CONVENTA WEEK 2.0.22 - The last week of August will be marked by Conventa and Conventa Crossover

Conventa, the festival of the regional meetings industry, has been taking place for the past fourteen years without exception. This year, Conventa will again take place in the summer, thus intertwining three events: the international tradeshow Conventa, the Conventa Crossover conference and the Conventa Best Event Award competition. The tradeshow will be attended by 92 exhibitors and 146 hosted buyers, while 120 participants will join Conventa Crossover. The organisers welcomed a record-breaking 43 projects for the Conventa Best Event Award competition that will compete for the coveted award. Conventa Week will take place from 23 to 26 August 2022 in Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and various locations across Ljubljana.

“Hand-picked hosted buyers coming from 32 countries this year are at the heart of Conventa. We put great emphasis on their quality. Out of 455 registered hosted buyers, we selected only 32,1% with the greatest potential. Conventa priorities quality over quantity” explained Miha Kovačič, co-founder of Conventa.

Conventa has showcased its agility and adaptability numerous times. Sustainable event organisation is in the limelight at Conventa. More importantly, reducing the event’s impact on the environment sits at the heart of Conventa’s aspirations. That is why Conventa will measure its carbon footprint in cooperation with Climate Partner once again. Following the project, the organisers will create a detailed report summarising measures and recommendations for the entire meetings industry. All information regarding the event’s sustainable transformation is available at: https://conventa.si/green-conventa/. A report on Conventa’s environmental impact will be published in September.

Sustainable event organising will also be the focal topic at Conventa Crossover. Jan-Jaap in Der Maur, one of Europe’s most renowned moderators, will moderate the distinguished event. As the organisers say, the moderator is a guarantee that the event will be immensely interactive and that they will fulfil their promise: “life is too short to waste at boring and non-interactive events.” Among a slew of impressive speakers and Crossover icons, this year’s Crossover will play host to several speakers attending for the premier time. Claus Raasted, director of The College of Extraordinary Experiences and a pioneer in experience marketing, will host an eye-opening lecture. In addition, Bo Krüger, an exceptional Danish event designer and author of the iconic event organising model Meetovation, will thrill attendees. Rounding off the selection is Jordan Waid, an internationally-awarded filmmaker and an advocate of design thinking.

Gorazd Čad, the co-founder of Conventa, highlighted: “We envisaged Conventa and Conventa Crossover as a safe space where attendees will unplug from everyday duties and worries. They will discuss the future, environmental responsibility, innovation, see the best events in the industry and facilitate new business opportunities.”

Among novelties this year is the Conventa Academy educational programme, taking place on Thursday, 25 August 2022, in the morning. The programme encompasses an overview of competencies that event organisers and managers of convention bureaus will need in the future. The speakers are authorities in various fields of event organising. Conventa Academy will be moderated by Ivo J. Franschitz and Kim Myhre.

Conventa will again host the IMEX Future Leaders Forum, attended by more than 30 regional young talents. The event addresses one of the core challenges faced by the industry - activation and developing careers in the meetings industry. The joint intiative by the MPI association, IMEX and Conventa has been taking place since the inception of Conventa. Over 300 prospective young talents have attended the programme thus far.

As tradition dictates, the Conventa Best Event Award will award the best event in New Europe. The finalists will be presented on Thursday, 25 August 2022, while the winners will be awarded at Conventa Crossover on Friday, 26 August 2022.

A welcome novelty at Conventa will be an exhibition space dubbed the “Experience Zone”. Here, providers of technical equipment, informational technologies and systems for event organising, congress service providers and providers of tools for marketing and event production will showcase their services. The entire list of exhibitors is available at https://conventa.si/exhibitors-directory-2022/