Sustainable transformation takes centre stage in Ljubljana for Conventa’s 15th anniversary

The oldest event within the southeast Europe regional meetings industry has been celebrating its 15th anniversary in Ljubljana, as 147 hosted buyers from 30 countries gathered with 95 exhibitors from 15 regional countries for the 2023 Conventa trade show, 1-2 February. The show programme kicked off pre-fam trips to several destinations and selected attendees will attend the fam trips also after the two-day exhibition where organisers say 2,500 business meetings have been conducted. The opening ceremony took place in the Grand Plaza Hotel, Ljubljana, where the organisers awarded the Conventa Hall of Fame Award and Conventa Ambassador Award. This year, Umanotera – The Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development and ClimatePartner received the Conventa Hall of Fame Award. Both esteemed companies co-crafted the sustainable transformation of Conventa and helped the project claim the title of the best green and sustainable event in the world at the Bea World Festival. The Conventa Ambassador Award was awarded to Natascha Ringerthaler from Salzburg Convention Bureau. Renowned as a great advocate of Conventa, she has been promoting regional connections for years. Commenting on the awards, Miha Kovačič, the co-founder of Conventa, stressed: “The awards and the trade show celebrate 15 years this year. Each year, we are taken aback by new stories of organisations and individuals who achieve excellence and help co-create the story of Conventa. We cannot imagine Conventa without their help and trust in our project.” Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, Maja Pak highlighted the importance of the meetings industry’s sustainable transformation: “In 2022, Slovenian tourism nearly reached pre-pandemic numbers according to the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays. In terms of international travel in 2022, we have already surpassed those numbers. We are glad that live events are coming back and that tourists are returning to our country and region. The 15th anniversary of Conventa gathered numerous key stakeholders of the regional meetings industry, a sector that greatly contributes to creating added value in tourism, particularly in the off-season.” With ClimatePartner calculating that 88% of all carbon emissions were related to transport, organisers focused predominantly on the challenge of transportation and convinced 29,5% of hosted buyers to opt for sustainable mobility (train, car sharing, bus). Show co-founder Gorazd Čad said: “By measuring our carbon footprint every year, we can measure our progress and improve in the most problematic segments. The measures in our green handbook are crucial, and we will evolve them year-on-year.” In cooperation with the Slovenian Tourist Board, Ljubljana Tourism and Climate Partner, organisers this year introduced the Conventa Green Island, where attendees could learn about sustainable practices and see how they can reduce the carbon footprint of an event. Gorazd Čad outlined the event’s regenerative effects: “The organisers see Conventa as a facilitator of development for the meetings industry in Ljubljana and the region. Conventa spearheads change and is the ideal think-tank for testing and innovating in sustainable and regenerative transformation. Conventa is not only a means to multiply financial benefits and achieve constant growth but is also crucial for sustainable development and regeneration.”