The first mapping matrix of the congress and MICE sector in Sofia

The matrix was presented at an online event via Zoom, with the participation of Ana Georgieva, “Digitalization, Innovation, and Investment” Expert in Innovative Sofia, Teodora Jilkova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Convention Bureau-BCB and Ivo Marinov, Director of Sofia Tourism Administration, Sofia Municipality. At the end of the presentation, a discussion and a Q&A session with the webinar participants were held. It was dedicated to developing the Sofia MICE sector and the future expansion and development of the matrix in 2021.

In recent years, Sofia has become an increasingly recognizable tourist destination, and consciously develops its potential as a business and congress destination. The key location and good connectivity, cultural and historical heritage, growing accommodation and event base, and the development of various tourist services help Sofia position itself as an attractive city for both tourists and international investors.

The city continues to work actively to build a recognizable image and brand of Sofia and its promotion as a modern, innovative European city, a preferred place for tourism, life, and business. And congress tourism plays an essential role in building this image.

The matrix was developed to illustrate the rapidly evolving MICE ecosystem in Sofia, draw attention to its various stakeholders, and showcase some of its success stories both locally and internationally. Next year, the matrix will be further expanded to include even more categories and sector representatives.

The matrix currently contains information on over 90 of the main event venues, 34 supporting organizations, and 67 of the city’s signature events. It is a tool that can be used both by the business – to show the dynamic ecosystem which it is a part of and to present the city to foreign partners, investors, and other stakeholders. Globally, cities and industry associations are also developing similar matrices to represent their ecosystems.

Next year, the matrix will be further expanded to include even more categories and sector representatives.