Braco Suljić: buyers who come to MEETEX have budgets, it's up to us to convince them to spend that money in Croatia

MEETEX in the top 10 events of this type in Europe.

11. March 2024.

Zagreb is once again the gathering place of the business events industry.

MEETEX 2024, the largest B2B international gathering of congress tourism professionals in Croatia, begins on Tuesday. The sixth edition of MEETEX will gather over 200 participants from March 12 to 14 at the Hilton Zagreb Conference & Event Center.

The organizers announce numerous 1-on-1 meetings, a lot of networking and socializing, and pre- and post-study trips for visiting customers from Europe, America and Asia have long been booked and include Zagreb and the region, Kvarner and Dalmatia.

"MEETEX is still in the top 10 events of its kind in Europe, and this year's edition will be even bigger than last year's, which seemed impossible to us at the end of last year. However, it is obvious that Croatia is really positioning itself better and better at this extremely competitive, but and lucrative market.Only the buyers we bring to Zagreb have budgets of over 25 million EUR per year for organizing events, and it is up to us to convince them to spend that money in Croatia.

We expect that the number of meetings held between exclusively Croatian stakeholders of the business events industry - colloquially "congress tourism" - and visiting buyers and agents not only from Europe but also from America and Asia will exceed 2.000 this year..” said Adem Braco Suljić, co-founder and director of MEETEX. This year, the partners of the fair are the Croatian Tourist Board and the Zagreb Tourist Board.

MEETEX ONTOUR TORONTO 2024 - MEETEX's big step forward

MEETEX also brings a number of novelties. The dates and program for the first one will be announced during the event MEETEX OnTour Toronto 2024.

MEETEX thus becomes the only event of its kind in the world that organizes a B2B networking event for the promotion of the MICE industry of only one country - Croatia - on both sides of the Atlantic.

"By organizing MEETEX OnTour, that is, by taking the cream of the Croatian business tourism industry outside of Croatia - for the first time to Toronto - for direct meetings with Canadian buyers (of whom we already have almost 6 registered 50 months before the event), we are opening the door to a truly huge market that wants come to Croatia and wants to start his MICE business here. ANDThere is also great interest in participation from our stakeholders in the business events industry, and I am sure that we will remember 2024 as the year of the opening of a large and important chapter in the history of putting Croatia even more firmly on the MICE map of the world. The importance of the MICE industry is huge, because it is a niche of tourism that brings guests with 3-5 times higher paying power than vacationers, and this is done in the pre-season and post-season. " he added Adem Braco Suljić.

MEETEX cares about sustainability, so since the end of 2022 it has been supporting the UN SDG6 FrauBlau initiative for the protection of wetlands. Plastic water bottles are not used during the event. Each participant receives his own reusable glass bottle that he uses throughout the event and refills it at the water and healthy drink dispensers. In addition, no paper is wasted because all the material is in applications and online platforms. And finally, for the first time in these areas, accreditations that are not only biodegradable but also regenerative are used at a MICE event.

Interesting lectures await the participants again this year. Lecturers from the Zagreb School of Economics and Management will hold a lecture and workshop on the use of AI and ChatGPT in the MICE industry. dr. Rob Davidson, author of 8 books on the business events industry and one of the 10 most influential global educators in the world of business events, will hold a lecture on the equally important importance of Emotional Intelligence.

Photo: MEETEX