The inaugural start of Conventa
Last evening, Ljubljana played host to the inaugural start of Conventa, the premier tradeshow of the meetings industry in New Europe. This year, Conventa again takes place in the summer, thus intertwining three events: the international tradeshow Conventa, the Conventa Crossover conference and the Conventa Best Event Award competition.
Reducing the event’s impact on the environment sits at the heart of Conventa’s aspirations. Conventa will thus measure its carbon footprint in cooperation with Climate Partner. Conventa Week will take place from 23 to 26 August 2022 in Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and various locations across Ljubljana.
Conventa tradeshow 2022
The tradeshow will be attended by 92 exhibitors (hotels, convention centres and convention bureaus) and 145 hosted buyers (event organisers) from 33 countries. During the course of the event, over 2500 business meetings will take place. Hand-picked hosted buyers coming from 32 countries this year are at the heart of Conventa. The organisers put great emphasis on their quality. Out of 497 registered hosted buyers, the organisers selected only 22,9% with the greatest potential. According to hosted buyers, fam trips add tremendous value to Conventa. This year, participants will have to chance to visit nine destinations in four countries.
“One of Conventa’s greatest advantages are fam trips, which are the main reason why we host the best European event organisers at the event. That is what sets Conventa apart from other tradeshows. In addition, the event stands out due to the balance between exhibitors and hosted buyers. For every exhibitor, there are thus 1,6 hosted buyers and countless new business opportunities,” explained Miha Kovačič, co-founder of Conventa.
Conventa Crossover conference
Conventa Crossover is the only professional event of its kind for regional event organisers. It has been taking place for the past seven years and is famed for its slogan: no more boring events. The focal theme of the event is Meetings Industry Unplugged or Everything you always wanted to ask about the meetings industry (but were afraid to ask). The organisers envisaged Conventa Crossover as a safe haven where attendees will unplug from everyday worries, discuss the meetings industry’s future and innovations, environmental responsibility, and see the best events in the industry. Around 100 attendees from 12 countries are expected to attend.
Gorazd Čad, the founding father of Conventa Crossover, stressed: “We prepare Conventa Crossover out of our love for events and stories that our guests from all over Europe will share. We promise to deliver an engaging, interactive event full of content and endless networking opportunities. The event has, in a way, become a lab for testing new ways to organise events.”
Conventa Best Event Award competition
The organisers highlighted the record-breaking 43 projects that entered the Conventa Best Event Award competition. The expert jury selected 28 finalists who will compete for the coveted awards on Thursday, 25 August, at Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre. The winners will be announced on Friday, 26 August 2022, during the award ceremony.
Conventa’s green pledges
The event’s core goal is to reduce its carbon footprint. Based on international studies, the carbon footprint per attendee amounts to 176,67 kg per attendee per day. This year, the organisers will again measure the carbon footprint in cooperation with Climate Partner. The results will be published in September, alongside recommendations on organising environment-friendly events responsible to society. The organisers firmly believe that the positive effects will even out with the carbon footprint, which will be reduced by 60% until 2035. All information regarding the event’s sustainable transformation is available at: https://conventa.si/green-conventa/.
Below is intriguing data regarding the carbon footprint created by the transportation of attendees. Half of all attendees come from the region (a radius of 500 kilometres).
– 506.577 km is the joint number of kilometres travelled by all attendees (12,6x times the circumference of Earth, which is 40.077 km)
– 116,52 tons is the amount of CO2 that attendees create by coming to Conventa
– 365,26 kg is the average amount of CO2 emitted by the transportation of a single participant
The structure of emissions by Conventa’s attendees according to the type of transportation:
Plane: 879,45 kg
Car: 33,9 kg
Bus: 27,2 kg
Train: 12,1 kg
The organisers have announced the date of CONVENTA 2023: the event will take place in winter, from 1 to 2 February 2023. Conventa Crossover will take place from 28 to 29 August 2023.
