Emotional story from Lviv: “This is how you can really help Ukraine”

No business meetings in Lviv, no business meetings in Ukraine. Not today, not tomorrow.

Today, 4 March 2022, the organisers of Conventa Trade Show hosted a special online event, dedicated to sharing first-hand information about the situation in Ukraine.

Gorazd Čad, Co-founder of Conventa, was joined by Sofiya Kayinska, Acting Director at Lviv Convention Bureau, Andriy Moskalenko, First Deputy Mayor of Lviv and Oksana Spoliak, Executive Assistant at Lviv Convention Bureau, who explained what is happening in Lviv, how people are trying to stay safe, and how we, the MICE community, can join forces to help them.

If you missed the online event, a recording is available below:

Gorazd Čad, Co-founder of Conventa started the event by saying:

“I have been wondering how to start our Conventa Trend Bar today. What should I say first? I feel incredible respect for the Ukrainian nation, and I congratulate you on your courage during these dark times. I believe every individual should have the right to freedom of speech, choice and liberty. That is the core of our industry and humans in general.”

The dirty war taking place in Ukraine has attacked the democracy and freedom of the entire world. Without an independent and free Ukraine, there will be no free Europe.

I believe we must all show solidarity. The purpose of our event is to give our colleagues from Lviv a platform where they can speak out. We want to show them that we care and that they can count on us.

We all must respond. Saying that we cannot help Ukraine is shameful. In events such as this, we must all be active. Our activities can help influence public opinion. The madness in Ukraine has to end, and it seems we have reached a point when politicians are gaining too much power again. But, because we are connected, we will fight back and help stop this war.

Before the war – how strange it is to say this – I visited Lviv, where we organised Conventa Trend Bar in person. It was springtime, and I was fascinated by the city.

I wrote this about Lviv a few years ago:

If Kyiv is the heart of Ukraine, then Lviv is its soul. In 2009, Lviv became officially recognised as the Ukrainian capital of culture, reflecting its status as a creative and educational centre that impresses with its vibrant urban spirit. When you learn that every fifth resident of Lviv is a student, then that is not so surprising. The city has been at the crossroads of East and West for the past eight centuries and is today successfully using its rich history and tradition to create a pleasant and creative atmosphere for meeting planners and participants.

The passion of Lviv’s open-minded younger generation of highly educated professionals can instantly be felt when you talk to them … to Andriy, Oksana, Lina, and Sofiya.

Our event today is dedicated to all who wish to help Ukraine. I am grateful for everyone who has joined us, and I hope that, by the end of today’s Trend Bar, we will all do our best to help Ukrainian people. I am also honored that Sofiya accepted our invitation.

Today, we will get a first-hand, realistic picture from Ukraine and not news from social media.

That is why I am grateful that we are joined by SOFIYA KAYINSKA, the acting director of the Lviv Convention Bureau. A few days ago on February 17, Sofiya was writing about her beautiful city in the last newsletter by Lviv Convention Bureau. They shared the results of great work in 2022 with a special focus on congress ambassadors.

Now she and all of Lviv are fighting for their country.