Searching for the heart of unsung Europe

The venue for this year’s Conventa was a very easy setting to appreciate. It’s a fair boast for any country to say it shares its border with both the Mediterranean and the Alps, and while it supplies only 46km of Club Med coastline – two centimetres per inhabitant, if you’re interested – Slovenia fuses these two worlds and much else besides. It shares vineyards with the north Italians, and country stacks, castles and cuisine with Croatia, Austria and Hungary. Almost two-thirds of the country is given to forest, yielding outstanding livestock and produce that results in national cuisine genuinely worth shouting about. It’s one of the most quietly kept secrets in South East Europe, yet you can drive from its capital, Ljubljana, to Venice in two hours. However, it does have its champions. In recent years the city has been appointed as the World Book Capital, and made the top five of Forbes’ list of most idyllic places to live in Europe. With a modest population of just two million occupying 20,000sq km, its is highly likely that you’d struggle to place it on a map, much less have actually crossed its borders. But the former Yugoslavian republic has been seeking attention even since winning its independence in 1991. The country went on to become both an EU and NATO member in 2004, adopting the euro as its national currency in 2007, and today it’s global presence is expanding. In 2016 Ljubljana, will be the European Green Capital, as decreed by the European Commission. The city’s bucolic surroundings, spotless and car-free centre, river promenades, medieval Old Town and looming 12th century castle all make for a destination that is at once accessible and engaging for tourists of all walks. A trip to Ljubljana will end with delegates having developed a real feel for the city, something possible in a capital of just 283,000 residents and often missing with larger destinations elsewhere in Europe. While Slovenia lacks a stand-out industry sector – its construction sector previously accounted for a third of GDP but is now in decline – it is nonetheless per capita the richest of the Slavic countries, even after a remarkable slump resulting from the 2008 global financial crisis. The bulk of its economy is built around the service sector, with tourism arising from congress business an integral part of the mix. What it does have is people willing to learn, and many of them. Ljubljana, like many capitals, is home to Slovenia’s leading universities. Around 60,000 students attend Ljubljana University, with many others progressing to or otherwise attending the city’s other scientific institutes including the Josef Stefan Institute, UNESCO International Centre for Chemical Studies, and Technology Park Ljubljana, which offers young entrepreneurs an incubator programme that enables their innovation to reach implementation. The bulk of this business takes place in the capital, and Ljubljana is well championed by its current mayor, now in his second term. Perhaps the city’s position on enterprise and its dedication to modern business can be seen in mayor Zoran Jankovic’s election. He is a businessman with history in the retail sector, an eye for enterprise and the need to capitalise on and promote Slovenia’s developed economy. He’s also actively involved in any business taking place in his home city. Jankovic was not only present but dancing at Conventa this year, acknowledging the opening night band’s rendition of a favourite song by propping himself up on the stage. Core among the city’s MICE objectives is the attraction of association meetings, corporate events and incentives. The city is less suited to large congresses and exhibitions due to a lack of large venues. Most stand-out venues are capable of accommodating groups of 75, according to the convention bureau. Venues such as the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, and Cankarjev Dom Congress Centre (aka Cankar Hall), where the gala drinks for Conventa took place, lead the way. Both are large enough to handle modest international events and both are well withing walking distance of the city’s leading hotels and, should the event end too early early for you, bars and cafes. Cankarjev Dom will host the Medicine of South East Europe congress, 4-7 June, attended by up to 800 delegates, and a week later the 16th European Congress of Pediatric Surgery, Eupsa 2015. In August it is the stage for the Alzheimer Europe Conference for 700 delegates. Larger events take place at Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre. In September it stages the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Therapy event, ESRA, which will be attended by 1,500 delegates. Other city centre venues are also busy this year, including the Grand Union Hotel – one of the primary MICE hotels – as are the various faculties at the University of Ljubljana. Despite being one of the richest countries per capita in South East Europe, Slovenia also offers a good price and quality ratio, so good value for money for delegtes and PCOs alike. Slovenia is a very small country. You can come from the mountains to the coast in two hours. The whole country is an incentive destination. In two or three days you can experience the whole place and planners can pack their programmes with a great deal of variety in a compact geography. Opulence amongst tranquility Three-quarters of an hour’s drive from Ljubljana, or 25 minutes from the airport, is Bled, which offers some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and a stage for business events of a modest nature. The centrepiece, Lake Bled, is the most photographed scene in Slovenia. It offers delegates and incentive groups a selection of potential acitivities, home to a beautiful cliffside castle and church in the centre of the lake. Naturally, and that is a word chosen carefully, there is a strong focus on sustainability in and around Bled. The food is locally sourced and activities are carefully conceived to embrace the natural order of the environment, which does much to sell itself. There is an ‘adrenaline park’ on one of the hills beside to the lake, as well as a ski-slope, with more ski locations just 20 minutes into the mountains. More sedentary experiences can be had through boat rides, horse carriage tours or a round on one of the prettiest golf courses in Europe. Organisers of team-building or incentives have night skiing options. Delegates can work during the day and in the evening go skiing and have a party on top in the hut. Cycling is also an option. Sava Hotels & Resorts operates the largest tourism company in Slovenia. Aside from Bled the company has hotels in five destinations throughout the country. The Sava Group’s flagship Bled hotel, Grand Hotel Toplice, sit atop a a particularly special thermal spring. Its swimming pool is filled naturally every morning by the spring, water that is then released at night so that bathers return to fresh water every day. It’s reputedly very good for both skin and digestion. You can, were drowning not an obvious risk, both plunge yourself in and imbibe. Lake Bled is of course just one of the country’s many beauty spots, all reachable from Ljubljana as part of a congress tour. The Karst region is home to the famous Postojna Caves, while the Venetian town of Piran is an outstanding medieval town and a favoured destination on the coast, as is the beautiful Portoroz (Port of Roses). Slovenia’s future in the global MICE industry is, naturally, blooming.