From 6 to 8 September, Ljubljana hosted the ICCA Central European Chapter Meeting, organised by Ljubljana Tourism in collaboration with ICCA Central European Chapter Chair Marina Knittel, Deputy Chair Magdalena Hołowińska, Toleranca Marketing and other partners. The event brought together 90 professionals from 19 countries, representing 69 organisations, in the Slovenian capital. It was also attended by ICCA CEO Dr Senthil Gopinath, further strengthening Ljubljana’s position as an important destination for international meetings.

The professional programme, developed around the overarching theme “Change of Perspective”, focused on key questions shaping the future of the meetings industry. The central message of the presentations and workshops was a shift away from focusing primarily on technological advancement and the number of events towards the question of what sustainable and meaningful value these events create for participants, destinations and the wider environment. International and Slovenian speakers explored topics including the design of holistic experiences, creating emotional connections at events, and the relationship between people and artificial intelligence.

Changing Perspectives, Leading Through Transformation

The programme also featured the panel discussion “Changing Perspectives, Leading Through Transformation”, where leading industry stakeholders discussed the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of business events. The panel included CEO of Ljubljana Tourism M.Sc. Petra Stušek, alongside CEO of ICCA Dr Senthil Gopinath, Fredi Fontanot, CEO of the Slovenian Convention Bureau, and Angeles Moreno, Managing Director for Spain and Portugal at Jack Morton Worldwide. The discussion focused on collaboration, adaptability and innovation in response to geopolitical, economic and climate-related changes.

Petra Stušek presented Ljubljana FLOWS, a platform that also incorporates predictive modelling of tourist flows using artificial intelligence. The model was developed in cooperation with Arctur, a partner in the development of the data platform, and is the first model of its kind among the partners of the European D3HUB project. Its forecasts take into account daily tourist flows, business events in Ljubljana, as well as national holidays and other non-working days in Ljubljana Tourism’s key markets. In this way, the platform supports a better understanding of tourism flows, the planning of measures and the destination’s timely response.

The panel also highlighted the Unicorn Awards, an international festival and competition in the events industry, which took place in Ljubljana during the same period and was thematically connected with the ICCA meeting, as an example of creativity and excellence. The Unicorn Awards ceremony complemented the ICCA meeting’s programme and encouraged the exchange of innovative practices across different sectors. Particular attention was also drawn to the closing panel discussion, “Association Perspectives: Rethinking the Bidding Process”, which focused on rethinking the bidding processes for international events. The discussion enabled direct and open dialogue between representatives of international associations and meeting participants.

Much More Than Just an Event Venue

Ljubljana was not merely the venue for this important meeting, but its host in the broader sense. Participants, almost 70 percent of whom were international professionals, primarily from Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, experienced the city through a range of venues, from Rog Centre, Cankarjev Dom and the GR Ljubljana - Congress & Convention Centre to the City Museum of Ljubljana and Ljubljana Castle, as well as through its vibrant culinary offering.