Record number of attendees at Conventa
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3 August 2011 Ljubljana, Slovenia – Organizers are happy to confirm the upswing of exhibitors and hosted buyers. The results of satisfaction survey conducted last year among the South East European participants of Conventa showed great contentment with the show. Moreover, many participants have stated that they will return to the event also in 2012. So looking at the numbers after the early bird registration this year, organizers are happy to confirm that in comparison to the same time last year, the number of exhibitors has risen by 40 percent. The majority of 71 meeting industry suppliers that have already confirmed their attendance comes from Slovenia, followed by suppliers from Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria and Albania. Around 15 percent of exhibitors are newcomers. Presenting their offer to selected hosted buyers for the first time at Conventa will be Hit Alpinea, iDMC, Rogaška Hotels & Lotus Terme, Turizem Bled, Adria Kongres, Arena Turist, Globtour Event, Uniline, Rina Travel and MK Mountain Resort.
Conventa enfolds various opportunities thus reasons for attending the event are many. Already registered exhibitors have shared their reasons for exhibiting at the fourth Conventa:
“We have decided to exhibit at Conventa every January because our respected partners & friends who organize Conventa are continuously doing their best to select both - the most serious buyers/partners from major markets as well as selected suppliers from the region. VenEvent finds it perfect place to meet all of them and to present its services.“
Slaven Reljić, Managing Director, VenEvent DMC
“We attended Conventa because we know how important are such events in meeting industry in process of convincing the hosted buyer that we are the right choice for their next event.”
Jernej Osterman, Sales Director at Austria Trend Hotel Ljubljana
“Participating at Conventa is for Schloss Velden a great opportunity to get in touch with important hosted buyers who are looking for destination in South East Europe. The professional organized side events provide the perfect surrounding for some more networking and socializing, before, during and after Conventa.”
Petra Nestelbacher, Sales Manager at Schloss Velden
“Conventa is the marketplace for the meeting industry that we are waiting and looking forward to. It has become leading and for as the most important event of the congress trade show. Getting in touch with new partners, meeting partners that we already know and we have worked together, representing them our new ideas and services is a great satisfaction.”
Alenka Brglez, Slovene market and Business Tourism, Terme Olimia
So far great interest was shown also by hosted buyers. At the moment Conventa has 11 percent more registered hosted buyers in comparison to the same time last year. The ones who have already confirmed their presence come mostly from Europe. We have asked them about their expectations of the event and they have told us the following:
“We're mostly interested in unique cultural places and events to offer to our clients – castles, monasteries, natural hideaways. We find the region of South East Europe interesting for organizing meetings, events, congresses.
It will be my first visit of the region, every place would be interesting – especially those with rich cultural heritage.”
Alexander Kazantsev, Otkrytie travels, Russia
We will be looking particularly for attractive combinations of nature and culture. For our delegates, coming from all over the world, it the region of South East Europe is a new and relatively unknown destination. We will be looking mostly for hotels with an attractive location and meeting facilities for different sizes of groups (simultaneous meetings of groups of 50-150).
Prof. Dr. H.R.Lijnen, ISFP, Campus Gasthuisberg, Belgium
“I am looking primarily to extend my knowledge and network with destinations in Southeast Europe. We get progressively more requests for East Europe. I expect Southeast Europe to pick up on this trend over the next 3-5 years. I would be interested in 4*/5* business hotels with good meeting space.”
Simon Dufaur, Commercial and Operations Director, GCO (Global Conference Organisers) B.V.
On-line registration will be open for some time and in the end organizers are expecting around 140 exhibitors from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Italy and around 300 hosted buyers.
Conventa, the leading business-to-business event in the area of meeting industry in South East Europe, will be from 18th to 19th January 2012, in Ljubljana, Slovenia. For more information please visit www.conventa.info or write to us at info@conventa.si.
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