PREDSEDOVANJE EU 2008 EU Presidency 2008 PREDSTAVITEV ...

we all hope. As Mr Krajc says,
most Europeans, including
Slovenes, don’t know which
Member State currently holds the
EU Presidency. This is particularly
a political project and a lot of people
aren’t interested in politics.
The Presidency will however,
certainly be a good experience
for service providers, who will
organise new forms of events
and reposition themselves in
the European market. Perhaps
they may in this way also get
new events.
Do you know how much effect
the Presidency’s had on tourist
points in any of the countries
who’ve already presided over
the EU?
When I spoke to a representative
of the Vienna conference bureau
regarding the effect of the
Presidency on the occupancy of
meeting capacities, he surprised
me by saying that they’d really
seen a higher number of events.
I should also point out that the
scope of events in Vienna is much
larger. The problem in Slovenia
is mainly that hotel capacities are
limited and if a larger event is
held here, this has an effect on
the whole Slovenian tourist scene.
How do you assess the quantity
and quality of our hotel and
meeting facilities?
The government quickly saw that
our meeting capacities were
limited, thus it decided to build
a new congress centre in Brdo,
something we welcome. For this
centre to really thrive after the
Presidency as well, it also needs
accommodation capacity nearby.
Right now the congress centre’s
capacity and accommodation
available aren’t proportionate,
meaning that another hotel with
a few hundred rooms has to be
built in Brdo. That’s the only way
the centre can be a candidate
for international events in the
long-term, the only type which
could fill such capacities. For
event participants it’s
unacceptable that it only takes
ten minutes to get to an excellent
congress centre from the airport,
but in the evening at the end of a
trying day, they have a half-hour drive to their hotel. We simply can’t
compete if that’s our offer on the international market. Political events
are different of course, as they’re usually one-day events where people
come in the morning and leave in the evening. Unfortunately there
aren’t enough of these on the international level. There are many more
international corporate events and expert association events which the
centre in Brdo will be able to get, playing an important role in meetings
that usually include at least one overnight stay. In this case, the capacity
shortage would certainly stand out. Of course, there’s a question
about whether the centre in Brdo will even market itself in such a way
in the future.
Is any additional capacity being built to ensure there’s enough during
the Presidency?
I don't have any information on this, but it can be seen in the
accelerated investment in meeting and hotel capacity in recent years,
also due to the Presidency. Most hotels and meeting venues have thus
been promptly renovated, Cankarjev dom and Gospodarsko razstavišče
to name but two, while renovations are also being speeded up on the
coast. A short period of calm will probably follow this. We have seen
10% growth in key players’ events which is above the Slovenian
average. Once hotel occupancy in key destinations reaches
international levels, we can also expect the arrival of foreign hotel
chains and service providers, which we welcome in the sense
of increased capacities.
Can the Slovenian meeting offer measure up in terms of quality
with offers in countries that have already presided over the EU?
Slovenia has over 20 years’ experience in the area of meeting
organisation, even the most demanding ones. In my experience,
I can tell you that we Slovenes’ve always been superior hosts. If the
right players are included in the organisation of the EU Presidency,
we will show the world that Slovenia is also able to organise events
at the highest level, while at the same time offering beauty and tourist
destinations. I’m sure that given the number of people who will visit
us in this period, there will be a certain number who return either
on business or from personal interest, something that all of us want.
Do you think the government should co-operate more closely with
meeting activity experts when organising activities?
To prepare for the Presidency, the government should form a close
association with meeting activity experts. The implementation of
meetings isn’t just the organisation of transport, the hire of halls,
hotel reservations and perhaps a dinner or so, but a great deal more.
The Slovenian Convention Bureau could offer suitable help as a
non-profit organisation that also provides expert and impartial
information on destinations, event venues and event providers.
At the same time, the Bureau operates as a professional intermediary
between event organisers, service providers and supporting
organisations whose common objective is finding suitable solutions
for the organisation and execution of events.
The fifty-four members include meeting venues and hotels,
professional congress organisers (PCOs) and destination management
companies (DMCs), the Ljubljana Tourist Board and other service
providers. In other words, all those professionally involved in
meeting activities.
Finland is a case where the representative office of the Convention
Bureau was in the team preparing for the Presidency nearly a year
in advance.
Jakica Jesih
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