MEET THE ROCKSTARS OF CONVENTA CROSSOVER 2021
Every year, Conventa Crossover invites world-renowned meeting planners, marketers, entrepreneurs, and creatives to share their knowledge in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This year won’t be any different – inspiring individuals who have helped co-create and transform the meetings industry will come together from 26 to 27 August 2021. At the same time, the organisers will be opening the stage to a new generation of young and talented meeting planners and marketers. You will learn from keynote speakers who have successfully transformed their events and are recognized as the pioneers of our new reality.
Joining the 6th Conventa Crossover conference are Gundega Skudriņa, Creative Director at Creative Association “Skudras Metropole” and Mārcis Ziemiņš, Installation Art Director at Don’t Panic Design, who will be holding a keynote lecture together.
Before you meet them at Conventa Crossover 2021, we wanted to hear their thoughts on the future of the meetings industry and see what surprises they have in store for us.
Interview with Gundega and Mārcis
Q: What do you think about the theme of this year’s Crossover – The Meetings Industry AC/BC (After Corona/Before Corona)?
Everything that happens is for the good. When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills. Those who can change, will survive. The events industry must be able to restructure itself, change itself, and ensure that winds of change are favourable for it so that it can continue to offer new experiences and vivid emotions to humanity. Cultural heritage needs to be passed down from generation to generation in a new and innovative manner.
CREATIVITY, COURAGE AND THE DESIRE TO IMPROVE WILL BE THE BEST ALLIES IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE.
Q: What is your forecast for the meetings industry in the coming year (2022) and beyond?
Hybrid forms will become more stable, digital events will develop, and people will appreciate new and innovative forms and unique ideas that will be able to open up new and successful routes for the industry whilst also encouraging economic growth. The confluence of various sectors will facilitate new types of offers.
EVENTS IN FUTURE WILL BE DESIGNED, NOT ORGANISED.
Our agency has been doing that for the past several years, and right now this is a trend that is modern and in much demand.
Q: How do you envision agility and innovation in overcoming the corona crisis? Can you share some examples of best practices?
The year of the pandemic was very successful for our company, opening up new entrepreneurial doors, encouraging international co-operation, and ensuring a pile of awards for new and innovative ideas and their implementation.
Keywords here include new ideas, courage, unprecedented solutions, a good team and a strategy for the future.
As we have dealt with the crisis, we have created new and unprecedented events in a box and pursued an entirely new area — the concept of biophilia.
Our series of “Untamed Nights” has facilitated recovery for the tourism, economic, hospitality and events industry, and it has allowed us to work in very small forms, indeed:
- Series 1: The levitating “Mirror House” above the Amata River
- Series 2: “Untamed Night on the 20th Floor”
- Series 3: The “Floating Island” on Lake Mordanga
We worked with the internationally renowned company Hugo Boss and the Boss brand to create new types of presentations of the latest fashion collections.
“Theatre by Phone” reached nine countries and was implemented in one month’s time with no one who was involved in the process needing to leave his or her home.
Q: How would you comment on the following statement?
“Coronacrisis has shown the need to organise events that are responsible to the environment, the participants and the community as a whole”
Sensible people have known for some time that the world is yearning for changes, and so for the past several years, such companies have organised events whilst thinking about the environment and the public. “Sustainable events” is a category that will not be an innovation on shortlists and competitions. It must become a leading category so that the tale of each sector and each brand can continue.
We are proud of the events that we have created, and they have received international appreciation in the past. We will work to make sure that in future, that continues to be true.
Q: What will you surprise us with at this year’s event?
We have had a positive worldview that has allowed us to create successful examples during the past year. We have been able to share our experience in terms of how to earn a GRAND PRIX and 10 1st places during the course of the year at all kinds of local and international competitions.
We are going to share experiences in terms of finding new niches in processes and to organise projects that can be ensured without leaving home but presenting them in 9 different countries.
About Gundega Skudriņa
Gundega Skudriņa is the Creative Director at Skudras Metropole. She is an expert in event production, from gastronomic performances, corporative events and community events to pop-up caffees, exhibitions and conferences. She has also won 1st place in the category Brand Experience at the BEA World 2020.
About Marcis Zieminš
Mārcis Ziemiņš is the Installation Art Director at Don’t Panic Design – a design solutions company engaged in the implementation of design, installation, scenography and non-standard projects in the private and art sectors. Mārcis has won 1st place in the category Brand Experience at the BEA World 2020.
