The Slovenian Congress Ambassador Programme has been led by the Slovenian Convention Bureau since 2019, with the support of six destination clubs, the Slovenian Tourist Board and project partners. Cankarjev dom has been actively participating in the project since the beginning by nominating organisers of congresses that took place in Cankarjev dom.
The eminent group of individuals, including 87 congress ambassadors, were joined by 17 new experts who received the honourable title of Slovenian Congress Ambassadors in 2024. They received the titles for events hosted in 2023.
By participating in international associations, the Slovenian Congress Ambassadors play an integral role in promoting Slovenia and the internationalisation of science and economy. With their help, Slovenia is evolving into a desired destination for international scientific, business and sports events.
Here are the recipients of the Slovenian Congress Ambassador title in 2024 who organised their event in Cankarjev dom in partnership with the venue’s dedicated PCO team.
- Assoc. Prof. Dr., MD Katja Groleger Sršen, for the organisation of the 35th Annual Meeting European Academy of Childhood Disability
Dr. Katja Groleger Sršen comes from the University Rehabilitation Institute Republic of Slovenia Soča (URI Soča), the Department of Rehabilitation of Children. She has been involved in numerous expert and research associations besides her role as the Editor of the Rehabilitation Magazine. She is also a member of the editorial board of the ISIS Magazine and a reviewer for other international magazines. She is active at the Faculty of Medicine and the Pedagogical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana. As the President of the Local Committee, she organised the congress titled »Smarter Goals for a Better Future« in cooperation with EACD’s scientific and organisational committee. The congress, which took place in May 2023 in Cankarjev dom, was attended by nearly 800 attendees from 51 global countries. The attendees had the chance to gain meaningful insights into the latest trends and challenges in the rehabilitation of children and adolescents.
- Assoc. Prof. Dr Matej Bernard Kobav, for the organisation of the 30th Quadrennial Session of the CIE – International Commission on Illumination
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Matej Bernard Kobav has been working at the Lighting and Photometry Laboratory of the Faculty of Electric Engineering at the University of Ljubljana. His research focuses on lighting illumination; namely, on conducting experiments in photometry. He is the Head secretary of the Lighting Engineering Society of Slovenia, the Head Secretary of the Slovenian National Committee of the CIE and a representative of division 3 in the Slovenian National Committee at CIE. He is also a member of multiple technical boards at the CIE association and an expert reviewer for the Slovenian and Croatian branches. The 30th Quadrennial Session of the CIE – International Commission on Illumination converged over 400 attendees in September 2023 in Ljubljana. The quadrennial conference is the largest global conference on illumination.
- Dr Martin Šala, for the organisation of the European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry – EWCPS
Dr. Martin Šala is employed at the Chemical Insitute of Slovenia. After completing his master’s in organic chemistry and biochemistry and a PhD in chemical analysis at the University of Ljubljana, he continued his post-doctoral research in Japan and the Czech Republic. His research focuses on advanced methods of plasma spectrochemistry and their application in chemical analysis. Beyond his research activities, he has been active internationally, co-organising the EWLA 2016 conference, the EWLA 2018 conference and the EWCPS 2023 conference. The latter conference was hosted in Ljubljana in January 2023, with over 500 experts in chemistry in attendance.
- Dr. Vid Simon Šelih, for the organisation of the European Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry – EWCPS
Dr. Vid Simon Šelih is also employed at the Chemical Insitute of Slovenia, where his research revolves around elementary plasma spectrochemistry and research with advanced laser methods. As the head of the CVTA laboratory, he has also been researching advanced instrumental analysis methods, most of all by cooperating with the pharma industry within the framework of GMP. In 2016 and 2023, he helped organise the EWLA 2016 and EWCPS 2023 international conferences.
Honourable Congress Ambassador of Slovenia
- Prof. Dr. Bojana Beović, MD, President of the Medical Chamber of Slovenia and professor at the Faculty of Medicine, for organising numerous international scientific events
Prof. Dr. Bojana Beović is currently serving her second term as the President of the Medical Chamber of Slovenia. She is also a professor of infectious diseases at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ljubljana. She has helped co-organise several international and national conferences and educational programmes. As a keynote speaker, she was invited to several esteemed conferences at home and abroad. Her main field of research is antimicrobial stewardship and controlled use of antibiotics. She is the author and co-author of over 300 articles in national and international publications. During the pandemic in 2020, she led the expert consultancy group at the Slovenian Ministry of Health.
In 2023 and 2024, she organised an expert meeting titled »ESCMID AMS Certificate Programme Advanced Course: The structure and position of AMS and antimicrobial stewardship aspects of management of infections«.
International Slovenian Congress Ambassador
- Mr. Iain Bitrain for organising the 2023 ISPIM Innovation Conference – Innovation and Circular Economy
Iain Bitrain is the Executive Director of the International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM), tasked with growing the association since 2003. He has organised several international conferences, developing strong networks and ties ever since. He has partaken in numerous projects that have led to groundbreaking innovation. In addition, he has edited and published numerous publications and articles on growing innovation. He regularly gives talks at global conferences. He is the official MICE ambassador for the city of Fukuoka in Japan and a Member of the Association Advisory Council at ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association). Iain is also mesmerised by the captivating country of Slovenia and is a true ambassador of the country within the international meetings industry. The ISPIM Innovation Conference 2023 took place in Cankarjev dom in June 2023.
