Over the past three days at IMEX Frankfurt, the renowned talk show Ljubljana Talks, co-hosted by Gorazd Čad and Jan Oršič, featured over 20 professionals from the meetings industry. The discussions covered a range of critical topics, including the future of the industry, the benefits of AI, strategies for attracting young talent, the positive aspects of the profession, and key issues like sustainability and the new ESRS standards.
In total, Ljubljana Talks spanned 16 hours andi it was streamed live via Kongres Magazine.
First day of Ljubljana Talks
Petra Stušek, CEO of Ljubljana Tourism and the one who kicked off Ljubljana Talks this year at IMEX Frankfurt joined Gorazd Čad and Jan Oršič by discussing the importance of unity, especially when leading multicultural associations. The same sentiment was shared by Stephanie Dubois, who emphasized that talent is infinitely more important than personal beliefs and that different points of view bring in added value and not obstacles. Both women highlighted the need for open-mindedness and dialogue which was further developed as a thought by our next speaker, Anna Abdelnoor from ISLA, who pointed out that the foundation of taking care of the environment is consciousness – knowing what we’re dealing with is the first step to fighting it.
The last speaker of day one, Pia Such from Blue Scope, brought the focus of the talks back to sustainability, especially within the automotive industry. She believes there’s still a lot of work to be done, but remains hopeful that individual steps will spur a larger, global change.
Second day of Ljubljana Talks
Ljubljana Talks’ Wednesday programme at IMEX 2024 began with Flavia de Bueil from City Destinations Alliance whose central focus was enhancing cities – trying to create better experiences for their residents as well as tourists through collaborative sustainability efforts.
The topic of eco-friendly destinations was expanded by our next guest, Richard Crawford, who, in his travels, actively avoids contributing to overtourism while prioritising sustainability. He noted the significance of happiness at one’s job as the first step for growth – personal as well as professional. Building upon this notion, our third guest of the day, Eszter Mattiassich-Aszody from Siemens, highlighted the role of creativity as the driving force in the event industry. She emphasized that happiness and satisfaction in one’s job lay the foundation for creativity, especially when combined with high-tech solutions and strategic thinking.
Creativity as the foundation of success was further pointed out by the next guest Bettina Reventlow-Mourier from Denmark who uncovered the key to Danish success – innovation through play, curiosity and through always seeking new knowledge. She also dedicated a portion of her speaking time to COVID and how it has shaped us as a society.
Our next guest showed us, that the Danish aren’t the only ones nailing this industry – David Pobjeckytalked about Bratislava, the importance of its promotion and its pursuit of sustainability through the elimination of cars in the city centre, while Natascha Ringerthaler drew attention to Salzburg, its rich cultural heritage and its potential to appeal to both leisure travellers and business delegates.
Day two wrapped up with 3 ladies: Carina Bauer and Petra Stušek joined Gorazd and Jan to say a few words on experience design and the importance of the human touch in events as well as sustainability, while Genevieve Leclerc from Meet4Impact addressed the significance of impact and what leaving a legacy means for her.
Third day of Ljubljana Talks
The next speaker, Jan-Jaap In der Maur from Moderation dived into a discussion on whether moderation is an innate talent or a skill that can be learned. The answer? Both. You have to have a deep personal talent and the drive to want to change things first. Only then can you have the will to learn more.
Our last guest, Christian Pöhlman from fischerAppelt, Live Marketing GmbH emphasised the importance of live marketing experiences in connecting brands and people, creating emotional bonds that can be shared through social media. To finish off, he touched up strategies for standing out in today’s noisy media landscape and discussed the formula for creating successful experiences.
All recordings of the talks will be available on Kongres Magazine’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to stay updated.
