Have you always wanted to work in the meetings industry?
If ‘always’ is a measure on the timeline, then its beginning is 12 years ago, since which time the level of my sympathy for the meetings industry has been sharply escalating right up until today. I have always really wanted to work in interaction with guests and to create unforgettable experiences, such as those that draw a smile on my face.

Why is your destination/country the best in the world?
Because it is simply a unique meetings destination in the protected Natura 2000 site and is not just a cliché. Is a destination on the grass, in the woods, in the mountains, among deer, swans and lakes, with thousands of stories that we tell to customers ‘made to measure’. Because we, the people, are also unique and connecting for customer happiness and satisfaction, we play more than a professional game.

What would be the first thing you would show every visitor to your country?
The combination of the urban with nature, heritage with the latest trends.

What was your ‘star’ moment so far and what is your favourite project with which you would praise yourself?
Meeting with France Slana, a man who makes a deep impression. I’m impressed by the greatness of this Sir, by his sincere and warm thoughts and the testimony, which is transmitted through his artwork. There are simply no words. In addition to Slana, for me every successful event or project is reaching the target of a unique star moment.

What motivates you most at work?
Satisfaction with the achieved goal, guest satisfaction, smiles on co-workers faces and a sense that we are taking the pre-determined track together.

How do you deal with stress?
I’m not sure that I know how to face it yet. I run, cycle and swear by Pilates on the assumption that time is not always on my side, and with my daily driving and two daughters, I fail to practice daily and regularly to reinforce myself for confrontations.

When were you last angry/disappointed and why?
Angry… I don’t like the ‘anger’ definition and I think that I’m mad in the true sense where there is the defiance or feeling, when someone does not understand because he does not want to or because of his own narrow beliefs. I am disappointed too often over relationships, over the fact that too often we overestimate our own part in relation to another person. I’ll never come to terms with the fact that envy and the imposition of a subjective opinion is part of a civilised, prosperous society.

What will be new in your business in 2013?
A lot, and I am counting that as both a personal and business goal for 2013. We are preparing thematic products across the estate: Castle, family, sports, bridal, culinary. After the event, participants can take the ‘brdo’ picnic basket to the lake, in the protected area of Natura, take a boat trip…. Stories of concetiva will be lived out, where we offer a photo hunt, castle team buildings, niche experiences in the protected area and in the castles, participants and guests will smoke trout, will be taught about protocol and we will merge the culinary art with the experience. Basically, we will only offer everything we already have on our hands and what we know and build it all together on content marketing, target oriented.

What did you learn to do last week?
I’ve learned what a green smoothie is :-) – chia seeds, goji berries and barley grass. I’ve also come across the mystery of a tragic story in Jančar’s novel ‘That night I saw her’. I deepened my knowledge of content marketing and learned the secrets of the Bizaboo tool.

Where will you spend this year’s holiday and why?
Honestly, I don’t know. If my desire became a reality, it would be somewhere exploring Thai cuisine.

If there were no time and financial constraints, where would you go?
Throughout the former Yugoslavia by car from city to city, across Asia and the third would be to visit every European capital.

What would be the title of your autobiography?
Tolerance!

VOICE FROM THE TOP - Iris Kociper

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A long-time meetings industry addict, Gorazd is the Founder and owner of marketing and event agency Toleranca Marketing. He has many years of experience in planning, preparing and carrying out large international meetings and exhibitions. As the founder of the "Power to the Meetings" methodology, he still firmly believes in the power of live events and human to human communication. He is also the author of numerous articles and editor-in-chief of the meetings industry magazine Kongres Magazine.