THE CONVENTA EXPERIENCE AT ITS 8TH EDITION

8TH NEW EUROPE EXHIBITION FOR MEETINGS, EVENTS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL 20. 01. 2016

Don’t miss the leading business-to-business event for NEW EUROPE!

See you in Ljubljana, at Conventa, from 18 to 19 January 2017.

CONVENTA 2017

WW

W.C

ON

VEN

TA.I

NFO

WELCOME RECEPTION 4

SITE SUMMIT EDUCATION DAY 6

MIHA POGAČNIK LEADERSHIP PROFESSOR WITH A VIOLIN 8

BEST EVENT AWARDS 7

T he theme of this year’s Conventa follows that of the Conventa Ex-

perience and the participants journey through all the bodily senses. We believe that this encourages better thinking,more curiosity and a higher level of interest for our products and destinations. We also believe that an experience can tell more than a thou-sand words. With perhaps a touch of immodesty we would venture to say that you are not really on the congress map if you aren’t attending Conventa. This is backed up by the record feedback from all of the hosted buyers and by the fact that 98% of exhibitors regularly re-turn to the event. We, as the organisers, have done everything we can to make sure you leave Ljubljana with a smile on your face and new business connections in your pocket. We hope you really enjoy your time here with us. Gorazd Čad

T his year we broke yet another re-cord, as we are welcoming hosted

buyers from 33 countries, and this time from overseas too. Knowledge was, is and always will be crucial in our industry. Every year we introduce a top knowledge component to the show for the regional industry that is compli-mentary. This year we are also proud to co-host the SITE Incentive Summit in Ljubljana, enabling Conventa exhibi-tors to learn from the very best. Social Media is a feature of our industry that is gaining in popularity and becoming a more important marketing and com-munication channel. We are proud to partner with Soolnua, from Ireland, to bring the region to a very new level. Please do share all of your experiences with us on social media by using #Con-venta2016 and @Conventa2016, but also on #conventaexperience. We have invested all of our knowledge, our posi-tive energy and our passion into making this year’s Conventa another success. Enjoy the moment and give your energy to the Conventa experience 2016. You can only really get it if you share it! Miha Kovačič

The leitmotiv of 8th Conventa exhibi-tion is experience. We invite you to

experience the charm of creativity, adven-ture of the 6 senses (sound, taste, touch, smell, feel, sight), the power of inspiring new ideas and the subtlety of a personal approach at the biggest meetings event in the SEE region.

an unforgettable event. That is why we in-vite you to co-create the Conventa show, with your positive energy, your creativ-ity, your passion to learn and passion to spread your knowledge, and make this exhibition a true success on a personal and business level not only for yourself, but for others too.

We want to share the „#conventa-experience“ with as many people as we can, which is why we invited Aoife McCrum, in charge of Social Media & Digital Marketing at Soolnua, a bou-tique MICE consultancy from Ireland, to help both us and our Conventa guests become professional tweeters and busy ourselves with social media marketing, today‘s leading marketing tool. At the moment we have just over 700 followers on Twitter, but after the #Conventaexperience we want this number to surpass the 1,000 mark. You can help us achieve that.

Once again the Conventa team has been striving all year round to organise an ex-cellent trade show for every participant, taking great care of all the little details in order to exceed not only your, but also our own expectations. We believe that crea-tivity is the key to finding great solutions, insightful ideas and therefore organising

Tina Ramujkić

WHAT‘S NEW IN 2016

CONVENTA DAILY

Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad Design: Premedia, Andrej JuvanPrinting: F.Dvor d.o.o., LjubljanaCirculation: 200 copies

Publisher, Production and Marketing: Toleranca marketing d.o.o.Štihova ulica 4, SI- LjubljanaT:+386 (0)1 430 51 03, F:+386 (0)1 430 51 04

www.conventa.infoIssue date: January 2016-01-20 Daily is free of charge for all participants of Coventa

Conventa publications are printed on Xerox recycled paper, using environmentally friendly multifunctional printer Xerox ColorQube with revolutionary solid ink colours Solidink. Con-venta publications thus reduce the adverse effect of waste on the environment by 90%, while cutting down on costs by 62%. As a sign of respect to the environment, we encourage you to recycle … and consider the ways in which it can be reused.

Conventa Communication Platformpowerd by KONGRES MAGAZINE since 2007

We are therefore also very happy to pre-sent to you the new initiatives for this year, among them the newest being the „Conventa Best Event award“, organ-ised under the remit of „The Meetings Star awards“ taking place at Cankarjev dom on the 20th January, where a 3-member international jury will evalute 17 different events and will present the winning award to the most „mind blowing event“ organ-ised in 2015. The most important evalua-tion criteria for this are innovation and creativity, but the expert jury will also focus on other criteria, such as event ex-ecution, result of the event, excellence of communication and sustainable policies.

SITE - Society for Incentive Travel Excellence chose Ljubljana as its prior-ity destination to organise The Incentive Summit Days

Another event in the „don‘t miss“ category is taking place at the Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana on the 19th January, where SITE - Society for Incentive Travel Ex-cellence – one of the biggest global com-panies, comprised of 2,000 members in 90 countries and whose „vision and goal is to

bring best-in-class solutions, insights and global connections to maximize the busi-ness impact of motivational experiences“ – are organising a conference in conjonc-tion with Slovenian Convention Bu-reau, with a rich educational programme. The lectures at the SITE conference are also open for Conventa participants, so we hope you will take the chance to hear some of the following sessions:

• What Makes a Good DMC (Panel Discussion)

• Fundamentals of an Incentive Travel Programme

• Apps and Social Media: the real Superpowers for Incentive Profes-sionals

This year we have also recorded a higher number of participants coming from New Europe, namely from Turkey, and at this point in time we are very proud to announce that we have formed a new part-nership with Turkish Airlines.

„The only source of knowledge is expe-rience“ Albert Einstein

As we said above, this year‘s Conventa is all about experience, and in the words of Mr. Einstein who said that „true knowledge comes from experinece“, we at Conventa encourage you to not only experience the inspiring new stories and new ideas in the classic way through meetings and lectures, but to also let your senses be seduced by the Slovenian culinary art, the excellent Conventa coffee moments in Café San Bernardino provided by the Bernardin Group, and experiencing the genius of music in lectures by classical concert violinist and leadership consultant Miha Pogačnik, who sees „art as a significant force for productivity, creativity and or-ganisational renewal“.

Every year the Conventa team wants to overcome the formality of meetings by emphasizing a personal approach and creating a unique social platform for every participant to enable them to have a better informal business interaction. So, allow yourself to step into a whole new dimen-sion of after-work networking, where relaxed and spontaneous interaction over a glass of wine and good food will be the rule of propriety, and take your chances to meet new people outside the congress hall and get more contacts and more personal-ized solutions, maybe even meeting your future best friend in the process! :)

Tina

Ram

ujki

ć

3

EVENTS REPORT

PARTNERS ABOUT CONVENTA“I love the format (small and boutique with a personal touch- like our hotel) - we met such a great range of Buyers in such a short period of time. Buyers are expe-rienced; meetings are relevant, dynamic and straightforward. I’m part of Conventa from the beginning and the event is more productive than I could ever imagine it will become. The networking and social program are amazing and getting better every year. With helpful, friendly staff, very high standards of organization, and excellent activities, this is the best MICE event in this part of Europe. Definitely worth the time out of the office!”Sandi Kovačevič, General Manager at Hotel Cubo

“The Conventa trade fair has greatly con-tributed to the recognition of Slovenia as place to hold congresses and business meetings. Conventa has been placed on the European congress map as a ‘must-go-to’ event, where more than one hun-dred providers of congress services from South East Europe exhibit to clients from across Europe. As an international busi-ness exchange, Conventa has become one of the key business events of Slovenian

HOSTED BUYER EXPERIENCE

Helen Zhao, CEO at Global Century Science Group

Why did you choose the Conventa trade show and did it meet you expectations in 2015?East of Europe is always

our focus for organising academic events. With the unique cultures and landscapes, Slovenia and the neigh-bouring countries are more attractive to American and Asian visitors, as well as other Europeans. Meanwhile, in terms of the competitive price of the hotels and conference packages, this area will be our main market. We felt that the Conventa 2015 trade show was well organised and it did meet our expectations to be one of our event destination.

Why did you once again choose to come to Conventa 2016?Last year we joined the event just for looking at the possibility to bring an event into this region and this year we will confirm the final destination and select cooperators for our few further events.

Gunilla Johansson, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Purchasing Manager, Stock-holm, Sweden

Why did you choose to visit Conventa 2016? I visited Conventa in 2014 to get acquainted with this part of Europe and to

meet exhibitors from the SEE region, which is very helpful to us. I also got the opportunity to meet other visitors and get contacts from interesting des-tinations. The whole Conventa trade show was very well organised: the meetings, lectures, social events and other informal arrangements. Plus I absolutely love the city of Ljubljana.

Are you looking for a specific des-tination in the region?I’m not looking for a specific destina-tion, but you never know what desti-nation might pop-up and impress me. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and looking forward on what I might find.

SINCE THE VERY START, LJUBLJANA TOURISM HAS TAKEN ON THE ROLE OF A STRONG AND LONG-TERM

Petra Stušek, Acting managing Director, Ljubljana Tourism

Partner of the Conventa Show and its organisers. With its concept and personal approach Conventa has developed over the years into a true experience, showcasing the array of possibilities for holding meet-ings and events in Ljubljana, Slovenia and

the wider area of Central and Southeast Europe. We recognise Conventa as one of our most important marketing projects at the destination level, by which both Lju-bljana and Slovenia are strengthening their brands and presence on the international meetings industry market, and even wider. In 2016 more than ever, Ljubljana will be green all the way to its heart - as European Green Capital! We are confident that the many events and happenings connected to this unique year will leave a special mark on our city. Not to forget that our key part-ners are continuously striving to deliver the best client experience with an under-standing of what the power of personal approach means in creating successful and long-term business relationships. This is also very true for the boutique Conventa Experience!

tourism, which places Slovenia at the top of professionally staged events and thus strengthens the image of the country as an excellent host of important business and tourist events. There is no doubt that this event, which for a long time has reached beyond the borders of Slovenia, is the most important business and interna-tional tourist event in Slovenia’s congress sector! ”Maja Pak, Acting Director of Slovenian Tourist Board

“Conventa, a junction of congress tourism in Southeastern Europe, is a very impor-tant link in the promotion of Slovenia as a congress destination. It is a combination of business and networking among people in one place and at the same time the opening up of new opportunities for the discovery of new and attractive destina-tions. These are increasingly looked for by the organizers of meetings. Vivo with our Center of innovative solutions D125 in Ljubljana takes part in Conventa and shapes it from the beginning.”Jerneja Kamnikar, General Manager at Vivo catering

Sarah Kavanagh@SarahMaeveKav First stop Heathrow, next stop Gatwick! @Conventa2016 here we come #Con-venta2016 #conventaexperience

4

EVENTS REPORT

WELCOME RECEPTION, Grand Hotel Union

This year‘s Conventa Welcome reception was once again held at the Grand Hotel

Union, where most of the participants got the chance to meet or catch-up again with colleagues and talk about topics of inter-est in a relaxed and informal setting. The concept of the 8th Conventa trade show is „experience“, in terms of experiencing the event with all of our senses - including the sense of humour, and because doing busi-ness can often be hard and serious work the Conventa team teamed up with two top Slovenian stand-up comics, Tilen Artač and Jure Godler, to kick-off the 8th Conventa exhibition in a humorous and entertaining spirit. The duo quickly warmed up the au-dience with ingenious stand-up and music stunts, after which the guests were visually enchanted by the stunning performance by aerial dancer Maruša Conič, loaded with tricks and gravity-defying movement on her aerial silk. The evening was then spiced up with the Best Event Award, where the best events in the MICE category and other business oriented promo events were all acknowledged. In short, the welcome reception was all about laughter, relaxed conversations, high spirits and an inspir-ing start to Conventa 2016.

Tina Ramujkić

5

EVENTS REPORT

IMEX-MPI-MCI FUTURE LEADERS FORUMThis year the Future Leaders Forum will

once again take place in Ljubljana on the 19th January 2016, invinting the best and brightest students from South East Europe to listen to some of the leading experts from the meeting industry. The main purpose of the forum is to encourage all young meetings business enthusiasts to get first hand experience and a glimpse of what it means to be engaged in a meet-ings industry career.

Over 120 Future Leaders forums have taken place globally since 2003, with more than 7,000 students participating in the forums that are free of charge for all students. Keynote speakers at this year’s forum are among others: Patrick Delaney,

Managing Partner, SoolNua, Sara Skavron, Knowledge end Events Executive at IMEX Group, Tadej Klopčič, Project Manager at iDMC Incentive&Destination Manage-ment Company and many more.

Besides the inspiring lectures, each year students are also invited to participate in creative workshops and this year the chal-lenge is for students to work in teams and come up with a concept for an incentive trip for a fictitious or a specific client with specific needs. The teams will present their ideas to an international jury of in-dustry professionals, where the best idea will win an attractive prize.

#conventaexperience

WE KINDLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN US AT THE OFFICIAL RECEPTION AT CANKARJEV DOM, 20TH JANUARY AT 19.30

Don‘t miss the Official Conventa reception, better known as the

Conventa Networking dinner, held at Cankarjev dom on Wednesday, 20th January, starting at 19.30. A rich cultural programme is guaranteed with musical parody and stand-up perfor-mances by Tilen Artač and Jure Godler, which will be followed by the Meeting Stars Awards, organised by the Editorial Board of Kongres magazine, where all of the Best Meeting destinations will be acknowledged. So, watch out all you

attractive destinations, hotels, convention centers and congress halls – the awards are about to higlight the best you have to offer! But the party doesn‘t stop there. After the official reception we invite you to join us at the legendary Conventa after-party in Cankarjev dom‘s Club, where the 4-piece band Victory will get your dancing shoes shuffling as their performance is set to be „a memorable experience that turns every event guest into an enthusiastic dancer“.

Although the forum successfully closed yesterday, another opportunity for explor-ing the charms and challenges of working in the meetings business is open for all students, as we invite them to visit the Conventa show today and get even more information on new meetings technolo-gies, on who is who in the SEE region meet-ings business, and on what it takes to be a top meeting plannner.

6

EVENTS REPORT

SITE CONFERENCE THE EXCELLENCE OF SITE‘S INCENTIVE SUMMIT EDUCATION DAY

SITE chose Ljubljana as its priority destination to organise The Incentive Summit Days, which took place during the 18th and 22nd January 2016. This annual education event „took the SITE Board of Directors and Foundation Trustees to a part of the world that was less known, or completely unknown, to the major-ity of board members“, which gave them a chance to experience the charm and beauty of Ljubljana (and Slovenia) and also gave them a quick insight into the various incentive travel opportunities in Slovenia and the region.Everybody who participated in the lec-tures during the SITE incentive educa-tional day had a fantastic opportunity to learn from global incentive professionals on why and how „Incentive travel is not a luxury, but a necessity“, and could get a better understanding on the incentive travel basic concepts. Here are some of the main topics presented and discussed at the Education day: 1. Fundamentals of an Incentive

Travel Programme2. What Makes a Good DMC for Incen-

tives3. Perceptions and Expectations

About Incentives Around the World

2. It‘s more like „Lyu-bly-ana“ and my compliments on your phonetic tran-scription:).How do you see Slovenia in terms of in-centive travels? What challenges must we face and overcome, as an incentive travel destination,  to put our county on the map of popular and attractive international incentive travel desti-nations.The SEE region is an emerging incentive destination and we are exciting to have incentive leaders from around the world gathering there together for a week to ex-perience first-hand this unique and very intriguing and appealing part of the world.  My perception is that your history is fas-cinating, culture is sophisticated, and the culinary experience is luxury.  These are critical componennts of any leading incen-tive destination so i‘d say you have the in-gredients; with improvide infrastucture/accessibility and a strionger global brand, you will achieve the potential that exists for you.

3. How did you and other participants of SITE Incentive Summit experience Ljubljana as an incentive destination?My experience here in Slovenia has been every bit of what we call “incentive qual-ity.” The genuine authenticity of the ex-perience here is one of the most important elementa of q unique travel experience. The food and wine experience has been exquisite and the sophistication of the local and regional industry provides the foundation for what will surely be a grow-ing invective market and region in the near and distant future.Here are some of the adjectives and attrib-utes our board members have expressed based on their experience so far: Charm-ing, Clean, Safe, Amazing Cuisine, Rich History and culture.

For all of those who didn‘t participate yesterday at SITE‘s Incentive Summit Education Day, let us remind you that the Slovenia Convention Bureau was hosting one of the most im-portant associations in the global MICE segment, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE).

We asked SITE‘s CEO Kevin M. Hinton to tell us his views of the SEE region as a potential incentive destination.

1. The SEE region is by now a well known and an interesting destination for incentive travels, but is not quite established at the international level. How do you see the South East Euro-pean region, what are its potentials and its advantages? The region‘s potential is likely limitless because of the regional access to the SEE market, however globally the potential is limited foremost by the challenge of acces-sibility and brand recognition.  There are limited long-haul/internatinal flights into the region, yet at the same time, there are multiple airports between which the driv-ing distances are not very long.  So, acces-sibility is both a limitation and a positve attribute.  It is also challenging for some of us outside of the region to (literally) know where you are located on the world map.  One more thing – how to pronouciate Loob-liana?  Or, is it Lyu-bly-ana?  I can›t wait to meet more people there!

7

CONVENTA AWARDS

BEST EVENT AWARD

A s part of the 2015 Meetings Star Awards, Kongres Magazine, in col-

laboration with Conventa trade, created a competition designed to truly celebrate the very best event experiences in the New European meetings industry.

An international Conventa Best Event Jury was established, composed of the following meetings industry profession-als: Patrick Delaney (SoolNua, Ireland); Bo Kruger (Moving Minds, Denmark) and Johanna Fischer (tmf-dialogue market-ing, Europe & India), who had to choose from among 12 finalists and evaluate each of their events based on Creativity, In-novation, Execution, Event Results, Event Communication and Sustainable Policies.

The Best Event Award went to TEDxLjubljanaSalon v zraku (TEDxLjubljanaSalon in the air), organised by TEDxLjubljana.

The idea for an event on a plane came from a desire to achieve something that no TEDx team in the world has managed up to now. To this day the most original TEDx events have taken place at archaeological ruins, in a bowling centre, in the desert, on a train and even on Mount Everest, but the first one on a plane was ours – on the 24th of September, 2015. And for the very first time the world got to witness an event that happened literally up in the air. “The flight from Ljubljana to Maribor would normally have taken only 15 minutes, but was turned into an 80-minute flight, as the pilot took us back to Slovenia via Split, so we had more time to listen to four big ideas really worth spread-ing”, explained Katja Hamler.

Key challenges:• finding the right timing for the flight• providing the best sound and recording

conditions• choosing the right speakers• promoting the event

As mentioned above, the event’s biggest challenge in the area of execution was to ensure adequate sound and recording con-ditions, but not only did the TedxLjubljana team adhere to the strict safety regula-tions, coordination of the availability of air terminals and the sourcing of suitable speakers, they also managed to perform the event to a very high level, which re-flected their high degree of technological ingenuity.

We asked Katja Hamler, one of the TedxLjubljana team members, to tell us something more on how the visi-tors experienced the event.

1. Were you immediately inundated with lots of applications and how did your listeners/visitors experience this event? Was listener attention and speaker efficiency the same as in other events halls or was it something completely different?The fact that the tickets were literally sold out in seconds shows how big the interest of attending this unique event was. How-ever, we believe that this is a result of hav-ing a great panel of speakers and not only because of the exclusivity of the event. The proof of that is also the following sold out TEDxLjubljana event held in Gallus Hall.

2. Was the choice of 4 speakers random or were you looking for special speak-ers and specific topics for this special event that would further resounded around the world?Due to the strict safety regulations we had to report in advance to Adria Airlines the exact seating plan of passengers. We had to determine the seats for the announcer, cameramen, other technical team and of course for the speakers. The speakers stayed at their seats during the event and when it was their turn to speak they put on their microphone, stepped in front of the passengers/audience and performed their speech standing. We were lucky that we didn‘t have any turbulence during the flight, as this would interrupt the speech-es, and we would have to wait for more suitable conditions to continue the event.

3. Was getting the four speakers to-gether for this one by chance or were you looking specifically for targeted speakers and tailored topics for this special event that could further re-sound around the world?Our team always goes the extra mile in or-der to gather the most interesting people and topics that we know our audience will love. For this very exclusive event we se-lected topics that are somehow connected to global travelling, transportation or have an important personal message. Our first TEDx speaker was Marko Javornik, who introduced us to the idea of using our personal transportation as a service. Eva Škufca shared with us her experiences with studying and working abroad. Maja Štamol Droljc told us a personal story how she and her husband adopted two little girls from Guinea-Bissau and Lucija Petavs who gave us a brief insight about her work as an investigative reporter.

The newest Meetings Star Award has acknowledged the best events organised in 2015

THE SHORTLIST OF THE FINALISTS: · TEDxLjubljanaSalon v zraku · Combining an incentive trip to Du-brovnik with a CSR event in Bosnia

· Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week · Vitranc in the Sky · NOTE2NOTE · 31st Slovenian Book Fair · BMW GRAND TOURER WORLD PREMIER

· P&G World Cup · EuroBasket 2015 Zagreb Corporate Hospitality

· Uavhengighetstur 2015 · Secret Destinations · Zavarovalnica Triglav New Year‘s Concert

8

CONVENTA EXPERIENCE

EXPERIENCE MUSIC AND ITS FORMATIVE FORCES TO CREATE BETTER LEADERSHIP SKILLS WITH MIHA POGAČNIK

Music stimulates passion, affection, devotion, reassurance and warmth.

To hear something you can remain pas-sive, but to listen to something you have to be active. Sound is important because of its link with memory; music stimulates and awakens memories of our past and at the same time takes us into the future.

Miha Pogačnik, an internationally ac-claimed violinist and leadership expert, invites you not to admire the virtuosity of the Bach sonatas, but to recognise its inspirational power that creates a unique resonance platform for solution-based learning.

WHERE:   Conventa Expert CornerWHEN: Tuesday, 20 January 2016 at 2:20 pm 

Miha‘s lectures on active listening and management learning accompanied by classical music are a hit all over the globe. Managers at IBM, Hewlett Packard, Mit-subishi, Matt and Nike have all listened to Miha as he elegantly and in his own unique way brings together art and economy across different cultures and generations.

We asked Miha Pogačnik to tell us a little bit more about his ingenious method and how it all began.

As an educated and trained classical violinist, when and how did you decide not to dedicate your life to being a concert hall violinist, but instead to exploring the potential of music in the field of improving multi-layered communication and business manage-ment?You are posing a question to someone who is entering “the fourth life” in just one lifetime! The first one was indeed playing a few thousand concerts in my early career which was a great and valuable experience. But in the mid 80s the world situation, signalling the beginning of the breakdown of opposing ideologies, greatly stimulated my entrepreneurial nature and I persuaded the almost 1,000 inter-national audience of my newly founded Chartres Festival (France) to travel with me and fellow artists to Slovenia (Bled, 1984) and in the following years, until the fall of the Berlin wall, to many cities from Budapest across the continents to as far as Lhasa/Tibet. The social movement IDRIART was born and tens of thousands from the West travelled with us artists to meet the locals in the crisis areas in the East, also later to the devastated Sarajevo, Mostar and Dubrovnik in the period of

Yugoslavia’s breakdown. This was the in-novation of my “second” life: laying the ground for social transformation through the resonant power of music and other arts, motivating people of all walks of life to pack their suitcases and travel with us artists, engaging in trans-disciplinary and intercultural dialogue and renewal. The “third life” emerged in the early 90s when the whole world seemed to be heading for the only alternative monoculture of turbo-capitalism. And I took the challenge by the horns and the art-transforming-business paradigm was born!

In an interview for a Slovenian media channel you once said that “art is a principle that opens up the possibilities of transformation on all levels.” When and how did you recognise the power of the violin as a tool to create a specif-ic platform where better communica-tions conditions are created as well as a higher sensibility for understanding a fellow human being?One of my passions has been playing my violin in the magnificent cathedrals of the world, searching for the ultimate resonance, which I then finally found two years ago in the King’s Chamber, deep in-side the granite of the Cheops Pyramid in Cairo. This was only the final touch, how-ever, of the previous learning experience of 200+ IDRIART festivals and “ploughing

9

CONVENTA EXPERIENCE

through” the leadership of some 150 global corporations that confirmed to me the revolutionary effect of the art experience driving the “leadership initiation journey”, of de-mixing and re-composing complex human nature. But only if we learn how to go way beyond just performing…

You say that companies and their management systems lack the con-trapuntal process. How do leaders and managers learn about this process during your workshops?The greatest musical masterpieces draw the magic out of the productive tension principle, just as with a great love relation-ship! Imagine a company performing like a symphony orchestra! I often invite my clients to sit among the musicians of the orchestra and then we discover together what management “sounds like” if un-folding on the “resonance platform”…it is lifted from the mechanical model to the organic, inspired through the meaning-ful participation of everyone’s voice! And what is the power which instantly propels the “ego-heavy” musicians (or managers!) to cooperation, mutual support and mean-ing? It is the genius of the masterpiece which everyone loves to perform! We are

lacking such a “score” with its magic power in our business plan. Vision, mission and CSR usually don’t get far beyond being stuck on the wall. The formative forces of music restructure the most precious and lacking modern commodity: the experi-ence of time.   This should be of interest for the event industry: From ROI to ROT! (Return on Time).

You’ve performed a number of work-shops in the field of musical manage-ment for various world-famous com-panies and each workshop is unique for its imaginative creativity. Among others, you prepared a workshop for Ericsson‘s marketing department, where you thought out the basics of management using the metaphor of the Seven Samurai. By what principle do you choose a musical theme for a specific team, and how do you know that the chosen theme is the right one?I have a friend who will surprise you with this greeting: Take care,...and take a risk! That is the secret of entrepreneurship. Af-ter receiving a good in-depth briefing from a client I take good care of preparation, but nothing ever succeeds without risking the

impossible… clients usually want to step out of the established patterns strait-jacket, and it doesn’t take much persuasion to turn them into poets and painters on a creative detour towards their corporate so-lution! My “interruptive method” reflects the interruptive state of the modern world economy - I play, paint, tell stories and act, all at the same time, clients are thrown out of the linear thinking, sparks are jumping, and on the higher level, on the resonance platform, their questions are re-formulat-ed out of their own answers!

What will Conventa participants learn from your performance?ROT. If we, the organisers of events, dare to capture the precious time of participants, then we’d better make sure the experience goes from the mechanic (transactional) to the organic, magic and  inspirational, to the resonance-environment which cannot be forgotten. Powerpoint trans-mitted information we tend to forget. An art-permeated living experience becomes the real force for the journey of deep and lasting change!

 …and the fourth life?...Terra Parzival…

For all of you who are closely connected to the congress industry, in 2016 we

will once again carry out our popular workshop in the field of content market-ing, social media, digital marketing and events in the congress industry.

Your lecturer, Gorazd Čad along with guests, will focus on every participant, his company and his own story in a way for you to gain knowledge on an actual case basis. You will have the chance to acquire new information and some useful ideas at the same time.

You will be treated to a programme that will answer your questions on content marketing, which you will be able to apply to your own company.

Knowledge Cafe’s spring datesLjubljana 03. March 2016 Beograd 10. March 2016Zagreb 07. April 2016

This year’s Knowledge Cafe will teach you:- How to write a congress story,

which your buyers won’t be able to resist reading

- Which content approaches and tools for boosting sales actually work

- How to adapt your story to different focus segments

- How to take on marketing in social media

- Which are the apps connected to social networking

- What are the tools and techniques of re-marketing

- How to write a good message for the media

- How to measure and analyse results- What are some good congress prac-

tices around the world

We will also show you some different suc-cess stories in the field of content market-ing.

More information: gorazd.cad@toleranca.eu

KNOWLEDGE CAFE 2016:

CONTENT MARKETING IS THE KING, CONTENT DISTRIBUTION IS THE QUEEN

10

TOP 10

TOP 10 EVENTS IN THE REGION 2016

Festival

THE 9TH EDITION OF ROVINJ PHOTODAYS, ROVINJ 6 - 8 MAY 2016Rovinj Photodays is the largest and most comprehensive photo festival in Southeast Europe. This all-year-round project is sup-ported by the numerous cultural institu-tions and organizations, as well as several key sponsors. The festival started in 2008 organized by Livingstone Association and Astoria d. o. o. is this year taking place from 6th to 8th May, 2016. The 9th edition of Rovinj Photodays is again invinting the whole International photographic scene to participate at the International Competi-tion of Contemporary Photography - 9th RovinjPhotodays, 2016.

Festival

SARAJEVO FILM FESTI-VAL, SARAJEVO 12 - 20 AUGUST 2016The Sarajevo Film Festival is an interna-tional film festival with a special focus on the region of South-East Europe shining an international spotlight on films, talent and future projects from the region. High quality programming, a strong industry segment, an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers and thus generated presence of the international film industry, film authors and media representatives alongside a paying audience of over 100.000. Sarajevo Film Festival is the leading film fes-tival in the SEE region, recognized by both film professionals and the wider audience.

Conference

SMART CITIES - EXHI-BITION AND CONFER-ENCE FOR SOUTH-EAST EUROPE, 11-13 MARCH 2015, SOFIA, BULGARIAThe object of the international ‘Smart Cities’ Exhibition and Conference is the sustainable urban development and it is focused on the South-East European mar-ket. Scope: energy management, smart grid and storage, intelligent buildings, lighting, ICT, e-mobility and smart trans-port, emergencies and security.

Conference

TRANSPORT RESEARCH ARENA (TRA) 2016 - 18-21 APRIL 2016, WARSAW (POLAND)Transport Research Arena (TRA) is the most important Transport research event in Europe, gathering every two years key stakeholders: researchers, experts, opera-tors, industry and policy-makers.#TRA2016 Conference will contribute to innovation in sustainable mobility for Europe, by bringing together all the stake-holders of the transport system. Efficient mobility is a key issue for policy makers. Enabling the free movement of people and goods is crucial to economic prosperity and quality of life. The main theme of TRA 2016 is: MOVING FORWARD - Innovative Solutions for Tomorrow’s Mobility.

Sports event

ROVINJ BEACH POLO TOURNAMENT, 9TH - 12TH JUNE 2016, ROVINJ

After the polo events on the Brijuni is-lands ten years ago, the Polo Tournament in Rovinj is the first and only polo event held in this part of the world. “Our aim is to organise a Mediterranean polo league in co-operation with Viareggia in Italy and Ascona in Switzerland, famous tournaments on the Ibiza and Mallorca islands, and in Cairo. We also have an opportunity of cooperating with Dubai, which has expressed interest in joining the league”, said Uwe Zimmermann, the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Beach Polo Tournament.

Conference

INORBIT 2016 - THE BIG-GEST INBOUND CON-FERENCE IN EUROPE, 10.03. - 11.03.2016, LJU-BLJANA, SLOVENIA Join hundreds of your fellow market-ers for two days of phenomenal talks on everything inbound! There will be lectures covering a broad range of topics from content marketing, search engine optimization, performance advertising, digital analytics, social media and e-mail marketing and all the way to e-commerce and conversion rate optimisation.

11

TOP 10

Conference

NETWORK CODING AND DESIGNS CONFERENCE, FROM 4TH TO 8TH APRIL, DUBROVNIKThis year‘s Network Coding and Designs conference will take place in the Centre for Advanced Academic Studies in the medieval city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. This COST Action on Random Network Coding and Designs over GF(q) serves to foster an international European collaboration on this emerging field in Communications Technology. It brings together experts from pure and applied mathematics, com-puter science, and electrical engineering.

Congres

1ST EU CONGRESS OF MEDICAL PHYSICS, SEPTEMBER 1-4, 2016, ATHENS GREECEECMP’s major role in the international Medical Physics community has been to gather colleagues from all over Europe and beyond and to offer them an inspiring en-vironment to define common goals in the field of medical physics. ECMP provides a unique opportunity for all participants to exchange ideas and share their knowledge and experience.

Conference&Workshops

5TH RESONATE FES-TIVAL, 12TH TO 16TH APRIL 2016, BELGRADE, SERBIAResonate is a platform for networking, knowledge sharing and education. It brings together artists, designers and edu-cators to participate in a forward-looking debate on the position of technology in art and culture.Held each year in Belgrade-Serbia, the festival lasts for five days and provides an overview of current situation in the fields of music, visual arts and digital culture. Guest artists, lecturers and other participants are chosen to represent the cutting edge of the contemporary crea-tive industry in the world.

Conference&Workshops

THE BEST OF GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING LJUBLJANA, 22ND FEB-RUARY 2016, LJ, SLOVE-NIAAnyone with existing responsibility for developing digital advertising campaigns and looking to take their knowledge to the next level, Brand Managers, Marketing Managers, Digital Marketing, are invited to participate at this presentation of digi-tal marketing case studies with excellent business results. You will get in-depth analysis of why these campaigns were so successful and receive advice on how del-egates can apply these winning practices to their daily business.

Don’t miss a lecture by Johanna Fischer, managing director of tmf-dialogue marketing in Europe and India, 21 January 2016, from 11.00 - 11.45

At GR - Ljubljana exhibition and Conven-tion Centre, Urška hall

Learn what it takes to build up an ef-ficient communication system that can help you to stand out from competition and allows many synergies and an economic use of money and resources. Use multiple channels for a worldwide dialogue with the meetings industry and the planners and see some case studies from destinations or organiza-tions who successfully apply content marketing which is in-line with what planners need and search for.

Johanna Fischer @Johannadialogue 10 minus - winter expedition to #con-venta2016 #ljubljana - brrrrrrrr @Slo-Meetings @HugoSlimbrouck on our way too!

“CONVENTA APP”This year Conventa continues its “user friendly”

approach by providing the Conventa App,

sponsored by Superevent, which enables our

guests to follow Conventa on-the-go, locate

exhibitor booths and get in touch with other

Conventa participants.

12

CONVENTA GOING GREEN

We are proud that Conventa has suc-ceeded in becoming fully committed

to reducing negative environmental im-pacts of the trade show. By implementing sustainable practices, we managed to add value for all participants and the local community.But there always remains the question whether the participants notice and value the effort we put in our sustain-able programme.

That’s why at Conventa 2016 a further step in implementing green practices is made. This time Conventa wants to engage all participants in sustainable endeavours.

1. Take advantage of venues being within walking distance in Ljubljana

and walk from your hotel to the event and back. A member of Conventa team will be there to accompany you. By choosing to walk instead of taking the bus you are helping Conventa show reduce carbon emissions.

2. Where possible minimise the amount of waste and separate your waste

according to the ppropriate fractions.

3. Carefully select conference and promotional materials to be included

in your conference bag.

4. All catering providers give preference to locally-grown organic ingredients

and therefore reduce food miles and support local economies. A small dietary change can make a big difference. At Conventa luncheon give preference to a healthy vegetarian option and reduce CO2 emissions.

5. Take advantage of the Conventa mobile APP and help us continue

to reduce paper usage at the trade show. Check your meetings in the palm of your hand and download our one2one mobile app!

It’s free and available for any Apple or An-droid smartphone.

BE SUSTAINABLE, IT‘S EASY!

HOW?The Sustainability Programme highlights 10 sustainable practices implemented at the Conventa show and invites par-ticipants to follow these actions. The Conventa team invites you to take part in our sustainability programme and mark sustainable measures you have taken. You just have to follow some of 10 easy sustainable guidelines. In today’s Daily we have disclosed 5 of them, the rest can be found in tomorrow’s Daily. Thank you for being green!

Mar

ko D

elbe

llo O

cepe

k

13

UNIQUE INCENTIVE IDEAS

Overview: Experience socialism as a bit of European exoticism! If you have never experienced socialism first hand, this incentive programme offers you the chance to see and experience Slovenia in a completely different way. The journey will reveal some of the most typical features of the socialist period, during which you will be able to admire its architectural styles and see the way of life once lived behind the Iron Curtain. You will experience the 25th May, the Day of Youth, and will be introduced to the highlights of Yugoslav design as well as culinary, lifestyle and motoring fads.

1. MOMENTS OF ZEN: Visit to Vila Bled, Tito’s former residence2. QUALITY TIME: Walking tour through Ljubljana’s modern architec-ture 3. MUST SEE: Brdo pri Kranju, Tito’s former residence4. MUST DO: Admission to Pioneers into Juniors in Velenje 5. OUR PICK: Miracle of Socialism, Tito’s Velenje - life in the period of companionship and “rebellion”

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Socialist realism10:00 Arrival at Ljubljana airport11:00 Bicycle tour of modern Lju-bljana An exploration of the urban streets, places and buildings that reveal Ljubljana’s mod-ern architectural character. It is Edvard Ravnikar to whom Ljubljana owes her modern look, as he was the first to apply Le Corbusier’s architectural and urban-planning principles to the city. You will learn about the basic elements of modern architectural aesthetics.13:00 Rally of the non-alignedWe will then take our journey into old-timers to set off on a historical drive to the Technical Museum of Slovenia, where we will admire the collection of Tito’s pro-tocol vehicles. You will also get a chance to personally see the Yugo, a car that was derided by the entire Hollywood scene, but that was actually a real “people’s” car.

16:00 Tito’s residence - BrdoOur rally tour continues on to Tito’s most favourite residence, Brdo. The property, where he hosted politicians from all over the world, was also Tito’s last residence - in January 1980 he went straight from there to Ljubljana’s Medical Centre, where he died on 4th May. 20:00 Dinner at Vila Bled At Vila Bled you will experience a wine and culinary evening as it was experienced by all the political guests Tito hosted in his favourite residence. After dinner we will watch the legendary movie “Battle at Ner-etva” in a room where Tito watched movies with his guests.

DAY 2: Non-aligned movement08.00 Breakfast at Vila BledA typical breakfast as Tito would have preferred it is an excellent introduction to exploring the hidden corners of the estate that lies on the shore of the most beautiful lake in the world.09:00 Made in SocialismThe most famous Slovenian trademarks blossomed during the socialist period. We will take you to the birthplace of one of the most renowned trademarks in the world, the Elan skies, after which we will continue our journey in an old-timer bus to visit Tito’s Velenje, a monumental city that best represents the former Yugoslav economy and vision.11:00 Velenje - Experience socialismThe city built by the graft of hard work-ing men will reveal itself to you in a very unique way and you will be a unique part of creating a complete impression of it: if you belong to the younger generation you will acquire important knowledge in bet-ter understanding socialism’s heritage, whilst for others it will revive memories of the days growing up either in a socialist society or in a world with socialism as a big part of it.14:00 Underground adventureAfter this we will for a short time put on a mining helmet and delve beneath the surface of the earth to set off on the in-teresting path of the once active galleries of the Škale cave, which are today part of the museum. As part of a teambuilding programme you will learn about the tra-ditional mining values of comradeship, solidarity and unselfish aid. 17:00 Socialistic foodism Tito was considered a great esthete and indeed some kind of a “socialist foody”. He admired the beauty of the Logarska Valley and therefore loved staying at Pension Plesnik there. He especially appreciated

the famous local sausage that kings, presi-dents and former political elite have also loved for its exquisite taste. On arrival to the Logarska valley we will treat you to the legendary sausage, “the Savinjski želodec”, and prepare you for the evening teambuilding exercises.18:30 ‘Slovenia, my country’We will then continue the evening with the photo safari, where you will look for the traces of marketing history. You will shoot a continuation of the famous adver-tisement, “Slovenia my country”, which was recorded right in the picturesque Logarska valley.20:30 Nostalgic Cockta bar in Hotel PlesnikWe will end our tour with a cold buffet, introducing you to some typical culinary and some food and drink brands that con-tinue to impress consumers in the region, a typical example of one such socialist brand being Cockta, in which you yourself will have to prepare your own winning cocktail.

DAY 3: Departures09:00 Transfer to the airport, with the possibility to extend the stay in the well-ness centre.

GETTING THERE: Airport Jože Pučnik Ljubljana ACCOMMODATION: Boutique hotels: Vila Bled in Hotel PlesnikEAT AND DRINK: Brdo estate, Vila Bled, Hotel Plesnik, different locations on the road as well world-class culinary strongholds.GATEWAYS: The programme includes visiting some of the most beautiful tourist icons of Slovenia, which in the past delighted both visitors and the top politicians of socialism.We start in the European Green Capital, continue in the Alpine pearl, experience a plot in the currently most beautiful Slovenian town of Velenje and witness a disentanglement in the picturesque Logarska valley.

HEROES OF EX-YUGOSLAVIA2 NIGHT INCENTIVE / THE 48 HOURS THAT MADE HISTORY

CONTACT US: Blue Ljubljana Office, Štihova ulica 4, SI1000 Ljubljana, T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03, F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04, E: info@blue-red.si, W: www.meet-blue.com

14

CONVENTA FAM TRIPS

SURPRISING THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT LJUBLJANA, MARIBOR AND ZAGREB

LJUBLJANA

NAME LJUBLJANANo one really knows where the name Ljubljana came from. There is suggestion is comes from the Latin word Aluviana, due to a massive flood the city once suc-cumbed to. This might have led to it being a derivative of the word Laubach, which means “marshes”. One of the more senti-mental suggestions comes from the Slavic word for beloved “Luba”. No one is really sure though so it’s open to interpretation.

FRANCE PREŠEREN STATUEThe unveiling of the statue of France Prešeren in 1905 caused much public con-troversy due to the nude muse above the poet’s statue.

THE TRIPLE BRIDGEAt the making of The Triple Bridge con-tribute numerous people from Ljubljana, asked to help by hand polishing the 648 bridge balustrades, made from a mixture of sand and cement.

MARIBOR

OLDEST VINE IN THE WORLDHome to the oldest vine in the world. Rich wine culture and excellent cuisine, from modern culinary delights to authentic traditional Styrian delicacies.

ACTIVITIES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS The Drava plain, wine-growing hills and slopes of Pohorje delight hikers, bikers, skiers and adrenaline freaks, as well as urban cyclists and pedestrians.

FOOTBALL CLUB MARIBORFC Maribor are the most successful club in Slovenian football history, winning 11 Slovenian First League titles, eight Slove-nian Cups and three Slovenian Super Cups.

ZAGREB

CITY OF MUSEUMSZagreb has more museums per capita than anywhere else in the world, giving it the nickname of ‚the city of museums‘. The city boasts a museum of Croatian architecture, history, ‘Croatian Naive Art’, ethnography, and art – but there’s one museum in par-ticular which steals the spotlight - a truly unique Museum of Broken Relationships, devoted to mementos from relationships of all kinds.

AMAZING TASTECroatian cuisine is diverse and exciting – and the Dolac market, affectionately called “the Belly of Zagreb”, is a gastro-nomical experience to be reckoned with.

SAFEST PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONThat‘s right, Zagreb hosts the world‘s saf-est public transportation system, with no passenger injuries in over a century.

15

CONVENTA NEWS

AUSTRIA TREND HOTEL LJUBLJANA GOES HAND IN HAND WITH A NEW SPORTS CENTRE – GYM24 AND GLOBAL SPORTS CLINIC.

We proudly announce the opening of a new sports centre with a fitness gym and sports clinic at our property. Our hotel, with 214 rooms, 11 meeting rooms, restaurant and a Spa, has now completed its offer with Gym 24 and the Global Sports Clinic.

After several experiences with sports events and after hosting many of

world’s best-known sports teams, we decided to take things one step further: we extended our own services with a brand new and modern Gym and Fitness - “Gym24” - and a Global Sports Clinic, the first such clinic of this kind in Slovenia.

The 1,200m2 of cardio equipment and strength building machines, a sports hall for guided exercises and a 30m running track, all open 24/7 and with an indoor

connection to a garage, are just some of the highlights that make our “Gym24” differ-ent. The guests that have used it so far have been very nicely surprised and are very happy with the new services in our hotel.

Our business and congress guests are especially pleased with the 24/7 opening hours, as they usually have very tight working schedules.

The Global Sports Clinic offers services to athletes, business guests and anyone who is interested in guided training. They offer complete measurements and analysis of the human body, as well as post-injury training and rehabilitation. All of the equipment is of the highest standard and every service is lead by very experienced doctors, trainers, physiotherapists and nutritionists.

HOTEL CUBO

After establishing a position of the leading boutique hotel in Ljubljana and Slovenia with the CUBO hotel, the CUBO group expanded its operations.

While hotel CUBO is in the center of Slovenia’s capital, the new hotel is in

Bovec, in the heart of the Alps, surrounded by pristine nature. Its location makes it an ideal starting point for nature lovers and adrenalin sports fans. The new hotel is currently undergoing a major reconstruc-tion and is expected to reopen in January 2017.

While guests now feel like at home in CUBO hotel, they will also be able to feel like in a boutique hotel in their new homes. The CUBO chain is building a group of eco-friendly hi-tech villas close to Ljubljana, next to the Smlednik golf course. If you would like to own one of the villas, check thewww.ensovillage.com.

VISIT THE CD CONGRESS CENTRE

While attending Conventa 2016 do not miss the opportunity to explore

the CD Congress Centre – an architectural gem as well as Slovenia’s cultural monu-ment and main congress centre. Facts: 22 halls, accommodating from 20 up to 2000 attendees, meetings and special events location, 4000 m2 of exhibition space, centrally (downtown) located. In-house technical equipment and capable team available to assist you with any require-ments. Find further information at the CD Congress Centre Conventa stand or simply check its promotional video at www.cd-cc.si/congress.

16

INTERVIEW

 Q: What is the most positive thing about the meetings industry?I may have contracted a permanent “MICE virus”, as I am passionately taking my job as a lifestyle. Every day is filled with dynamic variety, challenges and the op-portunity to build strong relationships. It is also the traveling that drives me in the sense of constant personal and pro-fessional development together with the freedom to be creative and to implement daring out-of-the-box ideas as practical solutions.

Q: What have been some of the chal-lenges you have faced over the past years?The MICE industry in general is quite challenging as it consists of various key players from a cross section, plus it is driven and influenced by the micro- and macroeconomic environment. On top of that, I am the kind of a person who always strives for better results and higher qual-ity so from my perspective, the challenges are always there. I like to look on them as an opportunity to respond to a given situation differently than usual and to test whether a more “adventurous” move would also bring us a better outcome.

To be more specific, the past 4 years have been determined by placing Slove-

nia and Bled on the world congress map. Furthermore, since Sava Hotels & Resorts is the largest tourism company in Slo-venia with 14 hotels in a portfolio, I am often facing the challenge of how to adopt value-chain thinking, provide potential clients with a reliable promise according to the expected delivery and to achieve the revenue targets - all at the same time.

Q:  What is you strategy for develop-ing MICE business?First of all it is necessary to define a MICE profile for the destination where you work – or in my case where Sava operates with its hotels – by scanning its strengths and weaknesses, especially evaluating the venue and accommodation possibilities, analysing the infrastructure, predicting the seasonality, connecting with the local community… With such an in-depth un-derstanding of the destination and your product, you have the weapon to build a strategy on how to penetrate the demand-ing MICE market. Setting ambitious but realistic goals and targets on the short and medium term is essential for effective marketing planning.

If we take a look at Bled - we have a well-established image on a local market that we have to upgrade on the one hand and on the other a world congress map to place ourselves on – different situations requir-ing different approaches. Marketing is an investment if done smart, targeted, with great content and in connection with spe-cialized partners.

Q: Where are you positioning your marketing efforts this year and the next?Besides being present at the most im-portant congress fairs, our strategy will still include targeting the markets we have a good transport connections with. Workshops, sales calls, acquisitions, the organization of business breakfasts and other direct sales activities still play very important role when gaining new business, although FAM trips providing clients with first-hand experience have the highest conversion rate. Equally im-portant is content marketing, which helps the destination to build its own persona and create a buzz - this is no longer an option but a must. Strategic partnerships with reliable marketing sources, including Kongres magazine, tend to come up with a great input/output ratio. And as meetings are getting more tech-savvy than ever before, we will strive to exploit as much of it as possible.

Q: What attractions does Sava tu-rizem offer for those in search of in-novative incentives?International meeting planners are look-ing for that emotionally-charged wow factor, which would rationally discour-age them from choosing established and verified destinations rather than holding their next event and encourage them instead to hold their next event in, for ex-ample, Slovenia. In Bled, our central MICE destination, we put in a great deal of effort to enrich events with extra accompanying programmes, depending, of course, on the profile and on the message conveyed. A positive atmosphere at an event results in satisfied participants and, consequently, in a satisfied customer.

In collaboration with Olympic rowers, we have therefore prepared programmes where participants compete in eights, rowing to Bled Island and tasting the well-deserved potica. We also successfully use the proximity of ski resorts, providing winter incentives or inviting the partici-pants to attend the curling league at our ice rink with a view. At the same time, Bled is a destination of eco-mobility; our guests are thus encouraged to walk and use bicycles, Seagways, carriages, electric vehicles, etc.

Culinary programmes, such as the “chef ’s table”, where participants help prepare gourmet meals and eat them in the hotel kitchen, have been a real hit recently.

Or perhaps the astrological programme in forest villas, where participants attend a candlelit barbeque dinner by the fire and look into the future predicted by the stars.

Those who prefer historical pro-grammes are advised to participate in the “from villa to villa” programme, which represents a fun way to get to know the brightest jewels of Bled. And much more...

Sava is proud to have a dedicated and specialised MICE team with rich experi-ence and referential knowledge; each organiser thus has a right hand that helps him create a winning story.

Q: Where would you like to see Bled in two years’ timeIn two years’ time I would definitely like to see progress concerning the image and outside appeal of the destination, meaning the renovation of hotels to offer higher accommodation standards, off-site re-arrangements, maybe the open-ing of some high-end evening lounge, … together with the current focus regarding integral culinary projects, sports events

PASSIONATELY TAKING JOB AS A LIFESTYLESaša ZOR, Director of MICE Sales, Sava Turizem d.d.

17

INTERVIEW

and activities. Two years is not enough to place Bled on the world congress map but we can definitely take a step closer by working hand-in-hand within the com-munity, emphasizing the local heritage and investing in our products, services and smart marketing activities.

Q: On a personal note, what would be your ideal event to host in Bled? If I could construct an ideal event and place it at Bled, it would definitely be a high profile corporate one with a sustain-able note where the DNA of the client would completely match the DNA of the destination. I imagine a highly developed multinational company with a sufficient budget but also exacting demands to

ONE-ON-ONE WITH SAŠA ZOR: Q: What time do you like to be at your desk?I am quite an extravert who enjoys socializing, networking, meeting new people, exploring the market… so my favourite time is definitely away from my office. But despite being so pas-sionate about what is going on in the outside world, I find productive time at the desk crucial in order to meet with my colleagues, sharpen the saws, plan more strategic moves and to do the needed paperwork. I can also call myself very privileged working within a group of 14 hotels, so my office can be in the alpine gem of Bled one day, ancient Ptuj another or the charming Prekmurje on a third.

Q: What’s your management style?The basic principle I follow is that we are all firstly human beings and secondly employees struggling for the same company goal. That leads to believing and treating my team as professionals, delegating the respon-sibility and giving them the chance to stand out. When anybody makes a mistake, own up, learn something from it and move on. Real-time feed-back seems crucial to me as it leads to continuous improvement. I am very results driven but they are only achievable when working together as a team so adopting a management style that suits the needs and charac-teristics of employees is the only way to do it in my opinion.

Q: What would your key manage-ment advice be?Beside the generally known manage-ment practices, especially delegating

wisely to develop the employees’ confidence, encouraging fluid two-way communication and recognizing the team’s achievements, my advice would be not to forget to play. We are working in such an amazing industry with numerous possibilities to grow personally and professionally, so sometimes encouraging a team to re-flect that feeling, smile and have fun is the best tactic.

Q: What’s on your reading list?Depending on how I feel at the par-ticular moment, I like to have sev-eral different books on my night shelf ready to read - from relaxed romance boosting the imagination to more educational books about personal or professional development.

Recently I just finished a very pow-erful book entitled “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek, exploring what sepa-rates great companies and great lead-ers from the rest. The author suggests using a “Why” concept to be more innovative, successful, influential and profitable. “Why Slovenia and why Bled” are also the top priority issues to focus on when we are confronting potential clients. The book “Start with why” is actually very applicable to the hospitality industry itself, pointing out that only seeing what most others can’t see and providing things clients would never think of asking for makes the difference between the best and the average. 

encourage our hotels to boost the quality standards. Having eminent delegates on board would also create multiplicative ef-fects and cover all the important media. The nature of the event and the budgets would allow us to exceed the expectations within the culinary and other accompa-nying services. Out of the box conference venues, gala evening themed events and a range of activities in connection with nature would also require smart strategic partnerships and tight cooperation with the local community.

 

Short (15 minutes) presentations hosted by convention bureaus, meeting providers and spcial guests are held throughout the two Conventa days.

Location:GR - Ljubljana Exhibition and Conven-tion Centre, Marmorna Hall

WEDNESDAY, 20 January 12.20 - 12.35Presentation of Sarajevo Tourism and Congress Centre SarajevoSemir Efendic, Mayor of the Munici-pality Novi Grad Sarajevo and Mirela Bubalo, Associate for International af-fairs and Communication, Municipal-ity Novi Grad Sarajevo

14.20 - 15.00Musical Resonance Platform: Stra-tegic environment for the event industry, from ROI to ROTMiha Pogačnik, world renowned clas-sical concert violinist and leadership consultant

15.05 - 15.20Winning meetings and incentives with smart PR – an update on Meetings PR and communication in the meetings industry - teaserJohanna Fischer, managing director of tmf-dialogue marketing in Europe and India

15.25 - 15.40Why cross-cultural competence matters in the hospitality indus-triesDaniel Tschudy, Speaker, Coach & Hos-pitality Consultant

15.45 - 16.00Trends in the meeting industry you need to know about in 2016Fiona Pelham, Speaker, collaborator, innovator for sustainability, Sustain-able Events Ltd

CONVENTA EXPERTS CORNER PROGRAMME

18

FLY TO NEW EUROPE

Q: What is the business plan for the next year and how are the projections in respect of business levels and pas-senger numbers up to 2020?In 2015 the development of Flughafen Graz was excellent and compared with 2014 there was a passenger increase of more than 7%. We hope that the positive development in passenger figures will last for the next year, but because of the many challenges in European aviation it certainly will be at a lower level.

Q: How important is the congress/business tourism segment in the over-all structure of passengers?We don’t have accurate information about the share of the congress/business tourism segement in the structure of our passengers, but Graz is a town with many congresses and – more important – of a highly qualified industry (the auto cluster, for example). More than 80% of our pas-sangers use scheduled flights, the lion’s share of them being business passengers.

Q: In which areas do you think your airport will grow in future years? To keep the quality and quantity of flights at same level or higher is one of our basic strategies. So growing the aviation busi-

ness goes hand in hand with growing the non-aviation business, making a further increase of non-aviation business another important strategy.

Q: What can you tell us about new air-lines coming on stream?In 2015 SWISS started a daily flight to Zürich, the major Swiss transfer airport, and since the end of June Turkish Air-lines has been flying four times a week to Istanbul, which offers the opportunity to take advantage of many onward connec-tions to the Near and Far East and Africa. Airberlin added six flights to Berlin, which improved the service to the German capi-tal, so now there are two daily flights from Berlin to Graz and back from Monday to Friday. The flights are operated once a day at the weekend.

in 2020 we will reach the number of 1.8 million passengers with an average annual growth rate of over 4 per cent. At the same time, we expect changes in the structure of traffic in favour of increasing the share of foreign carriers. When forecasting the number of aircraft movements, the aver-age annual growth will be of 1.5 per cent. Cargo traffic is expected to grow at an average 2.9 per cent per year.

Q: How important is the congress/business tourism segment in the over-all structure of passengers?Extremely important, as 60% of our pas-sengers fly for business purposes.

Q: In which areas do you think your airport will grow in future years? Because of its specificity (the main air-port in the country and also the regional airport) Aerodrom Ljubljana can’t rely on the development of only one type of air traffic. In terms of reducing business risks and depending on the size of the market and passenger flows, we will be developing all kinds of air transport: regular domestic and foreign passenger air carriers, such as charter traffic, low-cost carriers, gen-eral aviation and cargo traffic. At the same time Ljubljana Airport will be developed as a hub for Southern Europe and as an entry point to Alpe Adria for interconti-nental traffic.

Q: What can you tell us about new air-lines coming on stream?Two new scheduled airlines are coming to Ljubljana Airport. LOT Polish Airlines will operate five flights a week to Warsaw from 1 March, while Greece’s Aegean Airlines will serve Athens twice a week from June. We will continue with our attempts to establish regular connections to the desti-nations that are not yet covered – Spain, Italy, Northern Germany and Scandinavia in particular. But the result is not only in our hands; it depends on market potential and the joint success of Slovenia as a tour-ist destination.

GROWING IN AVIATIONWe spoke to the directors at Graz and Ljubljana airports about the importance of good accessibility in meetings industry.

Mag. Gerhard Widmann, Managing Director of Graz Airport

Zmago Skobir, Managing Director of Ljubljana Airport

Q: What is the business plan for the next year and how are the projections in respect of business levels and pas-senger numbers up to 2020?The business strategy to 2020 foresees moderate but reliable traffic growth. Thus,

19

ABOUT CONVENTA

PaduaPaduaPaduaPaduaPadua

MariborMariborMariborMariborMariborMariborMariborMariborMariborMaribor

Vienna

TriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTriesteTrieste

Munich

Salzburg

Graz

Zagreb

LjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljanaLjubljana

BolognaBolognaBologna

VeronaVeronaVeronaVeronaVeronaVerona

GenoaGenoaGenoa

BergamoBergamoBergamoBergamo

Milan PortorožPortorožPortorožPortorožPortorož

VeniceVeniceVeniceVeniceVenice

KlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurtKlagenfurt

ParmaParmaModenaModenaModenaModena

FerraraFerraraFerraraFerraraFerrara

UdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineUdineBresciaBresciaBresciaBresciaBresciaBresciaBresciaBrescia

VicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenzaVicenza

Innovative and comfortable demand-responsive shared and private transfers for competitive prices!

Reliable transfer partner for all directions you’ll travel

• Comprehensive care for passengers from the arrival at the airport to the location of the event.

• Assured arrivals regardless of the weather and traffi c conditions. 24/7 support centre.

• Full support for GoOpti key clients and comprehensive organization of the transfers with no limit of the

number of passengers, pick-up and drop-off locations.

• Partnership without obligatory quota and contractual risks!

• On-line platform for easy bookings, overview, management and control of your transfers.

Get your custom GoOpti off er!

Want to fi nd out how can we solve transportation needs for your event? Contact us!

Slovenia: +386 (0)1 320 45 30

Italy: +39 045 786 15 15

Croatia: +385 1 3000 500

info@goopti.com I www.GoOpti.com

Oglas_en.indd 1 18/01/16 16:10

20

ADVERTORIAL

14. September 2015

Slovenia is not only an insider tip as a compact meeting destination but also

number 1 on the World ICE-CREAM In-dex. Since September 14, the world knows that Slovenia has won first position with Ljubljana’s Lolita ice cream.

Not just a fresh destination for meetings, not just a fresh air in boutique design (see Lolita’s vibrant contrasts) but also with a very particular green touch to it: Ljubljana has been recently awarded with the pres-tigious title of European Green Capital 2016 and was included in the Global Top 100 Sustainable Destinations List. The locally grown products and the ice cream make the city a fresh and healthy overall experience.

Dada Jerovšek, Director at Kaval Group, shared:  “Lolita’s Ice-cream is homemade, from natural Slovene ingredients with no chemical preservatives. We use just what is fresh, natural. When prepared one has to eat it in four days, which has never been a problem. My favourite are fruity tastes because it is like the taste of the fruit itself just in a cold version. Most precious for me

is the blueberry ice cream prepared from the blueberries which were growing in our beautiful green Slovene forest, were picked in the early morning and in the afternoon they already spoil and seduce you in the best Lolita’s ice cream. Delicious. There is just one problem…. your teeth are going to be blue afterwards. But it’s worth it!”.

At Conventa there will be ice cream degus-tation area where all visitors could taste ice cream prepared form all Slovenian ingredients.Source and more information on the Slo-venian Convention Bureau website.

Contact info:PATISSERIE LOLITACankarjevo nabrežje 1, 1000 Ljubljanalolita@kaval-group.si

SLOVENIA HAS WON FIRST POSITION WITH LJUBLJANA’S LOLITA ICE CRAM

21

FIRST DAYTi

na R

amuj

kić

Conventa_2016_Vabilo_204x255mm.indd 1 14. 01. 16 11:55

Conventa_2016_Vabilo_204x255mm.indd 1 14. 01. 16 11:55

Conventa_2016_Vabilo_204x255mm.indd 1 14. 01. 16 11:55

23

ABOUT CONVENTA

CROSSOVER - A MARKETING EVENT TURNED UPSIDE DOWNEurope’s Leading Out of the Box Event on Meeting Design, Marketing and Innovation

Grand Hotel Union, LjubljanaJuly 4 - 5, 2016

Expect more engagement, more authentic experience and more live interaction in: - Crossover Caffe - Marketing Ring - Innovation Bar - Case studes Bar - Chit Chat Corner

WE ARE NOT AFFRAIDTO BE DIFFERENT!

Organiser: Conventa / Toleranca marketing

Crossover is a fusion of our events Inside Meetings, Travel Zoom and Conventa Academy transformed into new format.

www.crossover.si

CONVENTA 2016 SUCCEEDS DUE TO

CONVENTA 2016

Organizers:

Official partners:

International partners:

Wireless LAN network (Wi – Fi)

GR - Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre

Wireless access:

SSID:

WPA2 – network key:

GR11110000

Download official Conventa app here:

Tina

Ram

ujki

ć