Dubrovnik once again shone as a star among meetings destinations
At this year's B2B MICE event, Conventa, Dubrovnik stood out as one of the best and most promising meetings destinations in the region. In addition to successfully held business meetings with interested hosted buyers, Dubrovnik was declared the best meetings destination in the M category, and the head of the Convention Bureau of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board was voted one of the most influential people in the meetings industry.
Conventa has been gathering the meetings, incentive and event industry of "New Europe" for 15 years, and this year, after two summer pandemic editions, it was again held in the traditional winter term, February 1 and 2,300 participants gathered in the exhibition and convention centre Gospodarsko razstavišče in Ljubljana, among whom were 146 international hosted buyers and 90 exhibitors who held over 2,500 meetings.
A total of 17 Croatian companies participated in the MICE trade show - 11 exhibitors and 6 buyers. Among the exhibitors was the Convention Bureau of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, which, through about thirty business meetings, presented a diverse and attractive meetings and incentive offer that is characteristic for the pearl of the Adriatic and UNESCO city. Interested buyers were mostly from Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Greece, Czech Republic and from other countries of the region. These were mainly new contacts who showed great interest in Dubrovnik and excellent potential for concrete business deals. Inquiries were mostly related to the organization of incentives in Dubrovnik in the pre- and post-season, with an emphasis on the possibilities and options for direct flights, which are of key importance.
The organizers of Conventa, with the help of partner company Climate Partner, calculated the carbon footprint of the project again this year. Given its orientation towards sustainability, one of the novelties of the show this year was the Conventa Green Island, where participants could learn more about sustainable practices from experts in sustainability and event organization and see how they can actually reduce the carbon footprint of their event. The Conventa Trend Bar educational program dealt with topics regarding the latest challenges in the meetings industry.
Dubrovnik – Monte Carlo of the Mediterranean
The two-day MICE trade show culminated with the Meetings Star Awards ceremony which were awarded for the 13th year in a row by the specialized magazine Kongres to the "stars" of the meetings industry, i.e. the best destinations, hotels, locations and most influential individuals. The award ceremony, which delighted everyone present with its organization and atmosphere, took place on February 1, 2023, in the prestigious Gallus Hall. On that occasion, Romana Vlašić, head of the Convention Bureau of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, received two awards.
Dubrovnik won the Meetings Star Award for the best meetings destination in category M among 27 destinations in the Southeast and New Europe region that can host up to 1,200 participants. According to the organizers, Dubrovnik is a city with a special charm and tradition, capable of hosting even the most demanding events, and they called it the Monte Carlo of the Mediterranean. They pointed out that the cooperation in the destination is highly commendable and another reason why it is the leading Mediterranean meetings destination, far above the competition.
Romana Vlašić was listed as one of the 10 most influential representatives of destinations in 2022. Nominees were evaluated by 1,611 convention industry stakeholders based on clear criteria, on a scale of 1 to 5, in four segments: credibility, creativity, results and legacy. There was a total of eight lists of the most influential people by category: representatives of destinations, hoteliers, PCO agencies, creative and marketing agencies, technical service providers, restaurateurs, innovators and sustainability advocates. Another Dubrovnik representative was among the best. Namely, Daniel Marušić, the owner of the DMC agency Dubrovnik Travel, took 7th place in the ranking of the 10 most influential representatives of event organization agencies.
"It is a great honour for me to be on the list of the most influential representatives of destinations according to Meeting Star standards, because this system of awards and recognition has, over the last 13 years, gained a reputation among the stakeholders of the international meetings industry. Also, from the very beginning, Dubrovnik has been recognized as the best M meetings destination, and it justifies this title year after year. This indicates that the multi-year effort, commitment and constant work of all stakeholders to improve the offer and communication are truly recognized," pointed out Romana Vlašić.