Great Satisfaction at 11th Conventa

Conventa, the trade show for meetings, events and incentive travel, for the 11thyear in a row gathered the representatives of the meetings industry of New Europe and event organizers from around the world. From the 23rdto the 24thof January, Slovenia’s capital was transformed into the hub of the New Europe’s meetings industry.

Conventa, organised by Toleranca Marketing and Slovenian Convention Bureau in partnership with Ljubljana Tourism and Slovenian Tourist Board, this year welcomed 132 exhibitors from 15 countries and 238 hosted buyers from 46 countries, among which 61 were Slovenian event organizers. Conventa once more kept the promise to gather high-quality hosted buyers with the real interest in the region, among which 86% visited Conventa for the first time. Ljubljana was for two days a business hub for event organizers of the New Europe region, where 3.651 One2One meetings took place.

SUSTAINABILITY

The boutique B2B trade show of New Europe is also known for its sustainable approach. Wooden crates are already a well-known trademark of Conventa, but this year, the organisers upgraded the sustainable concept with one more novelty – a digital catalogue that replaced the printed one.

MEETINGS STAR AWARD 2018

One of this year’s highlights was also the Meetings Star Award ceremony. The Meetings Star Award, conferred by Kongres Magazine and Conventa, has been recognised and affirmed as one of the few prizes in the meetings industry awarded on the basis of professionally established standards and criteria.

The best meeting destinations of 2018 are:in the XL category – Vienna; in the L– Zagreb; in the M category – Dubrovnik; in the S category – Nassfeld Hermagor; and among the best destinations of New Europe– Prague.

The best meeting hotels and convention centres in the region of 2018 are: City Meeting Hotels – FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GRESHAM PALACE, Budapest, Hungary; Resort Meeting Hotels – HOTEL REGENT PORTO MONTENEGRO, Tivat, Montenegro; Spa Meeting Hotels – WELLNESS HOTEL SOTELIA, Podčetrtek, Slovenia; Boutique Meeting Hotels – BOUTIQUE HOTEL ALHAMBRA, Mali Lošinj, Croatia; Convention Centres –FERRY PORSCHE CONGRESS CENTER, Zell am See, Austria; and the best Slovenian Meeting Hotel –  KEMPINSKI PALACE, Portorož, Slovenia.

CONVENTA AMBASSADOR AND CONVENTA HALL OF FAME AWARDS

In addition,Conventa every year rewards extraordinary achievements in the meetings industry. With the Conventa Hall of Fame the organisers reward an individual who has with her or his extraordinary and invaluable effort made a mark and impacted the development of the meetings industry. This year the title went to the catering partners of Conventa: Vivo CateringJezeršek CateringKaval Catering, and Union Hotels. While the Ambassador of Conventa is the title that goes to an individual or company that has been a longstanding partner and the greatest ambassador of the trade show. The prestigious title went this year to the ICCA (The International Congress and Convention Association) and was collected by Elif Balci Fisunoglu, the ICCA Regional Director for Europe.

THOUGHTS ON CONVENTA

Karmen Novarlič, Head of Business Communication Department at Slovenian Tourist Board: »Conventa ranked as must go to event on the European congress calendar for the key stakeholders in congress tourism, which is attended by more than 120 international partners from 44 countries and more than 100 Slovenian business partners this year. The evidence of great importance that the trade show gained are also the statistics from the past 11 years: over 2,500 buyers from abroad, more than 1300 exhibitors and more than 27,000 meetings are pinning Conventa among most important events of business and congress tourism in the region and beyond. The trade show also makes an important contribution to the reputation of our country as an excellent host of quality and professional business events. And impresses foreign visitors with enthusiasm, sustainable approach and genuine hospitality, on Slovenia as a boutique and authentic destination for 5-star experience.«

Jan Oršič, Head of Ljubljana Convention Bureau:»Ljubljana Convention Bureau at Ljubljana Tourism is a proud partner of Conventa and we are pleased that our destination can boast of an event that has already marked the upcoming congress year for the eleventh time by bringing together the whole region and the providers from around the world. Conventa entered the new decade as an established and recognizable event of the international congress industry, which significantly contributed to the establishment of Ljubljana and Slovenia as a meetings destination. The positive responses from invited guests and exhibitors this year again confirmed that Conventa is a trade show with a bright future.«

Conventa