The Slovenian Ambassador Programme was developed by the Ljubljana Convention Bureau and launched in 2019, with the support of the Slovenian Tourist Board and numerous partners.
The spring meeting of ambassadors aimed to strengthen collaboration and share experiences among experts in organizing international events, encourage new ideas for attracting events to the region, and discuss current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the meetings industry.
At the meeting, Tourism Ljubljana emphasized the importance of the meetings industry for Slovenia’s capital. Last year, Ljubljana hosted 84 international scientific and professional meetings as well as other business and sports events. This indicates a full recovery of the meeting industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. It has helped reduce the seasonality of Ljubljana’s tourism and increased accommodation occupancy and spending throughout the year.
Toleranca Marketing, the organizer of Conventa, the largest event in the meetings industry in New Europe, held annually in Ljubljana, highlighted the importance of sustainability in event organization at the meeting. They introduced a new web application that allows event organizers to check the compliance of their events with European sustainability reporting standards. The application measures the carbon footprint of an event, and the data obtained helps improve efforts to reduce its negative environmental impact.
The meeting with the ambassadors also aimed to present new potential event venues in Ljubljana. In addition to Rog Centre, where the meeting was held, participants visited Cukrarna and the renovated Kazemate Hall at Ljubljana Castle.
Last year, thirteen Slovenian congress ambassadors were appointed as part of the Slovenian Ambassador Program. As noted by Petra Stušek, Director of Tourism Ljubljana, during the 2023 award ceremony for congress ambassadors, their work has an invaluable impact on the local community—not only from an economic perspective but also at the societal level. Congresses contribute to better education, healthcare, and social development, which is crucial for the progress of the shared environment. Moreover, their efforts strengthen Ljubljana’s reputation as a significant global meeting destination.
