Q1: What makes your destination truly unique for meeting planners?
The city centre’s compactness allows planners to choose and combine different venues – from modern conference hotels to historical and out-of-the-box venues, many of them within walking distance. But, most of all, I would say it is about the people, dedicated professionals who make the impossible possible.
Q2: If your destination were a personality, how would you describe it?
Charming, laid-back & quirky.
Q3: What are the three key experiences that every event attendee should have when visiting your destination?
– Blend in with the locals by sipping your favourite coffee in one of the numerous downtown coffee shops (preferably on the terrace) and watch the street life. For the enhanced experience, do it on Saturday morning and be a part of the Zagreb “špica”.
– Take a ride on the shortest funicular in the world and visit the Upper Town – the most historical part of the city and the centre of the country’s political life. Important notice: funicular is undergoing a major reconstruction at the moment, but it will be operating again from March 2026.
– Visit Tkalčićeva Street, locally called Tkalča (Tkalcha), where you can eat in one of the restaurants, shop for souvenirs and explore cafés and bars while you are planning your late night out.
Q4: How has your destination positioned itself as a leader in the meetings industry?
Being among the leading destinations requires not just the accessibility and meeting infrastructure but a joint effort from all stakeholders, from hoteliers, PCOs and DMCs, tour guides, and transportation companies to city officials. We all work very closely together, trying to remove the obstacles and constantly improve the services in the destination. People, again, make the difference.
Q5: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities you foresee in the industry over the next three years?
There are challenges that are shared across different industries, like geopolitical situations and high inflation. The use of AI is both a challenge and an opportunity. It is obviously here to stay, but it must be used as a tool to improve, not to decrease the quality or to average the experience that is supposed to be extraordinary.
Sustainability and environmental consciousness will stay important, and we need to take this into account during the whole process of event planning. More specific problems lie in short lead times, especially for complex RFPs that are being sent out with unreasonable deadlines.
Q6: How do you engage with international event organisers and decision-makers to showcase your destination?
By attending the most important trade shows and B2B events, such as different workshops, roadshows and networking dinners. On certain markets, we organise special Zagreb presentations. We also attend major industry conferences like ICCA or SITE conferences. Attending all these events enables us to showcase Zagreb and engage with event organisers. As seeing is believing, we also use those events to identify the buyers that are most interested in our destination and bring them for the fam visit, or site inspection if they have a project that might be a perfect match for Zagreb. Conventa is a good example of a trade show/workshop with a handful of networking opportunities. Due to the fact that Ljubljana is very close to Zagreb, we always organise a fam trip for the group of the most interested hosted buyers. Another good example is MEETEX – a B2B event organised in Zagreb that connects international buyers with Croatian suppliers.
“Every destination is special, having its strengths and weaknesses. It is important to be aware of that and try to get the best out of it while improving everything you can.”
Q7: How do you support local businesses, suppliers, and venues in growing their appeal for international meetings?
We offer different kinds of support to our local stakeholders. For our DMCs, hotels and conference venues, we offer support in participating in various trade shows and workshops. When promoting Zagreb, we also promote them and locally made craftwork and other products. There are other means of support that depend on a particular project.
Q8: What initiatives do you have in place to ensure long-term growth in the MICE sector?
We will continue to support and promote our meeting facilities and service providers. Advocating for a conference centre that would provide completely new prospects for the long-term growth of the meetings industry in our capital is particularly important. Together with our colleagues in the Croatian Convention Bureau and Croatian Meetings Professional Association, we continue to work on our ambassador program. We identify and engage new members from academic and scientific institutions interested in cooperating with us. Those respectful individuals represent the most valuable asset for our present and future contacts with international associations.
Last, but not least, continual education is essential. Therefore, we support educational programs and attend industry events.
Q9: What advice would you give to destinations looking to elevate their profile in the meetings industry?
I think we can all agree that there is no universal answer to this question. Following one successful path does not mean it will work the same way somewhere else. Every destination is special, having its strengths and weaknesses. It is important to be aware of that and try to get the best out of it while improving everything you can.
About Zlatan
Born and raised in Zagreb, Zlatan has dedicated his professional life to the meetings industry. Working for the Zagreb Tourist Board & Convention Bureau, he has been promoting the capital of Croatia as a meetings and incentive destination for more than 25 years. Over the years, he has been involved in the organisation of many interesting events and projects. Surrounded by motivated and interesting people, he enjoys working in an inspiring environment. He holds an MA degree in air transportation and a post-graduation degree in tourism management.
Find out more about the Zagreb Convention Bureau here.
