The Conventa Crossover Festival, dedicated to event organisers and experience marketing professionals, celebrates its ninth anniversary this year. The Conventa Best Event Award competition for the best events will be hosted in Ljubljana for the 13th consecutive year.
Attendees of Conventa Crossover know that life without events is boring – like a year without summer. They will thus convene in Ljubljana, transforming the Slovenian capital into the centre of the European meetings industry at the creative hub Rog Centre between 9 and 10 September, 2024. The organisers expect over 130 participants at the event. A central part of the festival is the competition of the best European events for the coveted Conventa Best Event Award competition. The central topic, titled “AUthenticity or AIthenticity”, will explore how to replace generic and dull events with holistic experiences and what is the right balance between technology and authenticity. The discussion will feature 20 outstanding speakers, as revealed in the final event programme.
The event programme will feature speakers seeking answers and solutions to the posed dilemma. Among them is Canadian expert Genevieve Leclerc from Meet4Impact, who will discuss measuring the broader impact of events on destinations. In the context of current sports events, she will also explain how to measure the legacy of mega-events in practice.
Ljubljana will also host a pioneer in events gamification and experience marketing, Claus Raasted from Denmark. Claus describes himself as a mix of Thor, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga. In his signature LARP style, he will push attendees out of their comfort zones and into the realm of authentic experiences.
When you browse the web for Djordje Jovanović, you will find numerous articles, interviews and podcasts related to the future of technology, marketing, and society. Djordje is also the Marketing Director for Xiaomi in our region. In an engaging conversation with the moderator, this self-proclaimed Che Guevara will explain the role of events yesterday, today and tomorrow. As technological companies increasingly dominate the world of events, Tomaž Valjavec, an authority in the field of AI, will join the speakers on stage. He is the leader of the Azure division at Microsoft for the CEMA region (109 countries). According to him, the dilemma is over: smart companies have already integrated artificial intelligence and technologies into their business models and value creation.
Gorazd Čad, the co-founder of Conventa, emphasised: “Giorgio Armani once said elegance is not about being noticed but being remembered. Doesn’t something similar apply to the most successful events? Less is more is a concept that champions more quality over quantity, advocating regeneration and generating less carbon footprint. Our industry, however, (too) often relies on the concept of “more and more”, wanting to influence participants’ sight, smell, touch, taste, feeling and hearing. Is less really more? That will be the central theme of this year’s event, and the finalists of the CBEA competition will also provide us with the answers.”
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL?
Twenty expert speakers will discuss how technology will impact event organisation. The organisers have structured the event’s three key themes circularly to build on last year’s content starting points.
The organisers emphasised: “Think of the legendary Mick Jagger. He is certainly not the prototype of beauty or the best singer in the world. What he has is charisma and energy, which is exactly what the world’s oldest rock band needs. The same could be said for the most successful events worldwide.”
REGISTRATION for the event is possible via the following https://www.crossover.si/buy-tickets/
Conventa Crossover is organised by Toleranca marketing agency and the Conventa trade show in collaboration with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board, and the Slovenian Convention Bureau, along with international partners Enited, Bea World, and BEIC (Business Event Industry World).
