The largest international gathering of business tourism professionals in Croatia, MEETEX, aimed at presenting Croatia's MICE offer to international buyers, will be held this year from the 12th to the 14th in Zagreb. The novelty is that this trade fair will be held at a new location, with the Hilton Zagreb Conference & Event Centre hosting around 50 Croatian exhibitors, including the Convention Bureau of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board.
Croatia's MICE offer at your fingertips
Last year's edition of MEETEX brought together over 160 participants from around the world and resulted in over 2,000 meetings exclusively with Croatian stakeholders in this lucrative tourism niche. This year's program also focuses on business networking, with 35 meeting slots scheduled along with numerous additional networking opportunities during breaks, social events, and special dinners.
MEETEX, like in previous years, will bring together all the key players in the Croatian MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry - representatives of destinations, hotels, and hotel groups, PCO and DMC agencies, and other related service providers. Dubrovnik will also present its offer, and as in previous years, the interest of buyers and the number of pre-arranged meetings for this centuries-old city, with immense MICE possibilities, is exceptionally high.
Organizers emphasize that this year, as well, they have paid great attention to selecting quality buyers who have a concrete interest in organizing events and incentives in Croatia. Besides meetings, they will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Croatian meetings and incentive offer through site inspections and fam trips to various Croatian regions and cities.
Educational program with a focus on the latest trends.
The day before the actual working part of the program, Ruud Jansen, a Swiss entrepreneur and event designer, one of the authors of the #EventCanvas tool and co-founder of the Event Design Collective company, will hold a one-day certification workshop for Event Design Certificate (EDC) Level 1. The certificate is recognized by professional international organizations MPI and EIC, and members of HUPKT and MPI are entitled to a €50 voucher. More information can be found at the link: EDC Level 1 Training Zagreb.
In addition to event design, the educational program will be thematically linked to trends and the inevitable future, so two short but interesting lectures on the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence will be held. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from internationally renowned MICE expert Rob Davidson on one side, and Boris Debić, a technologist with 15 years of experience at Google, on the other. On the second day of the working part of the program, the 13th of March, during the lunch break, Ivan David Dogan from the Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZŠEM) will hold a workshop on using ChatGPT to improve business in the MICE industry.
New in 2024: MEETEX OnTour
Another novelty that MEETEX brings to the promotion of Croatia on the international MICE map is the second annual edition - MEETEX OnTour. In cooperation with the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ), the Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ), the HTZ representation for North America, and several sponsors from Croatia and Canada, exclusively Croatian exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet with a group of interested buyers in Toronto. The three-day program will gather 40-50 Canadian buyers, and a system for arranging meetings in advance will be used, just like at MEETEX in Zagreb. After the official part of the program, which will also include socializing with the Croatian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and SITE Canada, the local DMC will offer guests various organized activities to explore local attractio