The last week of August was marked by Conventa and Conventa Crossover. Conventa was the last major international B2B event before the coronacrisis, and the first to really happen after a year of hibernation of the meetings industry. The organisers have moved Conventa 2021 from January to August and combined it with the Conventa Crossover conference. Both events were half the size of the pre-crisis period and were hybrid events. Nevertheless, 77 exhibitors, 113 international and 33 Slovenian hosted buyers conducted more than 2.000 business meetings over the two days. International participants are coming from 24 countries. Both events are a proof that large business events can be safely executed even in times of great uncertainty.
Conventa started on Monday, 23 August, with familiarisation trips (FAMS) to Ljubljana, Bled and Styria. The visits continued after the event, when guests will visit Istria, Kranjska Gora, Portorož, Zagreb and Salzburg. Hosted buyers met the exhibitors for the first time at the welcome reception in Grand Hotel Union. The programme continued with One2One meetings that are at the heart of the event. The exhibitors, most of them from hotels, convention centres and bureaus, are joining the event from 13 countries in New Europe.
Miha Kovačič, co-founder of Conventa, said: “Thirteen is my lucky number. It has been with me all my life and it brings me happiness. May the 13th Conventa experience also bring happiness to all the participants who will be celebrating the meetings industry in Slovenia this week.”
One of the highlights of Conventa Week was also the selection of the best events in New Europe. A renowned international jury has chosen 18 finalists who competed for the prestigious Conventa Best Event Award on Thursday evening.
The organisers closed off the week with the Conventa Crossover conference, which maintains its position as the central THINK TANK of the meetings industry in New Europe, creating a space to test innovations and respond to industry challenges for the sixth year running. Top speakers, master marketers and experienced event organisers presented their views.
The organisers took special precautions to prevent the spread of Sars-Cov-2 strictly following the guidelines of the “Safe and Healthy Meetings & Events” certificate. This ensured that the event was safe for all participants and support staff.
Conventa Crossover’s founder, Gorazd Čad said, “We are very proud that we have been able to bring Conventa and Conventa Crossover to fruition in the midst of the pandemic. Our aim was to prove that events can take place even in complex situations. We have successfully proven it and you will be able to experience it this week. Hybrid solutions have made it possible to carry out events regardless of the situation. Conventa brings optimism and points to the future direction of the industry. Many say that Conventa is the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Conventa
