Name: Dejana Dimitrijević
Position: Executive Director CTRS – Center for Tourism Research and Studies
Q: Tell us who you are?
My name is Dejana Dimitrijević, and my current working position is Executive Director at Centre for Tourism Research and Studies, Serbia. I am 25 years old, with a five-year career in Tourism, Hotel and the MICE Industry. I graduated from the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Science, where I got my Master’s degree as well. Even though I appreciate Tourism and Hospitality, I must say that my passion has always been Event Management and Organisation, long before I started my studies, so that is the direction I have chosen for my career and further education. I dedicated my time in high school to learning languages, as I knew this could ‘open many doors’ for me in the future. Besides Serbian, today I speak five more languages, but still wanting to learn more. I have organised all kind of events during this time, from cultural and artistic to corporate and educational ones. I am proud to say that I have had an honour of working with world recognised musicians performing at the famous music festival- EXIT FEST; as well as working with tourism industry leaders and experts – for which I am very grateful. My idea of work is that one can never stop learning, especially in this industry, so I tend to always take steps forward and learn more.
Q: What is your favourite meetings brand?
Some may say that I am not being objective with my response, but still I am proud to say that my favorite meetings brand is EIAT conference- organised for the past six years by the Centre for Tourism Research and Studies, where I currently work. EIAT stands for Education and Industry Advancing Together, and it truly meets all professional expectations, with one thing distinguishing it from other events: EIAT has a vision and shares the sharp message with its participants! This vision is introducing young leaders to globally recognised tourism experts and professionals from the public, private and academy sectors and showing that only by recognising each other strengths, can we create the Sustainable tourism products in the South East Europe region to be competitive enough for other tourism markets.
Q: What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
Every decision we take on our professional path is either brave or stupid, as some say. I have taken many, and some of them have taken me in the wrong direction, whereas others have taken me to my current position. For instance, I started coming to the EIAT conference as a student, participating as any other. Later on I was brave enough to offer the organisers to work as a volunteer, doing pretty much anything they would ask, even though I have had a well-paid job at that time. The following year, the organising team hired me as a team member, after four months I was promoted to Project Manager and after only six months I was promoted to Executive Director. With that being said, I would like to advise all young leaders to always be brave, grab the opportunity and never look back, as there might not be the next time.
Q: What’s your alternative career fantasy?
To tell you the truth, I don’t see me in any other way but this: I have chosen it many years before and I am going to stick to it until the end. I do have a dancing hobby, but I think it is smart to keep it with one profession and one direction, without questioning your choice. If you do see yourself in other job positions, than maybe you have a potential problem and it is time for some changes. :)
Q: What are you kind of obsessed with at the moment?
I am very obsessed with following new trends and always delivering something new to the events I organise. It is quite a challenge for two reasons: first of all, there are many events today, and the competition is huge! How do you stand up, that’s a question I ask myself every day?! The second thing is, that the modern trends are changing rapidly, so if I close my eyes for a moment, or take a break, I will probably miss out on some very useful innovations that I must apply if I want to keep up the quality and level of professionalism.
Executive Director
CTRS – Center for Tourism Research adn Studies
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