Danube, you are sure to find a venue that suits your needs.

Quite a few important congress hotels and special venues had undergone substantial renovations in the last couple of years. In 2018, the Hilton

WHAT’S HOT IN 2019 / 2020 • Café Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival // 4 – 20 October 2019 https://cafebudapestfest.hu/ • TIACA’s Executive Summit // 19 – 21 November 2019 https://tiacaevent.org/ • UEFA EURO 2020 // June 2020 https://www.uefa.com/ uefaeuro-2020/event-guide/ budapest/ • Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix // 31 July – 2 August, 2020 https://hungaroring.hu/en/events/ • Sziget Music Festival at the Hajógyári Island, 5 – 11 August 2020 https://szigetfestival.com/en/ • Budapest Wine Festival at Buda Castle // 10 - 13 September 2020 https://aborfesztival.hu/en • 52nd International Eucharistic Congress // 13-20 September 2020 https://www.iec2020.hu/en

KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET 21

Budapest with 333 rooms and a 600-pax event capacity was thoroughly renovated. The Budapest Marriott Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the city is also getting a new look. In addition to the larger hotels, the boutique hotel offer is also diverse. One of our favourites is the luxury boutique Aria Hotel Budapest, where the cohesive thread is music.

Music follows the guests from the lobby, where they can access a digital music library, to the rooms, named after world-famous musicians and equipped with top-of-the-line multimedia equipment. Meeting planners will appreciate the hall for 40 participants and the High Note SkyBar with gorgeous views of the city. With over 250 m2, it is a wonderful venue for receptions. Equally impressive are also the special venues that we had the privilege to see, guided by the Association of Hungarian Tourist Guides.

Inside the Museum of Fine Arts, re-opened in 2018 after 3 years of renovation, you can admire beautiful ceiling paintings in the famous Romanesque Hall. The Romanesque Hall is perfect for gala dinners and other ceremonial events for up to 300 people in banquet set-up. Another special historical venue is the Pesti Vigado , near the Budapest Marriott Hotel. It is a cultural and exhibition centre, hosting its own events, capable of hosting conferences, banquets and receptions as well. The Ceremonial Hall can host up to 600 guests in a theatre set-up. On the “Buda” side of the river, the Castle Garden Bazaar (Várkert Bazár) provides a modern multi-functional hall inside a historical building, surrounded by terraces built in a Neo-Renaissance style. The hall can host 700 participants in theatre set-up and can be split into 3 smaller halls. It also has a giant 880m2 lobby.

NEED TO KNOW 2019 Undergoing 4 years of renovation, the prestigious 5-star Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest by Hyatt had opened its doors to the public this year. A former art nouveau shopping arcade, hotel is combination of Moorish, Art Nouveau and Gothic style. The resurrection of the historical building took over 70,000 hours of renovation and restoration. Elements that could not be restored, such as the ceramic trim around the windows inside the staircase, were all made brand new. The passage has been transformed into a unique hotel lobby, simultaneously serving as a cafe and hotel restaurant. The doors of the hotel are open to local residents, who fondly remember times before the renovation. The hotel has 110 rooms, amongst which are also luxurious suites with terraces on the top floor. These suites offer unrivalled and spectacular views of Budapest.

There is 300 m2 of space dedicated to meetings and events in 4 halls.

The largest one can accommodate up to 90 participants. There’s a spa centre and more active guests are also invited to try out the modernlyequipped gym. The hotel’s location near the Danube river opens many opportunities to explore. It’s a stone’s throw away from all the major sights and shopping streets.

DID YOU KNOW? Budapest was home to many inventors. Rubik’s Cube, a cube-shaped puzzle, that was a “must have” toy for all generations in the 80’s, was invented in 1974 by Ernő Rubik, a professor from Budapest, wanted to help his students understand three-dimensional problems. He became the first self-made millionaire from the communist block.

Later on, he established a foundation to help promising inventors in

Hungary.

BEST INCENTIVE IDEA “What about a gala dinner party with crystal glasses in a ruin pub of a thousand colours?” is what the budapestUNDERGUIDE DMC asks. An experienced team will find a special and unique venue for your incentive in one of the extravagant “ruin bars” in the old Jewish quarter. Each of the bars in the ruins of abandoned buildings and stores is unique, with a mixture of flea market furniture and many “retro” details that makes you smile, feeling nostalgic and creates a laid-back atmosphere.

PERFECT GIFT The perfect gift is hiding in Budapest’s Great Market Hall. Here you will find real local products from paprika to linen, lace and pottery, famous Hungarian salami, Tokaj wine and Palinka. In 2019 the Hungarian Tourism Agency created a new brand concept for promoting Hungarian wines.

Their goal is to present Hungarian wine as a world-class product and encourage people to visit all 22 Hungarian wine regions.

BEST KEPT SECRETS The Hungarian capital can be best understood from a bird’s perspective.

It’s why roof-tops have become popular venues for relaxed events, especially in the warmer months. We’ve already mentioned the terrace of boutique hotel Aria which also offers some covered space in case of bad weather. For more prestigious events, we recommend one of the suites in the Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, where you will find yourself in the midst of an architectural pearl. The Marriott also has a terrace.

But not any terrace. It’s a terrace where Freddy Mercury sang to a group of friends in the occasion of his famous Budapest concert in 1986. The most popular terrace in the city has to be the 360Bar, accessible from the one of the busiest streets in Budapest, Andrassy Avenue. It’s a paradise for enjoying cocktails accompanied by the beats of resident DJ’s.

OFF THE BEATEN MICE TRACK Hungarian wines are a perfect gift, and we recommend that you visit one of the well-known wine regions called Etyek, only a 30-minute drive from Budapest. You can even take a ride in a unique Eastern European retro car, Trabant and experience a “Trabi Rally”. Visiting different wine cellars and tasting excellent wine shall be accompanied by some home-made cuisine and delicacies offered by the local ham and cheese masters.

FOODIES Hungarian cuisine is often recognised solely as goulash and peppers, but Budapest as a true European capital offers much more. There is something special about romantic dinners on the ships on the Danube, where many tourists love to come. Even street food lovers will find something that suits their taste, including the traditional “langos”.

We were in search of something truly special and came across Tamas Szell and the restaurants Stand and Stand25, which are run by Tamas and his wife. When asked about their restaurant and work, they said: “The joy of cuisine is taken as seriously as possible”. Tamas’ cuisine is influenced by traditional Hungarian cuisine, but by using only fresh and local ingredients, he takes his food to another level. On meticulously plated dishes, you will find just the right balance of colours, creativity and flavour. Because of this, his restaurant earned its first Michelin star a year after opening. https://standrestaurant.hu/

22 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

RESULTS 2017 Natural and cultural factors 4.86 General and transport infrastructure 4.65 Tourist infrastructure 4.90 Meeting infrastructure 4.71 Subjective grade 4.69 Marketing Buzz 3.87 ICCA Index - worldwide ranking - number of meetings 4.83 Numbeo Quality of life Index 2.56 Numbeo Safety Index 3.36 ACI Airport Connectivity Index 4.21 FINALE GRADE 4.26

2018 4.87 4.72 4.91 4.74 4.70 4.30 4.88 2.55 3.50 4.30 4.35

2019 4.91 4.82 4.94 4.89 4.87 4.54 4.78 2.68 3.57 4.43 4.44

We visited Budapest in July 2019. Budapest participates in the MTLG 2019 destination evaluation. More information can be found on the website www.kongres-magazine.eu

FINAL GRADE: 4.44 QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION INDIVIDUAL GRADES

Excellent meetings destination: 5 Quality meeting destinations: 4 Quality meeting destinations: 3 Average meeting destinations: 2 So-so: 1

WHO TO CONTACT HUNGARIAN TOURISM AGENCY Hungarian Convention Bureau Ms. Karolina Farkas Residence 1. Building, Kacsa str. 15-23. | 4. flr.

HU-1027 Budapest, Hungary E: Karolina.Farkas@mtu.gov.hu http://hcb.hu/

MTLG CATEGORY: XL-Extra Large

XL - MEETING DESTINATIONS: Destinations that can host more than 2000 meeting attendees

DESTINATION CAPACITY The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms

19,926

Banquet hall maximum capacity

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels

268

The largest hall in the city 20,700 m2 (in m2)

Destination population

1,752,286

Maximum hall capacity in 12,000 theatre style

7,000

ADDITIONAL DESTINATION INDICATORS 2019 ICCA Index - worldwide ranking - number of meetings

20 / 4.78

Numbeo Quality of Life Index

132,89 / 2.68

ACI Airport Connectivity Index

4,385 / 4.43

Numbeo Safety Index

64,64 / 3.57

KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET 23

SAALFELDEN LEOGANG A town that has it all GORAZD ČAD //

SAALFELDEN

The town of Saalfelden and its village of Leogang are part of the Salzburg region in Austria. They are so close to each other that entrepreneurial Austrians promote it as one destination. The wider skiing area of SaalbachHinterglemm-Leogang is one of the most renowned and diverse holiday resorts in the Austrian Alps. Winter time brings 200 kilometres of ski slopes of all difficulty levels and in the summer, the region comes to life

as the epicentre of mountain biking and hiking. Less known is the fact that Saalfelden is also an extraordinary meeting/incentive destination that keeps impressing visitors all year round. It impressed us at the end of the summer, when the region was hosting all sorts of events that took us by surprise.

4.17

Final Grade

QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION

WHAT’S HOT IN 2019 / 2020 • HONKY TONK FESTIVAL / 5 October 2019 www.honky-tonk.info • UCI 2020 MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP / 4–6 September 2019 www.saalfeden-leogang.com • JAZZ SAALFELDEN / 22–25 August 2019 www.jazzsaalfelden.com • 3 DAYS OF JAZZ IN WINTER / 17–19 January 2020 www.jazzsaalfelden.com • INCENTIVES ALPE ADRIA 2020 / 24–26 May 2020 www.incentives-alpe-adria.eu • 2020 MOUNTAINBIKE WORLD DOWNHILL CHAMPIONSHIP / 4–6 September 2020 www.uci.org/mountain-bike

24 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

WHERE NATURE AND MAN WALK IN SYNC This Alpine paradise was long reserved just for the locals who lived there and kept it intact. They were stubborn and felt that everything was dependent upon them. It is because of this that tourism in Saalfelden has always had sustainability in mind. The entire hotel infrastructure is based on small family hotels and an offer that organically follows natural conditions and doesn’t interfere with local limits. A strong subconscious harmony between nature and man has been established that can be felt throughout the region. It’s why the cultural identity of places like this has remained so authentic, something that attracts numerous meeting planners every year.

ABUNDANCE OF WOOD Wood is a resource that has had an immense effect on the region. It’s a strategic material that has driven the development of numerous large processing plants in the region. Wood is something you just can’t get enough of, whether it’s in the hotel rooms, restaurants, congress centres or art exhibitions. It seems as if the region is the centre of Austria’s wood industry tradition. The smell and warmth of the natural material will stay with you even when you leave the hotel room. We recommend a visit to the small village of Bergdorf Priesteregg, where 16 rustic-looking chalets built from 200-year-old wood await.

MINING TRADITION AND THE START OF TOURISM The town was built on mining. After mines of silver, lead and iron were exhausted, people turned to selling salt and later on, tourism. Today, meeting guests can look at the historical mine and get a glimpse into what the region looked like. The Mining and Gothic Museum in Leogang exhibits interesting gothic sculptures of mining saints. It’s an incredible collection, even on a European scale.

A MEGA SKI RESORT With the opening of new ski lifts, two ski resorts were connected.

Together, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Zell am See are the largest skiing area in Austria. With more than 30,000 hotel beds, it’s also an area with one of the most comprehensive tourist offers in Austria. The established connection means that there are 270 kilometres of ski slopes, 70 ski lifts and 115 slopes, for which one skiing day certainly won’t be enough.

CAR-LAUNCH PARADISE Alpine roads with the iconic Grossglockner pass are not the only reason to visit the region. If you are in the automotive industry, the OAMTC Driving Centre, located next to the Gut Brandlhof hotel will be one reason more.

It’s one of the most advanced driving centres in Europe, where drivers can attend a safety driving school, test out the limits of their cars and drive in different simulated weather conditions. The space is adapted to the needs of automotive event organisers and it even has a car wash, making it the perfect place for car launch events. The entire region is a paradise for such events.

THE MOTHER OF ALL ROADS There’s no lack of picturesque winding roads in the region, but many come here just because of one. The famous Grossglockner pass is a 48-kilometre stretch of road that connects the Salzburg with the Tyrol region. It’s the highest panoramic road in the Alps that will get you pretty close to Austria’s highest peak at 3,798m. You will be rewarded with spectacular views of the Grossglockner and the Pasterze glacier. There’s a varied choice of catering along the way and we also recommend a visit to the Alpine Naturschau museum. The road is open from May to the beginning of November.

BEST INCENTIVES • Flying Fox XXL With a length of 1,600 metres, a height of up to 143 metres and potential top speeds of up to 130 km/h, Flying Fox XXL is one of the fastest and longest steel rope slides in the world. www.flying-fox-xxl.at • Action Day at OAMTC Road Safety Training Centre You will be instructed by the Centre’s experts to drive up and descend selected trails. You will experience spectacular slope angles and learn more about axle articulation. Finally, you can prove your driving capabilities at a water intrusion. www.oeamtc.at/fahrtechnik

DESTINATION CAPACITY The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms

1500

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels

19

Destination population

19,785

Banquet hall maximum capacity

700

The largest hall in the city (in m2)

800 m2

Maximum hall capacity in theatre style

900

KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET 25

JAZZ LEGENDS Walk through 40 years of jazz history at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival, one of the oldest and most legendary jazz festivals in Europe. In the last week of August, Saalfelden is overflowing with jazz concerts, lectures and performances, filling up the town’s capacities completely. The core of the festival takes place in Congress Saalfelden, but smaller venues are also used. In most small towns across Europe, the locals aren’t very excited if a festival comes knocking on their front door. Saalfelden is different. The festival turns the town into a lively hotspot, where visitors get to meet the friendly locals in bars, while at the same time giving Saalfalden much needed media recognition.

ON TOP OF SALZBURG Kitzsteinhorn is an iconic glacier peak at 3029m, accessible via gondola.

Visiting the glacier ski resort is attractive for meeting participants, as they can enjoy spectacular views on the viewing platform or have some winter fun at the Ice Arena in the middle of summer. Views stretch all the way to the Grossglockner and 19 modern ski lifts guarantee an excellent day of skiing.

UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE DOWNHILL 2020 Leogang will be the host of the Mountain Bike World Cup in 2020. In mountain-biking circles, the race has a similar status to F1 in motorsports, attracting over 10,000 spectators and attended by 700 competitors. To host such an event is the dream of every mountain-bike resort in Europe and the world. Because of huge international interest, the race has also become compelling in terms of tourism. The international live stream will be taking place on Red Bull Live TV, the official media partner.

SAALFELDEN CONGRESS CENTRE Most known as the heart of groove and funk during the Saalfelden Jazz Festival, it’s also a first-class meeting venue. An almost too beautiful natural idyll serves as its backdrop surrounded by mountains on all sides. The hyper-stylish, multifunctional congress centre was re-opened in 2006 and its design allowed it to keep in step with the times. There are 14 halls, the largest one being able to host 900 participants. The most special space can be found on the rooftop, where there’s a 400m2 terrace that will take your event to the next level. Quite literally. The recently renovated design hotel Die Hindenburg is just the cherry on top.

MEETINGS SCENE In addition to the congress centre, Saalfelden has plenty of other interesting conference capacities. The first can be found in Hotel Gut Brandlhof, run by Birgit and Alexander Strobl. The small family hotel by the Steinerne Meer mountain massif has grown to become one of the largest regional hotels specialised in hosting events. The Gut Brandlhof estate stretches across 450 acres of land, allowing their range of services to develop rapidly. The hotel is especially popular among automotive event organisers.

Hotel & Spa Ritzenhof’s smaller conference centre and an array of outdoor surfaces are located by the picturesque Ritzensee lake on the outskirts of Saalfelden. In Leogang, numerous hotels specialise in meetings tourism.

Hotel Krallerhof is a regional institution renowned for its wellness and a unique art gallery. In its near vicinity is also the minimalistic Hotel Puradies that has a small conference centre and some outdoor options for events.

Our favourite and certainly the most out-of-the-box is the Mama Thresl hotel. The place is extraordinary in many ways and it has quickly become the heart of Leogang’s hotel scene. It’s completely in tune with the town’s modern spirit and active lifestyle. It’s also the first choice for incentive programme organisers.

The choice is really diverse and it would be hard to name all capacities in this MTLG, as there are at least 20 family hotels that have an excellent range of meetings services. There’s no lack of special venues either.

A trip to Saalfelden without a visit to an Alpine hut is pretty much unimaginable. We recommend taking a gondola to the Asitz mountain, where you will find the coolest mountain hut ever. The Alte Schmiede in Asitzbräu is a museum, restaurant, bar, brewery, a spectacular special venue and the vision of its owner, Sepp Altenberger. He is an antiques collector who has created a truly special atmosphere. Before going all the way up to the top, stop at the middle gondola station and visit the Senses Park. As its name suggests, it’s an experience for the senses through an interesting herbal garden.

An attractive part of the region’s offer is the Arthouse Nexus cultural centre, where there is always something going on. It’s a multifunctional centre, where you can carry out everything from concerts to meetings.

We could go on and on about Saalfelden’s endless meeting possibilities.

There is just such an abundance of high-quality facilities in such a small area. Something has to be emphasised. Individuals providers in Saalfelden are excellently connected and the Saalfelden Leogang Touristik is of immense help. Their young team is very dedicated and actively involved with activities of the Salzburg Convention Bureau. After our visit, we can confirm that the small, unexplored region of Saalfelden Leogang truly has it all.

26 KONGRES JOURNEYS // GREAT PLACES TO MEET

COOL MEETINGS Eisenhut - a special hat-shaped fondue that has become a social culinary event is best experienced in one of the mountain huts. We recommend Huwi’s Alm & Garten hut in Priesteregg. The dish consists of marinated beef or pork that is baked on a special heater and in combination with some beef soup, it’s a match made in heaven. The meal would not be complete without some special sauces and baked potatoes.

DID YOU KNOW A special chapel built 350 years ago is located in the immediate vicinity of Saalfelden, at the foot of the Steinernes Meer mountain range. It’s dedicated to Saint George and the Salzburg parish allows a hermit to find shelter in the chapel. It’s a miserable rock dwelling, where one has to live without plumbing, electricity and company. What he must have is an open heart to travellers. He receives no payment for his job and women can not apply. The dwelling can be inhabited from April to November, as it gets too cold during winter.

A. NATURAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS: 4.91 When the sun shines on Saalfelden and the mountains aren’t covered in fog, the scenery is something out of a movie set. The views are unforgettable and the landscape scattered with traditional Austrian farm houses won’t disappoint. It’s one of the most picturesque Alpine valleys with a very high “amazing experience” index. Everything is extremely tidy and well looked after, something that we expected before coming.

B. GENERAL AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.87 Winding, well-maintained roads through scenic Austrian countryside lead to Saalfelden. Salzburg is an hour’s drive away and Munich’s airport is also an option. Local infrastructure is excellent and focused towards sustainability. Charging points for electric vehicles are everywhere, buses function smoothly and you can also take a train to Saalfelden. The quality of life is at a very high level.

C. TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.80 The tourist offer is diverse, in terms of taste as well as price point.

Accommodation can be found to suit every wallet; from remote mountain huts to wellness hotels and luxury apartments. The winter season has balanced out with the summer season and there are things to do year round. The most popular summer activity is definitely mountain biking and a lot of hotels have adapted to the needs of bikers, with special storage spaces and maintenance areas. There are also two great golf courses—Golf Club Brandlhof and Golf Club Urslautal.

D. MEETING INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.95 Despite being a small region, the meetings offer is incredibly rich and diverse, easily comparable to some better-known Austrian destinations.

There are also plenty of good meeting agencies and to top it all off, there’s the OAMTC Road Safety Training Centre that has been successfully bringing the biggest names of the automotive industry to the region.

E. SUBJECTIVE GRADE: 4.83 It seems as if the entire valley is making a dedicated effort to follow the principles of nature conservation. An array of projects confirms that in practice, the most noticeable being the promotion of natural construction.

It’s the reason why the landscape has remained so pristine and authentic

RESULTS Natural and cultural factors General and transport infrastructure Tourist infrastructure Meeting infrastructure Subjective grade Marketing Buzz ICCA index Numbeo Quality of Life Index Numbeo Safety Index ACI Airport Connectivity Index

MARKS 4.91 4.87 4.80 4.95 4.83 4.65 1.25 3.74 4.72 2.93

FINAL GRADE 4.30 QUALITY MEETING DESTINATION INDIVIDUAL GRADES

Superb meeting destinations 5 Quality meeting destinations 4 Quality meeting destinations 3 Average meeting destinations 2 So-so 1

MTLG CATEGORY

M-Medium

M- MEETING DESTINATIONS: Destinations that can host more than 1200 meeting attendees

and why so many tourists from around the world are eager to visit. The southern Salzburg region is a shining example of how unspoiled nature and boutique tourism can form a symbiosis and an incredible incentive product.

F. MARKETING BUZZ: 4.65 Places that were not long ago completely undiscovered by meeting planners are now making their breakthrough into the meetings premier league. There is still room for improvement in this field but being in close connection with Salzburg Convention Bureau certainly helps.

COMPARISON WITH THE REGION Often, things that are hidden are much more interesting. The same can be said about the tourist destination of Saalfelden Leogang. The destination swears by sustainability and strong connections between tourism, agriculture, forestry and trade. From what we have seen, they have been doing an excellent job. A lot of hotels have their own water source, the pools are heated with solar energy and smaller hotels have their own heating stations running on wood chips from the surrounding forests. Many destinations have a lot to learn and Saalfelden is a shining example in this field. Everything functions well, the food is local and the well-being of guests is excellently taken care of.

WHO TO CONTACT Saalfelden Leogang Touristik Mittergasse 21a 5760 Saalfelden, Austria T: +43 6582 70660 E: info@saalfelden-leogang.at www.saalfelden-leogang.com

CULTURE & ART & CULINARY // CULTURE 27

FERRARI GARDEN

A depiction of Slovenian Karst SARA TIEFENGRABER //

FERRARI GARDEN

Placing the event at the heart of cultural heritage is a special experience.

Especially, if the town lives and symbolizes the karst way of life and is developing into a very special congress venue. The municipality of Komen has been intensively renovating the premises for many years and the result are completely new locations, which are currently waiting to be discovered by event organizers.

An event at Štanjel is not complete without a walk along the paths, designed by the famous architect Maks Fabiani. He lived in Štanjel in between both World Wars and left a significant architectural signature.

All the paths lead to his masterpiece, the magical Ferrari garden, where you can enjoy an open banquet in nice weather, overlooking the Vipava valley. The park is recognized as a monument of national significance and is one of the most important park arrangements from the time between the two World Wars.

Fabiani transformed the slope into terraces, where vegetables and herbs could be grown. He used stone and concrete in an interesting way, which was a novelty of the period, and thus created different spaces ideal for weddings, receptions and boutique events. The most picturesque part of the garden is the oval pool with a bridge, which represents a miniature version of Venice. The dominating stone stands out and emphasizes motives, which call to be »Instagrammed«. This is especially appreciated by wedding planners, who book most of the summer’s Saturday afternoons.

The remaining days are ideal for incentive organizers, as the venue is perfect for truly special receptions with a view. You will experience, feel and taste Karst at every step for the garden acts as a link between the old city centre and the surrounding natural environment with inspiring views.

28 CULTURE & ART & CULINARY // ART

THE TREETOP WALK

An extraordinary bird’s-eye view stroll SARA TIEFENGRABER //

WWW.ROGLA.EU

At the top of Rogla mountain, in the heart of the majestic forests of the Pohorje mountains, a new attraction has emerged. The 20-metre-high treetop walkway twists amongst giant trees, letting visitors breathe in the fresh air and admire green views extending as far as the eye can see. The concept was born from the idea that it should all revolve around nature. The construction is built with sustainable materials and unpolished wood, and the visitor is continuously educated about nature preservation. Despite having to fell some trees in order to build the treetop walk, the path was planned around the oldest and most beautiful trees and thus left them unharmed.

The walkway presents a unique way to see the forest from another perspective, learn about forest life and meet animals and plants you won’t find elsewhere. Along the 1,043-metre-long path one is met by

adrenaline stops for children and adults alike, as well as educational stops with interesting facts about the local flora and fauna.

To experience the setting from an even higher point it is possible to climb up the observation tower placed at the walkway. Standing 37 metres above ground opens up new views of the mesmerising environment and lets you grasp the vast forest around you. When the weather is clear one can even view Slovenia’s highest mountain—Triglav—and various surrounding towns from above.

The treetop walk, which will be open all year round, is a great way to spend your day outdoors, exploring nature and learning something new about forests and their preservation. It is the perfect, offbeat idea for a family, school or incentive trip.

CULTURE & ART & CULINARY // CULINARY 29

BEHIND THE SCENES – DAM BOUTIQUE HOTEL & RESTAURANT Newly opened hotel in Slovene town of Kromberk JASMINA JERANT //

DAM BOUTIQUE HOTEL & RESTAURANT

A DREAM COME TRUE In Slovenian town of Kromberk, close to Nova Gorica that borders on Italian Gorizia, family Fakuč has been writing a gastronomic and hospitality history already since 1996. That year, the family opened a store and a bistro, and in 2005 son Uroš Fakuč, a chef and a trained somellier, developed it into a bistro and wine bar, and gradually into a high-end restaurant DAM, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the region. Uroš Fakuč recently went another step up and in mid-September opened a boutique and luxury hotel above the restaurant to make his, as he says, ‘lifelong dream come true’. Now the family business, run by owner and chef Uroš, combines the fine-dining restaurant and the new luxury hotel under the joint name of DAM Boutique Hotel & Restaurant.

THE FINEST DESIGN IN WESTERN SLOVENIA Hotel’s design impresses with its extremely luxurious feel and atmosphere so that despite being a four-star hotel its looks and vibe give a guest a complete five-star experience. Design truly is exceptionally rich for the area, what is confirmed also by experts. Maja Uran Maravić, for example, an acclaimed professor of tourism and hospitality from University of Tourism – Turistica in Portorož, confirms design’s outstanding achievement with marking it ‘the most beautiful hotel west of Ljubljana’.

MARBLE AND EGYPTIAN COTTON Room interior is modern, comfortable and sophisticated in pleasant shades of grey, black and white notes that provide a timeless elegance dominating the interior. There are 7 luxury room and two suites designed by the trendiest standards for luxury hotels. Ksenija Djordjević, from the Belgrade’s KDA architectural studio, followed Uroš Fakuč’s ideas and she designed rooms with upscale furniture and parque, and dressed the bathrooms in marble. Sleeping in the hotel is not relaxing only due to hotel being located in a very silent part of town, but also due to the mattresses being of the highest quality and the bedding of the finest Egyptian cotton.

DINING BETWEEN URBAN ELEGANCE AND SENSIBLE INTIMACY DAM Restaurant, located in the hotel’s groundfloor, was recently renovated into an interior evoking the charm and elegance of an urban environment with particular attention to intimacy. Guests get served in the main hall, but for those looking for a more intimate atmosphere, the restaurant also provides a private room for 2 to 20 guests. Uroš Fakuč, owner and chef, who was in the past working with Gualtiero Marchesi, the founder of modern Italian cuisine, swears on raw fish, olive oil, clear flavours, and fresh and first class ingredients. The restaurant is a member of the prestigous JRE – Jeunes Restaurateurs, and recommended by the

30 CULTURE & ART & CULINARY // CULINARY

respectable Austrian gourmet magazine Falstaff, Italian Gamero Rosso, Identita’ Golose, and awarded 16 points by Gault & Millau. Wine lovers will also be happy, as the restaurant provides over 300 selected wines from Slovenia, Italy, France, and Austria.

BREAKFAST OF À LA CARTE CHAMPIONS From the hotel’s reception, located in the place of the former wine bar, one walks to the breakfast nook that provides guests with two options – half of breakfast can be chosen from the buffet, while the other half, as it is common for five-star hotels, can be ordered à la carte. Additionally, for those preferring morning intimacy, breakfasts can be ordered into their rooms.

ART, ART, ART!!!

DAM Boutique Hotel & Restaurant’s immediately acknowledged specialty is in artistic pieces being present in all parts of the hotel. Klemen Brun, a young contermporary artist, is taking care that the art emphasizes the hotel’s ambient and brings out its extravagant and elegant textures and

fabrics, as well as the sensibility of the overall design.

MEETINGS Hotel also provides space for meetings, seminars, lectures and presentation for up to 80 persons.

STARTING POINT FOR REGIONAL WANDERING DAM Boutique Hotel & Restaurant presents a perfect starting point for gastronomic tourists who want to explore the region bursting at the seems with the rich culinary and wine tradition, accompanied by impressive natural and cultural-historical heritage. Kromberk is at the front line of one of Slovenia’s most colourful regions. Guests can visit the 17th century Kromberk Castle, or hop to the globally admired Soča Valley, or the so called Slovenian Tuscany, Goriška Brda, world-famous for its wines. For further exploring, one can also quickly reach Italy and its towns Gorizia and Trieste, while the romantic Venice is only a good hour ride away. However, even the central Slovenia is not far away, as Ljubljana, the capital, is only an hour ride from Kromberk.

31

NEW URBAN LIFESTYLE HOTEL Hotel Conaro Split ADVERTORIAL //

HOTEL CONARO

As a new urban lifestyle hotel in the city center, the Cornaro Hotel reflects a vibrant atmosphere and pulsing rhythm of the ancient city of Split. Steps away from the imperial Diocletian’s Palace, the hotel is surrounded by all major attractions and plenty of shops, restaurants and bars, offering everything one needs for either an important business trip or the perfect urban getaway.

The hotel itself boasts a refined and serene contemporary design, expressing a simplicity of style through the carefully chosen materials and great attention to detail. To make every stay even more enjoyable, the hotel offers relaxation in Wellness & Fitness center, exquisite tastes of traditional recipes with a modern spin in two restaurants, wine bar and a rooftop bar which crowns the hotel on the 6th floor.

The hotel also offers indoor and outdoor venues, whether for hosting a private guest gathering or a corporate event.

32 KONGRES FACE2FACE

DUBAI VS. BAKU A current comparison of the closest competitors following the Kongres MTLG methodology DUBAI, BAKU

DUBAI

BAKU

Population: 3.137.463

Population: 2.262.600

ICCA Country and City rankings 2018 44th place 55 meetings

ICCA Country and City rankings 2018 225th place 12 meetings

Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2019: 3.51

Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2019: 1.98

Numbeo Safety Index: 4.60

Numbeo Safety Index: 3.82

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 5.00

ACI Airport Connectivity Index: 5.00

Hours of sunshine: 3,508 per year

Hours of sunshine: 2,207 per year

The largest hall in the city (in sqm): 15.000

The largest hall in the city (in sqm): 5.019

The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms: 70.510

The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms: 28,461

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 266

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 231

Banquet hall maximum capacity: 3.440

Banquet hall maximum capacity: 940

Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 15,000

Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 3,500

KONGRES FACE2FACE 33

+ Dubai is, without a doubt, a city of superlatives, which is becoming one of the world’s congress capitals. Contributing to that goal are excellent air connectivity, modern infrastructure and duty-free zones. There are currently 23 of those zones in Dubai, from the Media Zone and InternetCity to Design City, all of which attract major international corporations wanting to expand their business. Bringing their headquarters to Dubai are also educational institutions, the main generator of congress events in the city. A thorough inspection, Dubai reveals itself as a mature and well-organized congress destination with a diverse hotel offer. Today, there are 62.146 rooms in 4 and 5 star hotels. The entire infrastructure is capable of hosting the largest international events like Expo 2020 and the ICCA congress, which is taking place this year. Dubai has raised the hotel business and congress tourism to a level that dictates further development in the world.

+ Baku is the meetings champion of the region and basically has no competition in the Caucasus. Neighbouring Georgia is putting in a great effort, but hasn’t reached the level of infrastructural development of Baku.

On a wider spectrum, the biggest competition for Baku are countries that count on the connection between Asia and Europe. Countries like Istanbul, Dubai and other emirates. We mustn’t forget the ex-Soviet space, where the meetings industry is also rapidly developing. During our visit, the Baku Convention Centre was hosting a sales conference for the Russian auto manufacturer Vaz and an increasing number of Russian corporate events are taking place in the city each year. One of the reasons is that most Azerbaijanis speak Russian as their second or even first language.

A bright, creative, hospitable and modern country like Baku is bound to develop even further. I won’t be surprised if the former oil-industry mecca also becomes a mecca for the meetings industry.

Dubai meetings flashpoints: 1. Atlantis The Palm, Dubai - the majestic focal point of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island ideal for corporate events.

2. Dubai World Trade Centre - the region’s leading convention centre and the epicenter DWTC has won the coveted title of “Middle East’s Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre 2019” at the World Travel Awards.

3. The Meydan Grandstand - It features 284 large rooms and suites, 7 dining venues and a total 60,000 m2 of flexible meetings space.

4. Burj Al Arab Jumeirah - iconic hotel boasts number of meeting rooms that can be hired for meetings, events and other function 5. Grand Hyatt Dubai - city conference resort with luxury hotel accommodation, 14 restaurants & bars, largest meeting facilities in UAE.

Baku meetings flashpoints: 1. Baku Convention Centre - impresses with its functional architecture and is capable of hosting a variety of different events 2. Heydar Aliyev Center - has been Baku’s main architectural icon since 2012. The Centre, designed by the legendary Zaha Hadid, houses a giant conference/concert hall, library, ....

3. Baku Expo Centre - it stretches across 26,000 sqm, has three large fair halls and over 10 acres of outside space that can also be used for events.

4. Baku Crystal Hall - magnificent multipurpose hall was built for the needs of Eurovision in 2012. It can host 27,000 participants.

5. Hotel Boulevard - part of Marriott’s Autograph collection, is the largest.

It offers 800 rooms and an impressive meetings centre

STAY: Armani Hotel Dubai / 5*****

STAY: Four Seasons Baku/ 5*****

AND THE WINNER IS 4.68/5

Dubai WINNER

4.30/5

34 KONGRES PEOPLE // VIEW FROM THE TOP

WE HAVE BEEN THE BEST HOTEL IN SPLIT FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS Interview with Dragan Baričić, Managing Director of Potestas, Croatia SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: If you had a magic wand, what would you instantly change to increase the development of congress tourism in Croatia?

I cannot say, but I will say the nearest thing to that—strategy.

Q: What is your hotel’s marketing strategy for congress activities?

We try to reach as many corporate guests as possible, from visiting fairs to knocking on companies’ doors with a gift in our hand

"We are selling the experience, not the rooms or the chairs or tables."

Q: What makes the meetings capacities of Hotel Park Split different?

First of all, impeccable service; then high-quality technical equipment, and beautiful décor Q: How important for you are events as a strategic tool?

Very important since events are happening whole year round Q: In your opinion, what are the key challenges for Split’s event industry?

Lack of flights out of season, lack of congress/event venues, lack of interest in dealing with first two Q: How important is meetings tourism for Croatia?

Very important since congress are usually held out of the season, they use all hotel services so the income is higher than from group or individual reservations

Q: Who is the typical Hotel Park Split guest?

It differs in and out of season: • Spring: congress guests, business/corporate travellers, leisure individuals, individuals who are coming back to us and visit us through the whole year (regular guests) • Summer: leisure individuals and groups, individuals who are coming back to us and visit us through the whole year (regular guests) • Autumn: congress guests, business/corporate travellers, leisure individuals, individuals who are coming back to us and visit us through the whole year (regular guests); leisure individuals and groups • Winter: tough! But business/corporate travellers, individuals who are coming back to us and visit us through the whole year (regular guests); 5* budget groups Q: What is your management strategy?

We strive for perfection, we try to listen to the market, listen to what our guests have to say, we have been the best hotel in Split for the last 100 years and beyond, and we intend to stay that way for the next century at least.

Q: How do you compete with other meetings hotels in the city? What is

your hotel’s priority?

Experience, we are selling the experience, not the rooms or the chairs or tables—service and experience.

KONGRES PEOPLE // WHO IS WHO 35

BELIEVE IN THE POWER AND BEAUTY OF YOUR DREAMS

Interview with Olga Krzeminska-Zasadzka, Founder and Managing Director of POWER Agency SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

I can always count on. Together we can do anything. Full trust helps us to implement the most demanding and crazy projects. I draw energy for action from sport and all kinds of physical activity. Sport helps me to relax, clear and calm my head.

"Believe in the power and beauty of your dreams."

Q: What was your best idea this year?

A few months ago, I applied to be a participant at an industry meeting that take places in Australia. I received confirmation of participation, which I am very happy about. It is a new challenge for me, new possibilities and a completely new world of events, which I will get to know in a few months.

Q: What is your most memorable event in your work so far?

We organised an event for over 10,000 people at over 40 different event stands a few years ago. About 660 service people plus security and catering service staff took part in the project. In total, over 800 people. It was a huge event and logistical challenge. As for an event implemented abroad, we participated in breaking the Guinness records for the number of off-road cars and rafting.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

Definitely meeting new people, getting to know the world, and thus, also getting to know myself. Being an event manager allows me to combine my job with doing what I love. I incorporate my sports and travel passions into realisation for our clients, thanks to which I share with them what I think is the greatest. I share with them a part of myself. I love visiting new places, trying new activities, exploring, learning about the traditions of the places together with clients. This profession allows me to live my life more fully.

Q: What would make your job easier?

My family and the team I work with every day is what helps me the most. Besides them, friends and colleagues from the event industry that

Q: What are you most proud of in business?

I am proud of the stage which I am at now, myself and my company too. We’ve all worked hard in the company over the last few years, and I am grateful to my team for reaching the position of one of the best event agencies in our country together. I am glad that we are constantly developing and raising our competences. And I am proud that, despite all the difficulties that I have encountered along the way, I am still myself and I am guided in life and at work by values that are the foundation for me and give my life the right direction.

Q: … and privately?

Privately, I’m most proud of my wonderful family. We travel together, play sports and enjoy every moment.

Q: Wisdom/motto?

Believe in the power and beauty of your dreams.

36 KONGRES PEOPLE // YOUNG TALENTS

I RUN ON GOOD ESPRESSO

Interview with Nastja Ravšelj, Event Marketing Manager at the Slovenian Convention Bureau SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PERSONAL ARCHIVE

Q: What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

When I think back, I would say that the bravest thing I have ever done was to always follow my desires and ambitions even from a young age, even though it quite often scared me. I left home at age 15, pursuing my sports career and saw quite a big part of Europe as a part of the Slovenian national biathlon team. Therefore, I was already quite independent and on my own during my high school years but the experience taught me a lot and it really moulded me into the person I am today.

Oh, and bungee jumping. As I am afraid of heights, definitely bungee jumping! Looks like I enjoy torturing myself.

"I am really passionate about the meetings and event industry."

Q: If you had more hours in the day, what else would you dabble in?

I would definitely use the extra time to focus more on my original profession and my other passion besides meetings and events. I have a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology and I am currently working on my thesis and finishing my 5th year of specialisation in psychotherapy, so having my own psychotherapy office to use the extra hours would be a dream of mine.

Q: What are you obsessed with at the moment?

I am currently working on my two theses, the one I mentioned in psychotherapy and on my master’s. And the last one is, of course, on the topic of the meetings and events industry and as the field is so dynamic and I am really passionate about it, I am obsessed with adding new chapters and examples to my thesis, making sure to really capture the breadth of the industry.

And eating. As a big, big foodie, I am trying not to miss out on any recommended Slovenian (or European) restaurants.

Q: What are the five things that get you going?

For me, it is all about challenging myself so the thrill of it is what keeps me going most of all. Otherwise, I run on good espresso, a quality glass of wine, superb food, relaxing chats with my nearest and dearest, and occasional running sessions.

Q: Your goals before 50?

My main goal is to sit down on my 50th birthday, preferably somewhere with an amazing view, with a glass of a superb wine in my hand and reminisce on the past years with a big smile on my face. To reach that goal, I am eager to use all of my potential and to stay as ambitious and driven as I am right now.

Where Top people create Top events.

GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre

President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia | Photo: STA

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www.gr-congress.si

38 KONGRES HIDDEN GUEST

ATLANTIDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL Better than its bigger brothers ATLANTIDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL

CATEGORY 5***** OPENED SINCE 2016 MEETINGS STAR Boutique meeting hotels STANDARD Hotel with conference facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 76 rooms PRICE INTERNET EUR 149 - 196 (single use) / Trivago, October 2019 ADDRESS ATLANTIDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL Cvetlični Hrib 1 3250 Rogaška Slatina Slovenia, EU T: +386 (0)3 6201 600 E: info@atlantida-rogaska.com FACILITIES Classic Restaurant À la carte restaurant Wellness and spa centre Medical Wellness programmes Underground parking garage Conference centre SPECIALS The selfless activities that include morning rituals of drinking water, yoga and walks through the fairy-tale park make for a great start to a meeting day.

www.atlantida-rogaska.si

LOCATION Cvetlični Hill, which is just a stone’s throw away from Rogaška Slatina, was once home to Hotel Boč. Investors have built a brand-new hotel on the same spot and renovated the old part. The hotel is beautifully placed in nature and positions itself as a world-renowned thermal resort. Rogaška Slatina is, in fact, one of the oldest Slovenian health resorts and with its 400-year-old charm, leaves nobody half-satisfied. Lately, this health resort destination has shone in all of its glory due to numerous renovations and novelties. With its designer approach, the Atlantida Hotel is a nice addition to the more traditional hotel scene.

ACCESSIBILITY Rogaška Slatina is located in the eastern part of Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia.

Judging by the airport connectivity, the location is well-connected and is easily reachable.

From Ljubljana, it is 135 km and from Zagreb only 90 km. An underground parking garage awaits guests arriving by car. The hotel also offers transfers from local airports with a luxury Mercedes. When in Rogaška Slatina, we recommend going for a walk around the resort and uncovering numerous hiking trails nearby. This way, you will experience the charm of the town.

COLD STARTER - ARCHITECTURE AND AESTHETICS Architecturally, the hotel fits well into the tidy horticultural image of Rogaška Slatina.

The hotel is divided into 3 separate sections, which blend in with the terrain and forest surrounding it. The interior is a pure-blooded design hotel. The lobby is generally the guests’ first impression of the hotel, and here the Atlantida’s lobby wows its guests, mainly due to the exceptionally unique eye-catching furniture and lights. Combined with the minimalistic furniture, it appears luxurious. The effective use of energy and the use of renewable sources is also worth mentioning.

WARM ENTRÉE - THE STAFF AND THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE The hotel staff seem like one big family and are the strongest part of the hotel’s offer. Always willing to help and practically always wearing a smile, they are the heart of the Atlantida Hotel. The culinary services are also exquisite, starting with breakfast. The list and range of dishes is extensive and stands out with its quality. The à la carte restaurant is also setting the standards for Rogaška Slatina because of the unique wine list, which surpasses any other classic hotel. The modern and creative cuisine is part of the differentiation of the hotel and that is what sets it apart from the competition.

MAIN COURSE – THE MEETINGS SERVICES AT THE HOTEL Hotel rooms We stayed in a luxury double room with a balcony. The prevailing style in the rooms is minimalism, which is defined by the elegant furniture in darker shades. The rooms appear luxurious and extremely functional in combination with the grey walls and elegant carpets. A

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bottle of the Donat Mg mineral water awaits every guest. The water is unique because of its high content of magnesium. Another inspiring addition is intuitive lighting and the bathroom, which is spacious and tastefully decorated. The best part of the room is a splendid bed. Along with the balcony with a lovely view, this is undoubtedly a unique and excellent hotel story.

Meetings centre The spacious meeting hall enables different meeting settings and receptions with capacities for up to 120 participants. The height, the giant screen and the quality projector are very impressive.

DESSERT – THE EXTRAS Above the ground floor, you will find a mid-floor, which is a gallery, fitness centre, hair salon and wellness centre all at once.

RESULTS MARKS LOCATION 4.96 ACCESSIBILITY 4.53 FIRST IMPRESSION 4.84 LOBBY 4.94 EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE 4.91 RECEPTION 4.79 HOTEL ROOM 4.75 HOTEL BED 5.00 BATHROOM AND RESTROOM 4.78 HOTEL BREAKFAST 4.93 BARS AND RESTAURANTS 4.88 CONGRESS HALL 4.92 ADDITIONAL OFFER 4.75 TOTAL

4.84 GOLD BOUTIQUE MEETING HOTEL

GOLD final score SILVER final score BRONZE final score

FLOP – UNPLEASANT SURPRISES For overs of spacious spas, the saunas can be a bit small, but the hotel has already made plans for the future.

TOP – PLEASANT SURPRISES The uniquely designed lights create a connection between the glass industry and the designer hotel. The lighting is exceptional.

FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY The only boutique designer hotel in Rogaška Slatina has quickly become a name on the market and has enrichened the local scene. What is important is that it does not only convince with its design, but with the story behind it and the staff that make the hotel. By doing so, they have brought a breath of fresh air into Rogaška Slatina and attracted event organisers. The interior design of the hotel is elegant, and better yet, perfect for all meeting organisers. The hotel is spacious and event participants will appreciate the rich additional services.

from 4.81 to 5.00 from 4.61 to 4.80 from 4.41 to 4.60

LUXURY PREMIUM BUSINESS ECONOMY BUDGET

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The HIDDEN GUEST section is not paid. The selection of the hotels that are evaluated by the hidden meeting guest is at the discretion of the editorial board and the visits are unannounced.

4.84 Final Grade

40 KONGRES HIDDEN GUEST

CANOPY BY HILTON ZAGREB

A different kind of Hilton with a local signature CANOPY BY HILTON ZAGREB

CATEGORY 4**** OPENED SINCE 2018 MEETINGS STAR City Meeting Hotel STANDARD Hotel with conference facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 151 rooms PRICE INTERNET EUR 109 - 250 (October 2019 low season / Trivago) ADDRESS Canopy by Hilton Zagreb - City Centre Kneza Branimira 29, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia Ulica kneza Branimira 29, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia T: +385-1-4559505 FACILITIES Canopy Central Bar The ReUnion Restaurant Canopy Breakfast Creative Event Space 24-hour Fitness Centre SPECIALS The offer of creative local gifts along with the legendary Bajadera chocolates and a selection of the most interesting craft beers from the Garden Brewery.

LOCATION The creators of the new youth brand of Hilton have chosen Zagreb as the location for their first hotel in Europe. The closest Canopy is located in Reykjavik. The hotel is located in the Branimir Centre, where previously the Arcotel hotel stood. It is located in the vicinity of the train station and close to the city’s landmarks. The Canopy brand is positioned directly behind luxurious brands such as the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad and is a major gain for Zagreb, which desperately needed a lifestyle hotel. This is the reason behind the high hotel occupancy.

ACCESSIBILITY Zagreb is one of the regional airports that has been registering constant growth and the acquisition of new routes after the airport’s renovation. In terms of public transport, the city is well-organised and can be evaluated as an easily accessible European capital. The hotel also assures an underground garage for guests arriving by car, which is located near to the hotel. We recommend taking the lovely Canopy bicycle and going for a ride through the city.

COLD STARTER - ARCHITECTURE AND AESTHETICS The exterior architecture is no surprise and can be put into the category of modern functional buildings. Because of this, the interior is a great surprise. The interior was made by the Franić Sekoranja studio, which has previously designed several eclectic restaurants. The new hotel is reminiscent of the golden years of industrialisation in the 50s and 60s. The walls are lined with old posters, bringing a feeling of nostalgia. Altogether it is more reminiscent of a museum than a hotel, as the Union and Kraš chocolate factories once operated in the same place. The motifs from industrial heritage are intertwined through the public spaces and create an inspiring ambience.

WARM ENTRÉE - THE STAFF AND THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE The casual uniforms of the reception staff are an essential part of the experience. The staff are laidback and tattoos and piercings are a common sight. The cool atmosphere doesn’t shout inaccessibility. On the contrary, the staff are extremely kind and professional. They are indeed true Canopy enthusiasts.

The hotel’s young chef swears on local cuisine and ingredients and is doing a great job at this, as we found out at breakfast. The seasonal menu also attracts local guests to the hotel restaurant. The guests are impressed by the re-interpretation of local Zagreb dishes. There is room for everyone, and the restaurant is the best place to enjoy the local food or make new acquaintances.

www.canopy3.hilton.com

MAIN COURSE – THE MEETINGS SERVICES AT THE HOTEL Hotel rooms The hotel rooms follow the philosophy of hotel design. The colour tones are pastel and soothing.

The speciality of the room is the retro furniture. The rugs with the symbols are very interesting.

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Local is truly an important part of the hotel’s philosophy. On top of that, the bed and bed linen are exceptional, as a Hilton bed should be. We can also compliment the Nespresso® machine.

Meetings centre On the first floor, two conference halls can be either separated or joined together. They were named after the famous inventors Tesla and Penkala. They are also suitable for hosting smaller business events. The intention was to make the guests feel as if they were in a living room.

Another virtue is the nicely arranged coffee-break area, equipped with a smaller kitchen.

DESSERT – THE EXTRAS Each floor has a water filter, where you can fill the bottles that await every guest in their room.

It is a good and ecological solution and a hit among guests.

RESULTS MARKS LOCATION 4.56 ACCESSIBILITY 4.69 FIRST IMPRESSION 4.72 LOBBY 4.58 EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE 4.88 RECEPTION 4.75 HOTEL ROOM 4.79 HOTEL BED 4.74 BATHROOM AND RESTROOM 4.63 HOTEL BREAKFAST 4.69 BARS AND RESTAURANTS 4.78 CONGRESS HALL 4.62 ADDITIONAL OFFER 4.71 TOTAL

4.70 SILVER CITY MEETING HOTEL

GOLD final score SILVER final score BRONZE final score

FLOP – UNPLEASANT SURPRISES The classic meeting guests expecting room service will have to find another solution. We don’t necessarily take this as a bad thing.

TOP – PLEASANT SURPRISES Instead of hotel slippers, you can put on hotel socks that give the feeling of being at home.

FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY The recognisable signature of the Croatian designers is part of the hotel experience and differs from the majority of Zagreb’s competitors. The best part about it is that it was created for the needs of meeting and business guests. These guests are the focus group of the hotel. We can confirm that the general atmosphere in the hotel is great, while the inconsistency of the staff will hopefully improve in the future.

from 4.81 to 5.00 from 4.61 to 4.80 from 4.41 to 4.60

LUXURY PREMIUM BUSINESS ECONOMY BUDGET

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The HIDDEN GUEST section is not paid. The selection of the hotels that are evaluated by the hidden meeting guest is at the discretion of the editorial board and the visits are unannounced.

4.70 Final Grade

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MAMA SHELTER BELGRADE Second Home in Belgrade MAMA SHELTER BELGRADE

CATEGORY 4**** OPENED SINCE 2017 MEETINGS STAR City meeting hotels STANDARD Hotel with conference facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 125 rooms PRICE INTERNET EUR 149 - 196 (single use) / Trivago, October 2019 ADDRESS MAMA SHELTER BELGRADE Kneza Mihaila 54A 11000 Belgrade, Serbia T: +381 11 33 33 022 E: events.belgrade@mamashelter.com FACILITIES Mama Belgrade Restaurant with open kitchen Mama Bar Mama Rooftop Giant table football Table tennis Ateliers Huge underground parking SPECIALS Rooftop - stretches out on over 500 m2 offering the skyline over Kalemegdan and New Belgrade. The designers combined many trends, colours and styles on the terrace, joining them together into a unique, out-of-the-box special venue.

www.mamashelter.com/en/belgrade

LOCATION Finding a better location to host an event in the heart of Belgrade would be impossible. The hotel lies in the strict centre of Belgrade on the Knez Mihajlova street. This vibrant part of Belgrade is alive day and night. Especially impressive is the possibility of enjoying nature, as the famous Kalemegdan is only a stone’s throw away. Despite the liveliness of this part of the city, the hotel is located on top of a shopping centre and enables intimacy even when organising an event. In our opinion, the location is one of Mama Shelter’s biggest advantages.

ACCESSIBILITY From the airport to the heart of the city takes about half an hour at best, but the drive can extend up to an hour. Belgrade is a large city and you have to be prepared for the occasional traffic chaos. The airport is blooming, as accessibility is improving with each year. This is a positive factor for event organisers across the world. The Balkans airport hub has been reestablished in Belgrade. A great advantage of the hotel is the luxurious underground garage, transporting guests literally from their car to the hotel lobby.

COLD STARTER - ARCHITECTURE AND AESTHETICS A hotel and a shopping centre are two seemingly incompatible concepts that in reality work very well together. The shopping centre’s architecture can be discussed, but the hotel’s almost legendary eclectic style is what impresses the most. The heart of it is not the hotel rooms, but rather the gigantic restaurant with the terrace. The mixture of interior styles, decorative elements and paintings on the wall are complemented by cultural motifs, such as the interpretation of the kilim rug in the lobby and the incredible ceiling paintings. Despite the danger of appearing chaotic, there is some kind of order and harmony, which is admired by the guests.

WARM ENTRÉE - THE STAFF AND THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE At Mama’s, we are supposed to feel cosy and at home and everything should remind us of mama’s living room. The concept logically includes relaxed staff dressed casually, who are almost standardly kind. The culinary offer starts with the open kitchen, from where they prepare a series of classic dishes and a few with a Serbian twist (the sarma are amazing). The restaurant stretches out on 2000 m2 and can accommodate up to 230 guests and an extra 100 outside. The breakfast was particularly worthy of praise, which is on the level of 5-star hotels. Looking at the offer, we only missed a more innovative craft beer list, which would undoubtedly enrich the choice. Overall, the choice is quite conventional.

MAIN COURSE – THE MEETINGS SERVICES AT THE HOTEL Hotel rooms The hotel rooms are divided into different categories. In the XXL one, there is over 44 m2 of space—enough to even fit a foosball table. A kind note on the mirror from Mama awaits every guest, who ensured pleasant colours and overall comfort. An essential part of the

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room is the couch that can be extended into a bed and a series of funky tables and chairs.

The writing desk is spacious and well lit. A big thanks to Mama for the incredible bed that ensures a good night’s sleep and the tiny ornaments that put a smile on the guests’ faces.

Meetings centre Mama is the pioneer of the alternative offer of meeting halls, which are completely aligned with the philosophy of meeting design. Even their names - atelier speak of their unusualness and creative space. There are four ateliers available for organising an event in Belgrade, the largest of which can accommodate up to 70 participants. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied with the ateliers, you can organise an event in a restaurant, which are usually a great spot for inspiring meetings and sometimes parties.

DESSERT – THE EXTRAS The co-working space. The hotel is full of co-working spaces and if you don’t fancy working in the room, you can work while enjoying the view of Belgrade on the terrace of the hotel or in the funky restaurant.

FLOP – UNPLEASANT SURPRISES The noise coming from the city can sometimes make it into the hotel room. Mainly on weekends.

TOP – PLEASANT SURPRISES It seems that the restaurant is the heart and soul of the hotel, as if something were constantly going on there. If you find yourself bored, you can play a game of table tennis, observe the world around you or read a book. Alive 24/7.

FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY The concept of the hotel is simple: one restaurant, one bar and rooms for guests.

On top of that, the interior is in line with the philosophy of feeling at home—in your mama’s living room. Mama Shelter and its eclectic story have enrichened the regional hotel and meetings scene. The story of the hotel chain started in 2008 in Paris, when the Trigano family thought of a brand that offers hotels with relaxed and informal living and socialising area. The picturesque hotel is a true paradise for Instagrammers. Besides this, it appears very inviting and cosy, exactly how you should feel when at Mama’s. A hotel guest cannot be bored at Mama Shelter and this sets it apart from other hotels where everything stops at 21:00. After what we have seen, we can confirm that the brand’s founders have undoubtedly succeeded in achieving the goal of happy guests, happy employees and happy Mama.

RESULTS MARKS LOCATION 5.00 ACCESSIBILITY 4.82 FIRST IMPRESSION 4.84 LOBBY 4.83 EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE 4.94 RECEPTION 4.79 HOTEL ROOM 4.86 HOTEL BED 5.00 BATHROOM AND RESTROOM 4.71 HOTEL BREAKFAST 4.83 BARS AND RESTAURANTS 4.90 CONGRESS HALL 4.73 ADDITIONAL OFFER 5.00 TOTAL

4.87 GOLD CITY MEETING HOTEL

GOLD final score SILVER final score BRONZE final score

from 4.81 to 5.00 from 4.61 to 4.80 from 4.41 to 4.60

LUXURY PREMIUM BUSINESS ECONOMY BUDGET

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The HIDDEN GUEST section is not paid. The selection of the hotels that are evaluated by the hidden meeting guest is at the discretion of the editorial board and the visits are unannounced.

4.87 Final Grade

44 KONGRES HIDDEN GUEST

SHERATON NOVI SAD New scene in the city SHERATON NOVI SAD

CATEGORY 4**** OPENED SINCE 2018 MEETINGS STAR City Meeting Hotel STANDARD Hotel with conference facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 140 rooms and 10 apartments PRICE INTERNET EUR 109 (March 2019 low season / Trivago) ADDRESS Sheraton Novi Sad Polgar Andraša 1 Novi Sad, 21000 Serbia T:+381 21 4878000 FACILITIES Apicus Restaurant Wine & Tapas bar Fitness Centre Shine Spa Conference Centre

LOCATION The hotel is located near the main traffic artery, around 2 kilometres from the strict city centre of Novi Sad. The city’s fair grounds and important companies are located nearby.

The green and peaceful suburb is ideal for guests arriving by car. Shopping centres and an abundance of bars and restaurants are just around the corner.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel is 80 km from Belgrade airport. Following the E75 highway, you will quickly reach Novi Sad. Otherwise, hotel accessibility is taken care of and for guests arriving by car, a spacious underground garage is provided and costs EUR 10 a day. The hotel also offers a shuttle bus service to the airport. For travelling around the city, we recommend using taxis, as they are cheap and the best mode of transport in Novi Sad. COLD STARTER - ARCHITECTURE AND AESTHETICS The hotel is a typical example of a neo-modernistic functional architecture. The facade is divided into two parts. The first style is the monolithic entrance, and the second is a playful and colourful upper part, where the rooms reside. A modern minimalistic setting in pastel colours dominates the interior design. It is complemented by the stylish furniture in different shapes and sizes . The hotel restaurant stands out with its design and is an interesting venue for events or just enjoying wine and exquisite cuisine.

WARM ENTRÉE - THE STAFF AND THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE Judging by the breakfast, the hotel is on the right path to becoming the leading hotel in the city. A diverse choice of dishes, a touch of local cuisine and the extremely kind staff are all part of the positive experience. The hotel restaurant changes into a classic restaurant at night with an emphasis on meat and steaks. The steak house in the Sheraton has quickly earned a legion of fans. What additionally excited us was the varied selection of drinks and cocktails, which is one of the best on the city’s hotel scene. The staff are extremely professional and helpful, and the service is fast and appropriate for a hotel of this category.

MAIN COURSE – THE MEETINGS SERVICES AT THE HOTEL Hotel rooms A classic Sheraton room offers the expected standardised equipment. The furniture is painted in slightly darker tones and goes nicely with the pastel brown carpet. The heart of the room is the king-size bed with superb bed linen. The black and white photos of Novi Sad are very impressive. The bathroom is spacious and follows the Sheraton principles as well. The capacious writing space is especially worthy of praise, as this is often overlooked in business hotels.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/begsisheraton-novi-sad/

Congress Centre Six meeting halls compose a purebred hotel conference centre. The vast space can be

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separated according to preference. The space of the conference centre is 600 m2 and the largest halls can accommodate 400 participants. Due to the centre’s functionality, it has become an instant hit among event organisers.

DESSERT - THE EXTRAS The SPG club floor offers above-standard comfort for all Marriott Bonvoy members.

RESULTS MARKS LOCATION 4.56 ACCESSIBILITY 4.49 FIRST IMPRESSION 4.68 LOBBY 4.78 EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE 4.85 RECEPTION 4.91 HOTEL ROOM 4.89 HOTEL BED 4.95 BATHROOM AND RESTROOM 4.83 HOTEL BREAKFAST 4.72 BARS AND RESTAURANTS 4.69 CONGRESS HALL 4.71 ADDITIONAL OFFER 4.91 TOTAL

4.77 SILVER CITY MEETING HOTEL

GOLD final score SILVER final score BRONZE final score

FLOP – UNPLEASANT SURPRISES The speed of the free wi-fi is not optimal so you are forced to choose payable wi-fi, which is extremely fast. In our opinion, the days of having to pay for internet have already passed.

TOP – PLEASANT SURPRISES The spa offers a variety of saunas and a fitness centre with modern equipment.

The spa also offers a range of different treatments.

FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY The once uniform Novi Sad hotel scene is now becoming very diverse. This is why we have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this heavyweight, which has not disappointed. The hotel is exactly what a Sheraton should be. Well-organised, adjusted to the needs of meeting guests and most of all, comfortable. The price for such comfort is not excessive in Novi Sad, and this additionally contributes to the overall satisfaction. The hotel is a wise choice for business guests, as well as for event organisers. All you have to do is bring your event to Novi Sad.

from 4.81 to 5.00 from 4.61 to 4.80 from 4.41 to 4.60

LUXURY PREMIUM BUSINESS ECONOMY BUDGET

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The HIDDEN GUEST section is not paid. The selection of the hotels that are evaluated by the hidden meeting guest is at the discretion of the editorial board and the visits are unannounced.

4.77

Final Grade

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LOISIUM WINE & SPA RESORT SOUTH STYRIA Really Unique & Different LOISIUM WINE & SPA RESORT SOUTH STYRIA

CATEGORY 4**** OPENED SINCE 2012 MEETINGS STAR Spa meeting hotels STANDARD Hotel with conference facilities NUMBER OF ROOMS 102 rooms and suites PRICE INTERNET EUR 149 - 196 (single use) / Trivago, October 2019 ADDRESS LOISIUM WINE & SPA HOTEL EHRENHAUSEN | SÜDSTEIERMARK Am Schlossberg 1a 8461 Ehrenhausen a. d. Weinstraße, Austria T: +43 3453 28800 E: hotel.steiermark@loisium.com FACILITIES Wine Spa Merkur Lifestyle Spa Vinotheque Shop Wine bar Spa bar & Grape Lounge Fitnesspavilion Restaurant Weinkuchl Huge outside car park SPECIALS Incredible design. The hotel is part of the Design Hotels chain, which has lately become a synonym for hotel architecture excellency. A pureblooded hotel for design-lovers.

www.loisium.com

LOCATION The Southern Styria wine region is an excellent example of a land that lives and breathes for wine tourism. The region, which is 40 minutes away from Graz, is known for its dry wines and also some of the best Austrian winemakers situated near remarkable wine roads. The region is not short of wine cellars and restaurants, and amid this wine paradise, the design hotel Loisium Wine & Spa Resort Südsteiermark has found its place. The silver lining of the hotel is the wine story.

ACCESSIBILITY The hotel can be labelled as an easily accessible one. Graz Airport is only half an hour away.

It is well connected with the main traffic arteries, especially from Vienna and other German cities. For guests arriving by car, spacious parking is provided. The nearest highway Maribor – Graz is only 10 kilometres away. For overcoming the wine hills, we recommend using e-bicycles.

COLD STARTER - ARCHITECTURE AND AESTHETICS The architects are Peter Zinganel and Hermann Eisenkock from the ArchitekturConsult Graz studio, who took their inspiration from the local landscape and winemaking tradition.

Directly nearby lies Ehrenhausen Castle, which has a special relationship with the hotel. In our opinion, the architects have succeeded in creating an exceptional hotel by using quality materials for all 3 segments of the building. In the interior, an industrial design, taking the form of wine boxes combined with concrete and the elegance of the public spaces, dressed in green. The hotel’s exterior featuring a herbal garden and a spa garden is equally impressing.

The hotel appears exquisite as a whole.

WARM ENTRÉE - THE STAFF AND THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE Loisium cuisine is local and seasonal. The team, led by chef Jean-Yves Mesmmer, takes the experience to a new level by upgrading it with modern elements. The result is minimalistic, but the menu diverse, which we were impressed by. They make miracles out of simple and quality ingredients. Loisium also has a wine-cellar (the golden floor is reminiscent of walking on bubbly champagne) with a rich selection of regional wines and an excellent wine-tasting programme. The staff team is top-notch and despite the high occupancy always appears kind and professional.

MAIN COURSE – THE MEETINGS SERVICES AT THE HOTEL Hotel rooms Contrasts are often part of a special experience. This is why the innocent whiteness of the hotel rooms is a positive surprise. Spacious closets and a luxurious bathroom hide within the room. The hotel offers 4 categories of rooms, all overlooking the charming wine hills. The high-quality bed linen is part of the standard. We were very impressed by the lighting, which is generously given throughout the room. The Aveda cosmetics are above-standard, while

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the minibar is filled with local products and as appropriate for a wine hotel, Styrian wines.

Carefully selected paintings of the Austrian artist Erich Steininger guarantee an elegant stay.

Meetings centre The conference centre is situated in the other wing of the hotel and features a spacious and bright hall that can be divided into three smaller parts. It can accept a maximum of 150 participants. It is complemented by a terrace for coffee breaks. Besides the largest one, 4 smaller halls reside on the ground floor. You can also hold events in the Loisium Vinothek, which can accept up to 100 participants. The Weinkuchl restaurant is also suitable for parties and can accept up to 40 participants. What sets Loisium apart from other hotels is a very innovative offer of culinary-wine programmes. The experience was further improved this year with the Loisium Wine Runner, which is a movable wine bar with a retro design.

DESSERT – THE EXTRAS The South Styrian Wine Route - in this area, the oldest and one of the most known Styrian wine routes, runs next to the Slovenian border and offers views of the remarkable vineyards.

This view will make sure that even overstressed people will find in a better mood. Combining a visit with wine tasting is a great incentive idea.

FLOP – UNPLEASANT SURPRISES A hairsplitting remark goes for the hotel’s coffee. They can improve in this area.

TOP – PLEASANT SURPRISES Wine Spa centre makes sure that meetingguests are satisfied. The centre includes saunas, a large outdoor pool and a line of wine treatments. The Vinoble cosmetics are based on grapes and are regionally made, while the more known Aveda cosmetics are based on elements of Ayurvedic tradition. Besides the luxurious indoor pool for relaxation, guests can also enjoy the views of vineyards from the heated outdoor pool.

FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY Simplified, the combination of the words Langelois and Elysium from Greek mythology mean paradise. Oenotourism is on the rise and at Loisium they have packed into an attractive package for meeting guests. If you wish to connect your conference with exceptional architecture, cuisine, wellness and oenology, you have to find the right place. Loisium has quickly become a synonym for such an offer.

Along with this, the luxurious exterior surfaces enable the execution of diverse incentive programmes. The stand-out incentive programme is automotive events, which as it seems, the Loisium was made to host.

RESULTS MARKS LOCATION 4.75 ACCESSIBILITY 4.55 FIRST IMPRESSION 4.95 LOBBY 4.83 EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE 4.98 RECEPTION 4.99 HOTEL ROOM 4.95 HOTEL BED 5.00 BATHROOM AND RESTROOM 4.77 HOTEL BREAKFAST 4.95 BARS AND RESTAURANTS 4.84 CONGRESS HALL 4.95 ADDITIONAL OFFER 4.73 TOTAL

4.86 GOLD SPA MEETING HOTEL

GOLD final score SILVER final score BRONZE final score

from 4.81 to 5.00 from 4.61 to 4.80 from 4.41 to 4.60

LUXURY PREMIUM BUSINESS ECONOMY BUDGET

    

The HIDDEN GUEST section is not paid. The selection of the hotels that are evaluated by the hidden meeting guest is at the discretion of the editorial board and the visits are unannounced.

4.86 Final Grade

48 EMERGING DESTINATIONS

AZERBAIJAN MEETINGS WITH CHARACTER

Extraordinary meeting destination waiting to be fully discovered by European meeting planners ADVERTORIAL //

GORAZD ČAD //

ALJAŽ ČAD, AZERBAIJAN CONVENTION BUREAU

What impresses the most in Azerbaijan is undoubtedly the mix of eastern sophistication and western modernity, which are always in the right ratio.

Moreover, in Azerbaijan they faithfully cherish traditional character, easily experienced at bazaars, through their cuisine and by listening to their music. This laid the foundation for an extraordinary meeting destination

CAPACITY OF BAKU The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms

28, 461

The number of 4* and 5* category hotels

231

Destination population

2.045.815

Banquet hall maximum capacity

940

The largest hall in the city (in m2)

5,019 m2

Maximum hall capacity in theatre style

3.500

waiting to be fully discovered by European meeting planners. At the end of September 2019, we explored the beautiful country of Azerbaijan far and wide in order to bring you the most relevant and exciting locations for meeting planners.

EMERGING DESTINATIONS 49

TOP 5 PLACES WHERE PEOPLE MEET The best places to meet, stay and incentivise in Azerbaijan 1. BAKU CONVENTION CENTRE Baku’s new convention centre impresses with its functional architecture and is capable of hosting a variety of different events. The Auditorium is the crown jewel of the Centre and one of the most advanced meeting halls in the world. It can accept up to 3500 participants, boasting impressive acoustics and top-of-the-line technical equipment.

2. HEYDAR ALIYEV CENTRE BAKU The Heydar Aliyev Centre has been Baku’s main architectural icon since 2012. The Centre, designed by the legendary Zaha Hadid, houses a giant conference/concert hall, library, different exhibitions on multiple floors and even a collection of rare cars. Many come to Baku just to see the giant structure and admire its proportions.

3. HEYDAR ALIYEV CONGRESS CENTRE GABALA Gabala is one of Azerbaijan’s most popular leisure destinations and in 2013 it became one luxury conference centre richer. The Heydar Aliyev Congress Hall in Gabala is as VIP as it can get. The main conference room has space for 1200 participants with superior technical equipment throughout. From a Steingraeber piano in the main hall and Harman Kardon speakers, the Centre is capable of taking on the most demanding projects. Looking at the equipment and furnishings, the facility is definitely a 5-star conference centre.

4. BAKU EXPO CENTRE Baku’s fair activity is well developed, with most fairs being carried out at Baku Expo Center, located near Baku’s modern airport. It stretches across 26,000 sqm, has three large fair halls and over 10 acres of outside space that can also be used for events.

5. BAKU CRYSTAL HALL This magnificent multipurpose hall was built for the needs of Eurovision in 2012. It is located on a small peninsula on the Caspian Sea. It can host 23,000 participants and has an impressive LED facade used to project colourful animations.

ESSENTIAL MEETING EXPERIENCES STAY LOCAL Azerbaijani cuisine - a mixture of east and west and the perfect representation of their way of life. People in Azerbaijan love food and a meal without plenty of meat and vegetables is something you will rarely come across. You’ll also find some delicious local fish and everything will be seasoned with tasty exotic spices. The most famous dishes are rice-based (pilaff), but we were also really impressed by different dairy products and top-quality meat dishes. Eating local is the easiest way to get to know the culture and also a big added value for meeting planners.

HIT THE STREETS The town of Sheki - a town stuck in time, full of merchants, craftsmen and beautiful buildings that you can admire at every step. The most significant is certainly the Sheki Khans Palace built in 1797. Its wooden stained-glass facade is a masterpiece and the reason why the palace is UNESCO listed. Although Sheki is a four-hour drive from Baku, we recommend a visit, as you will be taken back in time and introduced to local craftsmen selling products in their workshops. Sheki is strategically positioned at the foot of the Caucasus mountain range, where trade roads have been running for centuries.

PLAY THE GAME Tufandag Ski Resort - Who would have thought that skiing was a thing in Azerbaijan? The Gabala region is known as the Switzerland of Azerbaijan, where three years ago a modern ski resort was built. It’s equipped with the most modern ski canons and cable cars. The ski season goes on until April and there is no lack of activities in the summer as well. The views of the Caucasus mountains are spectacular, the perfect backdrop to numerous team-building activities. Everything comes at a very reasonable price, comparable to all major European skiing centres.

50 EMERGING DESTINATIONS

ESSENTIAL INCENTIVE EXPERIENCES

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

CHOVGAN - EXPERIENCE Not many people know that the sport of polo has its roots in Azerbaijan.

Chovgan is the predecessor of polo and has been played in Azerbaijan for centuries. It is known as the sport of kings, especially popular among Persian Shahs. The main difference between modern polo and Chovgan is the number of players, which has been reduced from 5 or 6 to 3 or 4. You can learn more about the sport through an interesting incentive programme organised by some specialised DMCs from Baku.

WHEN IN AZERBAIJAN Traditional Mugham music - in addition to cuisine, music is one of the most important parts of Azerbaijani life. It’s a tradition that keeps developing and can never die down. Traditional melodic styles are being used as the foundation for new compositions, mixing local instruments with electric guitars and synthesisers. Even more, Vagif Mustafazadeh was an Azerbaijani jazz pianist and composer, acclaimed for fusing jazz and Mugham. Music is an important carrier of folk tradition and a blessing for the ears.

GOBUSTAN TREKKING If you really want to go back in time, visit Gobustan, where you will find prehistoric petroglyphs in Gobustan National Park. The park is located on the Absheron peninsula and also houses an excellent museum, where you can learn more about Azerbaijan’s geography and the life of its first inhabitants. If you have some time left, Gobustan’s mud volcanoes are also an impressive sight to see.

CARPET WEAVING The carpet weaving tradition is so important in Azerbaijan that even the museum housing the carpets is shaped like one. In Azerbaijan, especially its rural parts, every woman weaves a carpet as a dowry when her daughter gets married. Every hamlet has its own distinctive pattern, which is why carpets represent a way of life. The carpet museum should definitely be on your list of must-sees. You can also try to weave a carpet yourself on one of the incentive programmes, where you will find out the meaning of the famous Azerbaijani saying: “Bliss for the legs, joy for the eyes”.

MUST TASTE Qutab - belongs to ancient Azerbaijani cuisine and later on, it was popular in Caucasian and Jewish cuisine as well. Qutab is made by creating a stiff dough from flour, water, eggs, and salt. The dough is rolled into a thin circular layer and the middle of each circle is filled with stuffing before finally being folded into a crescent shape. The resulting patties are griddled on both sides and served drizzled with butter. Qutab is usually served with yoghurt with fresh coriander, fennel and sumac.

CARRY ME HOME Buta ornaments - decorative elements typical of Azerbaijan, most commonly found on carpets. Throughout the world, ornaments are expressions of local culture and have priceless ethnic content. It would be quite a challenge to take an original Azerbaijan carpet home with you, therefore we recommend buying some cultural heritage in the form of a traditional scarf, pottery or a mini version of the carpet.

EMERGING DESTINATIONS 51

MEGA EVENTS HOSTED • Eurovision Song Contest 2012 • Baku City Challenge 2012 • FIFA U17 Women Football Championship 2012 • World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue 2011/2013/2015 • Baku International Humanitarian Forum (annual) • Baku World Challenge 2014 • International Chess Festival 2014 • Asian Development Bank 2015 • Baku European Games 2015 • 47th Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games • Formula 1 PRO AZERBAIJAN The proud, kind and self-sufficient inhabitants of Azerbaijan are incredible hosts. A melting pot of cultures and religions will be a positive surprise for any traveller or meeting guests. You will be especially taken aback by the exceptional meetings infrastructure with some of the most architecturally charismatic venues in the world and a professional meetings scene comparable to any large European city.

WHO TO CONTACT Azerbaijan Convention Bureau 96E Nizami Street, Landmark I​ Baku, AZ1010, Azerbaijan​ +994 12 505 87 04 ext. 2102​ +994 51 229 60 45 l +994 51 355 05 06​ meetinazerbaijan.az

52 EMERGING DESTINATIONS // MEET BUSTERS

AZERBAIJAN Meet busters ADVERTORIAL //

GORAZD ČAD

What’s your take on Azerbaijan as a host city for your event? Ever wanted to host a MICE event there, but had some doubts?

We warmly advise you to visit the country as soon as possible and experience the immense hospitality and warm-heartedness of the locals first hand. To make the decision process easier, we are about to bust some of the most common myths about the country and its capital city Baku.

"Once you get to the Boulevard promenade, your jaw will drop."

MYTH: Baku is always hosting international events of the largest scale

Confirmed: The capital city of Azerbaijan has the infrastructure and the capacities to host international mega-events. The current number of participants that the city is able to host in one day is 15,000 and the capacity of the largest stadium is 68,000. The hall where Eurovision took place can host 16,000 participants.

MYTH: Azerbaijan is the land of oil and fire

Confirmed: The country is rich in oil and natural gas and is known as the birthplace of the oil industry. Azerbaijanis have a strong connection with fire, one of their national symbols. Due to a high concentration of natural gas, a geological phenomenon has occurred. Yanar Dag or “burning hillsides” are caused by gas seeping through fissures in the earth and catching fire, creating an impressive natural sight. This even fascinated Marco Polo on his way to China.

MYTH: Azerbaijan is a Muslim country with strict rules

Busted: Azerbaijan is a secular country that is extremely modern and tolerant. All religious groups have equal rights, women are dressed according to the latest fashion and Azerbaijani lifestyle is distinctively European.

MYTH: Getting a visa to travel to Azerbaijan is complicated

Busted: You will need a visa if you want to get to Azerbaijan, but obtaining it is super simple, without any complications or extensive paperwork. You

can get your visa in as little as three days. According to many portals, Azerbaijan’s visa issuing system is one of the most user-friendly in the world.

MYTH: Azerbaijan is not an affordable destination

Busted: In comparison to Europe, hotel accommodation prices and expenses connected to event organisation are much lower. Low travel costs also make it a very attractive destination. For example, a half-litre glass of beer will hardly ever be over EUR 2 and coffee or tea are even cheaper.

MYTH: They don’t speak Russian anymore in Azerbaijan

Busted: In the Soviet era, prospects of education in Russian contributed to the intensive sovietization of Baku’s population. Nowadays, language is still dividing the population in two, as schools and universities are providing education in both Russian and Azerbaijani.

MYTH: Baku is not safe and is poorly accessible

Busted: Air connectivity is really solid and the modern Baku airport is directly connected to 78 destinations. A good sense of safety raises the overall well-being of meeting participants and public transport infrastructure is also well maintained and orderly.

MYTH: Baku is a typical ex-Soviet capital

Plausible: This is partially true, but because of rapid development, the face of the city is changing and becoming ultra-modern. You will still find some reminders of Soviet times on the outskirts of Baku, but once you get to the Boulevard promenade, your jaw will drop.

MYTH: Azerbaijan surely doesn’t have quality wines

Busted: This could not be further from the truth, as Azerbaijan’s wine industry dates back to the second millennium BC. Winegrowing in Azerbaijan was stopped by the Soviet Union prohibition law in 1985, but from 2012 onwards, the quality and production quantity of Azerbaijani wine have steadily been increasing. They are especially proud of their pomegranate wine, which you should certainly try.

MYTH: The Caspian Sea has freshwater

Busted: Throw away your old geography books, as the Caspian Sea is not a lake. It’s the largest body of water that is not connected to world oceans. It also sits in a geological depression, making it an endorheic basin that rivers drain into, the Volga being one of them. The Caspian Sea has saltwater, but the salt levels are much lower than those of oceans.

EMERGING DESTINATIONS // BEHIND THE SCENES 53

BAKU CONVENTION CENTRE

The largest congress centre in the Caucasus ADVERTORIAL //

GORAZD ČAD //

ALJAŽ ČAD, AZERBAIJAN CONVENTION BUREAU

STAR WARS At first glance, it seems as if the architects took inspiration for the new congress centre from a Star Wars movie. It’s as if one of the spaceships landed in the centre of Baku, sparking interest for alien technology in the locals. Technology is something the Baku Convention Centre certainly does not lack. It could be considered one of the most advanced and wellequipped congress centres in the world. From super-capable theatre and stage technology and digitalisation throughout to sustainable management and ecological measures. At the same time, this spaceship is cosy, bright, airy and capable of making every guest feel relaxed.

Futuristic extravagance is just the cherry on top.

REPRESENTATIVE ARCHITECTURE Mediocrity, standardness and adequacy just don’t cut it in Baku.

Architects from the Austrian Coop Himmelb(l)au bureau have created a non-generic story that is very special, but very functional at the same time. It’s a manly contrast to its more feminine neighbour, the Heydar

Aliyev Centre designed by Zaha Hadid. There is tension between the two impeccable buildings and that will not fail to make an impression on you.

The two buildings can be understood as a peculiar architectural yin and yang that is the backbone of Baku’s meetings offer. The inspiring dialogue is part of an unforgettable experience.

OUTSTANDING FUNCTIONALITY If the neighbouring Heydar Aliyev Centre is all about form, the Baku Convention Centre focuses much more on function. Functional excellence is what makes it interesting. The Austrian architects who designed the place are known for creating very user-friendly solutions. There is constant oscillation between bright and dark, interior and exterior, formal and informal. The latter is what the designers opened up quite a lot of space for. There is a large lounge that serves as a command station, where guests come for coffee breaks, a chat or some rest. The spaces in front of and in between the halls are all very large, which is a big advantage, as competing congress centres lack that kind of functionality.

54 EMERGING DESTINATIONS // BEHIND THE SCENES

TECHNOLOGICALLY SUPERIOR One of the largest LED screens in the world with a total surface of 405 sqm is the first thing you see when you step through the front door. At the time of our visit, a car launch presentation was running on the screen and the image quality was stellar, as information is distributed through 50 intelligent screens. “Gala Venue” developed one of the most complex systems of elevators for changing the setup in the main conference hall.

You can completely change the design of the hall in just 15 minutes.

An in-house banquet kitchen is designed to serve food for over 1500 participants. Huge lighting elements in the ceiling can be transformed into projection screens and JBL speakers throughout the facility provide superior sound. Simply put, the Convention Centre is technologically superior.

THE MAIN HALL The Auditorium is the crown jewel of the Centre. It can accept up to 3500 participants, boasting impressive acoustics and top-of-the-line technical equipment. There are 2300 stalls seats and an additional 1200 on the balcony. It features movable seating and a retractable floor system, enabling multiple configurations: a theatre layout, a banquet layout and a layout for several possibilities for simultaneous performances. Thanks to the sliding walls of the auditorium, one can go directly from the foyer to the expo area crossing the main hall.

GREEN BUILDING When it comes to sustainability, Baku talks the talk, but also walks the walk. There are solar panels on the massive roof and LED lights have been used from the very beginning. A ton of green policies have been adopted by the Centre and recycling and smart energy management are self-evident. Looking at the country’s abundance of non-renewable energy sources, this kind of approach is quite surprising and very positive.

EXCELLENT TEAM In the last couple of years, Baku has gained plenty of experience in hosting challenging international events. The staff consists of a young team of professionals who really know what they are doing. The Centre immediately became a member of international associations like the ICCA, AIPC and many others. The team has been through quite a lot of events demanding the toughest protocol which shows they know how to handle all organisational circumstances.

The Baku Convention Centre is a multi-tasker. It is capable of hosting large conferences, concerts, corporate events, statemen’s meetings, product launches and gala receptions.

Space is something you won’t have to worry about and the same goes for equipment. The Centre is functionally perfect and participants will certainly appreciate your choice of venue. It is a congress centre of the digital generation, which will make it stay competitive for a long time.

SOME BIG EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN BAKU CONVENTION CENTRE • Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting, May 2015 • UNAOC Forum 2016, April 2016 • Second Academic Forum of UNESCO Chairs, May 2017 • 41st World Scout Conference, August 2017 • 18th Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) TECHNICAL DATA • Gross Floor Area 30,599 m2 • Net Floor Area 25,499 m2 • Capacity Auditorium 3500 seats • Number of conference rooms 16 • Number of permanent office premises and facilities 73 WHO TO CONTACT Azerbaijan Convention Bureau 96E Nizami Street, Landmark I​ Baku, AZ1010, Azerbaijan​ +994 12 505 87 04 ext. 2102​ +994 51 229 60 45 l +994 51 355 05 06​ meetinazerbaijan.az Baku Convention Centre Tebriz str. 130, Baku T: +994 12 404 18 81 E: info@bakucc.az www.bakuconventioncenter.com

EMERGING DESTINATIONS // BEHIND THE SCENES 55

HEYDAR ALIYEV CENTRE

A white handkerchief in the middle of a windy city ADVERTORIAL //

GORAZD ČAD //

ALJAŽ ČAD, AZERBAIJAN CONVENTION BUREAU

ICONIC BUILDING The Heydar Aliyev Centre has been Baku’s main architectural icon since 2012. It was built to honour Heydar Aliyev, the Azerbaijani leader during Soviet times, from 1969 to 1982 and the president of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003. Located near the city centre, it stands as an integral part of Baku’s urbanistic makeover. The city’s main traffic artery runs right next to the cultural centre, meaning everyone coming to the city from the airport is able to see it. I mean, how could you really miss it?

MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING In addition to the main conference/concert hall, the Centre also houses a library, different exhibitions on multiple floors and even a collection of rare cars. Many come to Baku just to see the giant structure and admire its proportions. The building is made up of three main blocks, each serving its own purpose, but forming a completely unified whole. The foyer opens up views to all of the floors in the three blocks, where different exhibitions take place. It reminds me of slicing a cake and revealing all of the layers.

The foyer is where you will find a small coffee shop and occasional exhibitions.

ZAHA HADID’S ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE The architecture that made Zaha Hadid famous is timeless and iconic.

Her work is intriguing and it is impressive how she manages to shift the boundaries of what’s possible. The result? A building of superlatives, where function follows form and not the other way around. It does a perfect job of drawing people in, as it’s based on organic shapes and rounded corners, something that the human eye immediately registers as pleasing. Arguably the boldest architect in the world and her team managed to create an exceptional building.

ALL IS ONE The Auditorium is the heart of the building. Wooden arches follow the round lines of the ceiling and show strong expressiveness in designing undulating surfaces. It’s as if the massive oak beams are gently hugging you, enchanting you with top-notch acoustics. In addition to the main conference hall with a 1000-participant capacity, there is also another multi-purpose hall that can be split into three smaller halls giving you space for 1400 participants.

56 EMERGING DESTINATIONS // BEHIND THE SCENES

ZAHA’S LUSCIOUS GARDEN There are many ways to get to the centre, but we advise you to tell the taxi driver not to take you all the way up to the entrance. This way, you will have a chance to walk up the beautiful terraced slope and admire the white palace that overlooks the park. Its sloping white panels are a great contrast to the perfectly maintained green grass. The white alien is not alone anymore, as three years ago another iconic building was built right next to it. The more masculine architecture of the Baku Convention Centre is another strong contrast that is provocative and extremely attractive. They are connected by a central square, where wavy lines keep the inside always connected to the outside.

CAR COLLECTION If you are a car enthusiast, you will be itching to take the elevator down to the basement of the Centre, where there is a spectacular collection of cars ranging from models produced at the end of the 19th century to modern supercars like the Bugatti Veyron. It’s a great excursion into the history of the automotive industry.

A COMPREHENSIVE EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS The Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s several year-long endeavours to collect unique musical instruments from a variety of sources resulted in the Musical Instruments: Unity and Diversity exhibition. The exposition boasts up to 200 musical instruments dating from the 18th to the20th century. The exhibits represent 31 nations.

INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION The building is an awe-inspiring special venue that has been put to great function. It’s an incredible architectural feat that has the power to strengthen the story of every event. It’s an iconic location that your participants simply won’t forget.

WHO WAS ZAHA HADID? Zaha Mohammad Hadid was a British-Iraqi architect, who became the first woman to win the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004.

She was also awarded the Stirling Prize twice and in 2012, she was made a Dame by Elizabeth II for services to architecture. Zaha will certainly go down in history as one of the best architects there ever was.

WHO TO CONTACT Azerbaijan Convention Bureau 96E Nizami Street, Landmark I​ Baku, AZ1010, Azerbaijan​ +994 12 505 87 04 ext. 2102​ +994 51 229 60 45 l +994 51 355 05 06​ meetinazerbaijan.az

KONGRES X FACTOR 57

THE MYSTERIOUS SLOVENIAN FOREST SARA TIEFENGRABER //

MARJAN ARTNAK - PRAGOZD KROKAR & RAJHENAVSKI PRAGOZD

The KoÄ?evsko region is endowed with six of the 13 virgin forests in Slovenia, making it the richest forest region in the country. A virgin forest is one still free of man’s encroachment that develops following natural principles. Entering and disrupting such forests is forbidden, but we can

peek at the most beautiful parts of the forests from a path leading along the forest border. We can observe hidden remains and enchanting sights of untouched forests with life in its primal form and enjoy the abundance of peace and quiet.

LUXURY MEDITERRANEAN HAVEN SARA TIEFENGRABER //

PORTOPICCOLO

Portopiccolo can best be described as a town within a town. It is an inviting bundled seaside resort with its own marina, luxury hotel, spa centre and unique congress centre. The vision of complementing the existing cliff shore was executed structurally and with an ecologically friendly mindset, keeping with the coastal spirit and character. You can

feel it while walking the streets, fringed with interesting shops, assorted restaurants and lively bars. The possibilities for event planners are endless, offering everything from traditional venues to striking settings at the beach.

58 MEETWOOD // DESTINATIONS THAT IMPRESS

AMAZING EVENT LOCATIONS Destinations that impress MAJA MIRTIČ //

WWW.SLOVENIA.INFO / TOMO JESENIÄŒNIK, SAN-CANZIAN.HR, DUBROVNIK, DANUBIANA MEULENSTEEN ART MUSEUM

LAKE JASNA

SAN CANZIAN

DUBROVNIK

DANUBIANA

The breath-taking view of Lake Jasna and the surrounding mountains will not leave you indifferent at any time of the year. The view is enriched by the ducks on the lake, guarded by the statue of Zlatorog, the legendary chamois of the highest Slovenian mountain - Triglav. The astonishing nature relaxes and calms you down in an instant and is a true pearl of nature. But in the end, the true beauty lies in the reflections (of nature) in the crystal-clear lake water of Lake Jasna.

A premium experience of the Istrian countryside, the charm of which will regenerate and relax you with its beautiful untouched nature and cuisine. The village is designed as a petit historical town and the accommodation is eminently sophisticated and luxurious. A true definition of where the traditional meets the modern. The village is authentic to its heritage and perfectly placed in its ambiance. It is a village well worth visiting.

The place of which Croatians seem to be the proudest of and nobody could blame them. Not surprisingly it is their most filmed movie destination; from Star Wars to Robin Hood, not to mention the trendiest, the Game of Thrones, was filmed here. One of the top tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, with the mighty Bokar fortress and the busy Stradun street in the historical centre, always makes an impact.

The amazing scenery coupled with the historic ambiance is a perfect location for a fascinating event.

One of the youngest European museums of art lies on a peninsula around 15 kilometres south of Bratislava. It is an extraordinary venue on the crossroad of three countries: Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. The riverside location and the mighty Danube river give the Meulensteen Art Museum a special flare of which you are well reminded on the rooftop terrace of the building. The surrounding park covers an area of 8000 m2 and is the exhibit space for 60 fascinating modern sculptures.

Slovenia

Croatia

Croatia

Bratislava

HOW TO // POWER TO THE MEETINGS 59

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Having a good brand amplifies your event idea GORAZD ČAD //

SHUTTERSTOCK, FREEPIK

DEFINITION The legendary Mad Man David Ogilvy once said that image means personality and just like humans, products and events also have their personality. That personality can either be built or destroyed with different marketing strategies. In most cases, we try to embody personality through the process of branding. An event’s image is the ultimate interpretation of branding.

THE STARTING POINT In practice, event planners usually face these three challenges: 1. BRANDING as a tool for building recognisability using a name, visual image and symbols is the fingerprint of what we want the event’s identity to be.

2. IMAGE drives public views and opinions about your event. It’s part of the identity that was decoded and understood by the participants.

THIS ARTICLE IS THE SIXTH CHAPTER (EVENT BRANDING) OF A NEW UPCOMING BOOK ‘POWER TO THE MEETINGS’ BY GORAZD ČAD THAT WE HEREBY HAPPILY ANNOUNCE WILL BE PUBLISHED SOON!

3. REPUTATION is an efficient tool to measure the value of an event’s brand and image.

Therefore, the formula behind every successful event is: QUALITY BRANDING + IMAGE = REPUTATION THE CONCEPT At its core, a brand is an event’s identification tool. Challenges in this field are plentiful. In most cases, we organise events with heaps of passion and dedication. We often forget that our responsibility is much wider, as we also have to keep the reputation of our brand in mind. Events can only strengthen the brand if all its segments align with the identity of the brand. A lot more goes into building a trademark than just having a unified visual image.

60 HOW TO // POWER TO THE MEETINGS

A brand also establishes relationships with the participants. Usually very emotional and complex ones. We create expectations and promise experiences with brands. Branding should always strive towards connecting with the culture and lifestyle of the participants.

The difference between designing a brand for a product or designing a brand of an event is quite big. The result should always be focused towards the participants and design is just one of the aspects that allow your event to be communicated.

The most important thing is to exceed the expectations of the participants with the brand. People attend events because they want to fulfil their vision of what they think the event will be. Every event should bring a vision, mission, values, personality, competitive advantages, benefits and after all, an emotional and experiential promise. It’s all about flying the flag of your event. That is the essence of every brand. When everything comes together through endless amounts of contacts, interactions, moments of truth and when our idea matches the participants expectations, magic happens. There is only one simple rule. A brand can only be successful if it is unified and consistent.

Constructing an image and branding are undoubtedly the building blocks of an event’s added value. As such, added value can also be measured using some ROI methodologies. Unfortunately, that process takes a lot of time and has to be built step by step with lots of patience. Shortcuts simply do not work.

TIPS AND TOOLS Branding can be very diverse and as much as there are experts, there are also ideas of how things should be done in practice. When developing brands, the tools and techniques of design thinking have proved to be the most efficient. Design thinking allows us to build a very accurate prototype of the event’s brand that can be tested out in practice before actually beginning to use it.

We have condensed the entire design thinking process into 10 phases through which a brand prototype is created: PHASE 1: Building a prototype of the typical participant In this phase we use an emphatic matrix to build a prototype of the typical event participant. We define what influences his or her behaviour and how to prepare a programme that will connect, satisfy and impress.

We learn what the participant wants and expects.

PHASE 2: Building an event canvas Using the Event Canvas technique, we try to answer key challenges that participants face at events. The result is an event prototype that allows us to quickly, efficiently and manageably check key presumptions, in line with the preliminary event programme.

PHASE 3: Building a communication event canvas After the event canvas of the event has been coordinated, we need to build a Communicational Canvas, focused towards innovative marketing and thinking outside of the box. In this part of the project, we segment and structure communication based on predefined target groups. The

result is a clear positional starting point for the event that we like to call “taglines in hashtags”.

PHASE 4: Creating a storyboard A very important phase is telling a story through the event. We explain the participants’ journey using multiple sketches, resulting in a fun, straightforward storyboard. This is a great way to visually and conceptually understand the event.

PHASE 5: Dress to impress Based on what we’ve learned from the first four phases, we create multiple variants of our brand’s visual image. This includes everything from the logo, colour palette and fonts to guiding tables and promotional gifts.

PHASE 6: Touchpoints Before the technical phases of the project start, we have to know where people get information about our event and how they search. Based on this, we can set key phrases, optimise our website and improve our campaign on social media.

PHASE 7: Visualisation The language of events is purely visual, which is why we need to carry out visualisation across all communication platforms. A visualisation of the physical space (the venue) is also necessary.

PHASE 8: Testing the brand on a target group A deep understanding of our target groups allows us to fine tune our brand with demands on the market. Key tools to be used here are solutions for measuring brand recall and brand recognition that assess spontaneous reactions to our brand.

PHASE 9: The pitch The pitch or self-expression should sum up what our brand is all about in less than 140 characters, or in the length of one tweet. We believe that every event planner should be able to summarise the core of his or her story in half a minute.

PHASE 10: Brand Book At the end, all phases come together to form the Brand Book, a guide through your event’s brand that clearly defines qualitative and quantitative indicators of our measurement.

Putting all the pieces together is like making music. The goal is to create a harmonious and consistent brand. Inconsistency is a brand killer—it sends out a confused message about who you are as a company and what your event can give your audience.

RECOMMENDATIONS A colleague of mine once gave me some advice that I still think is relevant.

If at the end of an event, people are racing to buy shirts or gadgets with the event’s logo, you did a good job building an image. In order for that to happen, you have to believe in your own event. If you started the project with passion and excitement, it probably won’t be hard for you to carry that passion on to the participants.

HOW TO // POWER TO THE MEETINGS 61

The core of good branding is diversification.

Generic event branding has started to become way too common. Good branding’s biggest enemy is the copy-paste principle and using ideas that have been seen hundreds of times before.

Empty words, catchy slogans and giant signs won’t help if the overall experience at the event does not exceed any expectations. That is the added value of an event and the reason why potential participants will be willing to pay more.

INSPIRATION The World Economic Forum (WEF) In the cosmopolitan Swiss skiing epicentre of Davos, The World Economic Forum is held every year. It’s usually attended by over 2,500 political and economic leaders from around the world.

Each year, the Forum addresses a different globally important topic about changes in our world. We can’t really think of a better example for the formula that we mentioned before; branding + image = reputation. Moreover, the forum has grown from a small event into an institution, inviting the world elite from high politics, business and science. In the shadow of a parade of politicians, who don’t have much luck in solving global crises, the usual antiglobalist protests are happening, solidifying the power of the event even more.

VOCAB: • Brand: the condensed expression of corporate peak performances.

• Branding: the active process of brand development.

• Brand Ambassador: may be employees of a company or enthusiastic customers of a brand.

• Brand Architecture: defines the hierarchical structure of the brand portfolio and its web of relationships.

• Brand Image: describes the entire external perception—the image—consumers and society have of a brand.

• Brand Recall: simple, immediate recognition and memory of a brand.

• Co-Branding: the use of two or more brand names in support of a new product, service or event.

• Corporate Identity: logo, signature system, and any other visual representation of the business.

This is what brands are not: logo, design, or advertising. Brands are also not a pure communication instrument, but an economic

asset: This is why the brand has no business in the marketing department but is first and foremost a management responsibility.

PRODUCT KANVAS Destination Stakeholders

KEY PARTNERS

Project milestones

KEY ACTIVITIES

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

CUSTOMERS

Who are our Key Partners?

What Key Activities do our Value Propositions require?

What type of relationship does each meeting plannaers expect us to establish and maintain with them?

For whom are we creating value?

Who are our key suppliers?

UEP

Meeting Planners Segments

Who are our most important customers?

VALUE PROPOSITIONS USP What value do we deliver to the meeting planners?

KEY RESOURCES What Key Resources do our Value Propositions require?

TYPES OF RESOURCES

• Physical • Intellectual (brand patents, copyrights, data) • Human • Financial

Which one of planners problems are we helping to solve?

What bundles of products and services are we offering to meeting planners?

Which meeting planers needs are we satisfying?

SALES CHANNELS

Through which Channels do meeting planners want to be reached?

How are we reaching them now?

How are our Channels integrated?

Which ones work best?

Which ones are most cost-efficient?

COST STRUCTURE

REVENUE STREAMS

What are the most important costs inherent in our business model?

Which Key Resources are most expensive?

Which Key Activities are most expensive?

For what value are our customers really willing to pay?

For what do they currently pay?

How are they currently paying?

How would they prefer to pay?

How much does each Revenue Stream contribute to overall revenues?

CONTENT CANVAS SUBTOPICS IDEAS 1.

2.

3.

TARGET GROUPS Main target groups to which we will direct our communication together with a brief description of their characteristics.

4.

THE SLOGAN

5.

6.

CAMPAIGN SLOGAN

7.

The key slogan of the content campaign should be simple.

8.

9.

FORMATS/PLATFORMS Principal platforms used for communication.

10.

INFORMATION SOURCES Information sources that may be useful for creating stories.

11.

12.

TONE OF COMMUNICATION

MAIN STORIES

a)

1.

b)

2.

c)

3.

d)

4.

What communication style will you adopt with your target groups (positive, friendly, youthful, etc.)?

5.

CTA – PROPOSALS

Call to action (CTA), which will help direct the stories.

FEATURES

Features are facts about products or services; they add credibility and substance to your sales pitch.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

BENEFITS

Various contents which complement the main stories and are arranged in content sets according to target groups.

Benefits give customers a reason to buy because they explain how your product or service improves their lives.

Main/supporting stories to communicate over an extended period of time.

DISTRIBUTION

INDICATORS

How and through which channels content will be distributed.

How to measure campaign results?

Unique visitors / Total post reach / E-weekly post reach / Article share / Facebook Likes / Social media content reach

62 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // THE BEST DESTINATIONS IN NEW EUROPE

2019 MTLG WINNERS The best destinations in New Europe GORAZD ÄŒAD //

DESTINATIONS CONVENTION BUREAUS

In 2018, the Meetings Star award, together with Conventa, celebrated its 10th anniversary. In the decade of its existence, the Meetings Star award has become recognisable among event organisers and professionals as one of the few accolades that is awarded on the basis of professionally established standards and criteria. The award for the best meeting destinations, hotels, and convention centres in New Europe, is conferred by Kongres Magazine and Conventa.

2. ATHENS

In its 11th edition, the award will be split into two main categories.

4,50

A: THE BEST MEETING DESTINATION 2019 B: THE BEST MEETING HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTRE 2019 Evaluation of the best meeting destinations has just concluded and we are proud to present the best destinations in 2019.

Final mark

3. WARSAW

The award will reach its peak at the Conventa Trade Show 2020, from 22nd to 23rd of January, 2020 in Ljubljana.

4,48

Final mark

THE BEST DESTINATIONS IN NEW EUROPE: 1. PRAGUE

4. BUDAPEST

4,70

Final mark

4,44 Final mark

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 WINNERS 63

5. LJUBLJANA

8. TALLINN

4,43

4,36

Final mark

6. ZAGREB

Final mark

9. KRAKOW

4,42

4,32

Final mark

7. DUBROVNIK

Final mark

10. BRATISLAVA

4,39

Final mark

4,29

Final mark

64 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 XL CATEGORY WINNERS

XL MEETING DESTINATIONS Destinations that can host over 2,000 congress participants The first category features the largest European meeting destinations which have exceptionally developed congress infrastructure and excellent aviation links. These destinations are mainly important aviation hubs.

2019 XL Category Winners SO GOOD THAT WE COULDN’T IGNORE IT!

1. VIENNA 2. COPENHAGEN 3. ZURICH 4. MUNICH 5. EDINBURGH 5. PRAGUE

4.76 4.72 4.71 4.70 4.64 4.64

6. BERLIN 7. BARCELONA 8. ATHENS 8. FRANKFURT 9. WARSAW 10. BUDAPEST

4.61 4.56 4.50 4.50 4.48 4,44

1. VIENNA

2. COPENHAGEN Final mark: 4,72

Final mark: 4,71

Comparison with the region: SMART MICE CITY

Comparison with the region: SCANDINAVIA’S MOST FANTASTIC CITY

Comparison with the region: THE CLASSIC IN A NEW LIGHT

Destination population: 1,867,960 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 189 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 4,320 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 55,000 m²

Destination population: 602,481 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 83 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 7,020 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 6,772 m²

Destination population: 1,527,881 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 100 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 700 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 3,100 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 4,710 m²

Final mark: 4,76

3. ZURICH

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 XL CATEGORY WINNERS 65

4. MUNICH

5. EDINBURGH Final mark: 4,64

Final mark: 4,64

Comparison with the region: LIVEABLE MEETINGS

Comparison with the region: AN IRRESISTABLE PASSION FOR MEETINGS

Comparison with the region SLAVIC PARIS

Destination population: 1,547,437 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 102 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 3,150 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 57,450 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 100,000 m²

Destination population: 464,990 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 141 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,400 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 15,200 m²

Destination population: 1,301,135 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 268 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,400 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 13,500 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 10,237 m²

6. BERLIN

7. BARCELONA

8. ATHENS

Comparison with the region: WALK THE WALK

Comparison with the region: THE MEDITERRANEAN BREVIARY

Comparison with the region: BRIDGING THE GAP

Destination population: 3,671,000 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 634 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 3,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 5,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 6,015 m²

Destination population: 1,620,343 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 215 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 8,096 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 14,288 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 10,000 m²

Destination population: 3,818,434 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 117 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 9,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 15,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 13,050 m²

Final mark: 4,70

Final mark: 4,61

Final mark: 4,56

5. PRAGUE

Final mark: 4,50

66 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 XL & L CATEGORY WINNERS

8. FRANKFURT Final mark: 4,50

Final mark: 4,48

9. WARSAW

10. BUDAPEST

Comparison with the region: KEY EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC INTERSECTION

Comparison with the region: CLEAR VISION

Comparison with the region: CONGRESS QUEEN OF THE DANUBE

Destination population: 731,095 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 219 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 3,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 4,880 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 7,700 m²

Destination population: 1,735,977 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 45 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 5,200 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 10,000 m²

Destination population: 1,759,407 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 208 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 870 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 19,250 m²

Final mark: 4,44

L MEETING DESTINATIONS Destinations that can host a maximum of 2,000 congress participants Congress infrastructure and aviation links in these destinations allow the organisation of congresses for up to 2,000 participants.

2019 L Category Winners SO GOOD THAT WE COULDN’T IGNORE IT!

1. LJUBLJANA 2. ZAGREB 3. TALLINN 3. HAGUE 4. KRAKOW 5. VENICE

4.43 4.42 4.36 4.36 4.32 4.31

6. BRATISLAVA 7. GRAZ 8. VILNIUS 8. THESSALONIKI 9. INNSBRUCK 10. SALZBURG

4.29 4.27 4.26 4.26 4.19 4,16

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 L CATEGORY WINNERS 67

1. LJUBLJANA

2. ZAGREB

3. TALLINN

Comparison with the region: EUROPEAN GREEN CAPITAL

Comparison with the region: WHITE ZAGREB TOWN

Comparison with the region: SINGING AND SKYPING DESTINATION

Destination population: 279,756 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 18 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,200 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,200 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 2,456 m²

Destination population: 802,762 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 27 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,600 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,851 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 2,360 m²

Destination population: 440,776 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 38 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,200 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,892 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 3,000 m²

3. HAGUE

4. KRAKOW

5. VENICE

Comparison with the region: A PLAYFULL CITY

Comparison with the region: PROUD CITY

Comparison with the region: CONGRESS SERENISSIMA

Destination population: 534,160 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 20 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,161 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 12,000 m²

Destination population: 769,498 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 61 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,200 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,100 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 4,500 m²

Destination population: 264,579 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 218 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 630 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 3,500 m²

Final mark: 4,43

Final mark: 4,36

Final mark: 4,42

Final mark: 4,32

Final mark: 4,36

Final mark: 4,31

68 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 L CATEGORY WINNERS

6. BRATISLAVA

7. GRAZ

Final mark: 4,27

Final mark: 4,26

Comparison with the region: MEETOSLAVIA

Comparison with the region: SECOND CITY FIRST

Comparison with the region: BALTIC CONGRESS TIGERS

Destination population: 432,801 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 35 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 600 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,300 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 2,500 m²

Destination population: 284,000 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 25 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 2,800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 5,560 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 6,500 m²

Destination population: 540,919 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 34 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 3,450 m²

8. THESSALONIKI

9. INNSBRUCK Final mark: 4,19

Final mark: 4,16

Comparison with the region: FRESH TALENT

Comparison with the region: THE HEART OF THE ALPS

Comparison with the region: SALZBURG GIVES YOU WINGS

Destination population: 976,812 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 32 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 1,000 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 2,500 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1,800 m²

Destination population: 130,984 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 24 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,500 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 5,660 m²

Destination population: 150,887 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 55 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 5,000 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 5,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 15,165 m²

Final mark: 4,29

Final mark: 4,26

8. VILNIUS

10. SALZBURG

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 M CATEGORY WINNERS 69

M MEETING DESTINATIONS Destinations that can host a maximum of 1,200 congress participants This is probably the most heterogenous category. The general conclusion is that this category is dominated by regional centres and larger tourist towns.

2019 M Category Winners SO GOOD THAT WE COULDN’T IGNORE IT!

1. DUBROVNIK 2. BLED 2. SCHLADMING 3. OPATIJA 4. PORTOROSE 5. ROVINJ

4.39 4.09 4.09 4.04 4.03 4.02

6. KLAGENFURT 7. VILLACH 8. MARIBOR 9. SPLIT 10. TRIESTE

4.01 4.00 3.95 3.90 3.89

1. DUBROVNIK

2. BLED

2. SCHLADMING

Comparison with the region: PEARL OF THE ADRIATIC

Comparison with the region: THE IMAGE OF HEAVEN

Comparison with the region:

Destination population: 42,615 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 29 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 700 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,200 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 900 m²

Destination population: 6,332 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 8 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 400 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 514 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 500 m²

Destination population: 6,716 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 54 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,200 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1,400 m²

Final mark: 4,39

Final mark: 4,09

Final mark: 4,09

MEETINGS IN EMBRACE OF ALPINE BEAUTIES

70 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 M CATEGORY WINNERS

3. OPATIJA

4. PORTOROSE Final mark: 4,03

Final mark: 4,02

Comparison with the region: WHERE MEETINGS MEET HISTORY AND ELEGANCE

Comparison with the region: PORT OF ROSES

Comparison with the region: ROVINJ GIVES YOU WINGS

Destination population: 11,659 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 22 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 600 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 900 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1,728 m²

Destination population: 2,849 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 16 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 360 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,100 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1,085 m²

Destination population: 14,294 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 6 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 800 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1,600 m²

6. KLAGENFURT

7. VILLACH

8. MARIBOR

Comparison with the region: CONVENTIONLAND

Comparison with the region: THE ALPINE LAKES EXPERIENCE

Comparison with the region: EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

Destination population: 100,538 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 11 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 500 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 5,000 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 6,400 m²

Destination population: 61,221 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 5 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 400 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 1,060 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 4,500 m²

Destination population: 95,589 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 9 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 400 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 500 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 404 m²

Final mark: 4,04

Final mark: 4,01

Final mark: 4,00

5. ROVINJ

Final mark: 3,95

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 M & S CATEGORY WINNERS 71

9. SPLIT

10. TRIESTE

Comparison with the region: CROSSROADS DALMATIA

Comparison with the region: AT THE JUNCTION OF ROMAN AND SLAVIC

Destination population: 178,102 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 28 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 450 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 800 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 768 m²

Destination population: 204,849 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 16 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 600 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 600 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 640 m²

Final mark: 3,90

Final mark: 3,89

S MEETING DESTINATIONS Destinations that can host a maximum of 600 congress participants In this category smaller tourist towns prevail, where meeting activities are supplementary in the low tourist season.

2019 S Category Winners SO GOOD THAT WE COULDN’T IGNORE IT!

1. KRANJSKA GORA 2. BOHINJ 3. NASSFELD - HERMAGOR 4. GORISKA BRDA 5. PODCETRTEK 5. ROGASKA SLATINA

3.96 3.93 3.92 3.91 3.90 3.90

6. SOCA VALLEY 7. BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM 8. HVAR 9. VARAZDIN 10. PTUJ

3.89 3.88 3.87 3.86 3.85

72 MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 M CATEGORY WINNERS

1. KRANJSKA GORA

2. BOHINJ Final mark: 3,93

Final mark: 3,92

Comparison with the region: GOOD WILL IS THE BEST

Comparison with the region: HIDDEN SUSTAINABLE MEETINGS GEM

Comparison with the region: IN THE HEART OF ALPS

Destination population: 1,452 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 8 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 300 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 360 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 1200 m²

Destination population: 5,277 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 4 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 112 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 130 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 220 m²

Destination population: 18,435 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 25 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 190 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 250 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 340 m²

4. GORISKA BRDA

5. PODCETRTEK

5. ROGASKA SLATINA

Comparison with the region: FERTILE CROSSROADS OF CULTURES

Comparison with the region: THE SUCCESS STORY

Comparison with the region: OLD FOR NEW

Destination population: 5,757 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 5 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 130 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 200 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 330 m²

Destination population: 3,224 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 2 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 150 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 350 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 3,570 m²

Destination population: 6,856 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 8 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 180 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 389 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 350 m²

Final mark: 3,96

Final mark: 3,91

Final mark: 3,90

3. NASSFELD - HERMAGOR

Final mark: 3,90

MEETINGS STAR AWARD // 2019 S CATEGORY WINNERS 73

6. SOCA VALLEY

7. BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM

8. HVAR

Comparison with the region: EPICENTRE OF INCENTIVE INSPIRATIONS

Comparison with the region: COMPACT INCENTIVE EXPERIENCE

Comparison with the region: ROOM WITH A VIEW

Destination population: 16,537 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 4 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 100 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 425 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 300 m²

Destination population: 1,687 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 8 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 150 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 270 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 280 m²

Destination population: 11,103 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 10 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 220 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 370 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 370 m²

9. VARAZDIN

10. PTUJ

Comparison with the region: A COMBINATION OF MODERN AND TRADITIONAL

Comparison with the region: A UNIQUE LITTLE CITY

Final mark: 3,89

Final mark: 3,86

Destination population: 46,946 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 15 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 150 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 400 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 300 m²

Final mark: 3,88

Final mark: 3,85

Destination population: 46,946 The number of 4* and 5* category hotels: 15 Banquet hall maximum capacity: 150 Maximum hall capacity in theatre style: 400 Largest hall in the city (in sqm): 300 m²

Final mark: 3,87

74 MEETINGS STAR AWARD

MTLG - SINCE 2009

Up until now, 98 meeting destinations have been evaluated and we could not be prouder.

XL Category

L Category

M Category

S Category

destinations

destinations

destinations

destinations

26

22

24

26

The MTLG evaluation uses a 5-step process:

Step #1 A visit to the destination is carried out by one of our expert journalists (2 days), providing first-hand insight that is used to evaluate the destination. The following criteria are used for the evaluation, altogether, containing 63 control points.

A. Natural and cultural factors B. General infrastructure C. Tourist infrastructure D. Meeting infrastructure E. Subjective grade F. Marketing Buzz

Step #4 Preparing the final score, designing the MTLG and positioning it in our search engine.

After receiving your corrections, we will be announcing the preliminary results at the Conventa Crossover conference, organised every year at the end of August. The results will also be presented in the special edition of Kongres Magazine, coming out before the Crossover conference.

Step #2 To make the evaluation as comprehensive as possible, we also include Additional Destination Indicators, which add to the final score of the destination. These indicators include: ICCA Index - published at the beginning of June ACI Index - published in the middle of June Numbeo Quality of life - measured on the day the score is being prepared Numbeo Safety Index - measured on the day the score is being prepared

Step #5 Announcing the results at the award ceremony at Conventa Trade Show.

The official, formal announcement of the results and the award ceremony will be taking place at Conventa 2020.

Step #3 After the evaluation matrix is complete and sent to the destination, you will have 30 days to send us any corrections or objections, so that we can clear up any kind of uncertainty you might have.

Your destinations can also be evaluated, attain a spot on the MTLG scale and be bestowed the Meetings Star award. With our complete methodology, we have saved you a lot of your valuable time that would otherwise be spent in comparing yourself to your main competitors.

MTLG BENCHMARK: BENCHMARK WORKSHOP (with key stakeholders at the destination)

The workshop is designed to evaluate the competitive strengths and weaknesses of a destination and provide the exchange of good case studies in regard to its further development.

For further information regarding the MTLG benchmark we’d love to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to call us to 00386 (0)1 430 51 04, or send an e-mail to gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu.

Think like a meeting planer

75

https://kongres-magazine.eu/

Position your venue in the most powerful search engine and reach an international pool of meeting planners with Kongres Magazine!

Take advantage of all the possibilities provided by our new search engine. Join our partnership programme at https://kongres-magazine. eu/ and boost sales!

Why should your venue, special venue or incentive idea be in our search engine?

Reach guarantee

The easiest way to get discovered

According to official data (Alexa and Google), Kongres is positioned among the top 5 MICE portals with the highest reach in Europe. Every day, 250 to 300 different meeting planners visit the site looking at 800 to 900 articles.

Our platform combines original content with invite only venue profiles.

Kongres Magazine connects meeting planners with your property to send RFP.

Content driven engine

Quality guarantee

It’s the first true content-driven search engine, with destinations and venues for every demand, which will expose you to the right qualified buyers.

Our collection features the best destinations, venues and incentive ideas checked by using the Meetings Star Methodology and Hidden Congress Guest.

76 CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2019 // PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EVENT

CONVENTA CROSSOVER Photo highlights of the event

CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2019 / ALEKSANDER DOMITRICA

CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2019 // PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EVENT 77

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KONGRES BRIEFINGS // CANKARJEV DOM – CD CULTURAL AND CONGRESS CENTRE LJUBLJANA 79

A CELEBRATORY 40TH CONGRESS SEASON Cankarjev dom – CD Cultural and Congress Centre, the legendary institution, famous for the diversity of its programme just as much as for its architecture, with the new 2019/2020 season opened its door to the 40th consecutive meetings season. Since the start of its operations, CD has hosted a broad variety of national and international meetings. The meetings and events industry pioneer has been through its work tied into long-term relationships with the main players in the meetings industry. Successful biddings and a PCO agency comparable to the largest congress organizers in the world, placed the Cankarjev dom among the highest quality and most interesting convention centres in Europe and made it one of Slovenia’s busiest conference and exhibition hubs. In addition, Cankarjev dom is the only Slovenian member of IAPCO.

A THREE-DAY SYMPOSIUM ON CLINICAL PHARMACY In late October 2019, the 48th Symposium of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) took place in Cankarjev dom – CD Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana. European Society of Clinical Pharmacy promotes, supports, implements and advances education, practice and research in clinical pharmacy in order to optimize outcomes for patients and society. The conference titled “The Digital Revolution: Supporting clinical pharmacy through e-health, digital support systems, big data and more” gathered around 500 international scientists and practitioners to discuss current issues and development in clinical pharmacy. Cankarjev dom provided its halls and rooms for three days of plenary lectures, keynote sessions, parallel workshops, and abstract presentations.

IMPROVING DECISION-MAKING IN HEALTH CARE At the beginning of June, Cankarjev dom – CD Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana was a venue of the HOPE Agora 2019 in organization of the Association of Health Institution of Slovenia and HOPE – the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation. More than 300 participants at the event focused on “Evidence-informed decisionmaking in healthcare management.” In increasingly complex health systems, the ability to use all types of available evidence to improve decision-making in healthcare is crucial to ensure that citizens are offered the best care possible. For three days, CD Cultural and Congress Centre Ljubljana was yet again the hub of scientific meeting related to questions of medicine and health, so much more important areas these days when the need for proper treatment and healthcare has been growing world-wide.

80 KONGRES BRIEFINGS // MARIBOR – POHORJE TOURIST BOARD

OLD VINE FESTIVAL AND HARVEST Maribor is home to the Oldest Vine in the world, the Guinness record holder for the oldest noble vine in the world still bearing grapes.

Growing at the front of the old town house properly called The Old Vine House, the Old Vine is also a protected natural monument of which the Maribor residents are immensely proud of. The city of Maribor and its residents every September prepare a celebration through the Old Vine Festival which presents a gastronomic and cultural tribute to the Oldest Vine in the world. This year the festival lasted from 13 to 22 September with the main highlight of the festival being the 33rd Ceremonial Grape Harvest of the World’s Oldest Vine that attracted thousands of domestic and foreign visitors.

CHOCOLATE VILLAGE GLAMPING RESORT Recently opened Chocolate Village is a luxury glamping resort set in the beautiful environment of the natural park Natura 2000 by the serene Drava River and just a stone’s throw away from Maribor, the capital of Slovenia Styria. In immediate vicinity of the resort, there is a renowned and beloved international Drava Bike trail. There are three kinds of luxury glamping houses available, some of them even in the tree canopies. Everything in the resort is about chocolate.

From chocolate breakfasts, to chocolate workshops, chocolate cosmetics to chocolate massages, and so on. Of course, no one is forced to eat chocolate all the time. But those whose dream it is to do exactly that, this glamping resort provides a perfect incentive for them.

SPECIAL VENUE - MINORITE CHURCH AND MONASTERY In Lent, the oldest part of the city of Maribor, the Minorite church, representing the central building in the Minorite Monastery that was designed already in the 13th century. The church, important sacral building for the history of Maribor, got completely renovated between 2014 and 2015 and has gotten back its late-Baroque image. Today, both venues, monastery and church, are operated and cared for by the Puppet Theatre Maribor that performs in the halls of the Monastery, while the Church besides theatre production also provides space for other events. The Minorite Church can be booked for cultural programmes compatible with the field of work of the Puppet Theatre Maribor. There can be 200 visitors (either standing or sitting) in the charming historical venue.

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JUBILEE 50TH NATURE-HEALTH FAIR In late October, the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre organized and hosted the largest regional fair for healthy lifestyle and well-being. Nature-Health Fair this year celebrated the amazing jubilee 50th edition together with the GR’s 65th anniversary. One of the most popular Slovenian fairs with this year’s slogan »Enjoy Your Well Being« was visited by more than 20,000 visitors who came to see 220 exhibitors presenting their offer to all in search of a balanced, healthy and environmentally friendly living. However, the Fair this year was not only about the healthy living, but also about a healthy solidarity, so to say. For the 50th anniversary of the fair, the GR donated from every sold ticket one euro to the Slovenian Association of Friends of Youth (ZPMS).

CONTROVERSIES IN RESUSCITATION In mid-September, almost 1000 global experts in emergency medicine gathered in GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre for the Resuscitation 2019, the three-day CPR Congress of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC). There were 29 exhibiting companies and 109 faculty members. Gathered participants arrived from all continents. Event was focused on the main topic “Controversies in resuscitation. What works and what doesn’t work during resuscitation?” .The participants were able to gain insight into how controversies in resuscitation science, education and implementation may be resolved. Controversial topics included hands-only CPR, adrenaline, advanced airways, and temperature management. Besides lectures there was also a poster exhibition, workshops and a European Resuscitation Competition.

ALMOST 200 CHINESE COMPANIES IN GR GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre was in late August a venue of the 8th Shanghai Fair, one of the largest and all-round exhibition projects presenting Shanghai local brands and products.

Integrating five major exhibits of apparel accessories and consumer goods, chemical and nonferrous metals products, building materials and products, medical equipment and health care products, and high-end intelligent equipment, the fair brought to Ljubljana more than 193 companies that exhibited on a 4,000 square meters of exhibition space. The aim of the fair, which hosted some of the most renowned Chinese companies like Warrior Rubber Shoes, Daketang Teahouse, Son Lu ShangLin, and GW Industry, is to build the economic and trade cooperation between China and Slovenia, and to create opportunities for the businessmen.

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ANOTHER EUROPEAN SMART TOURISM AWARD Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana was in October announced as the city winning the 2020 European Smart Tourism award for its outstanding achievements in the category of Digitalisation. As the European Jury, comprising representatives from the European Commission, European Parliament, European Committee of the Regions and the EU Member States (Finland and France), explained, while Ljubljana is a small capital it is still an increasingly important facilitator of smart ideas.

The European Capital of Smart Tourism is the EU initiative aiming to promote smart tourism in EU, network and strengthen destinations, and facilitate the exchange of best practices. This is not the first time Ljubljana was recognized for its outstanding achievements in Smart Tourism. Last year, Ljubljana received the 2019 European Smart Tourism Award in Sustainability.

PETRA STUŠEK A PRESIDENT OF ECM The General Assembly of the European Cities Marketing (ECM), an association for Tourist Boards, Convention Bureaux, and City Marketing Organisations in Europe that was taking place in Slovenia’s capital between the 5th and 8th of June, elected its new president.

The elected president is M. Sc. Petra Stušek, the Managing Director of Ljubljana Tourism. Her senior position in the leading European association in the fields of managing tourism in city destinations, promotion and marketing activities of city tourism will further strengthen the image of Ljubljana as a modern, sustainable and successful tourist destination and consolidate her status of a top decision-maker in terms of the future of city tourism in Europe.

AMONG WORLD’S BEST FOOD DESTINATIONS The Best Food Destination Highly Commended recognition, one of the International Travel & Tourism Awards presented at WTM London, the most important travel trade show, went to Ljubljana for the Green Supply Chains project, which incorporates three sub-projects: Locally Grown Food Exchange, Culinary Calendar and Ljubljana Breakfast. Projects such as these – developed and implemented by Ljubljana Tourism – follow a vision of sustainable tourism development that improves the life and working conditions of local inhabitants and ensure a better experience for visitors. The Green Supply Chains project came about following the realisation that there was a lack of locally produced food and local, traditional dishes to meet the demands both of residents and of visitors to Ljubljana and the Ljubljana region.

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JOIN US AT CONVENTA 2020!

22 - 23 January 2020 l Ljubljana, Slovenia

OMG! IT'S CONVENTA! www.conventa.si

12th CONVENTA EXPERIENCE NEW EUROPE EXHIBITION FOR MEETINGS, EVENTS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL MEET CONVENTA TEAM AT IBTM, STAND F35

84 CONVENTA 2020

EXPLORE - MEET - CREATE 12th Conventa experience

Since the very first Conventa, organised in 2009, its moto is the same: EXPLORE – MEET – CREATE. Believe it or not, every year we host 80% of meeting planners who are visiting Conventa for the first time. For some of them it is even their first visit to Slovenia and/or other countries presented at Conventa.

Explore Conventa is an excellent opportunity for meeting planners to explore the MICE offer of New Europe – firstly during the personal meetings with providers and secondly during fam trips to 8 destinations in the region (Ljubljana, Maribor, Zagreb, Belgrade, Bled, Bohinj, Portorož & Piran and Kranjska Gora).

Meet

Create

Conventa is a meeting junction for MICE professionals from all over Europe and beyond.

The programme is carefully curated and focuses on prescheduled personal meetings held on Wednesday and Thursday. Every time slot is 20 minutes long. Besides the official One2One meetings there are plenty of opportunities for networking during the social events.

Conventa is known as a place of new ideas and innovativeness.

The complete Conventa experience will help you to create different meetings and to impress your clients and event attendees.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR SUPPLIERS?

WHAT’S IN IT FOR MEETING PLANNERS?

1. MEETING CHERRY-PICKED BUYERS Conventa is known as a tradeshow with the most carefully selected buyers with a direct interest in the region. Around 80% of meeting planners are new to the show each year.

1. FOCUSED ON »NEW EUROPE« Suppliers from 16 countries: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.

2. EXCELLENT TIME EFFICIENCY At Conventa, you can carry out an average of 30 pre-planned meetings in only two days.

2. BOUTIQUE Petit in size and big in quality and hospitality. Up to 120 suppliers: hotels, conference centres, convention bureaus, DMCs.

3. SAVING TIME AND MONEY In only two days you can meet around 170 international and more than 100 regional buyers.

4. AFFORDABLE PRICE According to exhibitors, the value for money proposition at Conventa is one of the best in the world. At the same time, the registration fee is much lower than that of competing events.

5. MARKETING THROUGH CONVENTA CHANNELS Conventa continuously communicates with more than 69,000 meeting professionals.

3. PROFESSIONAL Organised by professionals for professionals for the 12th year in a row.

4. FRIENDLY Networking and relaxed atmosphere helping providers and clients to become true business partners.

5. VIP TREATMENT Hosted buyers are entitled to the complimentary flights, accommodation, complete on-site hospitality.

CONVENTA 2020 85

NEW IN 2020!

Conventa Tech & More From the very beginning, providers of technical equipment, catering services and a variety of event organization and management solutions have been joining us at Conventa. Everything from information technology and systems, conference and promotional materials, to tools for event marketing and production is presented. For 2020 we have decided to expand the space and offer intended for accompanying products and services extensively.

Check out the packages at Conventa website: www.conventa.si/tech-and-more

Meet the Conventa team

Miha Kovačič,

Gorazd Čad,

Natalija Bah Čad,

miha@conventa.info

gorazd@conventa.info

natalija@conventa.info

Conventa Superman

“The apple never falls far from the tree.”

Maja Mirtič,

Hosted Buyers’s Good fairy

maja@conventa.info

“If you want apples you have to shake the trees.”

Conventa Mastermind

“You’re the apple of my eye.”

Barbara Dimec, Brand Magician

“When life gives you an apple, come to Conventa.”

Exhibitors’ Good fairy

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Sara Tiefengraber, Word Ninja

“Come to Conventa, we have apples.”

86 KONGRES IN FOCUS

YOUR LIKES DETERMINE YOUR WORTH! People trust people more than they trust brands GORAZD ČAD //

RAWPIXEL.COM / FREEPIK

5 CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE MET BEFORE YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH AN INFLUENCER CAN BECOME A SUCCESS

The most commonly asked question among colleagues this year is: “Does influencer marketing really work and how?”. In the meetings industry, as in any other industry, interest in influencers has never been higher.

CONGRESS AMBASSADORS ARE ANCIENT INFLUENCERS I often tell colleagues that we are actually the first industry to have used this form of marketing. The first ambassador programmes were formed at the beginning of the 90s in Edinburgh and Glasgow. As a completely new concept, they quickly made waves across the world, which is why congress ambassadors can be recognised as some sort of ancient

influencers. Congress ambassadors are individuals who people trust to bring important events to their destination by using their influence. For their efforts, destinations give them moral recognition, but also some material stimulation.

Isn’t that extremely similar to how influencers operate these days?

THE FIRST INFLUENCERS WERE BLOGGERS Using influencers to promote destinations is starting to become common practice, but we first have to clear up what the term actually means.

Influencers become influencers because others recognise them as

KONGRES IN FOCUS 87

experts in a certain field. This turns them into leaders of opinion, affecting the choices of their followers. In addition to authenticity, being well trained in that field and proving so on social media is a key factor in success.

The first influencers were bloggers and the fingers on two hands wouldn’t be enough to count them all. Padraic Gilligan, the co-founder of Soolnua also started out as a blogger. His alias Padraicino has over 9000 followers on Twitter, which is a lot in our industry. On an international scale, he could be considered a micro-blogger and the power of his network was quickly recognised by numerous destinations, the Slovenian Convention Bureau being one of them.

In 2018, Google counted over 61,000 searches for the word “influencer marketing” and Instagram announced that it had reached 1 billion monthly active users. In 2019, the word “influencer” was officially added to the English dictionary.

WHAT IT TAKES TO CARRY OUT A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN The exact number of destinations that work with influencers is not known, but everyone involved is noticing the shift. Two decades of experience in this industry has given me impressive insight and I believe that there are five key conditions that need to be met before your partnership with an influencer can end with positive results.

1. HONESTY: Is the influencer you are planning to work with really who they say they are? How honest is their opinion?

2. AUTHENTICITY: People accept us as competent and authentic, when they realise that they can use our knowledge and skills in practice.

3. CHARISMA: Confidence, focus and certainty in skill are things you should look for. If an influencer is not inspired by what they do or promote, they will never be able to inspire others.

4. VALUES: What are the values that an influencer represents and how many of them can your destination identify with?

5. THE TONE OF COMMUNICATION: Tone is important, as you do not want your brand to be connected with someone who uses disrespectful communication.

As far as I can tell, most influencers are extremely confident. They feel comfortable in their own skin and have a good self-image. They are full of great stories, they are funny, their words are relevant and their opinions are easy to get behind.

FOLLOWERS AS A SUCCESS GUARANTEE You have to understand that a high number of followers does not guarantee a successful influencer campaign. In many cases, followers are bought or they don’t fit your destination’s target audience. In the MICE field, micro-influencers are usually more effective. In short, growth in followers does not directly correlate to growth in business. An important factor is also how active and authentic an influencer’s followers are. This can be done with a simple scroll through their Instagram comments where a general image will quickly be created. You can also use tools like Social Blade which tracks follower growth over time.

Facebook invented the “liking” system that is now the driving force of such marketing. For many, it’s a daily dose of dopamine, a sign of social confirmation, but also severe digital addiction. The influencer economy leans on a public show of likes with which individual posts are valued.

Likes are their final value and an influencer’s main currency. Panic broke out when Instagram announced that likes would not be shown publicly anymore.

WHO WILL REMAIN RELEVANT? Those who focus on staying authentic. Those who are capable of proving their influence and marketingking it accordingly. Many changes in European media legislation are bound to happen sooner or later.

Our editorial board has been carrying out a votig for the most influential person in our region since 2014. This year was no different and the top meetings industry influencers have been selected. With the help of reputable European meeting planners and our readers, 189 influencers have been nominated to compete. They have been split into 6 categories: 1. Top Meeting Architects (DMO, CBVB) 2. Top Meeting Agencies (DMC, PCO) 3. Top Hotel and Venues 4. Top Meeting Services 5. Top Meeting Innovators 6. Top Creative and Live Marketing Agencies

38 influencers 34 influencers 39 influencers 17 influencers 27 influencers 34 influencers

Every nominee went through a set of strict criteria and a unique benchmark of “Who is Who” in our industry has been created. It’s also a really important source of information for clients. The goal is to acknowledge the best and build a knowledge database in our industry.

We recommend that you browse through the list, as over 2000 industry members have voted.

SLOVENIAN INNOVATION Urban Cvek and Sebastjan Novinšek Jelovšek are students at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science who created the Influee platform.

It’s a new system for connecting companies with influencers, focused on Instagram, as the hottest social media brand at the moment. When a company joins Influee it will set a target audience and the system will recommend the most relevant influencer. The influencer will be directly connected with the company and able to receive payment for their services in just 24 hours.

88 MOST INFLUENTAL PEOPLE IN SEE

THE MOST INFLUENCIAL PEOPLE IN THE NEW EUROPE MEETINGS INDUSTRY 2019 edition GORAZD ČAD //

PERSONAL ARCHIVES

2019 EDITION IN NUMBERS

6 categories

185 candidates

1237 surveys

5559 individual visits

Have you ever wondered just who might be the top influencers in the New Europe Meetings Industry? As the industry rapidly evolves, it is clear that some key influencers actually have the same reach and draw as big companies, so individuals matter in a way that has never been possible before.

The Editorial Board of Kongres Magazine has once again assessed more than 185 influencers in Central and South East Europe after reviewing highlights from the Meetings industry in 2019 and has based their assessment on several key criteria, such as: • Achievement of the best financial and other multiplier effects of the meetings industry in 2019, (significantly deviating from the average); • Implementation of the most demanding improvements and innovations in their field, which also includes successfully implemented projects that have defined the year 2019; • Help in enhancing the reputation and profile of the meetings industry in 2019; • Innovations that facilitate the work of meetings organisers, or in their way have pointed the direction of the industry in the future.

Based on 1273 individually completed surveys and 5559 total individual visits, Kongres magazine has analysed and shortlisted the TOP most influential people. They have all contributed to the development of the region and our readers have chosen the best of the best. We have also added 2 newcomers in each category, voted by our readers.

The candidates have been divided into 6 categories.

TOP MEETING ARCHITECTS (DMO, CVB ETC.) There are 36 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The meeting architects with the most votes are: MIHA KOVAČIČ CEO at the Slovenian Convention Bureau & Co-founder of Conventa Active for over a decade as the director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau, which enjoys an outstanding reputation abroad, he continually nurtures the growth of the Slovenian meetings industry through a number of innovative marketing and CSR projects. The editorial board has put a particular emphasis on the Conventa project that, as a brand, has become synonymous with New Europe’s meeting & event industry and has significantly assisted with the placement of the region on the meetings planners’ list of key destinations.

MOST INFLUENTAL PEOPLE IN SEE 89

ELENI SOTIRIOU Managing Director at Thessaloniki Convention Bureau Eleni Sotiriou is the Managing Director of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau since August 2018. She has served as senior advisor to the Mayor of Thessaloniki between 2011 and 2018, focusing on the city’s promotion and growth, led by initiatives as the Thessaloniki Food Festival, the close collaboration with the hospitality sector and the development of a strategy on tourism development. She holds an MSc in Economic History from London School of Economics, a BSc in Economics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is an Anatolia College Alumna. She was the co-founder of Wine Plus, an innovative company specializing in wine promotion, gastronomy and ecotourism and worked as a consultant to the Wine Roads of Northern Greece and to the Greek Wine Federation.

MICAAŁ BRANDT Senior Business Marketing and Promotion Specialist at Gdansk Convention Bureau Gdanks is Poland’s 3rd city in terms of the number of meetings. More than 4,000 business meetings are held in the region annually (including 3,200 in Gdansk alone) with 430,000 attendees, and the numbers grow year by year. Serving the city of Gdanks since 2005, Micał Brandt is a senior business specialist who has been working in MICE since 2015. Before that he acquired extensive experience as a press officer for UEFA EURO 2012 in Gdansk at the newly constructed Energa Stadium.

ELIZA TSOLAKOU General Manager at City of Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau After obtaining her MBA in business, Eliza started her career path as Assistant Brand Manager at Mattel, moved to Henkel in the role of Brand Manager and later to Gregory’s Food Service Group as Senior Brand Manager. After that she transitioned to the MICE industry and became General Manager of the City of Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau in 2016, where she aspires to highlight Athens as a top MICE, city-break and leisure destination in the international market.

SEVDA ALIYEVA Deputy Director of Azerbaijan Convention Bureau Sevda started her career in sales and marketing, but soon moved to the State Agency of Alternative & Renewable Energy Sources of Azerbaijan as the Leading Expert in International Relations. After that she stayed in the public sector and acted as Executive Director of the Baku Convention Bureau for a year between 2017 and 2018. Since August 2018 she is working at the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau as the Deputy Director, promoting business event activities and implementing the strategy for the development of the business events industry in Azerbaijan.

KARLA BRNOBIĆ VOJVODIĆ Head of Convention Bureau at Croatian National Tourist Board Karla has been with the Croatian National Tourist Board since 2011. She first started working there as a junior associate and since then moved through the functions of Associate Expert and Head of Study Trips Department to her current role.

VERONIKA HANDL Head of Convention Bureau Tirol For more than a decade, the Convention Bureau Tirol has been the specialist for congresses, events and seminars in Tirol.

Veronika Handl takes care of the experiences that are long remembered and also takes care of the conference guests who become Tirol ambassadors. The CVB Tirol provides partnership in organisation of congresses, meetings, incentives and events in Tirol.

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TATIANA ANISIMOVA CEO of Moscow Convention Bureau Tatiana Anisimova is an event professional with a solid executive background, having shaped her skills as Head of Events Team at PricewaterhouseCoopers Russia, Brand Manager at the National Bank TRUST and Project Manager at The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. Along the 10 years in the event industry, Tatiana Anisimova has participated in dozens of high-profile international meetings, both in Russia and abroad.

BARBORA ČERMAKOVA Head of Slovak Convention Bureau Before taking on the title of the Head of the Slovak Convention Bureau in 2018, Barbora worked as State Counselor at the Ministry of Transportation. Her focus was on the MICE industry, working to drive MICE tourism in Slovakia.

ROMANA VLAŠIĆ Director at Dubrovnik Tourist Board & Convention Bureau The director of Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic, with many solid years of experience in business behind her has accelerated the promotion of Dubrovnik to now being the region’s most recognizable congress brand and a player in the European premier league for congresses and events. Dubrovnik could rightfully claim that recent years were its years on the conference scene, as many important events were held in this very beautiful city. Dubrovnik has been a popular filming location in recent years.

IGOR KOVAČEVIĆ CEO at Serbia Convention Bureau In parallel with his academic engagements, Igor joined the Bureau in 2007 and has been actively involved in raising Serbia’s position on the international meetings market as well as making the bureau one of the most recognized destination marketing organisations in the SEE region.

ALEKSEI KALACHEV Director at Russia Convention Bureau Aleksei Kalachev’s professional achievements are not only in the organisation of event projects, communication, PR etc but in the strategic promotion of Russia’s event potential at the international markets and building up the standards of industry inside the country as well. He has also been the CEO of the first Convention Bureau of Russia founded in November 2017.

After the first year of his work, the Russia CVB has already noticed considerable results and Russia is achieving great interest as an event destination among the international buyers and organizers.

JAN ORŠIČ Head of Convention Bureau at Ljubljana Tourism Jan Oršič has spent most of his professional life in the MICE industry. He joined the Ljubljana Tourism / Convention Bureau team in 2009 prior to which he was working as a freelance local tour guide for eight years, which gave him a valuable practical experience. In December 2017, he was appointed as Head of Ljubljana Convention Bureau. Since 2012 he has been also working on PhD researching the fields of destination marketing, business travel, new media and ROI.

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NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS CHRISTIAN WORONKA Director of Vienna Convention Bureau Christian Woronka studied geography with a focus on tourism. He was a member of the team that founded the Cologne Convention Bureau and its director between 2012 and 2019. He has focused primarily on digitization and public relations work.

In 2019 he took over as director of the Vienna Convention Bureau and is responsible for management and consolidation of the Convention Bureau and Market Management departments, and for expansion of conventions and congresses, corporate meetings and incentives.

KADRI KARU Managing Director of Estonian Convention Bureau The Estonian Convention Bureau (ECB) was established in January 2008 to promote Estonia as a convention destination in order to attract international conventions to Estonia. Before joining the Estonian Convention Bureau in 2011, Kadri was acquiring experiences in event management and tourism at Frens Conference Services for 13 years. In her current role at the Estonian Convention Bureau she works tirelessly to connect institutions from a variety of sectors and businesses and uniting them under the Team Estonia Brand.

TOP MEETING AGENCIES (DMC, PCO) There are 34 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The meeting agencies with the most votes are: MICHAEL ARGIRI Managing Director of Conceptours CONCEPTOURS Greece is the DMC of Greece and was founded in 1977. The company currently employs a full time multilingual professional staff of 14. Conceptours is renowned as one of Greece’s top Destination Management Companies specialising in the planning, designing and meticulous operation of major conferences, incentives, meetings, symposiums, and a distinct separate FIT department provides personalized services to leisure travellers. Conceptours has received numerous awards of excellence including from major international travel trade associations and the Greek National Tourist Organisation.

BOŠTJAN HORJAK Owner and Managing Director at Liberty Adriatic The Liberty International Tourism Group is a successful international company that has been working on the international tourist market for over 20 years. The company grew out of one office into an international corporation with 43 offices in 33 countries across various parts of the world.

VESNA PRITCHARD CEO at Globtour Event With 40 years of experience in the travel, industry Globtour Event is one of the leading Croatian travel agencies specialized in business travel, meetings, events, and destination management. Vesna Pritchard’s team consists of a group of motivated, passionate people who are dedicated to the work they do, sharing a common mission, vision and values in order to provide their customers with the very best service.

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HASAN DINÇ Joint Managing Director at ODS Turkey – Euromic Hasan always thinks big, with his ultimate goal being to conquer the business world of tourism. At the age of 18, Hasan took his first steps into the world of tourism as a project manager. Now as Joint Managing Director of ODS Turkey, he leads the company in exploring exciting new opportunities. He constantly drives forward the commercial growth of the company and ensures complete client satisfaction at all times. His healthy scepticism combined with an eye for detail means nothing escapes him.

SANJA VUKOV COLIĆ Deputy CEO at Spektar putovanja Sanja Vukov Colić is an experienced Deputy CEO with rich experience in leisure, travel and tourism industry. She has been the Eupty CEO at Spektar putovanja since 1994. Spektar putovanja, the most recognised of Croatian PCOs has been achieving excellent results on the market and it has been achieving quality management and setting high business standards since as far back as 1989. They have received the ISO 9001 – 2008 certificate, have reputable international partners and have organised over 20 conferences annually.

BARBARA HUNT VODOPIVEC Head of Mice Department at Kompas d.d.

Barbara Hunt Vodopivec was first actively in touch with tourism industry during her postgraduate studies in London, UK. After several years of working in marketing and PR industry, she became again »ambassador« of Slovenia, this time in Paris, France. Working closely with Slovenian Tourism Bureau in Brussels, she was conducting their promotion projects all over France. Currently, she is leading a Mice team at Kompas DMC, organizing incentives, seminars, conferences, and events for mostly foreign partners in Slovenia and the entire region.

NATALIJA BAH ČAD Congress Manager at Toleranca marketing d.o.o.

Natalija joined Go.MICE/Toleranca Marketing in 2008 with ten years of experience as a PCO behind her. Together with her team of MICE enthusiasts, she has proven that the organisation of a successful congress involves not just logistics, but also creativity and innovativeness. Conventa is one of the projects that she has been involved with from the very beginning and this concept of regional B2B events has also been successfully transferred from MICE to the Spa & Wellness industry, as well as the active tourism field.

CENGIZ KORKMAZ Managing Partner at Dekon Group Before joining Decon Group in 1999, Cengiz had already managed conferences since 1994 for various other companies as Assistant General Manager. Now he has been at Dekon for over 20 years, where they offer everything that is expected and needed for meetings, serving global, regional and local clients.

WOLFGANG LACKNER Managing Director at Mondial Destination Management, Vienna The Austrian based family-run company Mondial GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1966. Mondial nowadays comprises four business divisions – Congress-, Destination- and Travel-Management, and Corporate Events & Incentives, with 172 team members in total. Daily room allotments in more than 750 hotels in Central Europe, in-house ticket office, tailor-made tours and transfer services – these are just some of the elements making up the portfolio of Mondial’s Destination Management.

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DANIEL MARUŠIĆ CEO at DT Croatia – Dubrovnik Travel DMC DT CROATIA is recognised in the market as a company that steers the trends of regional DMCs. A clear marketing strategy and a systematic operation are visible at both the service level of co-operation with the most demanding clients as well as in the credible results, which were reflected in receiving many Business Awards and AAA Diplomas. Daniel is heavily involved in the meetings arena, also as a member of peer associations and the voice of the convention industry of Croatia.

ANDREW HULEWICZ Vice President of the Board at Mazurkas Travel Andrew founded Mazurkas Travel with two partners in 1990 in Poland, when the historical changes of system came. Initially their intention was to service music lovers visiting Poland, so they named their agency after Chopin’s mazurkas. Over the years, the company expanded its operations from leisure to incentives, transportation, congresses and conferences and finally to hotel, conference center and catering service. Today, Mazurkas Travel is largest private own company in tourism sector in Poland. The company operates in all aspects of tourism: MICE, FIT, leisure and employs 60 people in incoming department, 35 in transportation and 110 in hotel and catering. Among the biggest achievements in PCO area, there are the most important events organized in Poland last years: NATO Summit, COP19, Polish Presidency of the EU Council.

SNEŽANA VEJNOVIĆ CEO at Talas-M DMC For more than a decade Snežana has been developing real DMC services in Montenegro as part of the Talas-M agency. With world-class clients she has helped put Montenegro on the region’s incentive map via its own network of representatives throughout Europe, indirectly contributing to the country’s promotion. Due to their abundance of fresh ideas, which have been recognised in the Ovation agency and within the partnership of the Dubrovnik Talas-M, they have become one of the strongest regional DMC agencies.

TANJA BOGDANOV Founder and Managing Director of DMC Vekol Over 20 years in MICE and leisure travel industry and a veteran in this field in Serbia. Tanja started the business from scratch and became known for powerful relations she has built with both clients and suppliers, based on utmost loyalty and trust.

She is in charge of strategic planning and quality management and is the key decision maker in the company. She says she doesn’t like exposure and prefers to pull the strings from behind. In her free time, she is a mom of a 14-year-old millennial.

BREDA PEČOVNIK Director Congress Program at Cankarjev dom Congress and Events Management Director of CD Congress Centre Ljubljana since 2006, Breda Pečovnik is currently a member of the Slovenian Convention Bureau’s Board as well as the professional international associations of ICCA and IAPCO. She also teaches congress management at a college and faculty in Ljubljana.

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NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS OLGA KRZEMIŃSKA-ZASADZKA Founder and Managing Director of the POWER Agency Olga is a founding member of the Event Industry Association and a long-term member of various MICE associations in Poland. She combines her traveler’s curiosity and athlete’s courage, passion and perseverance, thanks to which she finds herself perfectly in one of the most stressful industries in the world. She believes that you can move mountains with hard work. Olga is passionate about travel and sport in every way - from skiing, snowboarding, bicycles and kites to diving and squash. She collects inspirational and motivational quotes to always have the one you need at hand, lately her favorite is “Belive the POWER and BEAUTY of Your DREAMS”.

JARMILA PIPKOVÁ ŠKORÍKOVÁ Founder and CEO of Maxin Prague Jarmila always followed the greatest hobby of hers: tourism – including her university studies, which she successfully graduated “The economics of services and tourism” at the University of Economics. After 15 years of her career spent on different positions in the travel business, Jarmila founded her own company in September 1999. Starting with two employees including her, she has since then built up and maintained a strong market position, and with its well-deserved reputation.

Maxin PRAGUE DMC now belongs among the leaders of the Czech market in the field of meetings, incentives, conferences and events. With over thirty years of business experience, she nowadays represents the “financial brain” of the agency.

TOP MEETING AGENCIES (DMC, PCO) There are 27 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The meeting innovators with the most votes are: STEFAN KOZAK Founder, Owner and Managing Director at CREATIVE PRO In 2003 Stefan founded a company focused on live & event marketing CREATIVE PRO and consequently built a diversified group of companies, called CREATIVE PRO group, with businesses present mainly on the Slovak and Czech market, Hungary and Poland. In 2017 he has also included the digital perspective into event and live marketing and has co-founded the digital & content agency CUKIER (a happy member of the CREATIVE PRO group) in Warsaw, Poland. CREATIVE PRO event and live marketing agency has won various national and international awards in the field of live marketing.

DAVOR BRUKETA Creative Director and owner of Bruketa&Žinić&Grey Davor Bruketa together with Nikola Žinić founded Bruketa&Žinić OM agency in 1995 and renamed it to Bruketa&Žinić&Grey after becoming part of Grey Group in 2017. As Bruketa&Žinić OM the agency won over 450 awards for advertising and design. Advertising Age awarded B&Ž the International Small Agency of the Year 2014 award, and Campaign listed B&Ž among the world’s leading independent agencies. On the global Effie Effectiveness Index B&Ž was ranked second among independent agencies in 2012. Bruketa is also a jury member of many prestigious international competitions.

GORAZD ČAD CEO at Toleranca marketing Founder and owner of the marketing and congress agency Toleranca marketing, Gorazd has numerous years of experience in the planning, preparation and execution of major international trade shows and fairs. Having started his career in Cankarjev dom, where he project-led on fairs such as Infos, Kapital, Bits & Fun, Slovenian Wine Festival and many others, work in his private capacity has given him a long and multi-faceted experience of developing B2B trade shows, the most noteworthy of these being Conventa, Space, Natour and Hot-Rest.

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MARY KIRILOVA Founder and Managing Director of Baltic for events As a board member of Baltiski Aljans OU, Mary Kirillova worked with PracticePanther Law, Sberbank, Deloitte, Audi Motors, British Petroleum, Milan Fashion Week, Gazprom, Lukoil and others. She also launched the Baltic For Events Forum and in the same year she became general manager of the Baltic Event Industry Club. She is also a founder of the Baltic events news blog bestbalticevents.com and of EventCV.com, a global job search for event agencies and customers around the world, as well as a producer at OCTOPUS newspaper.

ANJA REBEK Senior Event Manager and Consultant at Fabulatorij Anja Rebek is one of the key representatives of the Slovenian event management industry and has been active in the world of communication and marketing for more than 10 years. In 2014 she co-founded FABulatorij, a regional company for event organisation and experiential marketing. Since its inception, FABulatorij has created a highly productive professional team that offers strategic consulting, creative conceptualization and project execution, as well as event management and PR services in the fields of corporate marketing communications and entertainment management.

BOBAN MILUNOVIČ Founder of MetalDays Boban Milunović is, next to owning the biggest festival in Slovenia, MetalDays, where he is in charge of the entire management and booking, running also 4 other festivals: Punk Rock Holiday, Winter Days of Metal, MotörCity and Overjam Reggae Festival.

He spent his whole life in the music industry, from playing in various bands and being a tour manager, to owning a recording and mastering studio, where he handled mastering and production. Boban is also member of Slovenian blues rock band called Stray Train.

DANICA PURG President of the IEDC-Bled School of Management Professor Danica Purg is the President of the IEDC-Bled School of Management, Slovenia, and the President of CEEMAN, the association of 219 management development institutions from 54 countries, established with the aim to enhance management development in Central and Eastern Europe. She is also leading the European Leadership Centre (ELC). In January 2015, the Slovene Managers Association conferred upon her a Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of Management.

A special chapter about her leadership journey was recently published in “Women and Leadership Around the World”, by Information Age Publishing, USA, authored by Susan Madsen.

ANŽE ČOKL Director of Bohinj ECO Hotel Well before finishing his studies Anže was in the business world, first of all with a friend, together with whom they bought and took leadership of a publishing company only to sell it years later and invest in IT. Then in 2008 Anže started a position as a Project Manager in an Engineering Investment Company, where he gained his professional experience as an engineer of energy efficient buildings. The following year saw him become CEO of the most technologically advanced hotel complex in Slovenia and in 2012 he became managing partner of an investment consulting company, dedicating his free time being to his passion of capturing images and motion pictures in the mountains.

JOVAN JELOVAC Founder of Belgrade Design Week A perfectionist, obsessed with the idea of establishing a regional creative hub, the Belgrade Design Week has in global terms become an event without precedent. His work is characterised by an understanding of the creative industries and their importance to the revitalisation of society. This has brought about a changed perception of Belgrade, which Jovan has achieved over years. At the same time the annual event remains a surprise in terms of the innovation in its organisation.

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DANIJELA BREČKO Senior Partner at Planet GV Danijela Brečko has over 20 years of experience in the field of professional personal development and leadership. She holds a master’s degree from the Faculty of Arts in the field of personal development and has also published a book on the topic, titled How We Adult Change. She holds a PhD in career planning and the role of education. For more than 20 years, she has been working as an editor for educational programs and as a manager at Planet GV, a business education and consulting firm, and for the last two years she has been developing tools to increase human intellectual capital at the SOFOS Educational Management Institute.

JURAJ HOLUB Marketing Director and Chief Meeting Designer at Slido Juraj Holub received the Young Hero in Meeting Design Award and was selected as one of PCMA’s ‘20 In Their Twenties Class of 2016’ for his work as a professional, speaker and writer in many activities that drive meeting design. Juraj is the editor of the Slido blog and contributes to several events industry media outlets. As a public speaker, Juraj Holub applies the meeting design principles to deliver interactive sessions at events such as SXSWedu, WEC, Social Media Week and IMEX.

NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS NIKOLA STOLNIK Founder and CEO of Good Game Global Nikola started working as Account Strategist at Google in 2013, but after two years decided that he want to combine his career with his lifelong passion for gaming. In 2015 he switched to ShoutEm, an app development platform in the role of Chief Marketing Officer. After a year he became the Head of Marketing at Nanobit, a computer game developer. In 2015 Nikola decided he accumulated enough knowledge on the subject and founded his own game development company, Good Game Global. Along with gaming, his other passions are the Internet, food, fitness, entrepreneurship and creative people.

ANJA GARBAJS Client Director and Event Management Specialist at PM, poslovni mediji Anja is a creative person who likes all kinds of communication and has years of experience in professional management, organization and execution of professional communication processes. She has been with PM for 14+ years, where she manages different media processes, from classic print to modern and more unpredictable web contents and tools. She claims that despite her 20 year-long history in event planning, she still sees each event as a new challenge.

TOP HOTELS AND VENUES There are 35 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The top hotels and venues with the most votes are: IZABELA HELBIN Director of the Krakow Festival Office – operator of the ICE Krakow Congress Centre Izabela Helbin is the Director of the Krakow Festival Office, which operates the ICE Kraków Congress Centre. Her former positions include those of the Deputy Director for Marketing and the Krakow Promotion Director, as well as the Head of the Press Office of the Mayor of the City of Krakow. She has worked as a cultural manager, producer, co-producer and coordinator of many international cultural and TV projects. She has received numerous awards for festivals, one-off events, as well as innovative campaigns and publications.

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SUSANNE BAUMANN-SÖLLNER Management Board Spokesperson of Austria Center Vienna The graduate in business education, certified public accountant and financial analyst initially worked as a tax and business consultant and subsequently worked in the Federal Ministry of Finance as a consultant to several ministers and as a department head for tax policy and taxation. As of December 2012, she became a member of the board of the IAKW-AG, who is responsible for the preservation and administration of the Vienna International Center and the operation of the Austria Center Vienna. In 2013 she also took over the representation of the Republic of Austria in the Joint Committee for the financing of major repairs and renewals at the headquarters of the International Organizations - Vienna International Center.

RENATA BALAŽIC Chairman of the Board at Sava Hotels & Resorts Sava Hotels & Resorts, the largest tourism company in Slovenia, manages six tourist destinations in Slovenia. Renata Balažic has been since her beginnings in the tourist sector 20 years ago closely related to the field of MICE. She started in Grand Hotel Union where she established MICE department and later progressed to the position of the Director of marketing and sales.

Currently, as the President of the Sava Hotels & Resorts’s Board, she is actively involved in the Group’s MICE development.

IZTOK BRICL Director at GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Iztok Bricl, M.Sc. was in 2010 appointed Director of the GR – Ljubljana Convention and Exhibition Centre. Prior to that, he excelled in his work at the most senior positions where he demonstrated excellent managerial and organisational skills in the Slovenian food industry. As the director of a leading event centre in Slovenia, his greatest achievements are the modernisation of infrastructure of the centre and the introduction of new fair events, in particular the development of congress activities and international exhibitions.

KATHRIN NOLL General Manager of Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras After her apprenticeship as a hotel manager at the Panoramahotel am Jägerhäusle in Freiburg, Kathrin gained important professional experience in Germany, England and Switzerland before joining the Kempinski Hotel Airport Munich as Assistant Banquet Sales Manager in 1999. After five years in Munich, where she quickly became Assistant Food & Beverage Manager, she was drawn back into the distance. At the Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski in Tanzania, she took over the position of Food & Beverage Manager for more than two years, which she then filled successfully at the Kempinski Hotel Ajman, not far from Dubai. Since 2012 she works as the General Manager of Grand Hotel Kempinski High Tatras.

GREGOR JAMNIK General manager at Best Western Premier Hotel Slon Ljubljana Gregor Jamnik counts among his several memberships also a position of supervisory board member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia and member of the supervisory board of the Ljubljana Tourism Board. Gregor achieves great results at Slon with the highest occupancy rates among all the hotels in Ljubljana, as well as outstanding financial results within all of the Slovenian hotels. Slon has hosted many important and distinguished guests during his management, with the highlight being the stay of American President Bill Clinton.

MILOŠ CEROVIČ General Manager at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Global hotelier with more than 13 years of multi brand leadership experience in hotel operations at premiere, full-service luxury hotels & resorts. Successfully led Rooms Division, Engineering, Food & Beverage, Culinary, IT and Security teams for MGM Grand, Global Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in North America, Middle East, Europe and Asia. He has been the GM to InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Ljubljana, Slovenia, since May 2017.

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SANDI KOVAČEVIČ General Manager at Hotel CUBO and CUBO Diners golf course Ljubljana Sandi Kovačevič has been general manager at Hotel CUBO since 2010. He has more than a decade of experience in hospitality as well as in meetings industry. With his leadership, hotel Cubo increased its visibility and it has become one of the most important business meeting points in Ljubljana.

IVAN VITOROVIĆ Executive Director of Mona Hotel Management As an authorized representative of Pegasus, he has been organizing congresses and introducing reservation systems in hotels in Serbia, and in 2005 he joined the company Mona d.o.o. which then starts investing in the hotel industry. He served as sales and marketing manager, hotel manager, Mona Zlatibor, sales, marketing and development director, and CEO. In 2016, he became the Executive Director of Mona Hotel Management, which owns and manages the Mona Plaza hotel in Belgrade.

IVICA KRIŽMANIĆ General Manager at the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel Ivica Max Križmanić is the General Manager at the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel in Croatia. In 2012 he has been entrusted to supervise the operations of the most prestigious 5-star deluxe property in Zagreb and to oversee the quality of the services that his team provides. His success story started almost 24 years ago when he came to the Hotel as a fill-in for a doorman and it was then that he “fell in love with the hotel”. During 24 years of experience at this hotel Max worked in almost every department and progressed steadily. He perfected his skills and knowledge which helped him determine his interests, abilities and values, and steered him in the right direction.

KAI DIECKMANN General Manager of Regent Porto Montenegro Kai started his career in Germany, working for many of his native country’s famous hotels, including Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa and Grand hotel Schloss Bensberg. Working his way up the hospitality ladder, he soon rose to become Front Office Manager at London’s St James’s Hotel and Club; Rooms Division Manager at Grand Hotel Park, Gstaad in, Switzerland, gaining valuable experience in different departments along the way. With 19 years of extensive experience in the luxury hospitality industry, he has worked for some of the most well-known names in the hotel business and is now the General Manager of Regent Porto Montenegro. ŽIVORAD VASIĆ General Manager of Crowne Plaza Beograd Since 2016, Živorad Vasić is Vice President of Delta Holding and in 2017 he became the youngest regional director of the InterContinental Hotels Group. During his career in Serbia, he was the General Manager of the Continental Hotel in Belgrade.

He also managed the entire Delta portfolio for the hotel and business units and is now the regional director of Crowne Plaza in Belgrade and InterContinental in Ljubljana. He is a passionate music lover and plays the piano. He is also not impartial to sports, where he favours American football.

JOSIPA JUTT FERLAN Cluster General Manager at Hilton hotels in Zagreb / General Manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Zagreb Josipa Jutt Ferlan has beent the CEO and General Manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Zagreb Hotel since 2015 and the Cluster GM at Hilton hotels in Zagreb for a year. She has 20 years of experience in the industry, delivering revenue and profit gains within a highly competitive regional market. She also brings broad hospitality experience, covering international sales, marketing, PR and brand development.

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NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS KATIJA JERKOVIĆ Director of Sales and Marketing at Adriatic Luxury Hotels Katija Jerković is a hotel industry professional specialised in overall sales and marketing as well as the MICE industry. She started her career in the hotelier segment in the operative, as a Hilton meetings manager. Currently and for the past 11 years she is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Adriatic Luxury Hotels, the leading luxury hotel management company in Croatia.

DAVID POBJECKY Director of Sales at x-bionic sphere After obtaining an education in Business Administration, David took on the role of Senior Sales Manager at the Jacob Fleming Group. After 4 years he transitioned into the hotel industry, as the Director of Sales for Austria Trend Hotel Bratislava and later as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Crown Plaza Bratislava. Since 2016 he is part of the x-bionic sphere family and has been in the current role of Director of Sales for the past 3 years.

TOP MEETING SERVICES There are 19 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The top meeting services influencers with the most votes are: ANA ROŠ Chef at Hiša Franko A co-owner of the family-owned restaurant Hiša Franko (ranking No. 50 in the world, according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants organisation) located in a small Slovenian town by the Italian border. Besides cooking her greatest pleasure is world travel. Her delicious dishes are full of intense flavours, lovely colours and unusual combinations. She was named the World’s Best Female Chef 2017 by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards and was the first woman to join the exclusive Cook It Raw chefs’ community.

THOMAS GRUBER Chef at in Schlossstern Restaurant The main characteristic of the “Gasthaus von Thomas Gruber« at the lake Wörthersee is the regional cuisine, where different cultures and genuine dishes from Slovenia, Italy and Carinthia meet. Eating and drinking together becomes the indispensable experience factor. Thomas Gruber is not following the culinary mainstream, so instead of great gourmet menus, you will find dishes with heart and mind. He was gaining knowledge and experience for many years in the most prestigious restaurants and hotels in the States, France, Italy and Austria. In 2013, he opened his own restaurant “Gasthaus von Thomas Gruber”.

DOMINIK STOJAR Managing Director at Sanfish Catering Dominic is the Managing Director of Sanfish Catering, which specializes in fish and seafood. Their mission is to surprize their customers with new, innovative products, while focusing on quality and sustainable products.

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TAMARA TUĐMAN ŠUK Owner of FAVORY Catering Tamara Tuđman Šuk is the owner of the Favory – Catering & Banqueting which has been with its uninterrupted operation of 28 years the oldest Croatian catering business. Its corporate and private club are of a unique character in Croatia and make, thus, for a really special service agency when it comes to MICE needs not only in Croatia but also in other parts of Europe.

Certainly, Tamara Tuđman Šuk is one of the catering pioneers in the region that still sets the trends today.

JANEZ BRATOVŽ Owner and Chef at JB Restavracija World-renowned chef Janez Bratovž has always been defined by his strong desire to find perfection. His culinary creations are bold and original, and you can savour the tastes of exquisite plates and let yourself be entranced by a completely new culinary experience. JB’s dishes are from completely fresh ingredients straight from Ljubljana’s farmers’ market. You will be charmed by their presentation and primal taste, especially so by the unforgettably unique combination of the Mediterranean, French and nostalgic Slovene cuisines.

DADA JEROVŠEK Director at Kaval Group Dada Jerovšek is an architect turned entrepreneur who heads up The Kaval Group, a collection of 19 bars, fine dining restaurants, casual cafes and, of course, Lolita, the best ice-cream in the world (according to #worldICECREAMindex). The Kaval Group is made up of hospitality experiences that are undeniably Slovenian, yet comparable with any contemporary trend from New York or London.

MARTIN JEZERŠEK Managing Director at Jezersek Catering Martin Jezeršek, the youngest son of the renowned Jezeršek family, has been successfully managing the family business with over 35 years of tradition and experience in the field of HORECA, for the last five years. After a graduation at the best hospitality and hotel management school in the world, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, he returned home to take over the family business. He has internationalised the company through the brand Sora Catering and passed the test with flying colours, taking up the family business management, with a desire to become the leading catering provider in SouthEastern Europe and to rank among the top 10 organizers and catering services providers in the European Union. Due to Martin’s contribution, Jezeršek catering today is the leading company in the field of catering on the Slovenian market.

JERNEJA KAMNIKAR Director at Vivo Catering At the 20th anniversary she earned her ranking through the socially responsible co-operative project of setting the Month of Design in the abandoned factory premises of Mladinska knjiga. The revival of this place has created a completely new event space in Ljubljana with an unimagined development potential. Visitors to the event were excited about the look of the premises; this is a completely new dimension of socially responsible conference tourism.

FREDERIK MAYRINGER CEO and Chef at Frederik’s Vienna “Stay in the kitchen” is the motto that Frederik Mayringer, the CEO and Chef at Frederik’s, is adhering to at all times. His dedication to investing time and patience in new culinary creations along business plans is seen in the work that the Frederik’s team does with catering magic that particularly shines through the Frederik’s gardening decoration concept and its edible flowers.

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RÓBERT ŠARADIN CEO at Sharkam VIP Catering Sharkam catering was established in 1998 and belongs to one of the European leaders in catering. They are mostly proud of having built the business from scratch on solely Slovak capital and through years of testing know-how. The majority of their business is in event catering, although they are also one of a very few caterers in Europe to specialize in protocol catering.

Their marketing policy is built on offering a first-class service and quality and which additionally guarantees a sufficient quantity of food and beverages.

SANJIV SURI President & CEO at Zátiší group Since 1991, founder of the Zátiší Group, currently operating four restaurants in Prague: V Zátiší, Bellevue, Mlýnec, Žofín Garden & Zátiší Catering, exclusive caterer to Žofín Palace, general caterer for Prague Congress Centre and exclusive caterer 2012 – 2013 to VIP Village Moto GP and Fresh & Tasty divisions. He earlier worked as General Manager, Food – Beverage Manager & Kitchen Coordinator at various hotel chains in France, India, Egypt and western Africa. He is a member of the UNICEF Supervisory Board, Head of the Board of Directors of the Prague Convention Bureau, member of the Young Presidents Organisation worldwide, and Vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce Supervisory Board.

NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS MARKO ERTL Co-founder and Director of Wrapstars Marko, together with his friend Matthias Kroisz, founded the catering company with the philosophy #realfood #nobullshit in 2013. Wrapstars comprise of a catering service, restaurant and food truck. Their specialty are wraps of all kinds, with natural, locally sourced ingredients.

DOMINIKA GSCHMEIDLER Managing Director at Motto Catering Dominika is the Managing Director of Motto Catering, a modern company with respect for tradition since 2008. At Motto Catering they say they are a unique symbiosis of the modern and the classic, combining zeitgeist with indulgence and sensuality. Besides the company, she is passionate about her family, good food, design and her dog Charlie.

TOP CREATIVE EVENT AND LIVE MARKETING AGENCIES There are 34 influencers in this category. You can check the full list at www.kongres-magazine. The top creative event and live marketing influencers with the most votes are: YEMI A.D. Founder, Creative Director and CEO at JAD Productions Yemi founded and now leads creative agency JAD Productions, with which he works not only for clients such as Google, T-Mobile, or Coca-Cola, but also produces his own projects. Teniskology (a multi-day european sneaker festival), Ynspirology (an arts, music and inspiration festival focused on Generation Y) and Cycles (disruptive, highly artistic immersive theatre). JAD Productions was awarded as Best Event Agency in the Czech Republic in 2014, 2015 & 2016, and received the World Best Event Award (BEA) in 2015, 2016 & 2018. Yemi’s team also won international awards for social media campaigns for adidas Originals and product launch for Mercedes-Benz.

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RAFEALA RICA Founder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Iceberg Communication She has founded her own company 18 years ago. Today, Rafaela Rica is a founder and manager of one of the biggest marketing and PR companies in Albania. The specialty of the company is that the team is literally the foundation stone of its success for most of the team members are part of the company since its creation. Iceberg Communications works in digital marketing, advertising, creative works, events, decoration, and PR & communication.

STEFAN KOZAK Founder, Owner and Managing Director at CREATIVE PRO In 2003 Stefan founded a company focused on live & event marketing CREATIVE PRO and consequently built a diversified group of companies, called CREATIVE PRO group, with businesses present mainly on the Slovak and Czech market, Hungary and Poland. In 2017 he has also included the digital perspective into event and live marketing and has co-founded the digital & content agency CUKIER (a happy member of the CREATIVE PRO group) in Warsaw, Poland. CREATIVE PRO event and live marketing agency has won various national and international awards in the field of live marketing.

MATJAŽ JUG Owner of ETC Adriatic Matjaž is an entrepreneur, start-up lecturer, co-founder and member of the accelerator KIKštarter and the owner of ETC Adriatic, a corporate events agency. He founded his first start-up in 2011, when he and his team built a camping booking solution. Afterwards he continued his career in tourism as the founder of ETC Adriatic and in the start-up world as the initiator and founder of coworking spaces KIKštarter. He is also a member of the KIKštarter accelerator committee, where he participates in the selection of start-up ideas.

IVONA DABETIĆ JOVOVIĆ Owner/Director at Vision Event Vision Event is a five years old event management, marketing, and PR agency, doing business in Montenegro. Ivona Dabetić Jovović is besides being the owner and director the Vision Event, also a co-founder of regional Convention of women of Western Balkans with the main idea of empowering women in society. She is also the founder and president of NGO „Brini o sebi “, with the main goal of promotion of self-care and prevention of breast cancer. She is a moderator and speaker. She is a proud mother of an 8-year-old boy.

ANTONIA RADIĆ CEO at EX-ALTO d.o.o.

Established in 2002, EX-ALTO was the first Croatian agency providing experiential marketing and tourism services. In tourism EX-Alto has been mostly creating tourism experiences through leisure and entertainment in hotels and local communities.

The EX-ALTO team of 7 permanent employees, along with numerous partners-professionals, constantly introduces new, innovative services to in key areas of tourism and event management. Since its beginnings, EX-ALTO has provided various lifetime experiences for more than 200 satisfied clients. One of the key components in this success has been Antonia Radić.

OGNENA VASILJEVIĆ General Manager at Momentum Inc. Ognena Vasiljevik has founded her own events agency in Skopje, Macedonia. In its first year of existence, Momentum Inc. signed three innovative, large scale projects – the Health, Fitness & Wellness Expo, the Fashion & Lifestyle Expo as well as Showtime. The projects have by now grown into a tradition and are pivotal to the development of the events industry in the country. The agency is also realizing a number of events for clients from the corporate and NGO sectors in the country.

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IVO FRANSCHITZ Owner & Managing Director at ENITED Business Events GmbH Since 1999 Ivo Franschitz has been involved with a number of national and international educational institutions and sharing his experience and knowledge through a variety of speaking engagements. Before founding ENITED, he was for 17 years owner and creative director of a leading European Event marketing/management company dm&c. In 2015 he founded ENITED Business Events GmbH from the previous dm&c company. Enited is a peerless specialist and consultant of sophisticated business events. Among other eminent positions, he also holds member position with EMBA (Event Marketing Board Austria).

IVANA BORAS General Director at Projektil Ivana has been at Projektil for 9 years but has more than 18 years of experience in dynamic project management and event business. During her career she has had the opportunity to initiate, participate and lead the organization of projects and events for marketing, media and communication in the entire Adriatic region.

MIRO ANTIĆ Partner/ Chief Experience Officer/ Event Guru at M2Communications M2Communications is a creative and brand experience agency. Miro Antić has 15+ years of international experience in the field of marketing and business development and has introduced a new dimension of event production by having designed one of the most spectacular in the region. He has participated in campaign development both in Serbia and abroad for global mega brands, such as BMW/MINI, Porto Montenegro, Microsoft, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, BASF, Samsung, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Calzedonia, Jaffa Cakes, Vip Mobile, etc. He led his agency to several international consecutive awards.

MELINDA REBREK CEO and Owner at Pirana Productions and at the Zvereene Institute Started as a casting manager at a time when that profession in Slovenia was as common as E.T. She climbed the ranks in TV & film production as a production manager, executive producer, script supervisor, AD, etc. She mastered event management in all its variations while freelancing for marketing and event agencies and finally embraced independence with Pirana Productions. A few years ago, a handful of dedicated individuals decided to face the challenge and put Slovene fashion on the map. The Zvereene Institute was established, and Ljubljana Fashion Week was born.

NEWCOMERS IN 2019, VOTED BY READERS ELENA MELNIKOVA Founder and CEO at MaxiMICE Elena established her company MaxiMICE in 2007. It is a complete cycle agency of professional operations in the field of business travel and corporate events capable of integrating all kinds of MICE, Event Marketing & PR services.

BOŠTJAN PRIJANOVIČ Managing Director at New Moment Boštjan is the Managing Director at New Moment for more than 6 years. Working in marketing and advertising has been a part of his life for 18 years and he already has 24 years of experience in advertising in the Adria region, where he handles 80+ brands. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Slovenian Association of Advertising Agencies.

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BEEN THERE // INCENTIVES ALPE ADRIA 105

26th - 28th AUGUST 2020 Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana

FESTIVAL OF EVENTS AND LIVE MARKETING

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CONVENTA CROSS VER

Every year Conventa draws attention to excellence in the meetings industry with an award for the best event in ‘New Europe’.

Organizers of mind blowing events from New European region are invited to enter the competition that will again acknowledge the best in the event business. The winner will be announced in August 2020 during the Conventa Crossover conference in Ljubljana.

www.crossover.si

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EVENTS & MARKETING AGENCY TOLERANCA MARKETING D.O.O, ŠTIHOVA 4, 1000 LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA Gorazd Čad, CEO l T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03 l E: gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu www.toleranca.eu

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Kongres Magazine is the very first niche communications agency to specialize in the meetings industry in the region of »New Europe«, creating urban congress stories spiced up with a strong dose of creativity and an “out of the box” vision for over a decade now.

ADVERTISE WITH US! T: +386 1 430 51 03 E: natalija@toleranca.eu

EDITOR IN CHIEF Gorazd Čad ASSISTANT EDITOR Sara Tiefengraber DESIGN Barbara Dimec DTP AND PREPRESS Barbara Dimec PHOTO CREDIT archive of Kongres Magazine and partners’ destinations The Kongres Magazine is entered into the media register under sequence number 1423.

MAGAZINE ISSUED IN January, March, May, June, July, September, November, December ISSN NUMBER 1855-8615 PUBLISHER AND PRODUCTION Poslovni turizem Gorazd Čad s.p., Kamnica 6B, SI-1262 Dol pri Ljubljani T: +385 (0)1 430 51 03 E: gorazd.cad@go-mice.eu MARKETING Toleranca Marketing d.o.o., Štihova 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +385 (0)1 430 51 03 E: gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu ISSUE DATE November 2019 For the content production it is required to get the written editorial consignment.

Official magazine of the Slovenian Convention Bureau

Ljubljana Capital for Great Meetings

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