The Fourth China – CEEC Conference on Innovation Cooperation

fourth-china-ceec-serbia-best-event-award

Basic Event Information

Date: 8 October 2019
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Organizer: M2Communications
Client: Government of the Republic of Serbia
Event type: Conference

EVENT CATEGORY: CATEGORY CROSSOVER

Event description and key objectives

The Fourth China-CEEC (17+1) Conference on Innovation Cooperation was held in Belgrade on October 8-9, 2019. The conference hosted the highest state and business representatives, as well as a startup community, students and media representatives from all the participating countries. It was held in the premises of the Belgrade Fair – completely redecorated for this purpose.

The kick-off was marked by a scenic visual grand opening that was initiated with dynamic animation as an introduction to a dance performance, produced especially for the conference. The performance was inspired by the conference theme and it was based on the interaction of the dancers with video wall animations and lasers. This event, 4th in the series of China’s Belt and Road initiative, was dedicated to further promote business and investment relations between China and 17 countries. The event had two parallel streams. The first, open for all participants was held in the Main Hall, where the biggest experts in the industry shared their professional knowledge and experience through presentations and discussion panels. At the two-day conference, six-panel discussions were held in which the directors of the world’s largest companies, state institutions, and educational institutions from mostly China and Serbia. The second, the Ministerial Conference was attended by the ministers for innovation, economy, industry, and trade from 18 countries.

Key challenges

The key challenged of the event was setting new standards for the organization of conferences within the Road and Belt initiative. The task was to create an event that correlates with the innovation theme and demonstrates top-notch practices in terms of event production. The venue had to be built from scratch with great care towards diplomatic and security protocols and custom solutions. Both parts of the event were executed simultaneously, thus the workforce in the organization had to be doubled.

Creativity

We were given a completely plain venue to express all the rushing creativity related to the theme. Finally, a concrete shell was transformed into an aesthetically and technologically advanced space, segmented into various visually appealing zones. The central zone was the Main Hall where the conference program was held and other zones were intended for project pitching presentations, B2B meetings, and participants booths. Also, one separate zone of the venue was dedicated to the Ministerial Conference that had to answer all the diplomatic and security protocols. The Main Hall was opened by an interactive video and animation content along with the original dancing performance on a 25m wide stage that was backed by 130 sqm LED screen.

Innovation

Even though The Fourth China-CEEC Conference emphasized cooperation on innovation, development, and politics, the event had a significant educational and entertaining role for all the visitors. Particular interest was shown in the exhibition “Stargazers. People who reinvented the world” that was made up of an immersive digital tunnel, introducing great Serbian scientists in a futuristic setting, VR “experience Tesla”, an interactive robot in the character of Nikola Tesla, Pupin’s personal items and Milankovic’s model of the Earth’s revolution.

Execution

The event was very demanding in terms of venue adaptation and technical preparation. Complete event organization took more than three months, starting from the introductory meetings, concept creation to implementation and execution. The general concept was designed based on the program structure, and additional contents were determined once the conference agenda was adopted. The final part of the production started 15 days before the event. It was developed a detailed assembly and logistics plan due to security procedures referring to location access since the event represented one of the highest diplomatic conferences of the year.

More than 2000 participants in two days
More than 400 people participated in the event production and execution
8000 m2 of Belgrade’s Fair premises were transformed and adapted to answer the requirements of a hi-tech
innovation conference
240 m2 of LED screens

Measurable results

The event served as a place for exchanging ideas, methods, and practices, but it also enabled connecting businesses from China and CEE. The conference hosted over 300 members of the Chinese delegation, business stakeholders from 17 countries, and more than 400 university students were given the opportunity to experience first-hand incoming innovations. Also, it acted as a platform for local businesses to interact and connect with China business enterprises. More than 40 startups found themselves in the big business framework. Media exposure in all participant countries was enormous and the event was regarded in daily news as the prime media event, before, during, and in the days after the event. More than 2000 participants shared their experience via social networks, mostly reporting about the “Stargazers. People who reinvented the World” exhibition.

Communication

The conference was the main media event in all participant countries during those three days. Media exposure lasted from a couple of days before and after the conference. It was regarded in daily news as the prime media event.

The use of sustainable practices

During the conference, due to the Government’s practices in minimizing an impact on the environment, great care was taken in order to reduce the use of environmentally non-friendly materials. We have minimized all printed materials and instead of printing, most of the content was digitalized and online. The conference agenda and brochures were presented via a mobile app that was delivered to all registered participants prior to the event. Users were given thorough content regarding the timeline, speakers, presentations, and the application enabled participants to schedule B2B meetings and chat with other users. It was established more than 240 m2 of LED screens, LED roll-ups, and where printing was inevitable, we used textiles instead of PVC materials. In the catering area, the conference was equipped with biodegradable dishes and cups, except for the Ministerial conference where all the dishes used were made of glass and porcelain. Also, one segment of the conference was dedicated to Biotech and Smart Cities aiming to strengthen the use of technology in business in order to reduce the level of noise and CO2 emission.

ELES Expert Consultation

Basic Event Information

Date: 16 September 2019
Location: Club CD in Cankar Cultural Centre, Ljubljana
Organizer: ELES d.o.o.
Client: ELES d.o.o.
Event type: Corporate Convention

EVENT CATEGORY: B2B | Best Corporate Convention

Event description and key objectives

The ELES expert conference is an event intended for the electricity industry, which every year invites internationally recognized experts to participate, who with their knowledge and experience encourage a different way of thinking and outline guidelines for development. The purpose of the event is to shed light on current issues in energy and global trends and to connect the profession with civil initiatives, educational organizations and government institutions. At the forefront of the event were current topics in energy, including the energy and climate transition. It began with introductory speeches by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, mag. Dejan Židan and the State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure, mag. Bojan Kumer. The main event was a round table on the topic of energy and climate transition, which was also attended by the director of ELES, mag. Aleksander Mervar. The panellists of the event talked mainly about the ambition of the set goals and the choice of an appropriate scenario, according to which we will reach these goals.The expert consultation was also enriched by the solemn signing of an agreement on the establishment of a consortium to accelerate the green transformation of Slovenian energy with the help of smart grids. The agreement was signed by the director of ELES, mag. Aleksander Mervar and the President of the Management Board of GEN-I dr. Robert Golob.

Key challenges

The challenges in organizing the event were at different levels. At the beginning, we wanted to find a location that would be as close as possible to the centre of Ljubljana, so that it is easily accessible to foreign lecturers and at the same time to all invited guests. We strive for sustainable development, so when choosing a hall and catering provider, the same attitude is always important. In preparing the program of the event, it was important to select guests who have different views on the energy and climate transition and who represent the general interests of society. It is important to explain different aspects and issues of different stakeholders, because only in this way can the issues be fully understood. We looked for foreign and Slovenian experts who follow global trends in energy and would be a contribution to all invited publics.

As a system operator, we have the most challenges with placing objects in space, so we wanted to introduce our professional public and students to a person who had to place an object in himself, in his body, to function like other people due to his physical disability (colour blindness). With this, we wanted to show what appropriate implementation solutions a brave, open-minded, thoughtful person can come up with. We especially wanted to give the students a motivational message that anything is possible. In this way, we also try to cooperate with nature by properly combining the knowledge of young people and the invaluable experience of the elderly in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

Creativity

The creativity of the event is reflected in the choice of the content offered, which is not usual for events of state-owned companies. In addition to professionally-oriented topics (the beginnings of Slovenian electrification, strategic innovations of ELES, the ELES Council for research and scientific activity, trends in renewable sources and a round table on energy and climate transition) we have prepared:

a lecture by the former Head of Protocol of the Republic of Slovenia and Head of the Academy of Business Protocol, Ms. Ksenija Benedetti, who presented the foundations of ethics, forms of business communication and the rules of appropriate and effective communication;
lecture by dr. Miha Mazzini, writer, anthropologist and columnist, who spoke about the Slovenian mentality for business people,
a lecture by Neil Harbisson, the first cyborg in the world to be inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2018, who presented an innovative technological solution for people who cannot see colours. With this, we wanted to show what appropriate implementation solutions a brave, open-minded, thoughtful person can come up with. We especially wanted to give the students a motivational message that anything is possible. In this way, we also strive to cooperate with nature by properly combining the knowledge of young people and the invaluable experience of the elderly in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

We always want to offer innovative and different lecturers at the professional conference, because we understand the importance of advanced thinking and innovation. The innovative attitude of ELES is also reported by the exceptional, international awards given by the ISGAN association (“International Smart Grids Action Network”).

Innovation

Innovation at the expert conference of ELES, which is 100% state-owned, is visible in the variety of event content offered and internationally recognized lecturers. It is also shown by the inclusion of the production of an aluminium power line, a replica of a real power line, lifted by Strongman, the strongest Slovenian. In the future, the constructed transmission line will also be used at other events of the company. The program was also supported by the presentation of the youngest world champion in the history of boxing, Ema Kozin, who won six world champion titles in two difficulty categories. Ema is a role model for young people, who with perseverance proves that women also do well in so-called men’s professions.

In addition, guests were able to see live the electric formula, which was modelled on Formula 1 by Superior Engineering – Formula student Team Ljubljana, which has 40 members. All the guests had an opportunity to see and try Formula, for the first time. The majority of team members come from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Computer and Information Science. They made the formula in their free time and regularly compete with it abroad.

ELES supports young people, with the desire to encourage thinking and after discussing energy topics. For this purpose, professors and students of secondary schools in electrical engineering are always invited to the expert conference. We want to fill the gap that appears too often between the profession and educational institutions.

Execution

At the end of the event and a few days after that, we received a lot of positive feedback for the organization of the event and the selection of lecturers. The selected guests really liked the innovative and useful content. The event, for which preparations took a little over two months, took place entirely according to the principles of business protocol and without complications. The added value was also the implementation of the signing ceremony of the agreement on the establishment of a consortium to accelerate the green transformation of Slovenian energy with the help of smart grids.

Measurable results

Attendance at the event was almost 100%. The event was attended by between 130 and 170 people each year, of which 90 are students who receive current and “advanced” information in the field of energy. In 2019, we invited 176 distinguished guests, of whom less than five cancelled. We always pay attention to the satisfaction of the participants as well as the lecturers so that we can improve next year. Last year we received a large number of written and oral compliments. Every year, our guests are happy to attend an event that, among other things, creates new business acquaintances and combines knowledge. According to the closed type event, publications appeared in the media, mainly about the signing of the agreement on the establishment of a consortium to accelerate the green transformation of the Slovenian energy sector with the help of smart grids. With five media publications, we earned approximately 3,350 euros of media space.

Communication

The base of the event communications was digital. We organized everything on the digital way and for the quick reply, we also used telephone calls, to keep the communication efficient and effective. During the preparations of the programme, it was important to us that we establish a candid communication between government representatives and non-governmental organizations. The government protocol has its own rules that have to be considered. We also wanted to include students and professors of Electrical Engineering so they could be in touch with the current situations and information. The invitations, therefore, were limited to professionals from the electricity industry, students and professors, ELES employees and government representatives. Because of the specific nature of the event, the general public could not be included. We published an overall video about the event on our social media (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn). All the speakers were recorded and their speeches with presentations published (and translated, if necessary) on Youtube. After the event, we made a follow-up with speakers and visitors. We received very positive feedback about the
organization and the content of the event.

The use of sustainable practices

At the location of the event the following sustainable practices were executed:

location of the convention centre was very close to the hotels in which the foreign speakers stayed. They could
walk to the event so the carbon footprint was low;
low amount of plastic water bottles and items for participants were not individually wrapped;
the food was served in paper plates and most of the food was vegan
the food was from local farms; all the extra food was given to Karitas Slovenija;
keeping the lighting and heat to a minimum during the event;
the food chain was carefully monitored by the provider;
separate waste according to appropriate fractions (e.g. paper, plastic, glass, organic); generate as little waste as
possible;
used decorations and display materials are made of recycled materials and/or can be reused for future
meetings;
the amount of publications and handouts were limited;
the chosen congress centre is in symbiosis with the bees; five families of Carniola bees are buzzing in their beehives on one of the terraces of CD Congress Centre. The honey produced by the bees of Cankarjev dom was thoroughly analysed and confirmed that it is fit for consumption. We support young students that want to make a difference and work towards sustainability. On the deck of the event location the Superior Engineering – Formula student Team Ljubljana presented their electric formula, which was modelled on Formula 1 and made by 40 members. The majority of team members come from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Computer and Information
Science.

NT Remote 2020

Basic Event Information

Date: 20 May 2020
Location: Virtual event / Studio in Hotel Cubo, Ljubljana
Organizer: MPG Plus d.o.o.
Client: Microsoft
Event type: Online conference

EVENT CATEGORY: ONLINE EVENT – ONLINE CONFERENCE

Event description and key objectives

When we postponed the 25th NT Conference, planned in May, we decided to go online with a standalone free virtual technological and business event NT Remote on 20th of May 2020. Through relevant content, we empowered attendees in different job positions with useful knowledge to provide flexibility and business continuity in this new reality. The event kept the complexity of live version with its multitrack concept, we also organized 2 studios, where we hosted keynotes and 8 sessions, while other sessions were plugged in live from speaker’s homes or offices.

Parallel tracks: 9
Hours of the program: 42
Keynotes: 2
Sessions in total: 35
Business sessions: 15
Technological sessions: 20
Speakers in total: 78

We started the event with 2 keynotes and finished it with a stand-up session to add some relaxed atmosphere. Every attendee received a digital goodie bag with different codes and discounts, through which we created value also for our partners. Pre-registration of the attendees helped us widen our potential attendees’ network, through some other different activities we collected many leads also for our client and partners. NT Remote was one of the first events in the region to gather in one virtual place IT experts, specialists and developers, as well as HR and marketing managers, CXOs and business decision-makers. With 6.643 unique views it became the biggest and most complex technological-business virtual event ever in Slovenia and the region.

Key challenges

We decided to go online practically overnight. In less than two months we transformed live event to virtual. We rapidly transformed the organizational plan, adapted and upgraded the content and offered a free virtual technological and business event with an overall positive user experience for attendees and partners. We had to ensure a successful financial structure. As the NT Conference is financed only through sponsorships and attendee fees, which there were none, in this case, we had to attract as many partners as possible. We adjusted the live event sponsorship packages to virtual and offered cooperation through event content, visibility, digital goodie bag, as well as questionnaires and other tools for leads collection. We met several other questions, as to how long should the sessions be, the event itself, what time in a day should the event happen etc. According to questionnaires after the event, we defined those questions successfully:

Preferred time: afternoon, evening
Devoted time, intended for the virtual event: 6 hours
Average time in separate session: 47 minutes
We needed to adapt the content to be as relevant as possible. Working closely with the client and tech community enabled us to offer quality and interesting sessions. And finally, since we were all working from home, the entire coordination was challenging, but if you know your goal, the path you walk through is only a question of your own possibility to adapt and transform.

Creativity

Our creative approach based on the target group was to offer a virtual event with relevant content for our diverse audiences in one afternoon. NT Conference has two main target groups, technology professionals and business professionals. Each group is divided into 7 or more subgroups, quite different according to their interest. For instance, business content is divided to the public sector, manufacturing, finances, sales, ERP, HRM, education.

We didn’t want to organize several webinars in different days, so we decided to go with a multitrack concept with 9 parallel tracks, which means that the attendees could choose between 9 different sessions at the same time, and easily switch between them. The entire content is still available on the website for everyone to watch. As it’s not the same watching the event from home, we tried to create a conference feeling at least through the content. Therefore, we set up two studios to host a few sessions, prepared the opening of the event with two keynotes, gave the audience the possibility to choose between different lectures, and finished the event in a relaxed atmosphere – with a stand-up session.

Instead of a physical NT Conference backpack, the attendees received a digital goodie bag with codes and discounts from our partners. We know our target group very well, so we were able to specify their needs and therefore open new possibilities for sales. We made an e-commerce partnership agreement for the distribution of our partners’ products.

Innovation

When preparing the concept of the event, we had in mind, that we need to give added value to all stakeholders, i.e. the attendees, partners and sponsors, the client, the speakers. All of those activities needed to be coordinated and carefully connected between each other to bring the final success of the event. For instance, added value for our attendees was the digital goodie bag, through which they received several discounts, but it was also added value for our partners, as they generated many quality leads through the entire process. Cooperation with partners was important also from the financial part of the project, which was, just like the NT Conference, self-fundable. As the event was free, the sponsorship agreements were even more important. Therefore, we needed to offer them enough activities to warrant the financial means, invested in our cooperation. Consequently, we had to prepare interesting content to attract enough attendees to generate leads. And so on, every activity is connected and depending on another and only innovative approach enables you to satisfy the needs and demands of all the stakeholders.

Execution

In the middle of March, in our final phase of NT Conference planning, we were faced with a complete lockdown. We decided to transform and adjust everything we were planning, in order to give people useful knowledge to provide flexibility and business continuity. We created a virtual event NT Remote in less than two months in the day-to-day unpredictable epidemiologic situation and security measures. The execution of NT Remote was therefore very quick and full of daily adjustments and compromises.

11 March – New NT conference date is confirmed
13 March – Virus outbreak is characterized as an epidemic, lockdown is officially declared in Slovenia
16 March – NT conference is among one of the first events announcing to be postponed till autumn
26 March – NT Remote is introduced
30 March – Decision is made – Teams Live Events platform will be the tool to use for NT Remote
10 April – Call for Technical speakers closed / 15 technical sessions from top Slovenian MVPs and ex MVPs confirmed
20 April – Business sessions defined
5 May – Website and its relevant content goes live / event registrations open
8 May – Final schedule is set and published on website
10 May – Last NT partner contract signed; managed to up sale conference to 26 conference partners
15 May – Government gives permission for gatherings with 50 people / preparation of two studios and required safety procedures started
20 May – NT Remote goes live with 78 speakers, 35 sessions and 42 hours of active program

Measurable results

For us it was for the first time to be working on a project like this, besides, not many similar events happened in our region, so we had more questions than answers. We wanted to receive as much information as possible from this event to help us with the organization of further similar events. We used Power BI and received many relevant and useful results, that gave us a great insight in the perception of NT Remote. We expected at least 4.000 unique connections, which we not only reached, but exceeded for over 50%:

Registered users: 1.743
Unique session views: 6.634

Monitor, most influential IT media in Slovenia: “Unlike other events, where COVID-19 has totally put entire happening and novelties in the technological world in the shade, Build and NT Remote managed to step out and offer traditional technological topics, and novelties. In an overload of all the pandemic news, those two events were truly refreshing and different.”

General satisfaction: 4,7 out of 5
Content satisfaction: 4,6 out of 5
Satisfaction with event organization: 4,8 out of 5

New companies, joining us for the very first time at NT Remote (in 4 years): 38,74%
Companies, participating at live NT Conference, and not participating at NT Remote: 54%

And at the end, we were able to ensure a successful financial structure of the project only through cooperation with our partners. Our past positive cooperation with many companies from different fields resulted in 26 NT Remote partners and sponsors.

Communication

NT Conference is a brand with 25 years of tradition, so cancelation of it was not an option. Even though we postponed it, we found a new way to keep the event alive in May and to offer relevant content, related to specific time we live in. The event is also a benchmark for other event organizations, so we believe that the step towards digitalization was the right decision. Nevertheless, through this event we gained many important leads, and through many discussions with our and our client’s partners we discovered their way of thinking, problems, they are dealing with, their plans for the future etc. Besides that, virtual events like NT Remote can reach not only companies and professionals that are visiting a live event in certain time and place, but also others individuals,
that are not able to join it.

According to the current situation worldwide live events as a part of companies’ marketing strategies will be stunted for a while and virtual events will take their place in many cases. And those who won’t be replaced with virtual events, will surely be completed with. All the knowledge and experiences we gained with this project will surely help us with the organization of any other future event. Not only us as an agency, but entire event industry will be able to take those practices for their easier business continuity. NT Remote therefore opened many new business opportunities, as well as several new ideas for the future, we are looking forward to jump into.

The use of sustainable practices

Sustainability is much easier to achieve with the virtual event in comparison to live. We could say that the word ‘virtual’ is sustainable for itself and very similar to our conference’s concept of digital transformation in general – to keep all the information in cloud, available and accessible to everyone anytime anywhere. Our client Microsoft has very specific values and we believe that with this event we moved closer to them more than ever before. To empower people with knowledge – not only ones who are able to visit NT Conference, but everyone, who would like to educate and develop new skills or follow the latest IT and business trends. Namely, the event was free and all the sessions are still available on the website. That enables people to listen to entire content of the event, as well as to refresh their knowledge anytime. But above all, by organizing a virtual event we kept everybody home and safe in order to protect their health and health of people, close to them.

Let’s rock!

Basic Event Information

Date: 21st June 2020
Location: St. Michael’s Fortress, Šibenik, Croatia
Organizer: Fortress of Culture Šibenik
Client: Fortress of Culture Šibenik
Event type: Music event

EVENT CATEGORY: B2C | Best Music Event

Event description and key objectives

Let’s Rock! was one among the first major music events in Croatia after a long period of silence on the cultural scene caused by COVID-19. First planned as an online event streamed from the venue – St. Michael’s Fortress, Let’s Rock! became a one-day music festival, including 11 bands on three stages in front of their audience, symbolically dated on World Music Day (June 21st) and the first day of the summer. The main purpose of the event was to generate new optimism and hope within these hard times for everyone, especially for musicians who had no live performances for several months, but also the production teams and, of course, the audience. Since everyone involved in this event was emotionally motivated, all of the partners became one big team in only two days, which was the time that took us to build the whole story up, at least majority. Once again, St. Michael’s Fortress proved to be more than just a historical monument that served to protect from the enemies in the old times. In this case, it protected the audience, musicians, other event industry professionals and finally us – the organisers personally from the negative atmosphere and silence. It brought back the much-needed hope that the world as we know it is not gone and it also reminded us that with good intentions great things can be done. Humbled by the amazing feedback during the event and later on the decision was made – this festival is becoming an annual event! Let’s Rock!

Key challenges

As we all know, organising any kind of event is a stressful job. It usually takes a long time of preparation and there are always so many different ways how it can go wrong. Now imagine all of that with the addition of a global pandemic, a cultural-heritage monument as a venue and losing your load in/out the area to a stage.

This event stood against many new challenges and one of the most serious ones was the greatly reduced capacity because of the safety measures which had to be insured. This was also the first time we introduced measuring body temperature and possibly denying entrance to some of the guests. With more than 50% of the audience with a paid ticket coming from other cities, we were afraid of the possible reaction. Luckily, everyone turned out to be healthy. Having over 70 musicians (11 bands), this event was one of the most demanding for our production team because of the complex organization of load-ins, parallel soundchecks, media interviews, showtimes and much more than that – in only one day with the fortress being open for public daily visits in the meanwhile. As a result of good coordination and exceptional positive vibe between everyone included, Let’s Rock! turned out to be one of the greatest music events on St. Michael’s Fortress ever produced.

Creativity

Creativity or how to keep social distancing on a one stage venue?’

At the time when everything stopped in Croatia because of the lockdown during March, April and first half of May, the social atmosphere was very negative in almost every aspect of our lives. When the lockdown was over, our team instantly decided to wake up the music scene with an event on St. Michael’s Fortress. Motivated to make a change in a negative atmosphere, our team instantly jumped in the organization of this event, no matter of the general uncertainty which was still present and the possibility that all of our work could possibly be for nothing in case of a new lockdown. The idea was accepted wholeheartedly by all of the artists, booking managers, technical and marketing partners in just two days. Everyone was especially delighted when we presented our idea to schedule this event on World Music Day with the intention to celebrate music. At the beginning of June, restrictive measures where eased so we decided to involve the audience in the initially planned online event so that people and artists could finally feel a full concert experience once again. Still, we had to ensure social distancing and avoid big crowds in one place according to safety recommendations. What was the solution? We invented two more stage areas so the event gained a festival character and also revealed new production potential that fortress has.

Innovation

Although we are well experienced in organising individual concerts, hosting a festival was something new for us. The venue itself is not planned to host more than one event, so to ‘’invent’’ more than one stage that is originally there was a challenge but it resulted as an innovation. We were able to create three different and completely equipped stages that worked out perfectly. One of them, definitely worth mentioning is our parking lot which is usually used as the load in and load out technical area. As well as introducing St. Michael’s Fortress in a new format with more than one stage, we also used the event to promote our newest idea – reusable plastic cups. One of the biggest problems on events is the amount of litter, mainly from the disposable cups made for one user only. To solve this problem, we produced reusable branded cups which you are free to take home as a souvenir. And guess what happened after the event was over? We had no mess and the Earth was grateful as well.

Execution

This was one of those events where you can expect things to go wrong on so many different levels, especially since the minimum preparation time. But it didn’t! Here are just some of the things we did and a lot of obstacles that we successfully circumvented.

Our venue, St. Michael’s Fortress was open for daily visitors during the whole preparation time. We gave our best not to disturb their visit while building three stages, backdrops, catering equipment, and having tone rehearsals. What is also complexed about the venue is the fact that it is located on an 80 m high steep with a one-lane access road. The closest parking is 2 km away. You can only imagine how many vehicles were needed for the equipment delivery and transportation of 70 artists. It takes unbelieve coordination skills. Shoutout to our tech crew! Speaking of those 70 artists, we have to mention that they shared only one proper backstage and managed to get ready without being crowded. In all this, we also thought about the outfits and gave out our festival t-shirts to the catering staff. Of course, safety came first and a lot of things to do to assure it. Marking the seats and floor to maintain social distancing, measuring the body temperature of all of the staff, artists and guests, making sure there are enough disinfectants throughout the venue, preparing masks and gloves… And as all of that wasn’t enough, we created a radio studio that had a live broadcast on-site.

Measurable results

The relevance and final successful result of the event are visible throughout the artists and audience that came from every part of Croatia. Statistics show that more than 50% of the audience was from another city which proves the attractiveness of the program.

The great feedback from our sponsors and media partners after the festival idea pitch was also one of the great first signs. Today, they are proud that they took part and helped in the creation of this event. Something that is definitely worth mentioning are the various discounts we got from our partners and artists. Just a reminder, this happened in a time when they were the group that was mostly financially hit from the Covid-19 consequences. We are very much grateful for that and glad that together we did something magical that the audience recognised.

How do we know that? Well, it is easily measurable by the amount of social media posts, likes and new followers. It is also measurable from the amount of press clipping material. And last but not the least, in the most uncertain times, our event was sold out in less than a week!

Communication

Although it was a first-time festival, Let’s Rock! really stood out in media space (online and offline) and on social networks. Our marketing team managed to spread the word about the event nationally and sell out all tickets in just six days, with minimal financial investment. Copywriting, design and social network management – the team covered it all in-house. To paraphrase The Beatles: we got by with a little help from our artists who gave a great shout out to their fans to check out the event.

The idea behind the festival was pitched to media partners (news sites, radio, TV, print) who were excited to be a part of the event and had full trust in its success, so they offered their services at a discounted rate. The cooperation resulted in radio and TV commercials, print ads, promotional articles in the most influential Croatian national media – heck, we even got the coolest radio station in Croatia to put their studio in Šibenik during the festival. Few days before the event and weeks after, the buzz around Let’s Rock! was strong, what directly contributed to the overall image of our institution and team, and indirectly to all partners and sponsors involved.

The use of sustainable practices

Gender equality
Coming from an unfortunately still conservative society, we pride ourselves for being a company where gender equality has never been an issue. The number of men and women employees is the same and guess what – we earn the same too. Our lady colleges even have some roles that are predominantly known as male positions; such as the production/promoter manager and director too. In that spirit, the event had the same number of men and women performers as well.

Ecology
Doing a little goes a long way, especially when it comes to ecology. Keeping in mind the ‘’Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’’ rule here is what we did:

Reduce – by sending the festival maps and timelines via e-mail to every guest, and by presenting QR codes that
land to our food & drink menu, we reduced paper, printer usage and saved some trees
Reuse – especially for this event, we introduced reusable plastic cups that were served at the bar. Yes, the guests took some of them home to reuse them as a cool souvenir.
Recycle – there were recycling bins with special containers for plastic, paper and other waste

STADA Global Leadership Meeting 2019

stada-conventa-best-event-award — Photos: www.vekoldmc.com

Basic Event Information

Date: September 3rd 2019
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Organizer: DMC VEKOL
Client: STADA Arzneimittel AG
Event type: Annual global leadership meeting

EVENT CATEGORY: B2B | Best Corporate Convention

Event description and key objectives

In September 2019 DMC Vekol team got entrusted with taking care of the worldwide management of one of the leading pharma & healthcare giants on the global market, including their respected and ultra-demanding CEO, Mr. Peter Goldschmidt and board of directors.

For what will turn out to be one of the most prominent events in Belgrade of the year 2019, we staged a unique river experience followed by an audiovisual spectacle for 150 delegates coming from 29 countries that lasted for over more than 16 hours straight!

The much needed touch of luxury and glamour – in the spirit of young Hollywood gala events – was easily achieved by hosting the daytime conference on a vibrating boathouse offering a spectacular view on the Danube and Sava confluence and a premium gala at Serbian Royal Court – Belgrade’s open-air museum, reflecting an ideal combination of history, elegance and haute interior design.

But let us gently walk you through the process…

Key challenges

“You only have one chance to make the right first impression” – literally. The greatest challenge for DMC Vekol was blending the entire experience for 150 city newcomers into a one single day, familiarizing them with an unknown destination at the same time providing an intense and non-ending fusion of fun, entertainment and a big cup of learning.

Also, one of the challenges came very early in the bidding process, when it simply turned out: Serbia is (still) nobody’s usual suspect when thinking about premium destinations for high-profile events such as global leadership meetings. During the uneasy past, the country has lived to be in the spotlight of world’s attention and concern a few times too many, making it hard to win trust and sympathy of travel agents and companies. Thus, it did take a lot of convincing, but eventually DMC Vekol team managed to be perceived as more than capable to execute a premium event start to finish. Budget-wise approach also helped: “We pitched a program in Belgrade against a couple of other destinations and found we could do so many more worthwhile things in Belgrade because the budget went so much further” – putting it into words by Peter Goldschmidt, the CEO.

So after a full year of heavy negotiating, followed by a couple of intense months of hard-work, STADA Global Leadership Meeting 2019 – aimed to bring together pharma professionals from all over the world in order to share some insights on a diverse range of topics – finally rolled-up in Belgrade!

Creativity

Coffee break on a brand new Monterey? Sure.

Few other experiences in Belgrade match the full splendor of a stunning cityscape view while chilling on the riverbanks of Danube and Sava – the heart and soul of Southeastern Europe. A global leadership meeting deserves more than a stuffy hotel ballroom or a multifunctional hall – this is why we decided to bring the conference outdoors to a three-storied boathouse! A complete makeover of the venue included 3 full days of floor-to-ceiling adjustments, 11 vans of AV equipment including 150 VR pieces for all participating delegates and installation of a 200ft long pontoon bridge able to fit 20 brand new Sea Ray and Monterey speed boats for a unique coffee break experience.

Since the tight agenda left little to none time for any city sightseeing, we made sure delegates don’t board their planes without getting a proper impression of a place they are likely seeing for the first time. While having their Espresso onboard, all 150 delegates were able to cruise along with Belgrade attractions and landmarks such as the medieval city-fortress “Kalemegdan”, the confluence, the Great War Island, Serbian Orthodox Patriarchy, the six socialist Belgrade bridges and of course – “Belgrade Waterfront” – a multi-billion construction investment in the making.

Our Break-Up Letter to 2D Events

Moving on through the day – say goodbye to boring projections and presentations, and hello to 3D spatial augmented reality! Instead of the old déjà vu video story-telling, we decided to go for some story-doing with mind-bending effects to spice up the evening part of our event and make it come alive. Matching STADA corporate values with Serbian all-time celebrities that brought prosperity to mankind, we used all our creative capacities in designing a custom-made 3D projection featuring our homage to the beautiful mind of Nikola Tesla and Serbian all-time favourite tennis star Novak Đoković!

Innovation

RAKIA Connecting People: a brand new engaging concept

If you really want to learn more about the eating and drinking habits of Serbian people, it all gets down to the national drink – the (in)famous RAKIA. The right Rakia cocktail is more than just a drink and we know it! In order to keep the event alive by not only entertaining our pharma delegates but rather engaging them all night long – we designed and launched the concept of RAKIA LAB – bartending professionals with their full gear and chemistry glassware showing the crowd how the perfect combination of scent, color and taste is achieved in making the ultimate Rakia cocktails. Utilizing a broad spectrum of gastronomy, perfumery, music, art and design, this stylish and cool activation point presented only the best and boldest alcohol creations to the delegates. While having their customized sips, delegates were able to find out more about this notorious but enchanting drink – its history, ways to taste it properly, how to recognize good quality Rakia and many more tips and tricks.

Execution

The final “event architecture” outset?

During 16 hours straight of an intense stay in Belgrade, the 150 lucky delegates were given an injection of adrenaline & fun approximately every half an hour through a massive variety of activities and experiences.

After spending a full working day on the docks, the event culminated at the very residence of the Serbian Royal family, surrounded by beautiful, forest-draped outer suburbs of Belgrade with a mosaic of different entertainment and fun. Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Catherine were more than pleased to give a warm welcome to our attendees and join them for the night, wrapping up the entire experience in the most memorable manner.

Event Eat-inerary

A special overview of food design during the event is also much needed: In a country where food is considered a religion, a gala would be nothing without true fireworks in your taste buds. For such occasions you only want to hire the very best there is out there and it doesn’t get any better than one of the greatest names in modern haute cuisine! Our 150 delegates had the pleasure of tasting plates that the Meilleur ouvrier de Grande Bretagne Eyck Zimmer previously designed for POTUS Barack Obama, The Rolling Stones, Prince of Whales and other numerous Hollywood A-listers and celebrities. From “brain food” during the conference part of the event, to the full four-course dining concept – everything revolved around the art & science of eating well. Key message: Do you often skip meals, reach out for junk food or have another terrible eating habit? STADA wants to help you maintain your perfectly healthy, happy brain. These colourful mouth-watering bites high with nutrients are everything you need to fuel your brain for the day. Oh, and… they taste even better than their Instagram.

Measurable results

STADA global leadership meeting not only brought the 150 delegates an overload of fun, but also a great portion of education, opening up some completely new aspects in the organization of events.

The long-term impact for the destination went further than anyone expected: through “Hemofarm” – their daughter company in Serbia – STADA donated 110 appliances to Serbia to monitor the condition of patients suffering from coronavirus in total value of 400.000 euros, under the initiative “To Serbia with love”.

The use of sustainable practices

Serbia is a place where it’s very easy to appreciate the beauty of nature and in order to preserve our community, at DMC Vekol we decided to declare #WarOnWaste quite a while ago. In accordance with our Green Commitment Policy and sustainability credentials, all measures were taken during this program in order to minimize any negative impact on the environment.

STADA Global Leadership Meeting 2019 went full digital from scratch to execution – a responsive web site and an easy-to-use mobile app were created to keep delegates flawlessly updated, optimize every step of the planning process and give priority to paperless communication that is beneficial for both our business and our planet.

Instead of offering international specialties at all costs, both Eyck Zimmer and DMC Vekol were willing to give advantage to local food – grown organically close to where it’s bought and consumed to avoid traveling long distances and consequent pollution. After the sanitary check, all food leftovers were donated to the local shelter for elderly homeless to eliminate as much waste as possible.

Why is Conventa Crossover shifting to a HYBRID event model?

conventa-crossover-2019-speaker-stage-cankarjev-dom

THE FUTURE IS HYBRID

Why is Conventa Crossover shifting to a HYBRID event model and how will it reshape the future of events?

When hybrid cars first started to appear, people said that they took the best from the old petrol world and the new electrified, sustainable world. Right now, hybrid events seem like the most logical answer to the current situation. An increasing number of meeting planners have shifted towards hybrid event models, as they allow people from countries, where the state of the pandemic is getting worse to join the event online, while attendees from countries with loosened restrictions can join live.

Due to the unpredictability of the current situation, we had to stay agile and react fast. A few weeks ago, we were confident that things will normalise by 27 August 2020, celebrating the end of the pandemic, but it seems that this will not be the case. Our genuine goal of sharing knowledge, networking and exchanging ideas is still immensely strong and a final decision was made together with our partners; Conventa Crossover is moving forward in hybrid form.

This means that regional attendees from countries that are on Slovenia’s green list according to the National institute of Public Health (the list of countries can be found here) will be able to join the Crossover experience live in Ljubljana, Slovenia and others will join the action through a new online platform. More information about registering on the online platform will be available soon.

We would like to emphasize that the venue; Cankarjev Dom Cultural Centre and the organisers of Conventa Crossover; Toleranca Marketing have received the Safe & Healthy Events certification from the Slovenian Convention Bureau. Your health and safety at the event will be our number one priority.

Despite the new hybrid form, Conventa Crossover will remain the central THINK-TANK for the meetings industry of New Europe.

For the 5th year in a row, Conventa Crossover will become a testing ground for new ideas and a showcase of how agile the meetings industry really is. This year’s programme will be dedicated to innovations in the meetings industry and all forms of online events, presented through good practice cases. We will also be talking about the future of our industry in an exciting panel discussion. We are certain that live events will never go out of fashion, but they will have to be adapted and focused on bringing added value.

We haven’t forgotten about awarding the best events in the region. Conventa Best Event Award is moving forward, but the competition has been restructured, with more event categories and easier application conditions. You can read more about #CBEA20 here.

Our motto stays the same: “Life is too short to waste time at boring events”. Our goal is for Conventa Crossover to be part of a meetings industry renaissance. To pave the way for regional post-coronavirus events through an innovative event format.

If you want to be part of a meetings industry renaissance, join Conventa Crossover, a hybrid festival for everyone, who wants to learn, socialize and exchange ideas in an informal, relaxed environment.

We hope to see you in Ljubljana from 27 to 28 August 2020.

Gorazd Čad
Founder of Conventa Crossover

In bed with the storytellers: Bojana Crnadak

READY TO JUMP IN BED WITH THE STORYTELLERS OF CROSSOVER 2019?

…to listen to bedtime stories, of course.

Just like bedtime stories that we used to listen to as children, every event creates and shares its own story. A well-told story is an event where the narrator and the listener meet, where the participant and the speaker form a personal bond. Before you come to the hottest conference of the summer, we wanted you to meet our storytellers, to make the storytelling experience even stronger and more engaging.

LET’S TALK FUTURE

Q: How are we going to organize events in the future?

The future of organizing events will be in many aspects determined by technology and artificial intelligence, but nevertheless the creativity remains crucial.

Q: Is there something you would like to change in the world of events?

Being more open to new ideas and solutions. Dare to try…

Q: What do you love about your job the most?

The great advantage of my job is its dynamics. Since I work with many countries in the region of Southeast Europe and their different mentalities similar projects can mean completely different experiences. That keeps me going further…

Q: In your opinion, what is live marketing’s best advantage?

I am here and impress me.

CROSSOVER CONFERENCE

Q: What are you bringing to Conventa Crossover?

I am bringing stories from events in developing programs of Southeast Europe.

Q: What do you expect from Crossover in Ljubljana?

I am looking forward to great interaction with local, regional and international colleagues, as well as to feed my curiosity on what’s new…

Q: Why should an attendee not miss your session?

You will always wonder what you missed by not being at this session…

Q: Hashtag suggestion for the 2019 edition?

#liveandlearn

About Bojana

Program Specialist at CEF – Center of Excellence in Finance

Bojana has over 10 years of experience in organizing events, from specific events, prepared for experts in public finance management sector to very rich experiences in managing events in the region of Southeast Europe, Russian Federation, Caucasus and elsewhere. Her passion is in highly efficient event management and its modern approaches, along with the change management in the area of organizing events. The format of lifelong learning is significantly changing through time and also affects the event preparations; therefore it requires continuous learning and improvement. Besides event and change management she has been intensively involved in team management for the last few years.

In bed with the storytellers: Ivo J. Franschitz

READY TO JUMP IN BED WITH THE STORYTELLERS OF CROSSOVER 2019?

…to listen to bedtime stories, of course.

LET’S TALK FUTURE

Q: How are we going to organize events in the future?

Live becomes digital & digital becomes live! Driven by the ideas of collaboration, sharing & community-thinking, places (destination, locations, venues) will be definite anew.

Q: Is there something you would like to change in the world of events?

A change in mindset & understanding that events are not just another marketing channel to distribute given content & ideas, but a place where content & stories are created.

Q: What do you love about your job the most?

The engagement with people and experience when joint efforts come to life.

Q: In your opinion, what is live marketing’s best advantage?

It’s the only form of marketing which appeals to all five senses.

CROSSOVER CONFERENCE

Q: What are you bringing to Conventa Crossover?

My curiosity to meet people, to engage & to part of sharing new ideas.

Q: What do you expect from Crossover in Ljubljana?

To provide an engagement platform for open-minded & curious people of our industry.

Q: Why should an attendee not miss your session?

Because you will never know what you have missed, if you do not attend.

Q: Hashtag suggestion for the 2019 edition?

#LiveisLife

About Ivo

Owner & Managing Director of ENITED Business Events GmbH

Ivo J. Franschitz owns a master’s degree in international marketing from the Vienna University of Economics and his early career milestones include Senior Marketing & Management positions in the Tourism and Business Events industry. Since 1999 he has been involved with a number of national and international educational institutions and sharing his experience and knowledge through a variety of speaking engagements. Currently he holds a Board member position with EMBA (Event Marketing Board Austria) and with LiveCom Alliance (Pan-European Platform of National LiveCom Associations), as well as being an active member of ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association) and of 27NAMES.

In bed with the storytellers: Lara Vodlan

READY TO JUMP IN BED WITH THE STORYTELLERS OF CROSSOVER 2019?

…to listen to bedtime stories, of course.

LET’S TALK FUTURE

Q: How are we going to organize events in the future?

Technology will determine the future of organization of events. It will be part of every step on the way – from registration to content planning and it will also augment the events themselves.

Q: Is there something you would like to change in the world of events?

Organizing events for the sake of events. Events are not the answer to every marketing or business need. It’s nice to get together and enjoy nice food and drinks, but nice is not marketing KPI.

Q: What do you love about your job the most?

Opportunity to learn and grow. Marketing is changing – or even better – evolving with such big speed that it’s crucial to be able to have all the resources and tools to take the right decisions.

Q: In your opinion, what is live marketing’s best advantage?

The attention of your audience. They took time from there calendars to attend your event. They are there in the room with you and you do not have to compete with other open tabs in their browser as you have to online. But if you let them down that is probably the last time you see them.

CROSSOVER CONFERENCE

Q: What are you bringing to Conventa Crossover?

Curiousness! I’m looking forward to hear all the good stories!

Q: What do you expect from Crossover in Ljubljana?

Inspiration!

Q: Why should an attendee not miss your session?

Because it’s gonna be fun and dynamic

Q: Hashtag suggestion for the 2019 edition?

#letshaveanevent

About Lara

Marketing and Communication Manager at Microsoft Slovenia

Lara Vodlan is Marketing and Communication Manager at Microsoft Slovenia and head of NT Conference. She tries to combine the best of events and digital marketing to build a solid business platform. With a rich history in culture events and many years in IT marketing, she is very experienced in combining the incompatible.

In bed with the storytellers: Henrik Von Arnold

READY TO JUMP IN BED WITH THE STORYTELLERS OF CROSSOVER 2019?

…to listen to bedtime stories, of course.

LET’S TALK FUTURE

Q: How are we going to organize events in the future?

The main difference will be further use of communication technology enabling delegates to take part on distance. An even more interacting business events model will be implemented for all delegates.

Q: Is there something you would like to change in the world of events?

We have to meet the already existing challenge with thousands of delegates flying around the world. It is not serious to say we are meeting the risk of climate change by serving bottled tap water or serving vegetarian food at Business Events.

Q: What do you love about your job the most?

Meeting people and the constant learning process.

Q: In your opinion, what is live marketing’s best advantage?

The engagement of participants.

CROSSOVER CONFERENCE

Q: What are you bringing to Conventa Crossover?

How collaboration in a destination lifts the quality of delegates experiences.

Q: What do you expect from Crossover in Ljubljana?

Learning more about live communication and meeting new people. This is a P2P ( people to people) segment.

Q: Why should an attendee not miss your session?

Get ideas on what you as an individual can do to make your destination more attractive as a business event destination.

Q: Hashtag suggestion for the 2019 edition?

#peoplemaketheworldgoround

About Henrik

Henrik Von Arnold, Senior Consultant at ENITED Business Events

Henrik von Arnold has been in the business events industry since 1997. His main functions have been team leader of Gothenburg Convention Bureau and later on Stockholm Convention Bureau, both in Sweden. Since 2014 he is living in Vienna, Austria and acts as a senior consultant within the consultancy company ENITED Business Events. Before his time within the business events industry, he has been working at the chamber of commerce and also been a project manager for several main city events within the sectors of culture, sports, politics and business.

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