57 Kongres travelogue
In 2008 the idea of a congress centre gained momentum, as the government supported investment analyses for four new congress centres in Zagreb, Opatija, Dubrovnik and Split. The centre would be located at the eastern part of the port of Split, on the site of the Dalmacijavino factory, with a 1,500 capacity plenary hall. Unfortunately the economic crisis put a halt to all of the projects. Yet, everything changed completely with the arrival of large hotel chains a few years ago. The first was Hotel Le Meridien Lav in Podstrana near Split, which is the largest congress hotel in the city. Excellent service, international connections and know-how of the Starwood chain drew numerous international events to Split. The hotel is the flagship of the Dalmatian meetings industry and has received several prizes. It’s among the best in the Adriatic for functionality, and very appropriate for incentive groups and product launches due to its excellent additional services. Last year Split saw the opening of the Radisson Blu Split Resort. The four star hotel with 240 rooms has a smaller congress centre, the largest hall accommodating 350 people and six smaller halls with ancillary services. Atrium followed the foreign hotel chains and opened a hotel in 2007. The maximum capacity of the halls is 300 and additional services of the hotel are of a very high level. Smaller congress capacities are also available at Katarina, Park, Dalmina, Globo and President. Hilton Marjan Split, owned by Split’s mayor Željko Kerum, should be opened at the beginning of the next year after a number of delays. It will boast excellent congress facilities (the largest hall will seat 1,000) in an elite location. The newest acquisition of the
town, the Spaladium sports arena, can also potentially serve as a congress hall. The city is also full of special venues for receptions and accompanying events. Among the traditional venues there is the Diocletian palace. Receptions can also be held at Prokurative square, the Croatian national theatre, Villa Dalmatia and numerous picturesque outdoor locations just waiting to host events. The restaurant scene is lively, as is the nightlife. In the last two years Split gained the reputation of being the party metropolis of the Adriatic and not just a transit destination on the way to the Dalmatian islands. The development of the meetings industry has encouraged the development of the agency segment. This occurred firstly through numerous DMC agencies and has been followed by a number of specialised incentive and team building service providers. Split offers a lot in a concentrated area, in terms of both the seaside and its inland area, that is not recognisable enough on the international market.
Split is faced with the classic issue of many destinations, where the convention bureau is formally a part of the city tourist organisation and thus lacks international recognition. Split urgently needs a well organised and branded convention bureau. The major disadvantage of the destination is air traffic access. The infrastructure improved with the renovation of the airport platform and a planned construction of a new terminal. The airport will soon be able to receive up to 2 million passengers annually. Air transport is mostly an issue in the low tourist season, which is at the same time high congress season. This element of an attractive destination is the main one preventing Split from becoming an excellent congress destination. Split is the diamond amongst the coal.