The B2C Award went to the German agency Jack Morton for their roadshow dubbedLet Hyundai Power Your World Tour 2023. A simple, sustainable mirror cube with a powerful AI experience at its core invited audiences to reflect on their future in six cities across Germany. The Hyundai Power Your World Tour became a new experiential communication platform for Hyundai, bringing the future to the people.
From the beginning, efficiency and sustainability were at the core of the concept. From the modular design made of reused parts, to the smart logistics reducing transportation, and the multiple choices made to minimise impact, such as local vegan catering, the program was designed to align with strong principles of sustainability and diversity. These challenges were overcome by creating a unique yet modular design and using measurement tools to simulate impact, enabling better decisions.
“Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour” was a journey to the intersection of hyper-local cultures, food, architecture, and the transformation of mobility. The reflective cube changed throughout the day, always mirroring its surroundings, while the interior design and AI activation provided a space for introspection and a new perspective on the world.
– Generative AI was used extensively to create a core interactive experience for attendees to discover the future. The custom AI model was trained and ran locally to mitigate any risk, ensuring it provided only Hyundai-approved vehicles, views, and imagery.
– Sustainability Measurement and Simulation: A tool was used to simulate impact and assist in decision-making, from logistics to catering. This allows us to not only reduce impact but also set targets in advance.
– Visitors also danced with Atlas, a robot that accurately mirrored their moves on screen, or explored in-depth elements of Hyundai’s innovative and sustainable design.
– As a special guest, the audience was able to meet “Spot”– a four-legged robot that demonstrated its agility, dance moves, and posing skills.
“Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour” is becoming a growing experiential platform for the brand to build awareness and create meaningful connections with their audience, as we are already planning the next edition.
Last year’s Grand Prix was awarded to Zlatý Klinec – an extraordinary event created and curated by the Slovakian agency Leopard Production. The outlandish idea to gather five kilometres of old cables from Slovakia also landed them the top prize in the B2B category and the Best in Creativity Award.
Zlatý Klinec, or translated- The Golden Nail, is the most important competition for the most creative advertising in Slovakia, which has been organised annually since 1994. The only brief this year was the theme: Age of AI. The client gave the Slovakian agency complete freedom in the creative process, thus gave us with their trust.
AI was used in every part, in every technical input: consultant in the creation of the creative, music dramaturgy, lyrics and script, creation of visuality and visuals, moderation and pre-event buzz.
The organisers gathered around 5 kilometres of old cables from all around Slovakia, which represented the AI and data flowing all around us. They recycled them and even after the event itself, these cables are used as a part of an art exhibition in the Slovak National Gallery.
During the time of the creation process, AI was still a foreign tool, which everyone was afraid of and could not properly work with. The agency decided to use it in every part of the creation process, and so the long hours of editing, writing prompts and dividing the answers began. They managed to symbiotically create an event, which rewrote the whole negative idea about AI and the creative industry.
For the past six years, Conventa has proudly partnered with Visual Europe Group, one of Central Europe’s leading high-tech companies specializing in AV technology and event production.
More than just a supplier, Visual Europe is a multi-award-winning leader in event and entertainment technology, offering comprehensive support at every stage—from initial concept to flawless execution.
This year, under the leadership of Eva Celec, Slovenia’s country manager, the Visual Europe Group team provided top-tier technical support at the iconic Ljubljana Castle, the venue for the prestigious Conventa Best Event Award ceremony.
Visual Europe’s branding transformed the venue – from the grand entrance to the elegant stage – creating a captivating atmosphere where winners had the perfect platform to shine. Celebrated by their peers, the international jury, and distinguished guests, the award winners stood in the spotlight of a truly memorable event.
Conventa Best Event Award competition ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS OF 2024
The highly anticipated winners of the 2024 Conventa Best Event Awards have been announced, marking the thirteenth edition of the competition, which has been a hallmark of excellence in European event organizing since 2012. This year, a distinguished panel of 23 international experts meticulously selected the finalists, with the goal of promoting professionalism, innovation, and efficiency in the industry.
On Monday, 9 September 2024, at Center Rog, finalists had the opportunity to pitch their groundbreaking projects in front of the jury. A record-breaking 44 events from 16 countries competed across four key categories—B2B, B2C, B2E, and Crossover. For the first time in the competition’s history, a special award was also introduced to honor the best Slovenian event. Alongside the main awards, special recognitions were given, celebrating the diversity and creativity within Europe’s event landscape.
The winners per category are:
Best B2B Event 2024:
Zlatý Klinec 2023, LEOPARD PRODUCTION, Slovakia
KIA EV9 Launch, PLEJ Agency, Poland
Higher Cloud Level, Live Age, Poland
Best B2C Event 2024:
Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour 2023, Jack Morton, Germany
REDical Park: Volume 2, Folk Fusion, DROM agency and BOLD projects, Slovenia
Luka 2 Bled, Bled Tourist Board, Slovenia
Best B2E Event 2024:
DELOITTE – ALL ABOARD FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, Desafio Global, Portugal
A Celebration of Creation: MASTERVERSE Belgrade 2023 powered by Revlon Professional®, DMC Vekol, Serbia
Vitanest 25th anniversary, Vitanest, Slovenia
Best CROSSOVER Event 2024:
ESET Experience, CREATIVE PRO a.s., Slovakia
Sneakpeek by Sneakerness, Lounge Group, Hungary
Stay Together. Don’t be indifferent, El Padre, Poland
GRANDPRIXWINNER 2024:
Zlatý Klinec 2023, LEOPARD PRODUCTION, Slovakia
AUDIENCEAWARD:
Jagermeister x LOKOMOTIVA, Maister the LOK 3.0, Alert, Croatia
Zlatý Klinec 2023, LEOPARD PRODUCTION, Slovakia
Out of the blue, AIM Group International, Italy
BEST IN CREATIVTY:
Zlatý Klinec 2023, LEOPARD PRODUCTION, Slovakia
KIA EV9 Launch, PLEJ Agency, Poland
Heim Pál Children’s Hospital – drone show, Visual Europe group, Hungary
Conventa Best Event Award competition will see 44 finalists compete for the prized awards.
The best events in Europe are …
Between 9 and 10 September, Ljubljana will host the 9th Conventa Crossover festival, the first and only regional meeting of professional event organisers and creative minds. An integral part of the event is the finale of the Conventa Best Event Award competition, honouring the best events in the meetings industry. The competition, which has been taking place since 2012, will welcome events from across Europe in its thirteenth edition. An esteemed 23-member international expert jury handpicked the finalists.
Conventa Best Event Awardaspires to foster professionalism, excellence and efficiency in event organising in Europe. In-person pitching of the best projects is scheduled for Monday, 9 September 2024, at Center Rog. This year, a record-breaking 44 events from 16 countries will compete for four main awards in the B2B, B2C, B2E and Crossover categories. The jury will also hand out special awards. For the premier time, the competition will award the best Slovenian event.
“Our archive of awarded projects is a library of best practices”
The expert jury selects finalists from all submitted projects based on strict evaluation criteria. The evaluation of submitted projects follows a unique 80:20 model across three phases (80% of the votes come from an expert jury, while 20% come from the audience at Conventa Crossover). The organisers outlined that CBEA is the only competition evaluating projects this way. Since its advent a decade ago, the combination of votes from the expert jury and live audience has become well-accepted, ensuring unquestionable objectivity.
Gorazd Čad, the founder of CBEA, stressed: “Our vision is to become the most established European competition for the best events and experience marketing. Our archive of awarded projects is a library of best practices that has become an indispensable and referential source of knowledge and inspiration.”
The finalists of the Conventa Best Event Award 2024
Listed according to alphabetical order of event agencies:
B2B category
1. BTC 70 years – setting the pace, BTC d.d., Slovenia 2. ESET Experience, Creative Pro a.s., Slovakia 3. Landa Digital Printing – Hall 9 – Drupa 2024, Eldan Group / Expoint pro, Israel 4. 25th anniversary of the KRUK S.A. Company, Fox Events, Poland 5. Truly Unique Launch, Glasilka d.o.o., Individa Consultum d.o.o., Agencija 101, Slovenia 6. Riot Games, Jack Morton Worldwide, Germany 7. GIG – first Croatian conference on the gig economy, Komunikacijski laboratorij, Croatia 8. Zlatý Klinec 2023, Leopard Production, Slovakia 9. Higher Cloud Level, Live Age, Poland 10. KIA EV9 Launch, PLEJ Agency Poland 11. FIS 100 Centenary Celebration, Promotiva, d.o.o., Slovenia 12. Opening nieuw windpark ‘Hollandse Kust Zuid’, Xsaga Netherlands
B2C category
1. Jagermeister x Lokomotiva, Maister the LOK 3.0, Alert Zagreb 2. Luka 2 Bled, Bled Tourist Board, Slovenia 3. Candle Lights on Bled Lake, Bled Tourist Board, Slovenia 4. Klanglicht, Bühnen Graz, Austria 5. Panoramour, Creative Pro (PL) sp. z o.o., Poland 6. REDical Park: Volume 2, Folk Fusion, DROM agency d.o.o. and BOLD projects 7. The National Memory Congress. History Speaks Through Generations, El Padre, Poland 8. Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour 2023, Jack Morton, Germany 9. Sneakpeek by Sneakerness, Lounge Group, Hungary 10. World Athletics Championships – Budapest 2023, Lounge Group – Visual Europe Group, Hungary 11. The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Hungary, Lounge Group – Visual Europe Group, Hungary 12. Coca-Cola Ski Opening Schladming-Dachstein 2023, [m]STUDIO , GroupM Kommunikationsagentur GmbH, Austria 13. Eurojackpot Superconcert 2023, Lounge Group – Visual Europe Group, Hungary 14. Micromobility Junction, Promotiva, d.o.o. & Zavarovalnica Triglav, d.d, Slovenia 15. Opening Ceremony – European Youth Olympic Festival Maribor 2023, Šport Maribor, Slovenia 16. Kia League of Legends Rivalry, Universum 8, Hungary 17. Jövőálló Akadémia – Jövőálló.Kampusz, Universum 8 / Publicis Groupe, Hungary 18. Heim Pál Children’s Hospital – drone show, Visual Europe Group, Hungary
B2E category
1. Deloitte – all aboard for the Christmas Spirit, Desafio Global, Portugal 2. A Celebration of Creation: MASTERVERSE Belgrade 2023, DMC Vekol, Serbia 3. 16th Technology Conference, Sava Turizem d.d., Slovenia 4. Vitanest 25th anniversary, Vitanest d.o.o., Slovenia
CROSSOVER category
1. Out of the Blue, AIM Communication, Italy 2. Sport è Salute Tennis HUB, AIM Group International, Italy 3. 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, AIM Group International, Italy 4. Journal Summer Party, Alert, Croatia 5. Bynet Expo 2024, Catch d.i. Ltd, Israel 6. ESET Experience, Creative Pro a.s., Slovakia 7. Stay Together. Don’t be indifferent, El Padre, Poland 8. Sneakpeek by Sneakerness, Lounge Group, Poland 9. The XXVII Nationwide Song and XVII Dance Festival opening, Meduza Events 10. NLB Investor Day: New Capital Horizons, NLB d.d., Slovenia
The in-person jury work will take place on Monday, 9 September 2024, from 09:30 to 17:00. The winners will be revealed on Tuesday, 10 September 2024, at 20:00 at a gala award ceremony at Ljubljana Castle.
The festival is organised by Toleranca marketing and Conventa trade show in cooperation with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board and the Slovenian Convention Bureau.
To register for the festival, visit https://www.crossover.si/ and learn more about the premier regional festival for events.
Full list of projects competing in CBEA 2024 in alphabetical order by agency name:
• AIM Group International, 18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Italy • AIM Group International, Out of the blue, Italy • AIM Group International, Sport è Salute Tennis HUB, Italy • Alert, Jagermeister x LOKOMOTIVA, Maister the LOK 3.0, Croatia • Alert, JOURNAL SUMMER PARTY, Croatia • Bled Tourist Board, Bled Multimedia Project Launch 2023, Slovenia • Bled Tourist Board, Candle Lights on Lake Bled, Slovenia • Bled Tourist Board, Luka 2 Bled, Slovenia • BTC, BTC 70 years – setting the pace, Slovenia • Bühnen Graz, KLANGLICHT, Austria • CATCH D.I LTD, BYNET EXPO 2024 – TIME TO RECONCEPTION, Israel • CREATIVE PRO, Panoramour, Poland • CREATIVE PRO, Skechers Kids, Czech Republic • CREATIVE PRO a.s., ESET Experience, Slovakia • Desafio Global, DELOITTE – ALL ABOARD FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, Portugal • DMC Vekol, A Celebration of Creation: MASTERVERSE Belgrade 2023 powered by Revlon Professional®, Serbia • DROM agency and BOLD projects, REDical Park: Volume 2, Folk Fusion, Slovenia • El Padre, Stay Together. Don’t be indifferent, Poland • El Padre, The National Memory Congress. History Speaks Through Generations, Poland • Eldan Group / Expoint pro, Landa Digital Printing – Hall 9 – Drupa 2024, Israel • Fox events, 25th anniversary of the KRUK S.A. company, Poland • GLASILKA, INDIVIDA CONSULTUM, Agencija 101, Truly Unique Launch, Slovenia • Jack Morton, Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour 2023, Germany • Jack Morton Worldwide, Riot Games, Germany • LEOPARD PRODUCTION, Zlatý Klinec 2023, Slovakia • Live Age, Higher Cloud Level, Poland • Lounge Group, Sneakpeek by Sneakerness, Hungary • Lounge Group– Visual Europe Group, Eurojackpot Superconcert 2023, Hungary • Lounge Group – Visual Europe Group, The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Hungary, Hungary • Lounge Group – Visual Europe Group, World Athletics Championships – Budapest 2023, Hungary • Meduza events, The XXVII Nationwide Song and XVII Dance Festival opening, Latvia • [m]STUDIO, GroupM Kommunikationsagentur, Coca-Cola Ski Opening Schladming-Dachstein 2023, Austria • NLB, NLB Investor Day: New Capital Horizons, Slovenia • PLEJ Agency, KIA EV9 Launch, Poland • PR agency Komunikacijski laboratorij, GIG – first Croatian conference on the gig economy, Croatia • Promotiva, FIS100 CENTENARY CELEBRATION – a night of memories, music and milestones, Slovenia • Promotiva, FUZBAL by Promotiva – THE LARGEST TABLE FOOTBALL IN SLOVENIA, Slovenia • Promotiva, d.o.o. & Zavarovalnica Triglav, Micromobility Junction, Slovenia • Sava Turizem, 16th Technology Conference, Slovenia • Šport Maribor Opening Ceremony – European Youth Olympic Festival Maribor 2023, Slovenia • Universum 8, Jövőálló Akadémia – Jövőálló.Kampusz, Hungary • Universum 8, Kia League of Legends Rivalry, Hungary • Universum 8, Local Hero Tour, Hungary • Visual Europe group, Heim Pál Children’s Hospital – drone show, Hungary • Vitanest, Vitanest 25th anniversary, Slovenia • XSAGA , Opening nieuw windpark ‘Hollandse Kust Zuid’, The Netherlands
The central award competition in the region, honouring the most innovative and creative projects in the meetings industry, has recorded a record-breaking number of entries. Almost fifty projects will compete for a place in the finale, where they will pitch in front of an expert jury at the Conventa Crossover festival. Conventa Best Event Award will take place between 9 and 10 September 2024 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Conventa Best Event Award, one of Europe’s central and oldest event competitions, will return to the creative capital of Ljubljana to once more highlight the most creative and innovative projects from award-winning event agencies.
All submitted entries will be evaluated by a jury consisting of international experts from the field of event organisation. The jury consists of 23 members with equal votes in evaluating the submitted entries. Each jury member makes their decision individually based on their expert knowledge. Each member also has the right to raise objections and questions, as well as an obligation to explain the scores. The work is overseen by the Jury President.
Photo: Marko Delbello Ocepek
The best will be crowned at Ljubljana Castle
Conventa Best Event Award is an annual competition that awards the best events in the region of New Europe. The competition was established as part of the Conventa brand. For the past six years, the grand finale has been taking place at the Conventa Crossover conference. The evaluation of registered events follows a unique 80:20 model (80% of the votes come from the jury and 20% from the audience at the Conventa Crossover conference).
The presentation of finalists and live-pitching will take place during the Conventa Crossover festival in Ljubljana between 9 and 10 September 2024. The gala award ceremony will take place at Ljubljana Castle, where the best will be crowned.
Photo: Marko Delbello Ocepek
Full list of projects competing in CBEA 2024:
18th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (AIM Group International, Italy)
NLB Investor Day: New Capital Horizons (NLB, Slovenia)
Out of the blue (AIM Group International, Italy)
Sport è Salute Tennis HUB (AIM Group International, Italy)
The XXVII Nationwide Song and XVII Dance Festival opening (Meduza events, Latvia)
Candle Lights on Lake Bled (Bled Tourist Board, Slovenia)
FUZBAL by Promotiva – THE LARGEST TABLE FOOTBALL IN SLOVENIA (Promotiva, Slovenia)
Jövőálló Akadémia – Jövőálló.Kampusz (Universum 8, Hungary)
Kia League of Legends Rivalry (Universum 8, Hungary)
Let Hyundai Power Your World Tour 2023 (Jack Morton, Germany)
The festival of events returns with an eclectic mix of speakers from creative industries
The 9th edition of the festival for events and creative minds in New Europe, Conventa Crossover, will once more connect industry professionals in Ljubljana between 9 and 10 September 2024. This year’s event will revolve around changing generic events into holistic experiences. Moderated by Juraj Holub, the event will host a slew of international experts and star speakers.
The organisers have issued the official event programme for the 2024 edition. Starting on Sunday, 8 August 2024, participants can look forward to an experience day, where they can choose among three distinct experiences around Ljubljana. The first will transform them into birdwatchers for a day, another will take them on a venture into Ljubljana’s architectural underbelly, and the last will make them consider why they didn’t open their own handicraft workshop earlier.
On 9 August 2024, the day will be dedicated to the live pitching of finalists of the Conventa Best Event Award 2024. Throughout the day, finalists in all categories will present their projects and strive to convince the expert jury. The jury will host a closed meeting to decide the winners.
The last day of the event is dedicated to sharing experiences and know-how. Juraj Holub will invite expert speakers on stage to share their past failures and milestones. The first two speakers will be Genevieve Leclerc from MEET4IMPACT.global, who will discuss how to measure event impact and legacy and the bearded icon of Denmark, Claus Raasted from The College of Extraordinary Experiences, discussing why we need to talk about authentic-ish.
Before lunch, attendees will listen to past winners of the world’s most prestigious event awards. The stage will be shared by Bartel Van Iseghem from Meet Marcel, Gergely Koge Koros from Universum 8, Christian Pohlmann from fischerAppelt, live marketing, and Inese Lukaševska from Luka event agency. Later, Djordje Jovanović from Xiaomi will talk about AI, followed by Tomaž Valjavec from Microsoft. They will delve into AI’s role in crafting authentic experiences.
Finishing the educational part of the event, Jan Oršič and Gorazd Čad will host Ian Bitran, the Executive Director of ISPIM – The International Society for Professional Innovation Management and Angeles Moreno from Aim Group International. The closing act of the festival will be the Conventa Best Event Award gala ceremony at Ljubljana Castle.
The mission of Conventa Crossover
In a time of overproduction, Conventa Crossover will provide a space for discussing the impact of AI on event productions to help participants find a balance between technology and authenticity. In 2024, attendees will be on the lookout for events that continue to be safe havens of authentic human interaction.
Find out more about the Conventa Crossover festival here.
Interview with Vesna Vlašić, jury member of the Conventa Best Event Award competition
Ahead of the Conventa Best Event Award 2024, the central and one of the oldest event competitions in Europe, we spoke to jury members who shared their thoughts on the most important event criteria, selecting winners and the role of event competitions.
Q1:What do you consider the most important criteria when evaluating projects?
When evaluating projects, I prioritize creativity, sustainability, and goal realization. A standout event should captivate with a unique concept, incorporate eco-friendly practices, and effectively meet its objectives. Seamless execution within budget constraints showcases strategic resource management and planning.
Q2:How would you define the mission of the Conventa Best Event Award?
The Conventa Best Event Award aims to celebrate and elevate the event industry by recognizing projects that excel in creativity, innovation, and sustainability. Its mission is to inspire professionals to push the boundaries of possibility, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
“ITS MISSION IS TO INSPIRE PROFESSIONALS TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF POSSIBILITY, FOSTERING A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.”
Q3: What do you believe should be the key message when selecting the winners of the competition?
The key message should emphasize inspiration and excellence. Winning projects must illustrate how creativity, innovation, and sustainability converge to create extraordinary experiences. They should set industry benchmarks, proving that remarkable results are achievable even with limited resources. As Julius Solaris, founder of EventMB, aptly said, “Innovation distinguishes the best events from the rest.”
Q4: What is the role of European event competitions?
European event competitions are crucial for advancing the industry by setting high standards and promoting innovation. They provide a platform for professionals to share best practices, celebrate outstanding achievements, and highlight sustainability. These competitions drive the industry forward, fostering a dynamic and competitive event landscape.
Q5: Which achievements and milestones are you most proud of in your career?
I am particularly proud of our “Be the Impulse” event, which was shortlisted at last year’s Conventa Best Event competition, showcasing our ability to deliver innovative experiences within tight budgets. Being a jury member for the 2024 Conventa Best Event Award is also a significant milestone, reflecting my contributions to the industry. Leading McCann Sarajevo and being recognized for our dedication to sustainability and creative excellence are achievements that underscore my commitment to creating impactful events.
