5TH SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN EXHIBITION FOR MEETINGS, EVENTS & INCENTIVE TRAVEL »Welcome to the 5th Conventa! The cup of coffee is on us!« (CO)ORGANIZERS AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS: OFFICIAL PARTNERS: REGIONAL PARTNERS: MEDIA PARTNERS: SPONSORS: pantone 876 - metalic pantone 4975 DATA Wireless LAN network (Wi – Fi) GR - Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre Wireless access: SSID: GR WPA2 – network key: Conventa QR Code 11110000 3 A word from the Conventa organiser Conventa Catalogue Miha Kovačič, Director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau and chief organizer of the Conventa exhibition SOUTHEAST EUROPE IS MORE! We are proud that Conventa 2013 will present ten countries onventa 2013 came to its fifth 50 interested students edition. It is not just another from the region of South C tradeshow as many might think. It is marketing event that has been East Europe will gain carefully prepared by the group of profession- first hand experience als that are passionate for the success of the and knowledge about the show who are actively supported by Conventa strategic partners, the supply chain of Con- meetings industry. venta show and regional partners. Unfortu- Lets hope that in the near future many of them nately I can not name them all as I would run will become meeting professionals and that out of space. They are all keen to welcome you we will be able welcome them at Conventa as and you will see they all understand meetings exhibitors or hosted buyers. business and destination experience. Conventa always wants to be ahead and also Conventa team has been 2013 edition will offer interesting novelties. working extremely hard I am confident that they will raise interest among participants and enrich the tradeshow to welcome at the show experience. hosted buyers coming from most of the European I will repeat the last part from my last year’s countries that have welcome. potential interest of the We’ve invested all of our region of South East knowledge, positive ener- Europe. gy and passion to make this As the organiser of the show we are aware that Conventa a success. Enjoy time is the biggest asset today. It is essential to this moment and enrich maximise the time at the show with the aim Conventa 2013 with your to establish qualitative contacts with leading providers of services and solutions of the energy. You can only re- region of South East Europe. ally get it if you share it! Conventa will host again Dobrodošli! (Welcome) the Future Leaders Forum organised by IMEX/ MPI/MCI where over 4 A word from the official host Conventa Catalogue Barbara Vajda, Managing Director, Ljubljana Tourism HAPPY FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, CONVENTA! Ljubljana is a logistically stress-free conference destination s the host destination and a strong number of special cultural and other events Ljubljana also has that extra something which partner of the main organiser of international significance, and saw the makes people feel relaxed. A recent social A since its inception we, at Ljubljana completion of some among the largest projects experiment carried out by reporters of the Tourism, do not perceive the defined in its medium-term development Reader's Digest shows Conventa Show merely as an important regional strategy. A number of them, aimed at improving meeting industry business event that has the city's functionality and the quality of life of Ljubljana to be the world's gradually established itself on the European its residents and visitors alike, are still underway most honest city, the market. There is also an emotional side to in the city centre. The expansion of the traffic- the story, as we have been involved in it from free zone, the construction of underground Forbes magazine ranked it the very beginning and feel privileged to parking garages, the gradual landscaping of the fifth on the list of Europe's having been able to contribute to Conventa’s Ljubljanica riverbanks, which has just won the most idyllic places to development on its way to maturity over the European Prize for Public Open Space 2012, live and it has also been past few years. and the further enforcement of green policies are among the projects included in the city's proclaimed as the safest Alongside, the meetings product in our city has development vision and worked on intensively. city in Eastern Europe. experienced quite some positive changes, the highlights being the “Congress Ljubljana 2020” In the recent period, despite Furthermore, the warm welcome, hospitality development policy, which involved the key the impact of the global fi- and human touch that visitors experience when suppliers in our city, as well as the creation of a attending an event in our city and country have more formal partnership, named the Ljubljana nancial crisis, Ljubljana has also received high ratings so far. And we always Strategic Bidding Team. This destination seen significant investments strive to offer an added value to the basic alliance, coordinated by the Ljubljana in the renovation of existing requirements, topped by an array of authentic Convention Bureau, has brought together conference and hotel facili- experiences. We do hope that Conventa’s the entire meeting industry supply chain, hosted buyers, business visitors and exhibitors now consisting of 24 partners, including the ties, as well as the opening alike will be able to confirm our view. Slovenian Convention Bureau. We have joined of new boutique hotels. forces with the strategic focus to attract more In its distant history, Ljubljana has often been international association congresses with 500+ However, a city's image as a tourist and meeting a bridge between East and West, and North delegates and to generally increase Ljubljana’s destination is also shaped by the human to South. Ever since the time of the Romans, competitiveness and visibility on the more and dimension, which is what visitors from abroad, it was at the crossroads of these important more demanding international market. Last, including delegates attending conferences routes. Now, with the Conventa Show, we feel but not least, the ICCA statistics of international and business meetings, appreciate highly in honoured that our city functions as a meeting association meetings for 2011, published in 2012, Ljubljana. Meeting planners often say that it is point again. Needless to say, we at Ljubljana has positioned Ljubljana as 50th on the global a logistically stress-free conference destination: Tourism and its Convention Bureau wish city ranking, which we consider a success. due to the city’s compact size, meeting venues, Conventa a Happy Birthday, a great success accommodation facilities and many places of and a bright future in many years to come! Over the last two years, Ljubljana has marked interest to delegates are conveniently found at a several notable anniversaries, hosted a walking distance. 5 A word from the official host Conventa Catalogue Marjan Hribar, MSc, General Director of the Directorate for Tourism and Internationalisation DEAR CONVENTA PARTICIPANTS Tourism infrastructure has been modernized his is the fifth edition of Conventa Each year the Ministry grants the Bureau to- show, which signifies Conventa is gether with the Slovenian Tourist Board annual T a very successful project. It is a support for its activities, which have proven to project that has proven its potential! be well considered, efficient, modern and last- Each year Conventa surpasses its scope by ing. Therefore we will continue to encourage the offering something new and fresh to confirm work of the Slovenian Convention Bureau also and strengthen its role as the central meeting in the future. industry event in South East Europe. From this year onward we act under patronage The majority of international meeting industry of "Spirit Slovenia" - Public Agency of Republic professionals visit Slovenia for the first time. of Slovenia for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Development, Investments and Tourism. Hosting a modern and high quality event, ensuring Spirit association brings a positive experience and together the Public Agency impressions about Slovenia of Slovenia for Entrepre- contribute to the fact neurship and Foreign In- the participants become vestments, the Slovenian international promoters of Tourist Board and the Slovenia. Public Agency for Techno- logical Development. The Ministry of Economic Development and Technologies is very much aware of the The aim of merger is promotion of Slovenian importance of the meeting industry and the economy; whereas this quest for synergies is development opportunities it creates. Tourism perfectly in line with the goals of the meeting infrastructure, including conference capacities, industry. has been thoroughly modernized with the sup- port of European Founds. The Ministry granted the Slovenian Convention Bureau the ‘public interest’ status seeing it represents the meeting industry at the national level. 6 Contents Conventa Catalogue 7 Conventa Team 8 Conventa A-Z 10 Conventa Sustainability Programme 12 Conventa Hot Spots 2013 14 Where to go in SEE 22 Meetings Star Award / Best SE Europe Meeting Destinations 26 Kongres at the Keyhole 28 Inside Award Winning Services 30 Event Programme 32 Floorplan 34 Meetings industry suppliers from SE europe 37 Meeting Services Spot & Eco Village 38 International Partners 38 Media Partners 96 The Land of hayracks – The first open-air museum of Hayracks in the world 97 Anyone Looking for Excellence, comes to Brdo 98 Lake Bled 99 Laško and its Surroundings 102 Top 10 Car Launch destinations in SEE 104 Top 10 Unusual meeting places in SEE CONVENTA CATALOGUE Editor-in-Chief: Gorazd Čad Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief: Jan Klavora DTP and prepress: Premedia, Andrej Juvan Printing: Almarose d.o.o. Circulation: 700 copies Publisher, Production and Marketing: Toleranca marketing d.o.o., Štihova 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana T: +386 (0)1 430 51 03, F: +386 (0)1 430 51 04 www.conventa.info Issue date: January 2013 The catalogue is free-of-charge for all participants of Conventa.