The fastest growing meeting destination in Europe according to the latest ICCA statistics, Serbia has made a tremendous leap forward in terms of the number of events it has hosted, taking into account three main criteria: number of participants, rotation and regular occurrence.
This sharp increase, especially in Belgrade, the country's main congress destination, is mainly thanks to the joint efforts of all industry partners who have united to achieve a common goal: the promotion and marketing of the destination.
Since its establishment in 2007, the SCB has been progressively marketing Serbia as a MICE destination, with the aim of positioning the country as a leader in South East Europe. ICCA statistics reveal that Serbia is climbing the ranks faster than any other European destination. With the hosting of 46 meetings in 2010, Serbia is currently ranked in 43rd position in the world, while just three years earlier the country was back in 64th place with only 11 meetings.
After hosting 33 international congresses in 2010, Serbia's capital, Belgrade, is now ranked 28th out of approximately 200 European convention destinations, close on the heels of cities such as Glasgow, Florence, Goteborg and Hamburg.
According to Bureau CEO Milos Milovanovic, the marketing efforts and the visibility of the destination have shown that Serbia is on the right track. "The country's convenient location, with excellent accessibility, perfect packaging (the main convention centre is connected to major hotels), good value for money, growing number of new hotels, choice of incentive programmes and tours, versatile and organic gastronomy, hospitable people, and fun are just some of Serbia's acknowledged attributes," said Milovanovic.
Keeping pace with the latest IT, the SCB has been widely promoting Serbia destination using digital and social media tools. Rolled out at the ICCA Congress held in Leipzig (Germany), the "Serbia Destination" mobile application was highly acclaimed, while the country has been recognized as a leader in applying the latest IT in destination promotion, and developing the first mobile app for meeting planners in Europe.
The recently published Serbia Meeting Planner's Guide served as a starting point for developing the "Serbia Destination" mobile app, optimized for all platforms. Once downloaded, the app operates offline, helping meeting planners and delegates to understand the capacity and potential of the country while planning, organizing or attending events in Serbia. Featuring a user-friendly interface and search engines, users can browse the contents for suitable solutions. A special feature provides planners with the possibility of informing delegates about specific event requirements. The "Serbia Destination" mobile app is integrated into the official SCB Facebook page and, together with its mobile website, represents a step forward in digital destination marketing.
The MPG guide is a must not only for meeting planners, but also for normal visitors, too. It is available and fully downloadable from the SCB website at www.scb.travel. And the QR code below can be used to download the app.
QR code for downloading SCB's mobile app
