Within the framework of the 11th Conventa trade show, the largest event in the field of business and congress tourism in New Europe, we received two prestigious certificates: Meeting Star Award for a congress destination in the category of cities that can host events for up to 2000 people, and the certificate for one of the best destinations in New Europe.

Both certificates are important recognitions for Ljubljana for its achievements in the field of congress tourism contributing to the recognisability of Ljubljana and Slovenia as an attractive destination for congress and business meetings in the European area.

Meeting Star Award

Each year an international expert jury, made up of 12 evaluators with over 12 years of experience in the field of congress tourism, evaluates numerous European destinations which were again this year divided into four categories with respect to their capacity, that is, the number of participants the destination can host without any logistical and organisational complications.

Ljubljana was ranked among top 10 destinations for organising business meetings in the category of cities that can host up to 2000 participants (category L), while last year it was the winner in this category.

Judges visited 94 destinations in a role of secret guests and rated factors with a significant impact on the competitiveness of a city in organising business meetings. In addition to Ljubljana, Zagreb, Tallinn, Graz, Venice, Salzburg, Krakow, Bratislava, Vilna and Innsbruck competed for the title. The jury evaluated the optimum combination of the number of hotels and hotel rooms in the category of 4 and 5 stars most often used by congress tourists; maximum capacities of halls for banquet receptions and lectures; the biggest hall in the city; and the population number of the destination.

The Meeting Star Award is an award for excellence in the field of business tourism, a result of coordinated activities of a broad range of stakeholders supported by the Ljubljana Convention Bureau. The fact it is awarded in Ljubljana when it is hosting 150 international meeting organizers from 44 countries opens up an excellent opportunity for a comprehensive presentation of the city with a special emphasis on all expects of organising meetings. For Ljubljana Tourism Conventa, the main organiser of which is the Slovenian Convention Bureau, has been from the very beginning one of the most important marketing projects at the tourist destination level which is continuously building up Ljubljana’s reputation and its trade mark abroad.

The Director of Ljubljana Tourism Petra Stušek, MA, accepted the award from Gorazd Čad, Chief Editor of the Kongres Magazine and technical organizer of the trade show, saying: “We are proud that in the past years Ljubljana developed into a destination for business meetings which can satisfy even the most demanding event organizers. Two contemporary congress centres, quality congress hotels and their proximity to numerous venues, a charming city centre and friendly citizens of Ljubljana are factors that distinguish Ljubljana from the average. Excellent achievements are results of planned linking of congress and tourism operators with the goal of jointly increasing the recognisability of the destination and improving our competitive position on the international congress market.«