dušica_todorović
Photo credit: personal archive

She embarked on her professional career in the Marketing Department of Cankarjev dom’s Congress and Event Management. She has been successfully bidding for international congresses, collaborating with Slovenian members of various international associations and preparing candidacies for them for over 15 years.

She enjoys her work very much because she sees each new project as a challenge. As her work is very dynamic, she mixes it with her private life, she travels a lot, discovers new things and does a lot of sports. It gives her pleasure to impart knowledge on younger generations, and have taught business tourism at the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management Bled for the past two years.

She is a member of the Organising Committee of the ICCA AMP 2018, to be hosted in Ljubljana.

Q: How does art complement the congress offer at Cankarjev dom – Cultural and Congress Centre?

Cankarjev dom is the largest Slovenian cultural and congress center. Culture and art are the added value and an advantage, offering to congress delegates a diversified palette of cultural events which provide an insight into the culture of a destination, a country – an opportunity for relaxation after a strenuous congress day and spiritual nourishment. As the cultural programme of Cankarjev dom is selected a year in advance, we can effectively present it to the delegates. Our cultural and Congress teams have extensive experience in both areas, and we work hand in hand. We can provide professional cultural services for various stages of an event, including an opening ceremony (programme), social gatherings and receptions.

Q: What is the most important art event/performance and what is the most important congress that Cankarjev dom has hosted so far? Could you compare their creative input?

Since 1980, Cankarjev dom has hosted extremely interesting and demanding projects – both cultural and congress events. We annually host a large-scale co-production which sets the tone for the entire season. The year 2018 is dedicated to Ivan Cankar: we have staged the iconic Scandal in the St Florian Valley, and an exhibition (in cooperation with the City Museum Ljubljana) marking the writer’s anniversary will open in June. It would be impossible to emphasize only one congress event, perhaps one of the most remarkable ones was the International Apicultural Congress Apimondia, interspersed across various venues in Slovenia – the entire country was involved in the Congress and with its three thousand participants.

Q: How does CD get congress guests at Cankarjev dom to acknowledge the cultural/art offer?

Culture is what distinguishes and defines us in today’s globalized world. If our professional organization services meet the highest currently established standards of PCOs, then we can afford to promote a culture that is our very own, Slovenian and national. When a congress delegate visits a cultural event in our establishment, then he/she will be provided with a unique experience that will help him get to know our country better. Richer for the experience, the delegate will take this message out into the world and pass it on, and CD will fulfill its mission of the ambassador of culture and science.

Q: Tell us something that might surprise the meeting planners about your city…

Undoubtedly the compactness of Ljubljana, a city where all basic infrastructure lies within walking distance. From the congress venue, most hotels and city attractions can be reached on foot. Our international airport is situated only 25 km from the city center. The strategic geographical position of Slovenia in the heart of Europe, the rich and diversified scenery in such a small area, high-quality services at affordable prices, professional conduct and kind people.

Q: What trends do you think we will see in meetings and events in Ljubljana in the next 12 months?

Large-scale congresses are planned at CD for the next couple of months, events obtained through systematic work and hard effort. Th Slovenian capital Ljubljana is a very popular destination, which is a promising sign. Consequently, the bidding process is very intense, as the Congress and Event Management department of Cankarjev dom will within the following 3 weeks prepare as many as 6 candidacies for events scheduled between 2020 and 2023. Ljubljana has great potential for development in the field of meetings and conventions. We can double our success in this area!

Q: What is your personal favorite art venue in Ljubljana?

My answer is Cankarjev dom, of course. But not because I work for CD, but because our center provides the finest and first-rate selection of art, spanning from classical and popular music to jazz, opera and ballet, theatre and contemporary dance, film, festivals and fairs, bazaars and exhibitions, as well as a wide range of educational events. Cankarjev dom provides all this in the very heart of the city, under one roof, in halls that feature intelligent design and superb technical resources.

Prepared by: Ajda Borak

Join our newsletter!

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay up-to-date with the latest updates from Kongres Magazine.