Bratislava Smart Meetings
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Bratislava Smart Meetings BRATISLAVA MEETING JOURNAL Feb 24, 2017 Gorazd Čad, reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia Overview The image of the Slovak capital is forged by the mighty Danube running through it and a city centre with welcoming streets and attractive bars generating a feeling of youthful urbanism that can be felt everywhere throughout it. The positive atmosphere of Bratislava also draws many congress organisers, all of whom have the chance to get impressed by the excellent congress facilities as much as by the many urban legends, none more so than the story of “Čumil”, a bronze statue of a man emerging from a manhole. The direct translation of the name “Čumil” is ‘observer’ and there are two explanations for that – the first, quite decent one, sets out that the statue represents a communist worker who isn’t overly bothered by the demands of his line of work. The second, rather less decent one, has it that he just likes to spend his day looking up women’s skirts. Whichever way it swings, Čumil is one of the most photographed statues in the old town and legend has it that he might even grant you a wish if you touch his head. Bratislava’s overall infrastructure is suited to mediumsized congresses and the city is known as a guest friendly one – you can easily master it on foot and thereby enjoy the historical heritage and energy that greets you with full heart and soul. Why Bratislava is Cool for Meetings Accessibility The route to Bratislava is quick and easy, whether you decide to arrive by air, road or train connections, or even the watery option of arriving by the beautiful blue Danube. The Bratislava city airport offers numerous connections and works in conjunction with Vienna airport, which is only about 50km from Bratislava city centre. Startup city The young and vigorous startup scene that connects young talent and attracts international investors is booming in Bratislava. Did you know that the award winning startup Slido was born in Bratislava? The sheer size of the market and a population of five million people makes Slovakia a perfect breeding ground for new ideas, ideas that could potentially be helping you in the future. A smart and innovative city As a university town Bratislava is home to many students and consequently there are the use of new technologies at every turn. It is also why they have one of the fastest internet connections in Europe, letting you to surf at 17 Mbps. Value for money In our opinion, Bratislava is the ‘best bang for your buck’ destination in Europe, and that gives it an advantage over its rather more expensive neighbour of Vienna. Yet at the same time the quality of congress services is very high and completely comparable to those in Vienna. Safety Bratislava exudes a feeling of safety, backed up by one of the highest safety indexes in Europe and also a very high quality of life according to Numbeo standards. Bratislava in numbers The world’s tallest statue of a horse is located in the Sport and Congress Centre Xbionix Sphere in ŠamorínČilistov. Made entirely of stainless steel, it rises to a height of almost nine metres and weighs in at 20 tonnes. Petržalka is the biggest housing estate in Bratislava and the most densely populated housing district in Central Europe. The name, which first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, refers to vegetables grown in the area. According to data from Google, people in Slovakia enjoy the world’s fastest internet browsing experience, taking on average about three seconds for a website to be displayed on a monitor in Slovakia, the shortest time globally, as reported by the Sme Daily. Slovak capital Bratislava lies on the borders with Austria and Hungary, making it the only capital city in the world that borders two independent countries. Moreover, Austrian capital Vienna is just 60km away and both cities lie on the banks of the Danube river, with a boat cruise between them taking just 90 minutes. According to U City Guides, Slovakia ranks in the top three countries with the most beautiful women in the world. They even argue that the country can be especially proud of the grace the Slovak blondes were born with. It would be difficult to visit Slovakia and not get a little bit entranced by the natural charm of Slovak women. New spaces XBIONIC SPHERE A sportcongress hybrid that has no match in Europe The imposing building that is the brainchild of Slovak billionaire Mario Hoffmann and Prof. Dr. Bodo Lambertz is sure to make an impression on any visitor. Luxury materials and a deliberate practicality, but all with a taste of modernity, are the key elements of the interior design at XBionic. Both interior and exterior spaces form an incredible experience and the designers have taken especial care of every minor detail. A prime advantage of the centre is its sport offer, which will wow the more active congress participants, as it does the professional athletes in training there for the Olympics. We believe that the story of this facility will bring a fresh new wind to the already very dynamic congress industry of Bratislava. Step outside The Iron Well A popular recreational centre with numerous hiking trails amidst picturesque lakes – perfect for picnics and with just a little bit of imagination also an excellent event space. Janko Kral Garden The oldest public park in Europe is a popular location for organising events and concerts near the Gothic Tower. The climb to Kamzik TV tower If you are a hiker at heart the route to the TV tower can easily be scaled on foot, but if you don’t feel like walking there are also road connections to get there. On a clear day the tower offers amazing views of Bratislava and you can also enjoy a nice meal in the restaurant. Be active White Water Sport Resort The Water Sports Resort in Čunovo is 20km from the centre of Bratislava. Besides water sports the resort offers you the possibility to try various adrenaline activities, such as hydrospeed, water scooters or paintball. There is an offroad track 1km from the resort, where visitors can take a ride on buggies or fourwheelers. Slovakia Ring Designed by Hans Roth, this is an attractive destination for both local and international events. It offers exclusive rental of the longest road race track, with all the technical support, infrastructure and rent of race cars with special sports tuning, to let you test out your driving skills. Touareg Offroad Experience This purposebuilt offroad driving track was created by the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava, where the company’s flagship offroad SUV the Volkswagen Touareg is produced. The 1,488metrelong circuit, with its 26 distinct features, challenges each driver’s skills as well as provides the opportunity to fully experience the Touareg’s performance in extreme situations. Culture and festivals The Cultural Summer and Castle Festival The city’s biggest festival, the Cultural Summer and Bratislava Castle Celebrations will be delivering its 42nd edition in 2017. As with last year it again plans to create a spectacular in Bratislava full of multigenre programmes for residents, but also for summer visitors to the capital. Bratislava Design Week This is Slovakia’s hottest international design event covering the field of contemporary design. Founded in 2009 as Designweek, it was later renamed Bratislava Design Week. Uprising Festival 2017 The largest reggae festival in Central Europe has since 2008 taken place annually in Bratislava. The area around the Zlate Piesky (Golden Sands) lake at the edge of Bratislava is ideal for it and as more and more people have kept coming Uprising has broadened its genre spectrum to include others deemed acceptable by the reggae community, such as dancehall, ska, latino, hiphop, dub, dubstep, raggajungle and dnb. Slovak Food Festival For the eighth time this will be the largest picnic in the city! The event, loaded with great food, drinks, live shows, competitions and discussions, will again be held in Bratislava Castle’s outdoor spaces. With the motif “fresh and playful” the Slovak food festival this year again brings Thursday wine evening to Bratislava Castle, a media competition in cooking and a children’s playground. Coronation Ceremonies One of the largest cultural events in Slovakia this one presents in a very experiential way the 18 coronations of kings and queens that have taken place in the city. It takes place annually over the last weekend in June to commemorate the coronation of Maria Theresa, who was crowned in Bratislava on 25 June, 1741. Green meetings Similiar to Ljubljana, Bratislava is also without a subway system, so instead you will find a well developed system of trams, trolleybuses and buses. In any case, as the old city centre is quite small you won’t have any problems making it around on foot. Bratislava for foodies Fach Bratislava After years of acquiring experience and knowledge in Michelinstarred restaurants like Gastrologik, Mathias Dahlgren and Fotografiska, Lukáš Hesko is now returning home to redefine Slovak cuisine. His restaurant at Fach is all about simple dishes that are full of strong flavours. Dunajský pivovar An unusual place, being a restaurant, a »botel« (morel on a boat) and a brewery on a boat moored on the banks of the Danube within Bratislava’s city limits. The concept of the place is refreshing – the view upon the castle and the Old Town of Bratislava is amazing and you will actually feel you are on a boat with its interior design.