»Vrhunske zgodbe, vrhunski ljudje, vrhunska mobilnost« (Outstanding Stories, Outstanding People, Outstanding Mobility) is an event we devised in the context of an extensive content marketing campaign celebrating the 25th anniversary of Porsche Slovenija (the general importer and representative for VW, Audi, Seat and Škoda). The campaign included TV and on-line presence and marketing, communication through all company channels (website, magazine, newsletters, social networks, etc.) and a gala event, where we subtly introduced some campaign elements into the script. The event became a cross media platform where the content could be presented in a subtle and innovative way, which evoked a variety of emotional responses from the crowd. Not a single performance during the entire event was designed and carried out in a standard manner that was seen before. As an event management agency, we set one objective for ourselves – to organise an event that would be remarkable, special and memorable in terms of design and execution (by using various genres and formats). We succeeded by integrating perfectly crafted, outstanding stories, co-created by outstanding personalities – whether they were campaign ambassadors or the performing artists at the event. Our spiritus agens revolved around a limitless concept – outstanding mobility in all its forms, phases and creativity! In the form of authentic stories told, shown, sung or danced by our selected co-creators.

We faced the following challenges:

– Communication: We started communicating with our invited guests (approximately 550 guests: business partners, all authorised dealers, all of the employees, representatives of municipalities and all important professional association, media representatives and friends) 5 months before the event. This included the preparation of a guest list (a detailed compilation and double-checking of contact information), designing a print invitation (which raised the expectations for the event through the roof), preparing and sending electronic invitations in multiple phases with an electronic RSVP system and creating a seating arrangement – our objective was to ensure a flawless communication. It really was, and we only received ten declinations due to objective reasons.

– Casting and direction: Choosing the performers and micro-directing each individual performance posed another challenge – how to stand out and be innovative, how to convince the performers to create, together with us, something they have never done before … So we started combining and fusing different energies.

– Video: Creation and production of three video stories in which the employees and business partners, who have been a part of the company for 25 years, shared their feelings through the prism of mobility, which brought tears to some eyes. The videos of children with a

We encouraged the performers to think about their own ideas and experiences with mobility to create some outstanding stage performances: – Miša Molk and Ula Furlan, co-hosts: Mother and daughter, both well-known presenters and hosts, had never hosted an event together – their energy was limitless, familial, friendly and professional – the mobility of a strong connection. – Klemen Slakonja – The excellent impressionist took the opportunity to share a personal story from a family trip in complete darkness, which enabled us to really hear every single word of the tale (we even dimmed the emergency exit lights for a couple of minutes to create complete darkness) – the mobility of the free spirit. – F&B Acrobatics – We’ve all heard of their acrobatics, but we had not been familiar with their teaching: 50 girl gymnasts charged the stage from all corners of the auditorium and performed an excellent group routine on a huge mat that barely fit on the stage – the mobility of movement. – Perpetuum Jazzile and Siddharta – A musical combo that would not occur on its own, a vocal ecstasy with rock instruments, augmented by a revolving stage set which gradually revealed the performers – it was a real treat for both eyes and ears – the mobility of limitless sound.

The performances were creatively thought-out, the stage lighting elevated every part of the show and the animations by the VJs served as a great visual accompaniment. The audience was simply amazed.

Content-wise, we approached the selection of the performers and the micro-direction of every performance as innovatively as possible, i.e. to create something no one has ever seen before:

– Crisscross puzzles instead of speeches: We included both general managers and the directors of all four car manufacturers in the script for the event. Our plan was to steer clear of standard, static speeches, which is why we introduced a new format and used our ”criss cross” game to help them reveal the values of the company and unveil the ambassadors of outstanding mobility through various forms of mobility. They took the stage individually and were not made aware of the question they would get from the hosts. Their time on the stage was therefore authentic and fun, while they really made the event whole by sharing a part of themselves and their personal thoughts.

– Taking advantage of 100% of the location: In terms of technical preparation, we took advantage of all the technical capabilities available at the location, e.g. the revolving inner platform on the stage that enabled us to show Perpetuum Jazzile before Siddharta and surprise the audience.

– Stage design and decoration: We transformed the auditorium and the main entrance into a dark corridor, part of which flanked both sides of the main hall, and brought our guests into something new, unknown and unexpected right from the start. Not even the staff at CD had ever seen such design for the entrance and the hall.

The event was very demanding in terms of stage design and technical preparation, so we needed two days to put together everything we had planned. Building a secondary stage, setting up the sound system, LED wall projections, the revolving stage and maximum stage loads, decorating the entrance and the hall – everything was meticulously planned and tested multiple times before the event.

The execution of the programme involving video, music and stage production also required teamwork between a number professional crews, excellent direction and careful coordination.

There were 120 performers on the stage (this impressive number was mainly achieved thanks to the gymnasts (50) and Perpetuum Jazzile (30)). The support teams for technical matters and stage design were also numerous. We collaborated with well-known young Slovenian creators who whipped up a true spectacle with their attention to detail and fresh approach: Nejc Levstik was director, Črt Birsa was lightning designer, Den Baruca was VJ and Greta Godnič handled the stage design.

And last but not least, we should mention the wonderful after party at the club, which was catered by Catering Jezeršek.

The excitement in the room, applause after every performance, loud ovation at the end of the event, and countless verbal congratulations and thanks in the month following the event. We came across 23 instances of organic media coverage (even though we had not encouraged or even planned any coverage).

The following media outlets publicised the event:
– Print: Lady, Suzy, Moto revija
– online media: Mediaspeed.net, Elle.si, Govori.se, Avto-magazin.si, Publishwall.si, Novice24.net
– radio: Radio Gorenc (car programme)
– TV: TV Slovenija 2 (a show titled Avtomobilnost) – and many personal social media profiles Press clipping attached.

We started communicating with the invited guests 5 months before the event. We compiled the guest list in cooperation with the management of the company, individual departments and the dealers who suggested their own guests. We used electronic invitations to communicate with our guests in multiple phases, using an electronic RSVP system, while everyone also received a striking print invitation to which they were also able to respond. We strived towards our goal to provide active, transparent and personal communication. After receiving the acceptances, we prepared a seating arrangement and sent out tickets with seat numbers to everyone invited. On the first day after the event, our guests received a thank-you e-mail and a link to the on-line photo gallery, while the video report was sent out a week later.

The design radiated outstanding mobility in the shape of a red road on a black background, which also served as the main theme of the entire event. Our communication was marked with a CI and a logo designed especially for the event on all levels – from the first invitation to the last bit of decoration:
– special branded postage stamps,
– print and electronic invitations,
– pillows used as decoration at the banquet,
– gifts – gift boxes for the guests,
– frames for photos that the guests took themselves at the after party,
– company name in huge 3D letters, which we moved all over the location of the event.

We communicated with the client transparently every day.

The guests were able to take any leftovers home in ”to-go boxes”. The decorations and promo material (3D letters, pillows, photo board) were designed so that they can be re-used.

We did not buy any new clothing for the performers; all clothes were either rented or owned by the performers.

From March 15th till March 18th, the capital of Croatia hosted for the second time the Festival of Lights Zagreb. With the support of the City of Zagreb and HEP, and in organization by the Zagreb Tourist Board, the historic center was illuminated with the cutting-edge lighting solutions based on very recent lighting technologies.

The first Festival of Lights Zagreb was held last year on 7 locations and this year the attractive audio-visual installations and projections came to life at 19 locations. The theme of the festival is the spring that symbolizes the awakening, growth and renaissance, therefore each of the locations tried to evoke the springtime through light performances in the evening.

After successful launching of the overall project of Festival of lights in 2017, our main goal in 2018 was to further position the Croatian capital as the all year-round city break destination with Festival of lights Zagreb as one of its most recognizable events.

Enlarging the festival from 7 to 19 locations was the biggest challenge, but it was successfully overcome because of the great support from local community and the City of Zagreb. Also, the interesting content at the 4 day long event on the open space, create a unique image of the capital during , therefore Zagreb Tourist Board had the assignment of uniting the overall offer and present it to the international tourist market. A great challenge was to transform Zagreb into the only year-round destination in Croatia which is mostly perceived as a traditional destination for summer vacation, manly on the coast.

A festival of good emotions and beautiful scenes where light artists use the city and its landmarks as a painting canvas announces the arrival of spring. It also unofficially marks the begging of tourist season in Zagreb, showing once again that Croatian capital is interesting to visit in every part of the year and only for summer holiday.

Light art is a new discipline that has escaped the confines of museum walls, its artists using as their canvas the city, its buildings, its monuments, the night sky itself. Part art, part design, architecture and entertainment spectacle, the festival both brings you something beautiful to look at and something to make you see your world differently.

Festival of Lights Zagreb is bringing an exciting new dimension to Croatian capital, enrobing its famous historic center in vivid hues or using it as an integral part of creative works.

In 2017 Zagreb’s very first Festival of Lights was a four-day celebration of spring that included experiencing a light harp and challenged visitors to win a prize in a unique laser maze.

With the four-day festival, Zagreb joined the other world cities that have a tradition of holding such festivals, like Lyon, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Prague, St. Petersburg or Berlin. Zagreb Festival of Light is also included in the International Festival of Lights Association. All the 19 locations were successfully presented and the social networks had enormous reach and shares during the Festival

During the Festival of Lights Zagreb and according to the Zagreb Tourist Board data, in the Croatian capital was marked the increase of 28% in tourist arrivals and 44% in overnight stays. In comparison to the last year, when Zagreb Tourist Board was organizing this festival for the very first time, this year in only four days there were 10,652 tourist arrivals and 21,592 overnight stays.

In this period Zagreb had 3,032 domestic (increase of 32%), 7,620 international tourists (increase of 26%) and the most numerous guests were from the South Korea, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, USA and Germany. Out of overall overnights, 5,094 overnight stays were made by domestic guests (increase of 30%) and 16,498 international (increase of 48%)

After successful launching of the overall project of Festival of lights in 2017, our main goal in 2018 was to further position the Croatian capital as the all year-round city break destination with Festival of lights Zagreb as one of its most recognizable events. To make this happen, we focused on the countries that have tradition of visiting Croatia for summer vacations because we wanted to increase the number of our traditional guests by giving them more of the content and context, creating new user experience during other months. Having that in mind, we chose as our main markets for the offline campaign the surrounding countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and Germany. Also, we created a completely new website dedicated to Festival of lights Zagreb and conducted the online campaign. The main campaign goal was to promote and communicate the Festival of lights Zagreb in selected markets. The campaign was designed to build up destination awareness within the target group, strengthen the presence of Zagreb within European destinations with the ultimate goal of inspiring people to visit the Festival.

Festival of lights uses electric power and as such is one the “greenest” events in Zagreb.

One of the biggest challenges in preparing such an event were most definitely international connections and forming recognisability of Ljubljana and Slovenia as a culinary destination. What makes Gourmet Cup unique and successful is above all cooperation and placing common interests above any individual interests. So in the last three years, Gourmet Cup presented 26 Slovene and international chefs – the event does not lean solely on internationally recognizable names, but promotes Slovenian cuisine as a whole. One of the most important goals we set for Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2018 was to contribute to an even greater recognisability of Ljubljana and Slovenia on the world culinary map through a rich culinary selection and various programmes. Our long-term vision is to transform Gourmet Cup Ljubljana into the most important culinary event, not only in Slovenia, but also in the region.

Goals: Promotion of Slovenia and Ljubljana as a culinary country, promotion of the Central Slovenia as a region with rich cuisine, promotion of Ljubljana as an important culinary metropolis, strengthening the visibility of the brand Okusi Ljubljane, strengthening the visibility of the brand Gourmet Ljubljana, more overnight stays in Ljubljana during the low season, creating the most important culinary event in the region, assure the presence of home and international top chefs, encourage the media and general public to show more interest in cuisine.

The strategy of the company Jezeršek gostinstvo is to organize creative culinary experiences. This is our moto also when we organize unique events, among which we can also name Gourmet Cup Ljubljana. With our creativity, boldness, but above all mindset that we can organize a culinary event that is a match for other world-renowned culinary events means that we are on the right path. The creativity when organizing and executing the whole event and the creativity when planning of the culinary stories such as Gourmet Cup takes place is quintessential. However, without the creative input of all collaborating chefs, be it local or international ones, who, in four days, managed to present their culinary masterpieces to all guests and visitors of the event, this event wouldn’t have been so successful. The creativity as a part of cuisine is very important also for the visibility of Ljubljana and Slovenia as a culinary destination, with which we want to contribute to promotion, recognisability and reputation of the capital and the whole country, which could consequently help with the acquirement of the title European Gastronomic Region 2021. To this last one substantially contributed the peak of the event – the unforgettable 6 Hands Experience Dinner, where TOP Chefs Ana Roš, Philip Rachinger and Luka Jezeršek with their respective teams worked for 7 hours behind a 9-meter counter and transferred their life stories to plates for 120 curious guests.

In the past few years the interest for cuisine, both in Slovenia and around the world, has risen. We are certain that a huge reason for that is also Ana Roš and her success – she was named the best female chef in the world and her restaurant Hiša Franko received the 48th place among the best restaurants in the world. It is a fact that people want innovative culinary solutions and memorable culinary experiences outside of what classical restaurants have to offer. All this is guaranteed by the innovative approach of the Gourmet Cup Ljubljana, namely a high cuisine at an interesting locations and venues which is within reach for everybody. During the four-day event we enabled our guests and visitors to taste dishes prepared by top-level Slovenian and international chefs, among which also Michelin chefs, for a fair price. At the same time we encouraged people to socialize in the company of exquisite food and drinks, share new knowledge and excellent experience during the professional portion of the event.

In four days we created top-quality culinary experience, where, through innovativeness and creativity, we managed to bring together foodies, sports enthusiasts, home and international TOP Chefs, leading culinary critics and extraordinary experts in the field of catering, media representatives, bloggers, influencers, experts and businessmen, but also young enthusiasts, who are just beginning their life’s journey.

The organizer of the event is a family-owned company Jezeršek gostinstvo which prides itself with more than 35 years of tradition and experience in catering at various events, organizing over 2,500 of them each year. The Jezeršek company is a reliable and flexible partner in Slovenia and outside its borders, which guarantees creative and culinary experiences tailored for every individual and year after year upgrades the Gourmet Cup vision.

The execution of the Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2018 was based on the work of experienced and professional team of over 60 people from the fields of catering, organisation, marketing and PR. Jezeršek gostinstvo realized the event Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2018 almost entirely on their own (catering, organisation, marketing and PR, etc.) or with a bit of help from some outside contractors (set-up Hiša Vizij, design and CPG of the event by Av Studio)

With that Jezeršek gostinstvo proved once again that they are the only catering business in Slovenia capable of realizing a top-level culinary event at a professional level and additionally contribute to the promotion of Ljubljana and Slovenia as a culinary destination.

The greatest criterion for measuring the success of the Gourmet Cup Ljubljana is without a doubt the satisfaction of guests and other participants, i.e. chefs, reporters and media representatives, partners, sponsors, etc. Numerous praises, positive responses in local and foreign media, recommendations of influencers and renowned critics are most assuredly a great criterion of excellence and speak about the importance of the Gourmet Cup Ljubljana. At the same time, they are also a great motivation for the realisation of an even better Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2019.

Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2018 in numbers: 4 days, 2 locations, 20 TOP Chefs, among which also 3 Michelin star Chefs, 1,391 sold coupons for degustation snack at Gourmet on snow, more than 520 registered guests on all events, from that: 96 guests on Cable Car Dinner with TOP three Slovenian chefs Bine Volčič, Karim Merdjadi and Luka Jezeršk, 160 participants at the conference under the guidance of Ana Roš, 120 guests at the sold gala dinner (Experience Dinner) with TOP Chefs Ana Roš, Philip Rachinger and Luka Jezeršek, 121 competitors at the ski competition Gourmet Pokal, 31 registered non-skiing visitors, 6,374 visitors on Krvavec during the Gourmet on snow over the period of two day, 7,000 visits on the website which is 328% higher rate than same time last year, estimated marketing value of all media coverage (contents/editorials) amounts to more than editorial publications € 340,000.

With the purpose to become the most important culinary event in the region we directed a lot of attention to foreign media, journalists, bloggers and other influencers (apart from the local ones). We were building our story mainly on the basis of content marketing and PR, via various communication channels (TV, radio, press, social media, internet) where we included Ana Roš, local and international chefs (exclusive interviews, presentation of said chefs, recipes).

Media recognition of the event in the last year exceeded all expectations since the estimated value of editorials surpassed € 340,000*.

From 13/12 to 30/7/2018 we found 147 posts about Gourmet Cup Ljubljana 2018, from that 147 in home and 10 in foreign media. The majority of these publications were posted in February (with the exception of monthly magazines). We found the publications in 81 media. TV and Radio: 7 TV and 4 Radio contributions and interviews on 8 different TV and Radio stations, more than 13 home and foreign accredited reporters and media representatives, AVE*: over € 190,800. PRESS: 55 articles in 26 different magazines, more than 21 home and foreign accredited journalists and media representatives, AVE*: over € 100,000. INTERNET: 75 posts on 53 different web portals, more than 37 home and foreign accredited journalists and media representatives, AVE*: over € 50,000. PRESS AGENCIES: 8 articles via press agencies.

*Note: AVE – Advertising Value Equivalent, Source: Press Clipping

With the gathered funds, we made sure that the humanitarian institution Pod Strehco (“Under the Roof”) can now prepare over 2,780 meals for socially disadvantaged individuals.

The Ladies’ Weekend Retreat was started in 2013 in the traditional Slovenian Spa centre Dobrna and was attended by 16 female participants. Due to the success of the event and the participants’ positive feedback, the event was repeated with 42 participants the following year at the 4* Rimske Terme Resort in Slovenia. Due to another successful event and more positive responses, we decided to alter the natural surroundings and its respective experiences, and move the 2015 event to the seaside. That event took place in the 5* Design hotel Lone in Rovinj, Croatian Istria and attended by 130 women. Since then, the event is traditionally held in October and took place at another beautiful Design hotel, the 5* Falkensteiner Hotel&Spa Iadera in Zadar, Croatia, and has seen 140 attendees each year. This October, the 2018 edition of the event will return to the Croatian Istria and will be held at the classy 5* Kempinsky Adriatic Hotel. The Brand of this yearly retreat is the known Slovenian influencer Alenka Košir, that has a Facebook presence of over 61000 followers and was named as one of the top 15 Slovenian social media influencers in 2017 by the Slovene Finance magazine.

The standard itinerary of the event is that through nutrition lectures, wellness treatments, exercise and fashion/cosmetics/women’s health workshops, we immerse the participants into an extended weekend of relaxation, socialisation and fun, to help them relieve the stresses of their busy lives.

The predominant challenge in the organisation of such an event is to sufficiently motivate enough women, whose lives revolve around their jobs and families, to gather the courage and find the time to take a weekend away from their busy lives and learn about their own wellbeing.

Further, the long-term challenge that we have tasked ourselves with, is to offer this Retreat not only to women in Slovenia and Croatia, but to successfully expand our clientele across Europe.

Based on a standardised itinerary, we offer a variety of events and experiences that differs from year to year. Renowned lecturers and quality programmes attest to the creativity of the organisational approach, which guarantees a successful event each year with an increasing number of participants and ever better sponsorship collaborations.

The first edition of a Ladies’ weekend retreat in 2013 showed us that the Slovene market for such a clientele does not exist, but the overly positive feedback and an increasing number of participants had proven that the contemporary woman is receptive to such opportunities and despite the proliferation of similar events in recent years, ours has shown to be without competition.

Following the early editions’ successes, we have decided to expand the event both in ambition and quality with each successive year. We are careful and strategic in the selection of the location of the events, the lecturers and the wellness and spa treatments on offer to our clients.

The first edition of the event in 2013 was attended by 16 women, which has increased to 140 for the past two consecutive years, which attests to the popularity and success of the event organisation. This has yielded a turnover of approximately 45000EUR in 2017, for example.

The event utilises contemporary communication devices in the form of social media (predominantly Facebook), newsletters and our webpage.

We strive to collaborate with sponsors and event locations that pursue ethical and ecological philosophies.

Miss7 brand was a fairly new woman’s media brand that has come to the Croatian market with it’s digital edition. In couple of months it has reached impressive numbers with b2c audience with it’s relevant & innovative content. But it was waiting for a big break through with b2b audience. Also, new print edition of miss7 brand – “miss7 magazine” was in the makings. Considering everything, brand has decided to show its potential business partners the main strengths of the brand through well thought out party! Nobody wants to listen someone speak why they are the best – you need to show it!

We have created the most entertaining b2b party of the year: Pajama party by miss7. The event was located in a new & cool movie / bar location called “Kaptol Boutique Cinema & Bar”. This location was a perfect fit for our idea – we had intimate but cool atmosphere, there was an Instagram – worthy bar at our disposal and Boutique cinema halls are set up for our use.

The event was a literal pajama & sleepover party. We had official dress code – pajama style clothes that were in line with current trends of pajama like designer clothes. Every part of scenography of the event was a picture perfect of ideal girl’s pajama party that she had or wanted to have with her friends. The idea was to show potential business partners that miss7 brand knows & is an actual Croatian woman.

Key objective: Introduction of the miss7 brand to b2b audience, Launch of print edition of miss7 brand, Attraction of new business.

1. How to introduce the woman’s media brand to potential business partners without explaining benefits through numbers but using what brand knows the best: showing what typical Croatian women want.

2. How to introduce print edition and its potential in a world where print is becoming less and less relevant?

Background: Croatian market is slowly but steadily becoming flooded with women’s media brands which are doing the similar things through communication and business model. Introduction of new brand & print edition wasn’t easy because of saturation and too much similarity among brands and target audience.

The main challenge of the event was to present miss7 to partners as a best friend for young women and to leave the great first impression on them. In order to fulfill that, we used unconventional and fun ways of promoting. Best friends enjoy sleepovers and pajama parties. That is an occasion where there is no taboo between them, they talk about secrets, love, gossip, fashion, sex… while chilling at home in pajamas. With this event, we wanted to get closer to new and existing partners, so we brought together the relaxed home atmosphere with business one.

We thought through every detail and made the most glamorous sleepover party ever with: hostesses wearing kimonos, pajama-inspired wardrobe, special drink menu with custom-made cocktails… every single detail was branded and made in line with the pajama party.

And what is a pajama party without a bit of a pillow fight? The best part of the evening was the moment when feathers started to fly all over the room.

The biggest innovation of the Pajama party by miss7 was an unconventional approach to B2B event organization. From the setting in the most modern cinema in Zagreb to the dress code and finally the pillow fight. Although it was a risky move to implement the last one, the result was more than expected. All the businessmen and partners went crazy with feathers, it was a business event as never seen before.

Project management was done by project organizers (Project manager, project executive, assistant). It took a month and a half to prepare and organize the event and one day to set it up and prepare for the cinema. The most exquisite part of the preparations were zones of fun (wardrobe, makeup, perfume, sleeping zone…). On the entrance and registration, there were hostesses, welcoming guests and directing them towards the photo wall, taking Polaroid photos, and informing about the event flow. The cinema provided their bartenders in the central part of the party, while the event organizers hired an official photographer. In every zone, there were experts in a certain filed (makeup artist, stylist, Lancôme perfume specialist…). The moderator of the program was a famous Croatian TV host Tatjana Jurić, while for the music entertainment there was DJ and Croatian singer Mia Dimšić.

The big challenge after the event was cleaning the entire cinema cafe out of feathers left from the pillow fight.

Although it was a closed type of the event, due to a big interest there was almost twice bigger number of expected attendees (invited 200, came almost 400). Many famous Croatian influencers showed up, which was followed up by PR and on social media (with over 2000 likes per post). Also, all the guests shared positive impression on social media, resulting in increased use of brand’s hashtags (#jatotako, #mitotako, #miss7). The long-term result was positioning miss7 brand as the best friend for young women.

The entire event communication was based on miss7 communication platform which positioned miss7 as woman’s best friend. The whole idea behind sleepover was conducted from well-known practice among best friends – pajama parties. Every aspect of communication was based on that creative idea.

The successful event organization aligned with the client’s wishes resulted in long-term partnership and trust between organizers and clients.

Save the date invitations and invitations were send through digital media to avoid usage of unnecessary paper. Other aspects of event were in line with business practice.

The Millennial Scrapbook by miss7 (Croatian: Leksikon milenijalki) was a daily event placed in Zagreb, in a spacious urban art gallery “Lauba – House for people and art”. The event gathered all business partner representatives, and the main objective was to present a unique research about female millennials in Croatia. miss7 is a female portal and magazine with millennials as a core target group. They wanted to educate their partners and help them in a better understanding of their target market.

To tell an interesting and complete story on research, the event consisted of 6 parts:

1. reception with a photo wall and event guide
2. interactive exposition with 5 exhibits, as a sneak-peek in research results. Guests could see the important results (characteristics of millennials), take a photo with it, read, connect with miss7 social media profiles and leave an impression.
3. presentation of the research results, held by an Ipsos director and expert in research Ante Šalinović together with miss7 representative Marcela Rukavina.
4. panel discussion and Q&A on topic, where the most interesting information was discussed. Experts from different fields participated
5. Millennial Brand Awards The moment when brands could find out if they were among preferred millennial choices on the Croatian market. And the best 16 took awards home.
6. brunch and gifts Secondary objectives of the event were:

• Present miss7 as number one millennial brand
• Promote miss7 among par

1. Since the event was held to present a serious, comprehensive and detailed investigation, the challenge was to make it interesting, memorable and close to partners from different fields and industries.

2. Share a valuable information and good practices

3. The event was organized during the working hours, so it needed to be communicated as worth coming and innovative

4. Not only to present but to involve attendees, encourage them to interact

5. Present miss7 as a leading women magazine that understands millennials

6. Leave a permanent reminder on the research results

As a response to challenges, we put the story about the millennial girl at the center of communication. We wanted to make it look less like statistics and more like a story about the real person. To tell that story, we took a step back in time and found something that every millennial used with her friend as a kid – a scrapbook. It contained all her secrets, habits, and questionnaires.We wanted to tell her grown-up story in the same way, so we named the event The Millennial Scrapbook by miss7. It was connected not only with millennials but evoked positive reactions and nostalgic memories for businessmen.

All the other materials were connected to it, from the invitation to event guide and presents. The exposition was made of 5 big scrapbook pages with main topics, while the presentation of the results looked like a questionnaire from the scrapbook.

The content of the event was innovative in a few ways:

1. The research about millennial women that was presented is the first of that kind in the region. It was done on the sample of over 2000 women in Croatia, and covered all the main topics about them (psychographics, preferences about the food, drink, clothing, cosmetic and other brands, opinion about the marriage, children and real estate, consummation of media and advertisement).

2. Experts that have participated in the panel interpreted results from various perspectives (psychological, sociological, personal, scientific and statistic), connected them, and completed the insight.

3. Exposition on the event was made based on the research results. It looked like 5 big scrapbook pages with objects popping out and entering the gallery space. Each page represented 1-3 important facts about millennials. It was interactive, used different materials and mediums.

4. The Millennial Brand Award is a completely new award on the market, designed for brands that were millennials’ best and most frequent choices.

Preparations for the event were 2 months long and set up the scene in Lauba were one-day preparations. The main logistical challenge was to set up the exposition with 5 custom made exhibits. Everything was coordinated by project / event agency & management, in cooperation with suppliers and miss7 as a client. Personnel at the event were hostesses that were in charge with the reception of guests, giveaways at the end and for providing information to guests if needed. Also, technical support, the bartender in the catering zone and official photograph.

Participants in the presentation and panel discussion were experts from different fields:

• Maja Vučić – moderator, psychologist
• Ante Šalinović – Ipsos director, presenting the research results
• Marcela Rukavina – vice director for sales in 24 sata – presenting the research results
• Branka Galić – prof. dr. sc., sociologist in the panel discussion
• Anamaria Butković – miss7 journalist, millennials representative in the panel discussion

• Brand positioning – miss7 is perceived a leading millennial portal
• Millennial brand award – a new award for brands set on the market
• 100% attendees came to the event
• 200 brand managers and B2B audience
• The word about the millennial research was spread among partners, but also with the public via PR articles and sharing on social media.

The entire event communication was based on miss7 platform which positioned miss7 as woman’s best friend. The scrapbook and the playful, casual communication alongside was at the same time appropriate and educational. Clients get the valuable information about miss7 target market that will help them on how to approach to millennials efficiently. In the same time, they get to know better how miss7 works and which of their methods of communication work best with millennial women in the region. The successful event organization aligned with the client’s wishes resulted in long-term partnership and trust between organizers and clients.

Event invitations & save the date reminders were send through e-mail to avoid extra usage of unnecessary paper.

Bee Initiative, a first-time event dedicated to bees and sustainability, took place in hotel InterContinental Ljubljana. The idea of the event, that was running from 19th-31st May 2018, was to create a liaison between the International World Bee Day and the hotel’s restaurant, B restaurant&bar (pronounced “bee'”), a name inspired by the unique local Carniolan bees. During this exciting period filled with various activities, the menus and food and beverage offering were also featuring mouth-watering honey flavoured dishes for lunch, dinner and as part of the welcome amenities that are offered as courtesy to the VIP clients upon arrival. On top of this, Intercontinental Ljubljana involved hotel guests and locals and encouraged them to visit the hotel and participate in several activities that all served an educational purpose. This included among others a treasure hunt and exhibition of educational boards. To promote this initiative globally hotel hosted a prestigious press trip and a media event, all with an aim to attract the clients interested in sustainability and bees’ preservation.

One of the key challenges of Bee Initiative event was to prove to the public that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand. The aim was to show the guests that the hotel is indeed making tremendous efforts to take sustainability to the next level and that luxury can be something that embodies the social and environmental credentials of a product or service. Furthermore, the other challenge was also to connect and engage several hotel departments in the high season of operation as well as outsourced partners, local community, media and the others to successfully implement the bee story. The event required extensive logistics and preparation as well as excellent team work and dedication from all departments. Putting a bee hive in the lobby was also a thing that is not happening in a 5* hotel every day.

The creative task force team, that was formed by members from various departments of the hotel, did extensive research on the subject to understand the fundamentals of this initiative and the importance of these precious creatures. They established new partnership with local stakeholders like beekeepers, honey product manufacturers and designed a wide scope of program that are both fun and educational. To spread the word and to create international exposure, clients were motivated by a complimentary cocktail to take and post pictures on social media (with new hashtag “beehere”) of the educational signs and designated photo wall. Those guests who prefer traditional methods could take home an informative flyer too. Intercontinental Ljubljana has also committed not to stop here and has declared its own B day on 19th May every year making it a strategic initiative to be constantly followed and upgraded as part of the overall strategy

Innovation in this case was actually the creation of the event itself. As it was the first year of International Bee Day, pioneering such a project the same time is a result of strategic and pro-active planning and the genuine care for the local values. Harmonising this with the theme of B restaurant&bar made the project complete and an innovation from every aspect. Through a well-thought campaing that was designed and brought to life by hotel employees, was milestone in engaging audience that would likely never come to a 5* hotel. It’s just a cherry on the cake in innovation that Bee day in B restaurant&bar will be an ongoing occasion for celebration in the coming years.

Deciding to dedicate almost a whole month to bees and sustainability included an intensive preparation not only focusing on hotel guests and clients, but also local community, media, honey producers and bee-keepers, CRS and last but not the least, hotel employees. For their children a performance and celebration starring a bee was prepared. Furthermore 5 creative-minded team members of “bee-committee” who organised the event were recognised with special awards after the project for their devotion to the project. One of the organisers, Neja from reservation department summarised, “Being a part of Bee Initiative team was an amazing experience for many aspects. Apart of connecting to other team members and various departments over hotel, we brought something fresh to the InterContinental Ljubljana. With championing this project, we managed to inform our guests about importance of bees, sustainability and furthermore to promote local honey products. I am really proud that I was a member of organisational team. Sustainability is the only way to grow and develop and this project created a significant awareness on the mater.”

Besides the earned media, this initiative was also successful in terms of financial results as hotel guests spent more time in a hotel to try the activities and consequently spent more in hotel’s bar, restaurant and Bloom Lounge. Furthermore, to give an overall picture and “dimensions” of the event, more than 50 external guests visited a hotel only to participate at the treasure hunt activity and to find out more about the event, which consequently resulted in higher purchasing activities compared to other weeks. By sponsoring two events related to this initiative, the hotel received concrete future opportunities from these partners that result in future sales.

The visual solutions were crucial for the success of the “Bee week” and it was a huge support to spark an interest and attract clients’ attention. From teasers and targeted press releases to consistent promotion via various channels the whole concept was appealing and attractive that engaged a wide variety of audience. It was an honour for the hotel to be supported by SLO Convention Bureau and Magazine Kongres who embraced the project and valued the support towards Green Slovenia. Besides the external communication and promotion, the Bee Initiative event required also an intense internal communication and the positive results boosted team spirit and commitment of hotel employees.

InterContinental Hotels Group has always pioneered sustainability and its hotels have established programme in place that ensures responsible operations and consideration of local environments and communities. Making such an initiative locally, complements the global goals, while embracing a cause that is so dear to most Slovenians. The hotel is proud that during this week a corporate social responsibility action also took a place in cooperation with CUDV Draga, an institution for the education, work and healthcare of children and adults with various mental disabilities and the Slovenian Convention Bureau. The activity was based on great initiative from 2012, when a new bee house was built at CUDV Draga by Slovenian meetings industry professionals to raise 8 bee colonies with up to 60,000 bees. The employees of the InterContinental Hotel Ljubljana spent the 31st May in the Centre organizing and participating in different kinds of activities with children and adults. Playing and laughing together with them was the best take away from this week.

The huge entry in WRMR 2017 shattered previous records for masters regattas. Record big masters regatta in Bled (in number of participants) demanded great logistics in terms od hospitality and location itself (space, transport, informing athletes etc.). More than 300 people and volunteers helped to prepare and execute the regatta. More than 2,000 boats were stored in the boathouse area and more than 250 trailers were parked right at the venue. Very impressive. As the huge number of participants a bit surprised organizers at first it was at the same time great honour. At the end all ran like clockwork.

Rowing is a worldwide sport. A rower may compete as a masters rower from the beginning of the year during which he or she turns 27. This regatta attracted new rowers in younger categories and more women. How organizers communicated to the target group surely had great impact on the success of the event. Starting with promotion – being present on social media, regularly sending targeted newsletters with triggers like location, easy access, modern infrasturcture etc., with detailed but concise information and responsivness on email and mobile phones.

The content of the event expanded from “only” rowing to additional programme offering evening opening ceremony with a parade of Nations at the Bled Promenade, Royal Reception at the Bled castle with Octo ceremony, every day evening programme “Taste of Bled” ( live music at the Bled Promenade and “food market” offering traditional culinary delights) and number of one day tourist tours around Slovenia for participants and their companions to experience Slovenia in full swing.

The Slovenian rowing tradition has been crowned with the successful organization of the European and World Championships and the World Cup competitions at Lake Bled. Bled hosted the World Championships in 1966, 1979, 1989 and lastly in 2011 and has hosted the World Cup in 2010 and 2015 and record big Masters in 2017. With the enthusiasm and hard work, a reliable and very capable organizational structure was built with wide range of experiences. It can be said that effort made in the creating the best team for the hosting of elite rowing events was paid off , since the workforce and especially Organizing Committee members were eager to work also on other rowing events from 2011 on. After last year’s extremely successful World Masters Regatta 2017, the team was awarded with a new challenge – 2020 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Junior Championships.

The estimation is that during the Masters Regatta (duration of 5 days) 6.000 people were accommodated in Bled and surrounding areas. They stayed on average 6 days, making 36.000 lodgings. Daily consumption per person was 50€ per day averagely

From the brand BLED ROWING, that was introduced in 2015 for Rowing World Cup, organisers launched brands for different rowing events, such as Bled Rowing Events Team, Bled Rowing International regattas, Bled Rowing World Cup, Bled Rowing Labour Day Regatta, etc. The strategy is to have coherent communication for all rowing events on Lake Bled under representative logo and brand.

FISA (World Rowing) Strategic Alliance WWF and World Rowing global partnership aims to:

• Set new standards in sustainable sports event management, particularly in respect to clean water
• Raise public awareness of key freshwater messages
• Harness rowers all around the world to take actions that will protect water

The essential challenge of the event is to ensure its execution, which is not self-evident. We have to ensure a successful financial structure with un-constant budget. Microsoft NT Conference is financed only through attendee fees and sponsorship fees. Its financial structure results in the challenge of keeping and/or raising the number of attendees and sponsors.

The task is not simple, as we are meeting higher and higher number of similar events in the region, while the plane tickets for the entire Europe are no longer expensive and people can visit any event they want for the same financial input. According to the raising number of competitive events we need to keep up the relevance of the entire event – not just the content and the networking part, but the entire experience an attendee and a partner gets from the event. The interest of both groups is getting higher each year, which means that the added value of the event is high enough to conquer other competitive events. In the process of transformation of the event itself, it’s also our challenge to keep the high number of attendees from IT sphere (10% of the entire IT population in Slovenia), while raise the number of attendees from business sphere.

Another challenge of the event with 23 years of tradition is to keep the legacy of the event and Microsoft Corporation, so that attendees know what to expect, while at the same time create the content and the happening that is up-to-date, relevant, innovative and fresh

A project with 23 years of tradition has to stay innovative in order for the attendees and partners to keep attending and investing in their knowledge and business connections. We believe that the concept itself needs to be the most creative. One of the main things that makes NT Conference unique and differs it from other such events is a special mix of technology, business and casual atmosphere, that all bare equal importance and attention from our side.

Creativeness in the knowledge part means to create a timeline of lectures, round tables and workshops that are just the right level and content for the widest IT and business public. Combining technology with business in a way to deliver contents, intertwining them both, makes it interesting for both groups at the same time.

Sponsorship cooperation is also very creative. We offer them the entire event platform and consult one-by-one on how to use it most effectively. Through contribution of their content and presence with various engagements before and at the event we create many opportunities for them to keep and stay in contact with all the event parties. We support and help them generate new leads through that, and also through our conference system, which enables them to collect leads at their exhibition stand. Together with partners we transformed a knowledge-based event into a modern business and marketing platform. And through combination with relaxed unformal events we are creating even more opportunities for all.

Having 2.200 attendees at the event means to have 2.200 different behavioural patterns and it’s important to recognise them in order to achieve better results and better events in the future. To prepare the best possible content, side-events and business opportunities, we have to know, what kind of professional profiles are interested in the event, how to convince them to join, and at the end, what kind of profile comes to the event and what are their preferences at the event itself.

Through marketing automation, we are following the behaviour of potential attendees way before the event, in order to recognise their interests. Through different content (conference information, partner and sponsor content) we get their attention to continue following our communications and of course, to submit to the event.

At the event itself, we are collecting different kind of information in order to know individuals’ preferences in content, partners etc. Having 13 simultaneously lectures, parallel sponsorship happenings and several side-events it’s important to know how successful they were. That kind of measuring does not just give us an insight in the event in order to improve it, but also gives us the opportunity to react immediately in case anything goes wrong or if there is too much of interest for a certain topic (we can repeat one lecture or workshop, produce more such contents etc.).

From the organizational point of view it’s most important to fulfil the expectations and demands of the client – Microsoft, and through that, to fulfil expectations and wishes of the attendees. Namely, those are the ones who will be affected by the event in a way to re-visit it, to re-buy a certain product or service, to transfer a certain information etc. And that’s what counts.

Marketing agency MPG Slovenia organized the Microsoft NT Conference for the fifth time in a row now. We created a new concept, upgrading it each year. We fully take over the conference organization, implementing new solutions and quality improvements, while respecting tradition and legacy. Most important is the combination of agency experiences and Microsoft experts to work closely to prepare the event in such dimensions.

We are preparing the NT Conference for app. 10 months. It all starts with the number of a few people, each one responsible for specific core field – management in general; event organization and finances; sponsorship and partnership; communications and attendees. Slowly, one by one, we include new co-workers and subcontractors to the project – and at the end, there are more than 100 people working in the organizational team of the NT Conference. And when attendees are totally not aware of the fact that there is such a number of people behind all of that happening, then you know, we did our job well.

We are dividing the result of the Microsoft NT Conference in several parts. The first part of the results, on which the entire event is depend on, are the number of sold attendee fees, and the amount of financial input from the side of event sponsors. As we already mentioned, the conference is financed only through those two channels and it’s important to achieve the goals we set on the beginning of the project planning. The event is worth app. 500.000 EUR and we not only reached the limit, but overcame it this year too. That means we could include in the project all the elements needed for a successful event.

The other part, also very important for the existence of the NT Conference itself, is the business impact on Microsoft’s side, which is measured in several segments, like the number of leads, contacts, revenue etc., achieved through the event. Unfortunately, none of those segments and its numbers can be disclosed, but there are many concrete sales leads generated at the conference and you can be sure, that without the results and achieved goals in that part Microsoft Corporation would not recognise the added value of the event and would no longer support its performance. The only information we can share in this part is that half of Microsoft Slovenia yearly revenue is influenced by the NT Conference.

Communication is a very important part of the NT Conference and we pay special attention to it. We use many different digital communication channels to inform our target audience about the event and its possibilities: website, newsletters, social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram). We are cooperating with Slovenian media (advertising, PR), as well as with digital agencies (on-line advertising). The communication was very successful and the conference is recognized as one of the biggest and most important IT and business events in the region also by the media. We had 27 accredited journalists, 35 articles and 11 interviews.

For communication with partners we use personal e-mails, phone calls and meeting; internal e-mails for Microsoft Corporation informing; phone and e-mail communication for attendees who can reach to us anytime.

We need to know our audience well in order to form the right content, interesting for IT professionals and developers, as well as for managers and decision makers, if we want to attract them to follow us and to attend the event. Speakers and partners play a very important role in the process of creating such content. NT Conference is a business and marketing platform for our partners. Through the entire year we share their relevant contents (case studies, blogs, webinars) over all conference’s communication channels, creating a rich base of knowledge to educate the audience and to prepare them for the final content peak at the conference.

We all realize that sustainable practices unfortunately not always depend on the organizer. We are limited with the location of the event, and sometimes it’s much more sustainable if we work with location capacities than with the ones we would prefer to, as it would includes additional transfer, costs etc. In that spirit, we are cooperating with as many local suppliers as possible.

No matter the above-written fact we are trying to be as sustainable as possible and the concept of the conference enables us just that – to be digital. That means we don’t use unnecessary paper and we communicate only through digital channels. We don’t print the essential information, but we keep them on the conference website and in the conference application, we share them through newsletters and social media, we keep everyone informed through screens on the walls. We don’t even print the ground plan and time schedule, even though many attendees would like us to.

We believe that the main core of the concept of sustainability is very similar to Microsoft’s and our conference’s concept of digital transformation – to keep all the information in cloud, available and accessible to everyone anytime anywhere. We are building the event with those thought in our minds and share the idea among the attendees. So far, we achieved that every year there are less of them, demanding the printed materials, and we believe it’s a fact we can all be proud o

NLB Business Forum 2018 was the first after repositioning of NLB brand and was a good opportunity to present a new NLB: a modern bank with top knowledge and experience, focused on its clients and give them advice and support to prepare them to everything that follows. The key challenge was how to implement new brand values into the event while building on the foundation of previous success of NLB Business Forums. NLB Business Forums were already well accepted by the companies, many visitors of past events are returning each year. The challenge was not only how to create a valuable event for clients but how to exceed already high expectations and how to engage them with demanding topics. Since many guest speakers were invited, some covering the same topic, not only at the event but also in accompanying magazine, coordinating all and taking care that the messages would be complementary and not conflicting.

For the first year, NLB Business Forum was organized as a regional event, with companies from Balkan region with different needs than Slovenian companies. Another challenge was how to create a program that all of them would find useful. As a regional bank, NLB knows the needs of businesses in the region and was able to fulfill their needs. As attendees from the region speak different languages, part of the presentations was kept in Slovenian, part in Balkan regional languages, part in English with simultaneous translations for all main languages.

The program was created with a focus on business needs of clients while also communicating the new brand values. The main topic, although interesting for the audience, can easily become boring. Therefore, the organizer used different forms of presentations in relative short time slots, which brought dynamic to the event. Each topic was introduced with an academic view and a practical view by real businesses, both lead to a better understanding of the topic.

• Senior executive director welcomed the attendees as a hologram, a great presentation of a modern, digital bank. Streamed live from the recording room to the stage in real dimensions – as if he would stand in person.

• The first, educational part of the event, brought together different internationally renowned guest from the economic field and internal experts. Each topic was introduced with the opinion of the IECD professor in short videos, recorded before the event. Taking his bite, the presenters then took the stage to bring another perspective, in the form of short talks or in dialog with the moderator.

• The second part of the event was less formal with moderated group talks, bringing new guests on the floor to talk about mentorship in practice, and finishing with a concert of a young renown musician, a mentee of the last guest.

• All participants received a magazine Poslovno, covering event’s topic from a different angle. Interlacing content at the event and in the magazine enabled deeper experience to the audience.

Several innovation elements were used at the event:

• Senior executive director welcomed the attendees as a hologram, a great presentation of a modern, digital bank. Streamed live from the recording room to the stage in real dimensions – as if he would stand in person.

• Interactive wall with NFC POS terminal in the entrance hall for gathering donations for Paediatric clinic. Corporate social responsibility and digitalization is important part of NLB’s strategy. Recently NLB launched modern and advanced mobile payment application NLB Pay and used it at the event to enable guest to donate. Guests could donate (default amount 5 EUR) simply by putting their mobile phone with NLB Pay mobile wallet or their NFC credit card near the NFC wall. All funds gathered at the event went to Paediatric clinic for necessary medical equipment.

Several partners and suppliers were involved in execution of the event. The event was planned months before, carefully selecting topics, speakers, location, visual identity and partners. All communications elements were developed, focusing on bringing the new brand identity to the clients. All project tasks were managed smoothly over entire projects: preparing the program, finding and choosing guests, preparing communication and creative tools, coordinating with the client and partners, sending invites, preparing the location and after event activities.

The main challenge of the execution was choosing relevant guests after some of originally planned were not able to come to the event. The challenge was not only to have all guests at the event but also in the accompanying magazine, which had to be prepared in time to be given at the event. The execution went well, the content of the magazine was coordinated and in-line with the event and print magazine was ready in time. The event schedule was carefully planned to give enough time to the speakers and not too long to lose the attention of audience, and break down challenging content, which demand higher attention of the audience. In execution, the event followed the schedule an there were no delays of the program.

All goals were achieved and exceeded. NLB Business Forum is a closed, invites only event (NLB’s key clients in the middle size business segment were invited), which should be considered.

• There were 348 attendees (year before 322)

• The rates of the event, given by the attendees were much higher than planned. In survey, following the event (response rate was 42 %), they rated the event with 4,8 out of 5: o The content selection 4,8 o Usability 4, 7 o Organization 4,9

• One third (107) attendees donated 5 EUR for Paediatric clinic Ljubljana at the interactive wall with NFC POS terminal.

• Media coverage by Slovene Press Agency and national radio

• Social media posts about the event reached 15.037 users. There were 789 views of the event landing page

• Over 6.350 video content views

• New leads, new business

NLB Business Forum is one of the main pillars of B2B communication with middle size companies. Beside event itself, its content is also the source for other communication tools, print magazine, articles on the website, social media communication, internal and media relation. Print magazine Poslovno is another important communication tool with the same target audience as the event. Usually event content is included in the next issue of the magazine. This year, another approach was used – content was covered in the magazine, attendees received as a gift at the event and therefore brought another prospective to the topics at the event. Both formats cross-promoted engagement of the audience and the readers and enabled a deeper experience. After the event all participants get the survey to rate the event and give feedback. The feedback is gathered and analysed. Based on attendees’ response and insights, obtained through talks with the clients at the event, we can better adapt future communication to their needs. The event also helps building media relations since the media knows they can find experts opinion in NLB when needed.

As a bank, dedicated to sustainable development, NLB tries to implement sustainability into business events, mainly through social responsibility. As an educational event, NLB Business Forum helped achieving bank’s objective to bring knowledge to its clients for better business results.

One of the main pillar of NLB’s corporate social responsibility is bringing back to the community, among them with donations. There was an interactive stand with NFC POS terminal in the entrance hall, where guests of the event were able to donate to the Paediatric clinic with NLB Pay mobile wallet or NFC credit card. All funds gathered at the event went for Paediatric clinic for necessary medical equipment.