The Croatian Meeting Professionals Association (CMPA), with the support of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board - Convention Bureau, the Croatian National Tourist Board, and Adriatic Luxury Hotels, organized the first workshop of the 2025 educational program at Hotel Kompas. This inspiring gathering brought together around thirty members and professionals from Dubrovnik’s MICE sector, who, through dynamic activities and discussions, exchanged experiences and acquired new knowledge.
The workshop, entitled “Different approaches for different types of events: understanding roles and cooperation in the MICE industry”, was led by experienced lecturers and members of the CMPA team – Ranko Filipović, Aleksandra Uhernik Đurđek, and Debora Petrović.
Interactive format and useful knowledge
The program began with an introductory lecture and a reminder of the conclusions from last year’s training on the role of gastronomy in events, emphasizing the importance of food and drink as an integral part of the experience and branding of events. This was followed by an icebreaker activity, “The Secret Behind the Scenes”, through which participants got to know each other better by sharing unusual experiences from event organization.
The central part of the event was a workshop in the World Café method – a participatory group dialogue at tables, carried out in four rounds of rotation. Each group discussed the specific characteristics and challenges of different types of events – associations and non-profit conferences, corporate gatherings, incentive programs, and destination presentations in the MICE market. Participants rotated between tables (4 rounds of 20 minutes each), with each table having one host who remained in place. This format enabled all participants to actively contribute to a joint synthesis of conclusions, creating an atmosphere of knowledge and idea exchange.
Dubrovnik as a place of meeting and inspiration
The workshop concluded with shared reflections and a lunch with informal networking, further encouraging connections and the exchange of experiences among colleagues.
Such gatherings contribute to strengthening the congress profession in Croatia, while also further confirming Dubrovnik as a leading business tourism destination. The city provides the perfect backdrop for education, networking, and the development of new ideas in the MICE industry, and the fact that Dubrovnik professionals hosted the association’s first meeting of 2025 symbolically underlines its role in shaping the future of the meetings industry in the country and the region.
