4. Kongres newsletter, July 2010

Articles and news chosen by our guest Goran Pavlović

Summer is the right time to read new issue of Kongres magazine

Summer has come. The emails are becoming rarer and everyone is easily preparing for the holidays. It is the right time for reading the new issue of the Kongres magazine. I'm glad to see news from Serbia Convention Bureau about Destination Pro's. Out of first five certified three of us are from South East Europe, Azra Botonjič from Slovenian Convention Bureau, Igor Kovačević from Serbian Convention Bureau and myself. I hope programme will run further and that we'll have some more soon.

Article about Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol reminded me of great presentation on IMEX Politicians Forum 2010. Mr Svend Olling, Head of Department in Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared his experience as a head of group that organized COP 15 Summit. Just a few tips: zero gift policy (not one Summit participant received any promotional material of Denmark – funds dedicated to this purpose enabled scholarship for foreign students interested in studying sustainability in Denmark), tapped water only (bottled water was not available), high criteria for sponsors (every sponsor had to comply with ecological standards to be able to apply for sponsorship). Their achievement: Summit was certified with BS8901 standard. Result for everyone: Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol.

Last but not least check the story of Dariva DMC & PCO from Opatija and find out their rich offer of incentives and team building programmes that can be organized in Opatija and surrounding area. Opatija, a cradle of tourism in Croatia, has so much to offer to congress organizers, too. Over 50 meeting rooms in hotels with total area over 7.500 m2 with historical Crystal Ballroom in Hotel Kvarner are just beginning. 165 years of tourist tradition guarantee excellent service, great hotels, delicious food, numerous wellness centres and many more. You are welcome to try it.

Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol

A contribution to a greener meetings world

About the author:

Lars Blicher-Hansen has over three decades of experience in congress and meetings organisation and marketing. He now acts as an independent consultant, building on his experiences as Market Director for Business Tourism at VisitDenmark, Managing Director of the Danish Convention Bureau, Deputy Director of the Danish Hotel Industry Association and Chief Information Officer at the Bella Center in Copenhagen.www.blicher-hansen.dk – lars@blicher-hansen.dk

Inspired by the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 15, that took place in Denmark’s capital in December 2009, seven organisations created a coalition to increase the sustainability of this event and, not least, other large international meetings around the Globe in the future.

By Lars Blicher-Hansen, Meeting Industry Advisor

In December 2009 over 33,000 people participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, COP15 (Conference of the Parties). For over two years the hosts and venue invested great amounts of time, energy and money into delivering an event of the highest possible level of sustainability. It was not the most environmentally friendly conference ever seen, but it demonstrated how a large, complex event can be organised in a more sustainable and strategic way to create benefit for the organisers, for the participants and for the environment.

In order to capture and share the experiences gained in preparing Copenhagen for COP15, a coalition of seven organisations came together to create a documentation, called the Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol (CSMP). The protocol builds not only on the COP15 experiences, but also on Denmark’s strong traditions and leadership in creating sustainable solutions and communities.
During the period up to the COP 15 mega event, I was working for the national tourism and meetings organisation VisitDenmark and succeeded in establishing a “Task Force for Green Hosting of the COP 15” with several key partners, including the national hotel & restaurant association and the organizations that finally formed the coalition behind the protocol. We all shared a common vision for a more sustainable, responsible and ethical meeting marketplace, and we found the UN conference simply a unique opportunity to join forces to capture, share and improve on the learnings and experiences in preparing Copenhagen for COP15.

The objective was two-fold:
• Contribute to accelerating the transformation of the global meetings industry through sustainability;
• Further enhance Copenhagen and Denmark’s position as a prime host destination for sustainable meetings.

Despite the disappointing political results of the COP 15 in Copenhagen December 2009, we feel today that we are very much on the track to actually achieving both goals. It is of course important, that international meeting industry media like Kongres Magazine are helping by spreading the word about CSMP as a new tool which is at free disposal for all planners worldwide and can support the efforts in making their meetings and conferences more green and responsible.

The task force and the coalition represented a wide ranging team of key stakeholders within the meetings industry:
• The Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the logistical organiser of COP15);
• Bella Center (the venue of COP15);
• VisitDenmark;
• Wonderful Copenhagen Convention & Visitors Bureau;
• The City of Copenhagen;
• MCI Copenhagen (professional congress organiser);
• Novo Nordisk A/S (large corporate event planner).

The protocol was written on behalf of the above stakeholders by the international expert Guy Bigwood, Head of MCI Sustainable Services. It offers a flexible umbrella framework that can be used to organise large, complex meetings in a more sustainable way. It does not provide detailed checklists, but the protocol showcases best practice and leadership thinking, so that experienced event professionals can see how a systematic strategic approach to sustainable event management, using internationally recognised standards, can deliver long-term business results.

The CSMP will not only help corporate, government or association event organisers, but also consultants and managers of venues and large hotels. It is designed to be used in conjunction with The COP15 Event Sustainability Report which provides in-depth details of the COP15 sustainability approach, initiatives and performance. With clear examples and specific measured data, the COP15 Event Sustainability Report sets a new standard for the meetings industry. The event management system behind the organisation of COP15 was certified by Danish Standards according to the international event management standard BS8901. This standard is also the target for the Olympic Games in 2012 in London and is expected to be raised to an ISO level within the next few years.

The CSMP and the COP15 Report will be presented to the UN with a recommendation that future UN meetings be developed along the guidelines laid out in Copenhagen. Copies of the Copenhagen Sustainable Meetings Protocol and its corollary document, the COP15 Event Sustainability Report, can be downloaded from www.csmp.dk.

Presenting Dariva agency

DARIVA’s offices are located in the heart of Opatija the cradle of tourism in Croatia, on the main street Maršala Tita, a few minutes of walk from all the main hotels and venues.
Established in 1996, Dariva started developing its programme in the MICE industry and also in other upcoming departments, as well as a large excursions programme.
Tailor made programmes and tours, active programmes, special events, theme evenings, gala evenings are Dariva’s speciality.
For example: Roman ruins on the Brioni Islands provide the atmosphere, we think of the rest – the best catering included. Or perhaps a gala dinner or party in romantic traditional venues in Opatija, villas from the Austrian times, historical dancing halls – of course with music and entertainment.
We also provide beach parties, boat parties, bbq parties or picnics on the special locations which are a nice way to relax after an active day or a log day in a convention hall.

For those who like it active and for all who spend long hours in the office, in front of the computer:
- Abseil, free climbing, caving, biking, kayaking, flying, trekking, quading in the pure nature, off road jeep safaris, paintball, rafting and canoeing, paragliding, sailing;
- Orientation games, old traditional games which we all remember from our childhood, games on the water… and other teambuilding programmes and competitions.

All of the activities are carried out by a highly professional team of guides, who guarantee not only quality and safety, but also fun and relaxation from every day’s stress and routine.
For those who like to experience something different but not to active, we offer: cooking lessons or competitions for teams, visits of the historical towns guided by licensed guides in historical costumes or costumes of famous personalities, photo safaris,…

Dariva‘s own vehicles (high quality busses and minibuses) and a team of drivers and guides, available throughout the whole year, assure punctuality and safety in organizing any kind of transport: from airport transfers to tours and excursions.

Therefore, we offer a large choice of:
- tailor made private tours for small groups accompanied by drivers/guides, designated for those who want to experience something different or simply for pre and post stays before/after a convention or a meeting;
- daily tours for accompanying persons made just for the event or out of the regular programme which is available from early April till the end October;
- Gastronomic tours integrating wine tasting, homemade ham and cheese tasting, visits to small farms in the hidden parts of Istria, truffle searching….
Vast experience in organizing small and larger meetings and conventions, as well as good contacts with the hotels all over Croatia and all the technical support needed events, contribute to the company s ability to provide a complete service at compatible rates.

The well-trained Dariva’s travel team and carefully chosen co-workers most certainly guarantees the quality and safety of all provided services.
To choose genuine spots of nature for the active part of our programmes and authentic places with the best food for the gastronomic part is always our aim. Therefore we invest a lot in travelling and finding new places, new possibilities, new ideas and new solutions.

All of that gave us a respectable number of clients: organizers of events and conventions, but also partners as agents from other countries, who simply need a reliable partner at the destination. A large number of clients who work with us already for more than 10 years and keep on asking our advice and services make us very proud, since it is easier to find a new client, then to keep the same one for years.

Dariva simply offers infinity of solutions.

“Destination Pro” started in Serbia

A joint initiative between Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) and European Cities Marketing (ECM) has resulted in the launch of “Destination Pro”, a professional development program for entry to senior level destination sales and marketing professionals.
To receive the Destination Pro Diploma, an individual must be employed by an official DMO (CVB or Tourist Board) and successfully complete the ECM Summer Scholl and DMAI Destination Sales Training I & II. A Destination Pro certificate will be awarded only if the education is completed within a two year time frame.

The first five “Destination Pro” certificates in the world were issued in Serbia with certificates being awarded to meeting professionals in Slovenia CVB, Serbia CVB, Opatija CVB, Vienna CVB, Brussels and Flanders CVB.

Selected articles from Kongres magazine

The point and background of team building

Column: Roman Vodeb, MSc.

Regarding team building programs from a more profound point of view

Introduction of the author:

Roman Vodeb, a double MSc (Kinesiology and Sociology of Culture), offered some new interpretations in occupational psychology many years ago, using Freudian psychoanalysis.
By now he has covered the concepts of mobbing, burnout, workaholism, stress economy and non self-conscious emotions at the workplace – also in connection with team building.

Occupational psychology has not been known to use Freudian or psychoanalytical concepts till now. Yet since there have been some obvious glitches in the theory and the researchers of mobbing and burnout have wandered off in the wrong direction, some of us theoretical psychoanalysts felt obligated to offer our opinions. We intervened in the field of occupational psychology and altered some concepts, so things look different than some years ago. While mobbing and burnout have been pretty well defined so far, psychoanalysis pointed out some other key factors. Non self-conscious emotions at the workplace need to be addressed and researched, theoretical concepts have to be built. People from the USA and Western Europe, who introduced the concept of team building (TB) mostly don’t understand what it is really about. Again it was up to psychoanalysts to step up and clear things up, since they can comprehend its point and theoretical background. The point of TB is mainly in non self-conscious psychic activity or non self conscious emotion of the participants, which is connected to childhood emotions. In intensely cooperating groups (or tandems) certain types of emotion occur, which have transferable characteristics. Freud completed a concept of so called transference, which is the precondition for psychic changes to occur in psychotherapy (classic psychoanalysis), which can lead to curing or eliminating unwanted symptoms of patients. Similar transferable (symbolic) emotions occur in the workplace. A persons sentiments towards an “important other” in their childhood – mostly mother and father (also sisters, brothers), are repeated in the workplace towards superiors or subordinates. Such sentiments can be tricky. Negative sentiments (negative transfer) are always problematic – they are activated by mobbing (mostly from the “attacker”, also by “victims”). The positive transfer can potentially also cause problems especially in mixed gender tandems. Sexuality can cause issues in an otherwise well functioning team, due to the positive transfer of sentiments (but not necessarily).

The advocates of TB and employers suggest such “therapies” will lead to more positive sentiments within the team and increase loyalty towards each other. Because of activities carried out in a team building exercise the collective would start feeling positive (transferred) sentiments. These can increase productivity and creativity of the team. All in all it should lead to an increase in profits and decrease of contra-productive sentiments, which can be transformed into positive ones through TB exercises. An employee, who feels good in a collective and likes to go to work, creates more output – in the sense of creativity and productivity.

Activities and workshops encompassed in TB exercises are designed to makes sure co-workers start connecting more and feel positive sentiments towards each other. In layman’s terms – they get to know each other better. In the background of these positive sentiments (and in turn better trust and loyalty) there is the activation of certain emotional paradigms which reside in the non self-consciousness and are connected with the childhood. TB cannot activate this process by “born loners”, who simply don’t have the required infantile predispositions. Yet many people do start connecting better and trusting each other through TB. To put in psychoanalytical terms – a transference happens. Workshops or activities of TB exercises are put together in a way which activates dispositions for transferable emotions. When returning to the workplace the participants see their co-workers in a different more positive way – a way unfamiliar to them before. The ambition and concept of TB is enabling the co-workers to see each other in a positive and informal way. At work most are very official and professional. They don’t display powerful emotion. At work many people are in fact “playing themselves”. Therefore the co-workers can’t really feel them and don’t recognize them as people with deeper (positive) emotions. TB can influence these perceptions in a positive way. It is not mainly about motivating, however this is often the case, since the participants are thankful to their employer for the (expensive) workshops, and are consequentially more loyal. TB is also not about relaxation and pleasantness of which the employees don’t get enough at the workplace. The main goal of this concept or paradigm is activating transferable emotions – and this is what the providers of such workshops/activities are mostly unaware of (in many cases, neither are the employers). What they do know is that TB must be structured in a way to make the participants feel pleasant and even feel adrenaline, when in fact the whole point of it is to break the monotony of demonstrating routine emotion. The participants are introduced to each other in a new way – a way which encourages different views and different (non self-conscious) emotion. When “equipped” with a different view of the co-workers they interact differently (better) at the workplace. The point of TB is to make sure people return full of positive energy towards the team and co-workers. This is exactly what the employer (client) truly wants – or better: should want. Some employers don’t really know about these advantages and don’t see the real point in TB activities. They commission TB workshops because they are modern and because everybody recommends it. They are unaware, however, of the scope of non self-conscious emotions and the role of the non self-consciousness in general.

TB has its traps as well. It can also activate some negative sentiments – mainly in participants who oppose certain types of workshops/activities. Poorly selected workshops/activities can irritate some participants in way which will give a negative impression to their co-workers. This is not to berecommended. Some people successfully hide their “real self/Self” – or professionally: they compensate their (psychic and social) “patos”. TB should not encourage different decompensations which dwell right beneath the surface by some people. Similar decompensations occur by some people when drunk – some become totally different. By decompensating we don’t mean those who become “totally different” when drinking in a positive light, but those who turn negative – become aggressive, contentious and cranky. Awkwardly drafted workshops/activities can expose someone in a “totally different” negative light. In this case, the exercise will not be in team building, but its destruction.
TB activities can be used as “tricks” to relent certain business partners towards making important business decisions. This, however is not team building but a clever business move. The feeling of obligation or debt plays a key role when partners who benefited from and expensive TB program feel subconsciously obligated to agree to a certain level of cooperation. It can also be a certain luxury which partners participate in after already making the decision for cooperation. The non self-conscious background of such meetings is quite different than the ones where participants are co-workers.

A team can be built in many ways. Expensive providers are always very original and creative in their offers. Of course they are merely copying ideas already known for many years abroad. It has to be said that TB also encompasses a range of other activities: from company trips, group recreation, congresses, seminars, conferences and other educational events, to drinks after meetings and many more. All informal gatherings outside the workplace include some of the elements of TB. It is advisable, however, for someone to keep cognitive control over these gatherings and events. Psychoanalytically put – a “mind” should keep the emotions in check to make sure no unwanted mobbing occurs and to keep a certain level of mental supervision of any sexual contacts among superior and subordinate employees.

Branding of corporate events and incentive meetings

Brands are actually stories

Introduction of the author:

Andrej Drapal, consultant and partner, has been working at Pristop since 1991, having previously led the theatre and film program in Cankarjev dom. Before that the editor of Radio Študent, editor of Tribuna...even before that philosopher and author. Author of the book »Kako stvari vznikajo« (Vale Novak, 2009) and author of the Standard model of branding®.

At it’s core the question of branding is actually simple , yet in practise we often get overrun by a load of important an unimportant questions, so we are eventually unable to see the forest for the trees.

If we know brands are actually stories, which “organize themselves” around a certain person, organization, event or any other human activity, we have basically said it all. What we have said is we can count on a powerful brand if we are able to produce a relevant story around our event, meeting, fair, congress,... a story relevant to the public we’re addressing.

This poses the question of who we are actually trying to reach and what kind of world they live in. In case of corporate events we often delude ourselves “we are very familiar with our core audiences”, since we often know the guests’ profession and interests which bring them to the event. We often think this is enough. Yet if the question of branding is in fact simple, it should still not be simply overlooked. Occupation, geographic location and other demographic characteristics such as age, gender, family income, do define a target audience to some point, yet not nearly well enough to enable the creation of a relevant story. Only a handful of stories can achieve what the “Little Red Riding Hood” did, by becoming a universal story of the Western civilization. Due to its power it gives the impression to be made for each and everyone. Most stories in this wild competition remained more localized, limited – yet no less successful in their segment. The lesson for our purposes here is that the way to universal victory leads over specific local ones. These are based on adopting the story to answers to questions of beings we are interested in. I use the word being on purpose, not to limit myself to determining factors of a common occupation or any other demographic characteristic.

We have now reached the question of the ambitions of branding? How wide do we want to reach? This is not a question we should ask because we consider some events to be smaller and not deserve the effort of branding, and some larger that do. Every single event is actually a brand of its own. Problems occur when an event manager overestimates the power of the sorry of the event itself; or when that power is underestimated. The Olympic Games 2000 years ago had to be a powerful local event, which would have never developed if it were pumped with the ambitions of the Olympic Games in 2008. Events and brands grow (if they develop in accordance with their genetic predispositions) – and with growth they require more and more food and offer more in return. I assess most failures are based on underestimating this simple life fact.
I’ve mentioned the genetic predisposition. Every manager of an event should be aware of this predisposition and should have a detailed explanation of it in writing. Similarly as genetic codes of living beings are being recorded in microbiology. This is the only way events can be replicated and developed (mutated) by improving with each repetition, yet keeping their genetic code intact. Olympic Games are a good example of this idea – always the same in their core, yet different every four years.

This brings us to the question many brand managers get wrong in the first place. How? How to communicate? How to promote? These are of course important questions, yet if we have never solved our primary problems and questions the only thing we will do is communicate and promote confusion. If we lack a story we will forcefully promote something empty nobody cares about, which will not be in our favour. If we “push” an irrelevant story the participants will easily forget it. If we claim something one year and something completely different the other, we will just waste our energy.

And in the end we have reached what most people define as branding: image, names, corporate design, visuals, sound, smell of an event. Corporate design tends to be an important moment of truth for some brands, yet it is just one of the few. Its place is important, since it connects things in a unified way; it represents a point of identification of sorts. Yet in reality it is only a point, powerless without its surroundings and all other truths of a brand.

In the end we return to the beginning. Branding of corporate events, incentive events to a point also congresses and even fairs is mostly a question of the so called internal branding rather than outward positioning. Put simply: an event will sooner fail due to a lack of internal coordination, focus (brand), than dues to bad corporate design and advertising.

All in all: most corporate and incentive events pose the question of co branding. An event is organized by a certain company or is legitimized by its brand. When an event is the carrier of its own brand the question of its relation to the brand of the organizer arises. A strong brand of the organizer spills some of its value onto the brand of the event, yet it should be considered what happens to the brand of the organizer when a slip occurs in the brand of the event, another overlooked, yet simple truth.

Everything concerning branding is in fact basically simple. We sit on the stove and tell stories. And we’re aware there is no room for laptops, plastic shopping bags and quick-frozen foods on the stove.

Barometer of Congress prices in Slovenia and SE Europe

Beograd cheapest, a congress in Zagreb or Bucharest is the most expensive. Maribor cheapest in Slovenia.

The editorial board of Kongres magazine decided to establish a barometer of congress prices for Slovenia and some cities across SE Europe. We asked the most popular provider of congress capacities at a certain location to prepare a price for a hypothetical meeting of an association, taking place in the high season in September 2011. The barometer included nine locations. To compare the results we prepared a standardized form.
The price of the congress was split in two parts – the congress itself and the accommodation.

The price of the congress part includes hiring a conference room for 100 people and:
• Cinema set up of chairs in the room;
• 2 coffee brakes including coffee, tea, water, juice and pastry;
• 1 lunch break (cold and hot snacks)
• The conference room should have LCD, a sound system and a present technician.
The accommodation part includes a bed and breakfast in a 4 star hotel.
The research showed the cheapest congress destination is Belgrade; the most expensive are Zagreb and Bucharest. Most Slovenian providers are in the golden middle.

Eyjafjallajökull

How to handle the next volcanic eruption?

Could you imagine a more complicated and unpronounceable title of an article? No. You couldn’t – yet, this word, this Icelandic volcano, which has been spewing ash since the middle of April and grounding aircraft, encompasses the whole message of newly discovered knowledge on crisis management in (Slovenian and international) tourism. Just as described in the book published by our publishing house a few months ago.
A negative event or occurrence in the age of “new normality” can happen any time anywhere. If it happens in Iceland, we might feel it in let’s say....the Slovenian town of Olimje. We have to expect the unexpected. It’s true: nothing may surprise us, as we used to say in the times of the bitter red regime.

The ash eruption of Icelandic volcano (Eyjafjallajökull lies 25 km from Katla, a more powerful volcano. Every eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in the years 920, 1612 and 1821 was followed by an even stronger one from Katla), has caused the grounding of aircraft all over Europe and even Slovenia. It’s true – we’re not guilty of anything, yet this crisis in air travel has affected us as well. To be realistic, the Slovenian meeting industry was affected first, because April and May are ideal months for business meetings, much less so for vacations.

Who is to blame?
Eyjafjallajökull, the only volcano with its own fan club on Facebook. Not one, but three.
No one can be blamed for the eruption of a volcano. Remember there are two types of negative events in tourism: those caused by man (terrorism, arrogance or accidents), and those referred to as “vis maior”, higher power or even as the act of god. This eruption is of course counted as the latter. Yet the quarrels in the European air market were caused by people. We have to understand that even our small national air carrier Adria Airways suffered over one million Euro in losses – imagine the losses accounted by the gigantic Lufthansa. Airplanes are like hotel rooms – the most expensive ones are empty ones. A plane unable to fly is a luxury no air carrier can afford.

Opinions on whether a plane could fly through volcanic ash are of course very different. While airports and air controllers claimed no human life should put at risk (planes should stay grounded) the airlines and their representative IATA were furious. Giovanni Bisignani, who has been running the Geneva airlines association for eight years, told the BBC that what happened was a ‘complete disaster’. The situation was worse in the UK, since British Airways uncovered evidence that volcanic ash would not harm the planes. The thousands of tourist, and congress delegates had no access to this data. They have lost a lot of money, time and nerves. So did many hotels, including receptionists, waiters, taxi drivers, along with many guests. A lot of materials printed for congresses in April or May will go to waste. Who will pay the damages? Apparently, we’ll have to ourselves.
So what do we do if Eyjafjallajökull keeps spewing ash? Or if his larger brother Katla gets the hiccups as well? There are thousands of possible scenarios. It might be a good idea to sit and write them all down with a nice glass of wine in hand.
The book “Crisis management” will not solve the crisis, yet it will provide useful advice on how to behave in such cases. We are certainly not going to Iceland to try to put out the raging volcano; we will rather grab the bull by its horns. Since the largest number of foreigners is brought here by Adria Airways it deserves our full attention and cooperation. We have to acknowledge our business partners also have serious issues and costs with the cancellations of flights. Keep regular contact with them, if possible pay them a visit and try to negotiate the rescheduling of a conference, meeting, incentive trip.

In short – we need to focus on two main tasks:
a) Crisis communication before, during and after the crisis of the air industry (keep contact with Adria Airways and other airlines, communicate with other meeting planners and tourist groups, also with agents who can transport the guests by ground);
b) Internal en external responses to the crisis: internal are mostly fresh organization solutions and updating the work processes, the external is focusing on markets which are accessible without air travel.
Considering the latter – let us remind the Slovenian government once again we need to hurry with the modernization of the Slovenian railways. A normal high speed train (TGV, InterCity) could reach Ljubljana from Amsterdam in six instead of twenty hours.

The boy who cried “wolf”!
A long time ago a boy from an Indian village cried “wolf, wolf!” each night. The villagers took to their arms and came to his defence only to realize he was dreaming. Eventually they stopped coming altogether. One morning they found him murdered by wolves. So, it might be a better idea to keep the planes on the ground than to risk an accident like the one near Smolensk where the Polish president was killed. The very first scenarios of crisis management came from none other than airlines.
Let us conclude with some borrowed Brecht: “The book is an excellent instrument against the crisis in tourism, do read it sometime”.

Rok Klančnik

Italy's meeting industry trade show - BTC

From 30th June to 2nd July Rimini played host to Italy’s only meeting industry trade show BTC. Representatives of Kongres magazine also took part, since the magazine was one of the media partners of the event. We were very curious, since the event took place in Rimini for the first time. Our doubts soon withered away, since the organization was flawless from the start. On the first evening the organizers took us to the city state of San Marino where we got to know the local culinary specialities and wines. On July 1st the doors of the trade show BTC opened its doors. The show began. After browsing through the exhibitors we were a little disappointed to find only one representative from SE Europe – the Serbia Convention Bureau, but we believe this will change in the future. Connections between Italy and SE Europe in the meeting industry are inevitable.

The organizers impressed us with the side programme since they brought many prominent names from the meeting industry such as Paul Kennedy, Roger Kellerman, Rob Davidson…who prepared very interesting and educational lectures. Every event need some entertainment as well, so the organizers invited us to a beach party where the entertained us in their own unique way – with loads of animation full of positive energy. The next day the event continued as planned and ended towards the evening. You can find out a bit more about BTC from the interview with its director Gabriella Ghigi in this issue.

Can you briefly introduce BTC to our readers?

BTC is the only Italian trade show for the meeting industry, this year already in its 26th edition. This is the first year it is taking place in Rimini: previously, it was held in Florence for 22 years and in Rome for 3 years. So it has a new host city and a new date – it used to take place in autumn. The decision to bring BTC to Rimini and to have it in July was based on the market demands. Autumn is a very busy time and it comes too late for corporate organizations and budgeting, so we decided to move it a little bit earlier so that people in the meeting industry would have more time to come to the show, since it is off season for the events and also because it is the time when corporate organizations haven’t planed the events for the autumn jet. So July is the perfect time to come to the show and see the suppliers.

Why Rimini?

Rimini is one of Italy’s leading conference destinations. It has good facilities, a very well organized network for the meeting industry and in September it will gain a new congress centre. It also has a convention bureau that works very well and supports BTC in all the activities.

What about the novelties of BTC?

BTC started in a new direction this year. The show is “the” marketplace in Italy for B2B in the meetings industry, and is first and foremost focused on business, but we wanted to take it also beyond the exhibition floor so that participants’ professional skills and relations between people can be strengthened through education and networking. We have a programme of 27 educational events, a pre-show networking workshop and two networking evening events. One more innovation is that we included in the show many elements to make it more experiential, and worked with some exhibitors giving them advice on how to make their stand less traditional and more innovative, stimulating them to make buyers “live” their product or service, rather than just giving tham a brochure. We are designing a new model to meet and do business in the meetings industry.

What about the future? Do you see more exhibitors from SEE?

Absolutely, the SEE is a growing market for Italy as well. We are definitely looking for new opportunities in that market. For the first time the Serbian Convention Bureau is attending BTC. SEE market is definitely a market that we would like to take part in the show. We would like to make connections with local associations

How about a little bit of statistics?

This year we have 320 exhibitors and over 300 buyers from 19 countries. That makes the show compact, traditional size, with a forecast to get bigger as the market gets stronger in general after the crisis in 2009 and also with the strengthening of the Italian market due to new congress facilities that are in construction in Rimini, Rome, Milano and the Italian Convention Bureau whose establishment, as announced here by the Minister for Tourism, is under way. With those facilities we will have new and modern infrastructure to host biggest congresses. BTC is a reflection of the market, and we forecast that the show will grow together with the Italian meetings industry.

Where are the buyers from?

The most buyers are from Italy then Germany, UK, France and Russia but also from all of East and West European countries and also some from the USA, yet for now BTC is more on a European scale. In the future, maybe we will bring them from Asia as well, if there is an interest in Italy as a destination for their events.

Special massage to the readers of Kongres magazine?

Come to BTC next year. Come and see Rimini, come and see the show, it will be a great experience.

IT&CMA and CTW 2010 Backed By MICE and Corporate Travel Industry Demand

BANGKOK, IT&CMA 2010 sees returning exhibitors pledging substantial increase in their participation. National Convention and Exhibition Bureaus such as Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Seoul and Korea have committed to larger floor spaces of 20% to 50%.

“The increased participation affirms Asia-Pacific’s desire to further expand the MICE industry in Asia. Choosing IT&CMA is testimony of their confidence that the event can deliver superior business prospects.” acknowledges Mr Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media, organizer of IT&CMA and CTW 2010. With some 5 months to the event in October 5th to 7th, IT&CMA 2010 has sold more than 90% of its’ exhibition space.

Confidence in the show remains buoyant despite the recent challenges in Bangkok. “The safety and welfare of our delegates are our utmost priority. As normalcy returns to Thailand we are confident that the event will be staged with minimal disruption.” assures Mr. Darren Ng. Long-standing partner Thailand Convention and Exhibitions Bureau (TCEB) has also re-affirmed its support and commitment to making IT&CMA and CTW 2010 a success.

The team remains positive that industry demand will spur IT&CMA and CTW 2010 to outperform last year’s sales and delegate numbers. In addition to exhibitor bookings, the organizers have received more than 500 applications from interested buyers, corporate travel managers and media to date. These numbers are set to increase as marketing efforts heighten in the run-up to the event. Registrations for IT&CMA and CTW 2010 can be made at www.itcma.com or www.corporatetravelworld.com respectively.

About IT&CMA and CTW 2010

Asia’s only double bill event in MICE and Corporate Travel will be held from 5th to 7th October 2010 at Bangkok Convention Center, CentralWorld, Bangkok. Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) will bring together MICE suppliers and buyers in a 3-day exhibition showcase coupled with intensive business appointments. Exhibition features include products, services and solutions relating to meetings, incentives, conventions and events. The Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific is a conference driven by Corporate Travel & Entertainment (T&E) content. Influencers, planners and decision-makers of Corporate Travel functions in their organisation attend the annual conference to keep themselves abreast of the latest trends and knowledge that can enable them to get the most out of their (T&E) decisions. Sessions are led by prolific industry veterans. This 2010 will see the 18th and 13th instalment of IT&CMA and CTW respectively.

Media Contact
Cheryl Tan (Ms.)
Marketing Manager
TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd
1 Science Park Road, #04-07, The Capricorn
Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117528
Tel: (65) 6395 7575 Fax: (65) 6536 0896
Email: cheryl.tan@ttgasia.com
Organiser Website: www.ttgasiamedia.com
Event URL: www.itcma.com  www.corporatetravelworld.com

Hotel and venue news

A new hotel for Bioterme

Bioterme Mala Nedelja are building a new four star hotel. First guest are expected in the middle of June 2010. Hotel Bioterme **** is a modern facility, which combines a modern hotel environment with freshness, a touch of nature and the heritage of our forefathers. www.bioterme.si

Unior tourism continues to invest in tourism infrastructure

The most significant investment this year is planned in the spa, upgraded of Dobrava hotel. The spa will get 45 new rooms with 100 beds, expanded restaurant with 173 additional seats, new conference rooms in size 622 m2 and wellness area size 440 m2.
Investment value is estimated at 10,9 mio €, of which 2,5 mio is obtained from the European Union.
The construction will begin next month, its completion is sceduled for May 2011.
www.terme-zrece.eu

Serbia to launch the “Ambassador Program”

Serbia Convention Bureau is starting its Ambassador Program. This program is being implemented to increase the awareness and importance of Serbia in the international association market through the network of Serbian professors, doctors and businessmen that are recognized in their international networks. Initiation of the Program is a vital step for introducing the Serbia as new destination to prospective international clients. Besides the aforementioned academic and business representatives, all key meeting industry stake holders, together with Serbia Convention Bureau and official ministries representatives are included in this successful puzzle.

Convention Bureau at SIW 2010

The 13th Slovenia Incoming Workshop (SIW) the largest annual tourism trade event in Slovenia, was held in Ljubljana from 3rd to 5th of June. The SIW had a special green motif this year – to encourage green vacations and services. This is one of the reasons it was held in Ljubljana – a junction of green nature and culture. The tourist offer of the country, which attracted the attention of renowned critics of green tourism, is linked with partners who know what the clients want. The organizer of SIW, Slovenia Tourist Board, has invited many new and up-and-coming clients, who will open up new opportunities. This year 65 % of the participants were foreign and have never before attended the SIW. In 2009 only 52% of new participants were recorded. The number of Slovenian participants also reached record levels.

Kongres magazine getting more and more recognizable

The Kongres magazine is becoming more and more recognizable in the area of SE Europe and elsewhere with the help of its new design and contents on the meeting industry. The results can be seen in the number of invitations it has received as media partner to events all over Europe and beyond.

This year Kongres magazine will be the media partner of:
• IMEX, Frankfurt
• ECECIBT, Istanbul
• BTC, Rimini
• Conventa, Ljubljana
• IT&CMA, Bangkok

Discover The Alpe-Adria: Tourism and Leisure Fair

In June 2010 the key actors of tourism in Slovenia unanimously welcomed the updated concept of the largest fair event in the field of tourism in Slovenia and founded the Expert Committee of the Alpe-Adria: Tourism and Leisure Fair. The Tourism and Leisure event, which took place annually at the end of January at GR-Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, with its ambition for greater visibility of its offer, segmented by individual products and the expectations of the visitors, is expanding over the Alpe-Adria region and is becoming its central tourist event.

The organizer of the updated event, GR-Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, will, together with its partners, strive to equally represent at the Fair all tourist destinations within the region, thus on the one side facilitating greater recognition of exhibitors via various marketing tools, and on the other, the visitors will be offered actual possibilities for spending their holidays and leisure time. The patronage of the Alpe-Adria: Tourism and Leisure has already been accepted by the City Municipality of Ljubljana with its Mayor, Zoran Janković, as the host of the above mentioned meeting, and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Slovenia.

More information available at:
spela.bratun@gr-sejem.si
www.alpeadria-travelshow.com

A new bike map of Obsotelje and Kozjansko

In the beginning of the cycling high season in May the Development agency Sotla from Šmarje pri Jelšah published a new bike map of Obsotelje and Kozjansko. “Tell me what you drive and I’ll tell you who you are” is a modernised version of an old Slovenian proverb. If your answer is “bicycle” you are probably healthier and environmentally conscious as well as invited to get to know the new cycling destination – Obsotelje and Kozjansko. www.ra-sotla.si