Interviews with world-acclaimed industry professionals
This year marked Kongres Magazine’s eighth selection of the most influential people in the regional meetings industry. In-depth interviews saw distinguished influencers delve into the future of events, their greatest achievements and what changes they would like to see in the future.
Influencers were divided into several comparable categories, thus offering an overview of Who is Who in the regional meetings industry. Below are the interviews conducted with the most influential people in the meetings industry.
Aigars Smiltans: “2022 should be the year we go back to live events”
Kongres Magazine talked to Aigars Smiltans, the director of Meet Riga.
Tadeja Pivc Coudyser: “I would like to see the meetings industry as part of the destination’s strategy”
Kongres Magazine chatted with Tadeja Pivc Coudyser, director of the Slovenian Convention Bureau.
Igor Kovačević: “Stepping out of the comfort zone is a must”
Kongres Magazine talked to Igor Kovačević, Assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade and CEO of Serbia Convention Bureau.
Eleni Sotiriou: “The expertise of a destination’s professionals is a valuable asset”
Kongres Magazine talked to Eleni Sotiriou, Managing Director of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau.
Andrzej Hulewicz: “These last two pandemic years made me a newcomer again”
Kongres Magazine talked to Andrzej Hulewicz, Vice President of Mazurkas Travel Poland.
Malgorzata Przygorska-Skowron: “Congresses should continue to have the power to change destinations”
Kongres Magazine talked to Malgorzata Przygorska-Skowron, Manager of Krakow Convention Bureau.
Fredi Fontanot: “The MICE industry is like a theatre”
Kongres Magazine talked to Fredi Fontanot, MICE destination coordinator at Portorož Tourist Board.
Ziya Artun: “Our industry is always one step ahead”
Kongres Magazine talked to Ziya Artun, General Manager of Atölye Group.
Dušan Borovčanin: “2022 will be the year of the start to full recovery”
Kongres Magazine interviewed Dušan Borovčanin, Deputy CEO of Serbia Convention Bureau.
Tanja Bogdanov: “I am proud to have pioneered Serbia’s meetings industry”
Tanja Bogdanov, Managing Partner and Founder of Vekol DHC shared her greatest achievements.
Kristina Mirosavljević: “Every business has to be mission-driven”
Kongres Magazine talked to Kristina Mirosavljević, CEO of Sava Center, Delta Holding.
Claudia Badiu: “I focus on putting Romania on the map as an emerging MICE destination”
Kongres Magazine talked to Claudia Badiu, General Manager of Paloma Tours.
Kyriakos Pozrikidis: “An exhibition centre is more than economic infrastructure”
Kongres Magazine talked to Kyriakos Pozrikidis, Managing Director of TIF-Helexpo.
Paula Fanderowska: “We will be able to return to hosting in-person events”
Interview with Paula Fanderowska, Vice President of the Management Board of Krakow5020 Ltd.
Petra Stušek: “Multi-hub meetings will be an alternative to large-scale international meetings”
Interview with Petra Stušek, Managing Director at Ljubljana Tourism and Board President at European Cities Marketing.
Sanja Vukov-Colić: “New ways of thinking are a sure way of re-establishing growth”
Interview with Sanja Vukov-Colić, Deputy CEO of Spektar putovanja.
Brigitta Balsai: “The meetings industry offers endless networking possibilities”
Interview with Brigitta Balsai, Regional Sales Manager, Hungary & South-East Europe at Marriott International.
Mariska Kesteloo: “I would love to see a change in our industry”
Interview with Mariska Kesteloo, Founder of Word of MICE.
Valentini Amarantidou: “Covid has helped us reset and rethink our business and profession”
Interview with Valentini Amarantidou, Director of Development at Artion Conferences & Events.
Judit Denes: “Our job is absolutely people-centric”
Interview with Judit Denes, Director of Sales and Marketing at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest.
Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka: “Now is the time to start rebuilding the industry”
Interview with Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka, Managing Director at Power Agency.
Melinda Rebrek: “I hope that human nature will prevail and keep the event industry alive and kicking”
Interview with Melinda Rebrek, co-owner of Pirana Productions.
Jaka Gornik: “Digitalization is a perfect formula to grow in the next few years”
Interview with Jaka Gornik, founder and CEO at Confiva.
Marko Ertl: “We hope to create momentum to experience a full season of events”
Interview with Marko Ertl, Co-Founder and Director of Wrapstars.
Zsolt Kassai: “Creating value and long-lasting experiences inspires me the most”
Interview with Zsolt Kassai, General Manager of Special Effects International.
Nadin Kenderesy: “The key challenge of the future is hybridisation”
Interview with Nadin Kenderesy, Director of Public Relations & Event Management at Turizmus Ltd.
Dada Jerovšek: “We want to witness a change from not working at all to working 24/7”
Interview with Dada Jerovšek, Owner & Marketing Manager at Kaval Group.
Stefan Kozak: “The current situation has shown us that the power of humanity is really strong”
Interview with Stefan Kozak, Founder and Managing Director at CREATIVE PRO group & and E.bot Technology.
Maja Babic: “New technologies will play a crucial role in the development of the industry”
Interview with Maja Babic, Event and Production Manager at Bagi Communications.
